A dentist in Aurora, Colorado, has been arrested on murder charges after his wife died by poisoning, officials say.
James Toliver Craig, 45, was arrested early in the morning on Sunday, March 19, and booked on charges of first-degree murder, according to a news release shared by the Aurora Police Department. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
Police said that a few days earlier on March 15, Craig had taken his wife, 43-year-old Angela Craig, to the hospital because she was suffering “severe headaches and dizziness."
Her condition “deteriorated rapidly” and she was placed on a ventilator before being declared medically brain-dead, the news release said.
In an affidavit the Aurora Police Department released Monday, March 20, James Craig was accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes using potassium cyanide, which is potentially deadly. The affidavit included text messages it says are between James Craig and his wife in which she describes feeling sick soon after drinking one of her shakes. It also alleges he had recently ordered potassium cyanide and had it delivered to his dental practice despite there being “no medical reason or purpose” to order it.
Additionally, the affidavit says his computer search history included "how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human" and "Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?" along with YouTube searches for "Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play," "how to make poison," and "The Top 10 Deadliest Plans (They Can Kill You)."
The affidavit explains that hospital staff wasn’t sure why Angela Craig’s condition was deteriorating so rapidly until her husband’s business partner, who knew about the cyanide purchase, told a nurse that he was suspicious that she had been poisoned.
“It was quickly discovered this was in fact a heinous, complex and calculated murder,” Division Chief Mark Hildebrand said in a March 19 statement. “I am very proud of our Major Crimes Homicide Unit’s hard work in solving this case and pursuing justice for the victim.”