AURORA, Colo. — A day after the attorney for the Aurora dentist charged with poisoning his wife withdrew from his case the district attorney's office filed a motion to charge the dentist with two additional counts – including solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
James Craig is charged with murder in the death of his wife, Angela, who died in 2023 after she ingested lethal doses of cyanide and an ingredient in Visine. His trial was set to begin Thursday, with two days set aside for jury selection ahead of opening statements set to begin after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Instead, a spokesman for the district attorney's office said, Craig's defense attorney Harvey Steinberg asked to withdraw, citing a professional conflict. A hearing was held on the issue Thursday morning, and as a result, the judge allowed Steinberg to withdraw under the Rule of Professional Conduct.
Steinberg cited two specific reasons under that rule which include, "the client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer's services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent" and the "client insists upon taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement."
On Friday morning, the district attorney's office confirmed they had filed a motion to add two more counts against Craig. They include solicitation to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree perjury. Both are felony charges. While a motion has been filed to add the charges, they are not official until accepted by the court.
Angela Craig died March 18, 2023, after ingesting lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient commonly found in Visine, according to an autopsy report from the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office. The report also lists arsenic poisoning as a "significant condition" related to her death.
According to an arrest affidavit from Aurora Police, Angela Craig went to a hospital three times before her death – on March 6, March 9, and March 15 – after becoming faint and dizzy.
The affidavit says James Craig used an office computer to research and buy "undetectable poisons," and he bought crystalline metalloid arsenic from Amazon a few weeks before his wife's death. Five days before her death, the document says, James Craig received a package at his office that was opened by an office attendant who found a biohazard sticker and a circular canister that said "potassium cyanide" on it.
According to the affidavit, James Craig's business partner told a nurse he believed Angela Craig had been poisoned because her husband had recently ordered potassium cyanide for their dental practice. That resulted in an investigation into her death.
James Craig is also charged with a felony count of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors said Craig tried to persuade a family member to tamper with evidence starting the day before Aurora Police arrested him. Court documents say he continued to do this for almost two weeks while in county jail.
Craig is next due in court in connection with his wife's death on Dec. 16. No new trial dates have been set.