When Angela Craig went on life help on March 15, 2023, in Aurora, Colorado, police assigned a murder detective to research her case — whilst she was nonetheless alive. Three days later, and solely hours after Angela Craig was declared lifeless, her husband, Dr. James Craig could be arrested and charged along with her homicide. James Craig has pleaded not responsible.
The story of why police allege James Craig murdered his spouse and why police made that arrest so shortly all traces again to a bundle that police say was delivered to James Craig’s dental workplace simply 5 days earlier than Angela Craig died.
That story of the dentist, his spouse’s dying and that suspicious bundle is instructed by “48 Hours” contributor Natalie Morales in an encore of “Who Poisoned Angela Craig?” now streaming on Paramount+.
Dr. James Craig and Angela Craig
Fb
The Craigs married in 1999 and moved to Aurora the place they’d increase their six youngsters. Their lives had been steeped of their group—their church, their youngsters and James Craig’s dental observe, Summerbrook Dental, which was well-known in Aurora.
The podcast and the podcaster
The 52-page arrest warrant.
Aurora Police Division
Tubbs had first identified James Craig as his dentist, however he bought to know Craig higher whereas engaged on radio advertisements for Summerbrook Dental, at Tubbs’ former radio station. Tubbs had additionally met Angela Craig at these conferences and says her power and intelligence stood out. “She was not somebody to just sit there and stay quiet. She was engaged in the dental practice,” Tubbs stated, including that Angela Craig “was somebody who was talking about ideas, and their marketing, their message.” Tubbs thought it was nice to see such a profitable household enterprise seemingly thriving in Colorado.
Angela Craig was 43 years previous when she died, and mom to these six youngsters with James Craig. Former staff and buddies instructed “48 Hours” that she had all the time appeared glad and wholesome. In that warrant, police word that Angela and Jim Craig had been identified to work out collectively within the mornings, and that James would make Angela a morning protein shake as a part of that every day routine.
Angela Craig’s mysterious sickness begins
Angela Craig’s medical troubles had begun on March 6, 2023, when she first began feeling sick. Based on that arrest warrant, she texted her husband that morning, writing, “I don’t feel right in my head.” James Craig texted her again asking, “do I need to come home?” and Angela Craig replied “No…this is just weird. I’m dizzy in my head and my eyes are working slowly and my body is responding slowly.”
The warrant exhibits James Craig texted, “Do you get lightheaded when you stand up?” and that Angela Craig texted again, “It feels more like I feel when I take heavy meds and everything adjusts and moves slowly. Like I’m moving in thick gel. My eyes are struggling to stay focused.” She later texted James Craig, “I feel drugged” and shortly he did come house and took Angela Craig to the ER.
The warrant says Angela Craig was launched from the ER that very same day however was again on the hospital three days later, this time as an admitted affected person. Angela Craig underwent a sequence of checks and coverings, however docs had been nonetheless struggling to determine what was flawed. It was throughout that second hospital go to when a curious factor occurred at Summerbrook Dental. It might grow to be a key piece of proof in a homicide investigation.
Trial set for Colorado dentist accused of poisoning spouse’s protein shake
02:35
A bundle arrives
Based on the warrant, James Craig had instructed his workplace supervisor that he was anticipating a “personal package” and “not to open it.” That bundle arrived on March 13, whereas Angela Craig was nonetheless within the hospital, and, in accordance with the warrant, a workers member, not realizing about these directions, had opened it. The warrant says that the workplace supervisor, closing the field again up for Dr. Craig, noticed it contained a canister labeled “potassium cyanide.” Police say the bundle was then hand delivered to Dr. Craig.
Angela Craig was launched from her second hospital go to on March 14, the day after that bundle is alleged to have been delivered to Summerbrook Dental. She had nonetheless not been recognized however appeared effectively sufficient at that second.
Sadly, that second wouldn’t final. The following morning, on March 15, 2023, Angela Craig was again within the hospital, seemingly sicker than ever. She would by no means come out.
Police say James Craig arrived on the hospital on March 15 quickly after Angela Craig however didn’t keep lengthy. The warrant says he quickly went house and returned roughly an hour-and-a-half later, carrying meals. Police say he then went into Angela Craig’s room alone and that quickly after she had a seizure and her very important indicators crashed.
That’s when James Craig took photographs of his spouse, sending them to their good friend Michelle Redfearn, a skilled nurse married to James Craig’s enterprise associate and good friend from dental college, Ryan Redfearn. When the Redfearns bought these photographs and James Craig’s textual content — that learn partly, “crash. intubated. doc says she’s ‘very very worried’” — they raced to the hospital.
On their approach, Ryan Redfearn would later inform police, he bought a telephone name from the workplace. That telephone name was to alert Ryan Redfearn about that bundle marked “potassium cyanide” {that a} staffer stated had been delivered and opened. That very same worker, listening to of Angela Craig’s signs, had Googled them, and, in accordance with the warrant, was apprehensive Angela Craig could have been poisoned. When the worker noticed that Angela’s signs lined up with the signs for cyanide poisoning, she made a telephone name.
After arriving on the hospital, Ryan Redfearn would later inform police he noticed James Craig crying after speaking to a physician. However Ryan Redfearn didn’t appear satisfied these tears had been actual. He took a nurse apart and shared the story about that bundle marked “potassium cyanide” that had been delivered to James Craig simply two days prior.
The warrant says that nurse, being a compulsory reporter, referred to as police and inside hours members of the murder unit from the Aurora Police Division had launched an investigation. By this time, Angela Craig was on life help, and the outlook was grim.
A telephone name between companions
Later that very same day, the warrant says, Ryan Redfearn was with Michelle Redfearn within the hospital car parking zone once they bought a telephone name from James Craig. Ryan Redfearn stated James Craig requested him if he had spoken to police. Ryan Redfearn instructed him that he had and that he had heard about that bundle allegedly marked “potassium cyanide.”
Based on the warrant, James Craig then instructed Ryan Redfearn that the bundle contained a hoop for Angela. Ryan Redfearn says he instructed James Craig that somebody had opened that bundle and seen that container marked cyanide. And, in accordance with the warrant, Ryan Redfearn quickly ended that telephone name, telling James Craig to “stop talking and get a lawyer.”
The following morning, the warrant says, James Craig despatched Ryan Redfearn a prolonged textual content, writing, partly: “I want to make an urgent plea to you,” it went on “Please don’t talk to anyone … including any law enforcement officers. You are under no obligation to answer their questions unless you are served a subpoena and you will do more damage than good to my family by continuing to insert yourself into this.”
In an interview with Natalie Morales, former Arapahoe County District Legal professional George Brauchler, when requested about that textual content stated, “I’m trying to think of all the innocent applications of the phrase, please don’t talk to the police. I can’t come up with any.”
Nonetheless, as James Craig is awaiting trial, the protection has not but had the prospect to current its case to a jury. At a preliminary listening to in July 2023, Craig’s legal professional said that he had struggled with melancholy prior to now and had sought counseling.
Utah-based protection legal professional Skye Lazaro is just not part of this case, however has labored on different circumstances involving poison, and reviewed the data out there on the time. Lazaro instructed Morales it’s doable James Craig’s protection might argue he was in search of poison to not kill Angela Craig however to kill himself. Lazaro additionally stated she thinks the protection might argue that James Craig’s arrest was rushed and that police didn’t take the time to discover different theories of how Angela Craig could have died, together with the likelihood that Angela could have sought to die by suicide — or that James Craig had.
Lazaro additionally famous that in that preliminary listening to, the protection emphasised that the lead detective had acknowledged that police had not but discovered proof of poison within the supplies that they had examined—together with bottles and syringes from the Craig’s house.
At trial, jurors will probably hear how that unintended discovery at Summerbrook Dental led to a homicide investigation and James Craig’s arrest. Brauchler instructed Morales that what occurred from there “is a testament to Ryan Redfearn” and what he instructed the nurse that day.
On July 30, 2025, a jury discovered James Craig responsible of murdering his spouse Angela Craig. He was sentenced to life in jail with out the potential of parole.
Extra from CBS Information
