Prosecutors say Colorado dentist charged in wife’s death tried to kill detective

DENVER — Prosecutors on Friday are set to present evidence that a Colorado dentist charged with killing his wife also tried to get a fellow inmate to kill a detective investigating him.

James Craig is accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes nearly two years ago, allegedly ordering a rush shipment of potassium cyanide that he said he needed for a patient after police say arsenic failed to kill her.

Late last year, prosecutors filed new charges against him: solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to commit perjury. The charging document did not say who Craig allegedly wanted to have killed but police in Aurora, Colorado, have confirmed the intended target of the alleged murder plot was a detective on the case.

Prosecutors are scheduled to present more details about what they believe happened during a hearing Friday afternoon in order to convince a judge that Craig should also be prosecuted for those charges during his trial.

Craig’s trial has been delayed and no new date has been set yet.

Craig has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. A telephone message left for Craig’s defense lawyers, Lisa Moses and Robert Werking, was not immediately returned.

Angela Craig, 43, died in March 2023 of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the coroner. The couple had been married for 23 years and had six children together.