When Angela Craig went on life assist on March 15, 2023, in Aurora, Colorado, police assigned a murder detective to analyze her case — at the same time as she was nonetheless alive. Three days later, and solely hours after Angela Craig was declared useless, her husband, Dr. James Craig could be arrested and charged along with her homicide. James Craig has pleaded not responsible.
The story of why police allege James Craig murdered his spouse and why police made that arrest so rapidly all traces again to a package deal that police say was delivered to James Craig’s dental workplace simply 5 days earlier than Angela Craig died.
That story of the dentist, his spouse’s demise and that suspicious package deal is instructed by contributor Natalie Morales in “Who Poisoned Angela Craig?” — an all-new “48 Hours” airing Saturday, March 23 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. (Time approximate after NCAA Males’s Basketball Match.)
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The Craigs married in 1999 and moved to Aurora the place they might elevate their six kids. Their lives have been steeped of their group—their church, their kids and James Craig’s dental apply, Summerbrook Dental, which was well-known in Aurora.
The podcast and the podcaster
Steffan Tubbs, a former radio host and podcaster, first met James Craig when he was a affected person at Summerbrook Dental. So when Tubbs noticed the information in March 2023 that Dr. Craig had been arrested for Angela’s homicide, he was surprised. “I could not consider the allegations … I could not consider the mugshot. There’s my dentist. A mugshot,” Tubbs instructed “48 Hours.”
Tubbs reported on James Craig’s arrest in his radio present, and inside days had launched a podcast to discover the alleged information of the case. In that podcast, Tubbs reviewed the 52-page arrest warrant that police launched once they charged James Craig with homicide. Tubbs stated of that warrant, “In almost 34 years of being a newsman, essentially the most unbelievable and seemingly thorough arrest affidavit I’ve ever learn.”
Tubbs had first identified James Craig as his dentist, however he bought to know Craig higher whereas engaged on radio advertisements for Summerbrook Dental, at Tubbs’ former radio station. Tubbs had additionally met Angela Craig at these conferences and says her power and intelligence stood out. “She was not any person to simply sit there and keep quiet. She was engaged within the dental apply,” Tubbs stated, including that Angela Craig “was any person who was speaking about concepts, and their advertising, their message.” Tubbs thought it was nice to see such a profitable household enterprise seemingly thriving in Colorado.
Angela Craig was 43 years outdated when she died, and mom to these six kids with James Craig. Former workers and buddies instructed “48 Hours” that she had at all times appeared completely satisfied and wholesome. In that warrant, police notice that Angela and Jim Craig have been identified to work out collectively within the mornings, and that James would make Angela a morning protein shake as a part of that every day routine.
Angela Craig’s mysterious sickness begins
Angela Craig’s medical troubles had begun on March 6, 2023, when she first began feeling sick. In accordance with that arrest warrant, she texted her husband that morning, writing, “I do not really feel proper in my head.” James Craig texted her again asking, “do I would like to return dwelling?” and Angela Craig replied “No…that is simply bizarre. I am dizzy in my head and my eyes are working slowly and my physique is responding slowly.”
The warrant exhibits James Craig texted, “Do you get lightheaded if you rise up?” and that Angela Craig texted again, “It feels extra like I really feel once I take heavy meds and all the things adjusts and strikes slowly. Like I am shifting in thick gel. My eyes are struggling to remain targeted.” She later texted James Craig, “I really feel drugged” and shortly he did come dwelling and took Angela Craig to the ER.
The warrant says Angela Craig was launched from the ER that very same day however was again on the hospital three days later, this time as an admitted affected person. Angela Craig underwent a sequence of assessments and coverings, however docs have been nonetheless struggling to determine what was fallacious. It was throughout that second hospital go to when a curious factor occurred at Summerbrook Dental. It could turn out to be a key piece of proof in a homicide investigation.
A package deal arrives
In accordance with the warrant, James Craig had instructed his workplace supervisor that he was anticipating a “private package deal” and “to not open it.” That package deal arrived on March 13, whereas Angela Craig was nonetheless within the hospital, and, in keeping with the warrant, a employees member, not figuring out about these directions, had opened it. The warrant says that the workplace supervisor, closing the field again up for Dr. Craig, noticed it contained a canister labeled “potassium cyanide.” Police say the package deal was then hand delivered to Dr. Craig.
Angela Craig was launched from her second hospital go to on March 14, the day after that package deal is alleged to have been delivered to Summerbrook Dental. She had nonetheless not been identified however appeared properly sufficient at that second.
