James Craig stood silent, shoulders shaking, as his oldest daughter addressed the court.
“I was supposed to be able to trust my dad; he was supposed to be my hero, and instead he’ll forever be the villain in my book,” said Miriam ‘Mira’ Meservy, speaking directly and without hesitation.
Her younger brother, Toliver Craig, shared a quieter pain. Two weeks after their mother’s death, he set an alarm on his phone that still rings every night at 10 pm. It just says “Mom”. “I’m sad there’s not more time with her,” he said.
Craig, a former dentist from Colorado, offered no words before being led out in handcuffs. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife, Angela Craig. She died in March 2023 after being poisoned with a lethal dose of cyanide. The sentence, delivered in an Arapahoe County courtroom, followed a guilty verdict on charges of first-degree murder and multiple related counts.
Angela Craig, 43, was declared brain dead shortly after. A toxicology report confirmed she died from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a chemical often found in eye drops.
In court, the jury heard that Craig had ordered potassium cyanide online and had it shipped directly to his dental practice. Investigators also found that he searched online about the detectability of arsenic in autopsies. The evidence painted a picture of a man who planned his wife’s death meticulously and with full intent.
“This is not a man who wants to get divorced,” said prosecutor Michael Mauro during closing arguments. “If he wants to get divorced, she’s serving it up to him on a silver platter.”
Prosecutors showed security footage of Craig entering Angela’s hospital room with a syringe just before her condition worsened. Mauro told the court that immediately after injecting her, Craig texted a fellow dentist with whom he was having an affair.
Angela’s older sister, Toni Kofoed, addressed Craig directly in court.
“You have taken away our opportunity to grow old together,” she said. “Her life was not yours to take. Angela had a love and a passion for life. She loved her children and, unfortunately, she loved you.”
“Twenty-some years of him cheating on Angela Craig — he broke her,” she told jurors. “He broke her heart, her soul.”
She also questioned the reliability of the evidence, including the hospital footage. “They want you to guess,” she said. “You don’t get to guess. You do not know if this was voluntarily or involuntarily ingested.”
But the jury was unconvinced. They returned guilty verdicts not only for murder but also for several other counts, including solicitation to commit murder. That charge related to Craig’s attempt to convince a fellow inmate to kill the lead detective on the case. He was also found guilty of pressuring his daughter to record a fake video of her mother asking to be poisoned.
He was acquitted of only one charge: manslaughter.
Arapahoe County District Judge Shay Whitaker delivered the life sentence plus an additional 33 years. Speaking firmly, she described Craig’s actions as deeply destructive.
“Dr Craig unleashed a path of destruction as wide as a tornado and just as devastating,” Judge Whitaker said. “Damage to his children, damage to Angela’s family, damage to his own family. None of the individuals that are here in the courtroom before the court today will ever be the same.”
Neither Craig nor his legal team made any statement before the sentencing.
The courtroom, divided physically by family loyalty, was united in grief. Angela’s family sat on one side, James Craig’s on the other. After the verdict, many stood to hug each other, wiping tears from their eyes.
This case, stripped of drama and legal arguments, ultimately came down to a basic betrayal. A husband who didn’t just want to leave his wife, but erase her entirely — and failed to take responsibility for it until a jury forced him to.
“I was supposed to be able to trust my dad; he was supposed to be my hero, and instead he’ll forever be the villain in my book,” said Miriam ‘Mira’ Meservy, speaking directly and without hesitation.
Her younger brother, Toliver Craig, shared a quieter pain. Two weeks after their mother’s death, he set an alarm on his phone that still rings every night at 10 pm. It just says “Mom”. “I’m sad there’s not more time with her,” he said.
Craig, a former dentist from Colorado, offered no words before being led out in handcuffs. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife, Angela Craig. She died in March 2023 after being poisoned with a lethal dose of cyanide. The sentence, delivered in an Arapahoe County courtroom, followed a guilty verdict on charges of first-degree murder and multiple related counts.
A calculated plan over ten days
The prosecution laid out a grim timeline. Craig, 47, had tried to kill Angela slowly by lacing her daily protein shakes with poison over a ten-day period. When those doses failed to kill her, he delivered a final dose of cyanide while she was in hospital with mysterious symptoms that doctors couldn't explain.Angela Craig, 43, was declared brain dead shortly after. A toxicology report confirmed she died from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a chemical often found in eye drops.
In court, the jury heard that Craig had ordered potassium cyanide online and had it shipped directly to his dental practice. Investigators also found that he searched online about the detectability of arsenic in autopsies. The evidence painted a picture of a man who planned his wife’s death meticulously and with full intent.
“This is not a man who wants to get divorced,” said prosecutor Michael Mauro during closing arguments. “If he wants to get divorced, she’s serving it up to him on a silver platter.”
Motives: Money, reputation and an affair
The motive, prosecutors said, was layered. Craig didn’t want a divorce because he wanted to protect his reputation and avoid losing his money. He had cheated on his wife repeatedly during their 23-year marriage, and was in the middle of another affair at the time of Angela’s death.Prosecutors showed security footage of Craig entering Angela’s hospital room with a syringe just before her condition worsened. Mauro told the court that immediately after injecting her, Craig texted a fellow dentist with whom he was having an affair.
Angela’s older sister, Toni Kofoed, addressed Craig directly in court.
“You have taken away our opportunity to grow old together,” she said. “Her life was not yours to take. Angela had a love and a passion for life. She loved her children and, unfortunately, she loved you.”
A failed defence, rejected by the jury
Craig did not testify in his defence during the two-week trial. His legal team suggested that Angela may have taken her own life. Attorney Lisa Fine Moses claimed her client’s long history of infidelity broke Angela emotionally and spiritually.“Twenty-some years of him cheating on Angela Craig — he broke her,” she told jurors. “He broke her heart, her soul.”
She also questioned the reliability of the evidence, including the hospital footage. “They want you to guess,” she said. “You don’t get to guess. You do not know if this was voluntarily or involuntarily ingested.”
But the jury was unconvinced. They returned guilty verdicts not only for murder but also for several other counts, including solicitation to commit murder. That charge related to Craig’s attempt to convince a fellow inmate to kill the lead detective on the case. He was also found guilty of pressuring his daughter to record a fake video of her mother asking to be poisoned.
He was acquitted of only one charge: manslaughter.
Arapahoe County District Judge Shay Whitaker delivered the life sentence plus an additional 33 years. Speaking firmly, she described Craig’s actions as deeply destructive.
“Dr Craig unleashed a path of destruction as wide as a tornado and just as devastating,” Judge Whitaker said. “Damage to his children, damage to Angela’s family, damage to his own family. None of the individuals that are here in the courtroom before the court today will ever be the same.”
Neither Craig nor his legal team made any statement before the sentencing.
The courtroom, divided physically by family loyalty, was united in grief. Angela’s family sat on one side, James Craig’s on the other. After the verdict, many stood to hug each other, wiping tears from their eyes.
This case, stripped of drama and legal arguments, ultimately came down to a basic betrayal. A husband who didn’t just want to leave his wife, but erase her entirely — and failed to take responsibility for it until a jury forced him to.
