A Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife's protein shake reportedly tried to frame a murder trial by having fellow inmates plant evidence to make the woman's death look like a suicide. .
Aurora police say Dr. James Craig tried to convince ex-convicts to perjure themselves by writing letters to ex-convicts while in prison and sending fake suicide notes to their parents' homes. According to the Denver Gazette.
According to the letter, Craig wrote a fake note from prison and provided it to a recently released man.
The alleged killer outlined how potential accomplices should find attractive women who would agree to lie in court about having had an affair with Craig, police said. said in court.
It is believed that these events motivated Angela to commit suicide out of anger at her unfaithful husband.
In exchange for the favor, Craig offered free dental care to the mother of a fellow inmate, the Denver Gazette reported.
According to the report, the letter was not received and was returned to the sender because the dentist forgot to include the apartment number of the potential accomplice in the address field.
Police told the court that a prison staff technician would receive, open and read the letter.
Defense attorney Harvey Steinberg abruptly withdrew from the case earlier this week before jury selection.
He cited two rules of professional conduct and argued that his client was trying to induce the attorney to commit fraud or other criminal activity. According to the Denver Post.
The judge delayed the trial to accommodate the sudden change.
According to the Denver Post, Dr. Craig will return to court on Dec. 16 to introduce a new attorney.
Angela Craig, 43, died on March 18, 2023, from a lethal dose of cyanide and the decongestant tetrahydrozoline found in over-the-counter eye drops.
Prosecutors said that in the days leading up to Angela's death, Craig searched online for ways to poison Angela and purchased arsenic and cyanide.
These searches, which were allegedly made on public computers, included questions such as “How many grams of pure arsenic would kill a human?”, “Can arsenic be detected in an autopsy?” and “Detection with no signs of foul play.” These included “Top 5 Impossible Poisons'' and “How to Detect Poisons.'' “Top 10 Most Deadly Plants (They Can Kill You)” that “produce poison,” according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that Craig conducted these searches shortly after they began their affair and concocted the murder plan.
The dentist is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, first-degree murder, and inciting perjury stemming from his sordid letter.
Craig maintains he is innocent of all charges.
The trail is scheduled to begin in early January.
