The dentist poisoned his wife, then tried to kill the investigator
47-year-old James Craig had an affair, during which he planned to kill his wife Angela Craig in March 2023.
He added a lethal dose of cyanide to his wife's protein shake, prosecutors reported. Prosecutors also claimed during the two-week trial that the man was unhappy in his marriage but did not want a divorce due to financial problems, writes BBC.
Defense attorneys argued that Angela Craig, who was then 43, took her own life because she was devastated by her husband's "constant" infidelities.
However, Arapahoe County coroner established that she died from poisoning with cyanide and tetradrozoline, a chemical used in eye drops.
Evidence showed that James Craig searched the internet for "how many grams of pure arsenic kill a person" and "can arsenic be detected during an autopsy?" He ordered a delivery of potassium cyanide to his dental clinic.
Two days later, Angela Craig drank a protein shake, which made her dizzy and weak, and she was hospitalized in a Denver suburb.
A surveillance camera footage shows the dentist holding a syringe before entering his wife's hospital room. Her condition rapidly worsened, and after a few days, doctors declared brain death.
On Wednesday, the jury found Craig guilty of first-degree murder, as well as other charges, including solicitation to commit murder. Craig attempted to force another inmate to kill the detective working on the case.
One of the couple's six children issued a statement about how her mother's murder affected her.
"I was supposed to trust my father," said Miriam Mazeravi, according to American media. "He was supposed to be my hero, but instead he will forever remain a villain in my memories."
Arapahoe County District Judge Shea Whitaker sentenced Craig to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for murder, as well as 33 years for additional charges.
"Her husband poisoned Angela, causing a slow death," said District Attorney Amy Padden to journalists at a press conference after the verdict.
"He did this not in a fit of passion, but coldly and deliberately."
