A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife claimed she had asked him to order her cyanide to his practice – poison which he is accused of putting into her protein shake.
James Toliver Craig, 45, was arrested on Sunday and preliminarily charged with first-degree murder after the death of his wife, Angela Craig, 43.
She died on Wednesday after being hospitalised for the third time this month with severe headaches and dizziness, according to Aurora Police Department.
An arrest warrant states that the suspect had ordered the poison online and had made a string of suspicious internet searches before his wife’s death.
These included research “undetectable poisons”, searches on “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human” and YouTube searches for “how to make poison” and “Top 5 Undetectable Poisons That Show No Signs of Foul Play,” according to the affidavit.
Investigators have alleged that he “has shown the planning and intent to end his wife’s life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected, providing her poisons that align with her hospitalized symptoms, and working on starting a new life” with another woman.
The affidavit states that after arriving at the hospital, Ms Craig had a severe seizure that required her to be put on a ventilator before she was pronounced brain dead.
Police say that Ms Craig went to the hospital on 6 March, two days after a package of arsenic was delivered to their home.
There, she complained of feeling dizzy and not being able to focus her eyes, which investigators say is consistent with some symptoms of arsenic poisoning.
Prosecutors say that on 6 March, Mr Craig also ordered oleandrin, a toxic plant extract, which was “intercepted by FedEx” at the request of investigators.
Ms Craig was again hospitalised between 9 March and 14 March, during which time Mr Craig ordered potassium cyanide to his dental practice.
Following her final hospitalisation, a business partner of Mr Craig’s went to the hospital and told a nurse about the delivery, telling her there was no need for it at the medical practice. The nurse reported it to the police and an investigation was launched.
Mr Craig told the Department of Human Services that his wife had been suicidal but had also “told fellow employees that his marriage was failing, and he was in financial turmoil,” the affidavit states.
He reportedly said he had ordered the cyanide at her request but he “did not think she would actually take it”, describing it as like a game of “chicken”.
No one else interviewed by investigators told them that Ms Craig had expressed suicidal thoughts, the document states.
The victim’s sister told investigators that Angela had said her husband once drugged her as he was planning to kill himself and did not want her to be able to stop him.
Mr Craig is being held without bail and is prevented from having contact with his six children, according to KUSA.
