AURORA, Colo. — In the case against a dentist in Aurora accused of poisoning and killing his wife, police said James Craig tried to persuade a former inmate to help him find women who would give false testimony in his murder trial.
Craig faces a murder charge in the death of his wife, Angela, who died in March 2023 after her protein shakes were poisoned.
Court documents first obtained by 9NEWS partner The Denver Gazette detail the latest developments.
According to court transcripts from a hearing in September, an Aurora Police detective testified about a letter Craig tried to send in April to a man who had been in the Arapahoe County jail with him. The message was addressed to the man and his mother, but it never got to them because the address was incorrect. The detective said the letter was sent back to the jail, and that's how police learned about it.
The detective said the letter shared an elaborate plan. Craig wanted the former inmate to find one or two "attractive women" who would be willing to give false testimony, according to transcripts. The women would say Angela learned about the affair, wanted a divorce and had asked the women to help her frame Craig for a crime.
In the letter, Craig told the former inmate to use code names on the phone to tell him if he had found women to do this – "Harry Potter" for one woman and "Captain America" for two women.
Police said Craig offered to pay these women $5,000 and provide free dental work for the former inmate's mother.
"He mentioned, 'We're family now. Family takes care of each other. This dental work can cost 30- to $60,000,' and he would help them out and do that for [the mother]," transcripts said.
This is the second time Craig has been accused of asking an inmate to help him with his case. According to previous testimony, a different inmate told officers Craig had asked him to place letters at the house that would appear to be written by his wife, saying she wasn't happy with life and that she was suicidal. Craig had also offered him free dental work if he did this for him, the detective said.
On March 15, 2023, Angela was admitted to University Hospital. She reported that she was experiencing a severe headache and dizziness. Three hours after she was admitted to the hospital, she had a seizure, and her medical condition began to decline quickly. She was placed on life support.
Craig's business partner told a nurse he suspected Angela had been poisoned. Craig was charged with first-degree murder on March 22, 2023.
Craig is facing one count of first-degree murder, three felony counts of tampering with physical evidence, and one felony count of perjury. He's scheduled to go to trial in November.
