Colorado dentist convicted of murder in the poisoning death of his wife

CENTENNIAL Colo AP A jury convicted a Colorado dentist of first-degree murder on Wednesday in the poisoning death of his wife Prosecutors at trial had accused James Craig of repeatedly poisoning his wife Angela Craig including by lacing her smoothies over days in March When those attempts failed prosecutors declared the dentist gave his wife a final dose of cyanide as she was hospitalized in suburban Denver with manifestations that puzzled doctors She was declared brain dead soon after On Wednesday afternoon Craig stood with his attorney while verdicts on murder and lesser charges were read out in court He then sat down and his attorneys rested their hands on his shoulder Afterward he huddled with his attorneys quietly whispering as they waited for the judge to sentence him The dentist didn t testify during the two-week trial and his attorneys didn t present other onlookers The defense had suggested earlier at trial that Angela Craig may have taken her own life and faulted police for focusing solely on James Craig as a suspect However prosecutors stated the dentist had offered other conflicting explanations for her death to other people Toxicology tests determined Angela Craig died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline an ingredient commonly exposed in over-the-counter eye drops according to the coroner Prosecutors argued Craig sought to kill his wife to get out of a marriage he felt trapped in adding he didn t want a divorce so he could protect his money and image They also accused him of trying to cover up the killing by asking others including his daughter and fellow jail inmates to fake evidence and testimony that would make it appear that his wife killed herself or required to frame him for her death Prosecutors mentioned photos from a hospital assurance camera shown in court depict Craig holding a syringe before he entered Angela Craig s room After administering the fatal dose through her IV Craig walked out and texted a fellow dentist with whom he was having an affair Senior Chief Deputy Michael Mauro informed jurors in closing arguments His wife s condition hurriedly worsened One of Craig s attorneys Lisa Fine Moses had described jurors earlier this week that the image was blurry and syringes that investigators recovered did not contain any poison She also mentioned the couple wasn t in financial trouble and that Craig s cheating had been going on for years and had never been a motivation for murder