By John Q. Hosedrinker 
James Craig, a Colorado dentist, is facing trial next week, accused of murdering his wife, Angela Craig, by poisoning her protein shakes. The prosecution alleges that Craig poisoned his wife with cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, attempting to make her death appear as a suicide. Court documents reveal that Craig had also attempted to solicit others to tamper with evidence and commit perjury. James Craig has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder.
Read the original article here
Dentist accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes going on trial for murder is a sentence that immediately screams out “unbelievable, but true”. It’s the kind of headline that makes you stop scrolling and lean in. This case, like a twisted plotline from a thriller, is actually unfolding in real life, and the details are nothing short of astonishing.
After Craig’s initial attempts to kill his wife failed, and the prosecution alleged this, he ordered a rush shipment of potassium cyanide, supposedly for surgical purposes. The audacity! Cyanide for surgery? It’s hard to fathom the thought process, or the sheer lack of common sense, that would lead a professional, someone with a medical degree, to believe that this was a plausible explanation. This is a crucial point because the idea of a surgeon needing cyanide for surgery is just not a thing.
This dentist didn’t stop there. Prosecutors also said he tried to get another inmate to plant fraudulent letters at Craig’s home to make it appear his wife was suicidal. Then, in the lead up to his trial, it gets even wilder. He allegedly sent letters to the ex-wife of the inmate he tried to hire, offering her a payment of $20,000 per person if she could find witnesses to falsely testify his wife was planning to take her own life. The man seems to think he’s a master strategist.
One can’t help but think, why not just get a divorce? The reasons may never be fully known but it seems the defendant had a complex web of issues driving him to make such horrific choices. The idea of starting over, combined with the fear of lost assets and potential alimony, can be daunting. Yet, the alternative – premeditated murder – is beyond comprehension.
The case just keeps getting stranger. The initial attorney for the defendant, highlighted some important issues regarding the police investigation and the reliability of jailhouse informants before eventually leaving the case because the client allegedly kept asking the lawyer to do illegal things. The second attorney tried to raise questions about handwriting analysis and witness credibility, but had to withdraw after being arrested for setting his own house on fire.
Now, get this: the accused wife killer is being represented by the wife of the attorney who burned his own house down. It’s a stunning twist. Here is a man who managed to become a dentist, which requires intelligence and discipline, yet seems to be making decisions in his crimes that are incredibly ill-conceived. One has to wonder if this man just felt he was above the law, above consequences, or just truly believed he wouldn’t get caught.
This case is a stark reminder of how different education and intelligence can be. The ability to pass exams, manage time, and achieve a doctorate doesn’t automatically equate to sound judgment or a deep understanding of the world. This is a prime example of how far one can go in life and yet lack basic common sense or a grasp of how the real world works.
The motives here seem to be a combination of everything. Financial troubles, multiple affairs, and the potential for a costly divorce all play a part. It appears to be a sad and twisted case of a man who, instead of choosing the easier, if painful, option of divorce, chose the path of murder.
The case has all the makings of a true crime saga. The dentist, who, according to all accounts, should be a pillar of the community, is instead a man accused of the most heinous crime. The fact that he also appears to have been trying to manipulate the legal system from inside makes the case even more disturbing.