Sadly, that second wouldn’t final. The following morning, on March 15, 2023, Angela Craig was again within the hospital, seemingly sicker than ever. She would by no means come out.
Police say James Craig arrived on the hospital on March 15 quickly after Angela Craig however did not keep lengthy. The warrant says he quickly went dwelling and returned roughly an hour-and-a-half later, carrying meals. Police say he then went into Angela Craig’s room alone and that quickly after she had a seizure and her very important indicators crashed.
That is when James Craig took images of his spouse, sending them to their good friend Michelle Redfearn, a skilled nurse married to James Craig’s enterprise associate and good friend from dental faculty, Ryan Redfearn. When the Redfearns bought these images and James Craig’s textual content — that learn partially, “crash. intubated. doc says she’s ‘very very anxious'” — they raced to the hospital.
On their method, Ryan Redfearn would later inform police, he bought a telephone name from the workplace. That telephone name was to alert Ryan Redfearn about that package deal marked “potassium cyanide” {that a} staffer stated had been delivered and opened. That very same worker, listening to of Angela Craig’s signs, had Googled them, and, in keeping with the warrant, was anxious Angela Craig could have been poisoned. When the worker noticed that Angela’s signs lined up with the signs for cyanide poisoning, she made a telephone name.
After arriving on the hospital, Ryan Redfearn would later inform police he noticed James Craig crying after speaking to a physician. However Ryan Redfearn didn’t appear satisfied these tears have been actual. He took a nurse apart and shared the story about that package deal marked “potassium cyanide” that had been delivered to James Craig simply two days prior.
The warrant says that nurse, being a compulsory reporter, known as police and inside hours members of the murder unit from the Aurora Police Division had launched an investigation. By this time, Angela Craig was on life assist, and the outlook was grim.
A telephone name between companions
Later that very same day, the warrant says, Ryan Redfearn was with Michelle Redfearn within the hospital car parking zone once they bought a telephone name from James Craig. Ryan Redfearn stated James Craig requested him if he had spoken to police. Ryan Redfearn instructed him that he had and that he had heard about that package deal allegedly marked “potassium cyanide.”
In accordance with the warrant, James Craig then instructed Ryan Redfearn that the package deal contained a hoop for Angela. Ryan Redfearn says he instructed James Craig that somebody had opened that package deal and seen that container marked cyanide. And, in keeping with the warrant, Ryan Redfearn quickly ended that telephone name, telling James Craig to “cease speaking and get a lawyer.”
The following morning, the warrant says, James Craig despatched Ryan Redfearn a prolonged textual content, writing, partially: “I wish to make an pressing plea to you,” it went on “Please do not speak to anybody … together with any legislation enforcement officers. You might be beneath no obligation to reply their questions until you might be served a subpoena and you’ll do extra harm than good to my household by persevering with to insert your self into this.”
In an interview with Natalie Morales, former Arapahoe County District Lawyer George Brauchler, when requested about that textual content stated, “I am making an attempt to think about all of the harmless purposes of the phrase, please do not speak to the police. I am unable to give you any.”
Nonetheless, as James Craig is awaiting trial, the protection has not but had the prospect to current its case to a jury. At a preliminary listening to in July 2023, Craig’s lawyer acknowledged that he had struggled with despair prior to now and had sought counseling.
Utah-based protection lawyer Skye Lazaro will not be part of this case, however has labored on different circumstances involving poison, and reviewed the information obtainable on the time. Lazaro instructed Morales it is doable James Craig’s protection may argue he was searching for poison to not kill Angela Craig however to kill himself. Lazaro additionally stated she thinks the protection may argue that James Craig’s arrest was rushed and that police did not take the time to discover different theories of how Angela Craig could have died, together with the chance that Angela could have sought to die by suicide — or that James Craig had.
Lazaro additionally famous that in that preliminary listening to, the protection emphasised that the lead detective had acknowledged that police had not but discovered proof of poison within the supplies they’d examined—together with bottles and syringes from the Craig’s dwelling.
James Craig’s trial for homicide is scheduled to start on Aug. 8, 2024.
And at that trial, jurors will probably hear how that unintended discovery at Summerbrook Dental led to a homicide investigation and James Craig’s arrest. Brauchler instructed Morales that what occurred from there “is a testomony to Ryan Redfearn” and what he instructed the nurse that day.
