The trial of a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by allegedly poisoning her protein shakes was halted during jury selection when the defendant’s attorney abruptly resigned, citing a professional conflict.
James Toliver Craig, 46, faces first-degree murder charges in the death of his 43-year-old wife, Angela Craig. His former attorney, Harvey Steinberg, cited two sections of The Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct as reasons for withdrawing, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
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One scenario was when the client “persists in a course of action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” while the third scenario was when the client insists on taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.
Following Craig’s refusal to represent himself, the judge scheduled an appearance of counsel hearing for December 16, as reported by the prosecutors.
The Denver Post reported that Steinberg declined to comment on Thursday.
Angela Craig died in March 2023. The Aurora Police Department arrested James Craig days after his wife visited the hospital on March 15, 2023, for the third time in nine days, due to severe headaches.
Investigators said that the wife’s condition rapidly deteriorated shortly after arriving at the hospital, leading to her placement on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. Shortly afterward, the medical team declared her brain dead.
Before more information about the state’s theory of the case became available, locals were stunned to learn that their Summer brook Dental dentist had been charged with his wife’s alleged poison murder.
As reported at the time, the dentist referred to himself and Angela as “the proud parents of six great kids” on his dental practice website.
Authorities later claimed that poison caused Angela Craig’s mysterious illness and sudden death, and that her husband was the main suspect because he used his dental profession to order arsenic and potassium cyanide.
An affidavit claims that James Craig, who may have been on the verge of bankruptcy, had been planning a life with another woman in the weeks leading up to his February 2023 Google searches, which included queries like “How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human” and “Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?”
“The search history provided YouTube searches for ‘Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play’, ‘how to make poison,’ and ‘The Top 10 Deadliest Plants (They Can Kill You),'” according to the declaration.
Authorities determined that the protein shakes her husband allegedly made for her were the cause of Angela Craig’s symptoms, which began on March 6, 2023, and persisted until her death on March 18, 2023.
An unnamed witness who knew the victim and spoke with her “almost daily” told investigators on March 17, 2023, that the Craigs’ marriage “had always been tumultuous” and that James Craig had “multiple affairs with several women,” as well as a pornography addiction.
The witness also claimed that the suspect had drugged his wife years ago.
Authorities believe that James Craig texted his wife in March 2023, saying, “Given our history, I know that must be triggering.” Just to be clear, I did not drug you.
Investigators said evidence showed the dentist appeared to be having a “sexually intimate relationship” with another woman whom he flew to Denver “as the mother of his children was dying in the hospital.” Investigators accused Craig of trying to establish a “new life” with another woman.
Reported in April that he faced a second offense charge while in jail for allegedly attempting to persuade a family member and another unidentified individual to tamper with evidence.
