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Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode

July 18, 2025 / 40:55

This episode covers the case of Colorado dentist James Craig, who is accused of murdering his wife Angela by poisoning her protein shakes with arsenic and cyanide. The discussion includes details about the investigation, medical insights on the poisons, and the implications of Craig's actions.

Dr. Jeff Le Point, an emergency physician and toxicologist, explains the effects of arsenic and cyanide, noting how quickly symptoms can manifest. He describes Angela's symptoms during her hospital visits, which included dizziness and blurred vision.

Criminal defense lawyer Sky Lazaro discusses the evidence against Craig, including the 52-page arrest warrant and the lack of direct proof that he poisoned Angela. She raises questions about the motive and the defense's strategy.

The episode concludes with reflections on the impact of Angela's death on her family and the community, emphasizing the tragic loss and the ongoing legal battle surrounding the case.

TLDR

James Craig, a dentist, is accused of murdering his wife Angela with poison in her protein shakes, raising questions about motive and evidence.

Episode

40:55
00:00:00
[Music] This is a story that has obviously shaken Colorado. It's stunned the world.
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>> A Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife's protein shakes was charged
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today with her murder. >> You have got to be effing kidding me. That guy was my dentist.
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>> Hi, I'm Dr. Jim Craig. >> You just don't see stories like this. Maybe in a Hollywood bad script.
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>> 45year-old James Craig is accused of putting arsenic and cyanide in her protein shakes.
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>> He's allegedly ordering potassium cyanide and arsenic online. You have got to be kidding me.
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Jim and Angela Craig seemingly had everything. Successful dental practice, beautiful large family. They seemingly
00:00:54
to me were in love. Investigators say he researched poisons in the days leading up to his wife's death.
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>> I couldn't believe the allegations. I couldn't believe the story. I couldn't believe the mug shot. There's my
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dentist. A mug shot. >> Good afternoon, Colorado. I'm Stephan Tubs. >> I'm a talk show host here in Denver.
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>> Late breaking news this afternoon. >> I was told by several people, you got to
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do a podcast on this. People want to know. So, we started a podcast called Arsenic
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DDS. Welcome to the first episode of this series. I'd like the truth. >> Another new development. At least
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>> like to know why Jim Craig is an innocent man until proven guilty. If the allegations are true, why did my former
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dentist kill his wife? >> Her symptoms, dizziness, blurred vision, headache, slowed responsiveness. What
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does that tell you? >> Yeah, that's really worrisome. I'm Dr. Jeff Le Point. I'm an emergency
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physician and toxicologist. Arsenic will be absorbed very rapidly and you would probably start getting
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sick pretty quick. >> What about potassium cyanide? >> Cyanide is one of the most effective
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poisons. You're being suffocated on a cellular level. Angela Craig is getting sicker and
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sicker and sicker and sicker and she she'd quickly be declared brain dead. Dr. Jim Craig is
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accused of premeditated firstdegree murder in the poisoning death of his wife, Angela.
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>> There does seem like there's substantial evidence in the case. The arrest warrant
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was 52 pages long. I'm Skylazaro. I'm a criminal defense lawyer. The spouse is a
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very easy target. >> He's entered a plea of not guilty. >> Maybe he's the most convenient person to
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look at. If I'm the defense on this, you go after the state and you say, "You didn't go look at things you should have
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looked at." >> He administered allegedly the poison via her protein shakes. The state hasn't
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presented you any evidence that the poison was actually in the drink. You can't show that he did it.
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>> I wouldn't say this is a slam dunk case. There's no motive here. What is the motive?
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[Music] Hey. [Music] Under that vast rocky mountain sky on March 18th, 2023 in the Denver suburb of
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Aurora, Angela Craig died. Just days later, former radio personality Stefan Tubs began his
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podcast about the sensational case and the unimaginable news. I want to personally send our condolences to the
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friends and family of Angela Craig. Just 43 years old. She passed away, declared
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brain dead. And not lost on me is the fact that this family has been temporarily destroyed.
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>> Jim Craig had been almost immediately charged with the firstdegree murder of his wife, Angela. He has pleaded not
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guilty. The story of the dentist, his wife, and the allegedly poisoned shakes would be told around the world.
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>> Come on, a dentist allegedly ordering potassium cyanide and arsenic. Really? >> But it was all as painfully real as a
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dentist drill. >> Dr. Craig and Angela Craig were just like two peas in a pod. The two of them
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in the office was cute cuz they would play pranks on each other all day long. >> Chelsea Toya got to know Jim and Angela
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when she worked for Dr. Craig at Summerbrook Dental. >> They seemed like the perfect couple
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>> until, according to Colorado cops, James took a shot at the perfect crime. >> Investigators say he researched poisons
00:05:46
in the days leading up to his wife's death. The idea that the dentist stood accused of murdering Angela, his wife of
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23 years, seemed incomprehensible because the Craigs seemed so close. >> It just was heartbreaking for everyone
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and I felt bad. >> My name is Dr. Jim Craig and I practice at Summerbrook Dental Group.
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>> Coming up on our left, the former home of Summerbrook Dental. >> Is it this one over here?
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>> It's that one right there. Yeah. For Tubs, this office building, once home to
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Summerbrook, has become a tragic touchstone. >> The last time that I had eye contact
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with Dr. Jim Craig, he gave me a root canal. I thought he was a great guy. I got
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incredibly competent, friendly care. He was a family man. We talked about his family, his kids. I I met his wife.
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>> Angela was the heart and soul of that family. mother to their six children and
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a hands-on partner in what seemed like a thriving business. >> She was not somebody just to sit there
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and and stay quiet. She was engaged in the dental practice. She was somebody who was talking about ideas and their
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marketing, their message. >> Tubs helped refine that message, working on some of Summerbrook's advertising. He
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witnessed how those two P's in a pod work side by side with Angela pitching in as one of Jim's office managers.
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>> I thought it was kind of cool. You know, you've got a husband and wife, huge family. I thought it was it was great to
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see a small Colorado business operated by, you know, husband and wife. >> Welcome to our third edition of this
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podcast. Tub's podcast would delve into the disturbing details of Angela's medical journey, how and why she was
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allegedly murdered. That account from police is contained in this 52page arrest warrant.
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>> In nearly 34 years of being a newsman, the most unbelievable and seemingly thorough arrest affidavit I have ever
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read. The warrant alleges that James has shown the planning and intent to end his
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wife's life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected. >> This was not the James Craig that I
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knew. >> Dentistry can be expensive. Dentistry can be scary. Dentistry can be uncomfortable.
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>> The James Craig Aurora knew was on display that March 6, 2023, the day Angela's Odyssey began. Jim was at
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Somerbrook when Angela texted from home. "My eyes don't want to focus," she texted. "I feel drugged."
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And Jim headed right home. He picked up Angela and drove to the ER at Parker Adventist Hospital. She
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reported feeling dizzy and weak. Doctors fast went to work. She ends up going into the hospital first time. It was
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March 6th. Is that correct? >> That's right. March 6th was her first time into the hospital. At the time,
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George Brockler was another force in Colorado talk radio. >> This is the George Show. I'll be with
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you. >> He is also the former elected district attorney for Arapjo County where Angela
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lived and would die, rattling this community. >> This is a huge story. >> Like Stefan Tubs, Brockler has immersed
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himself in the details of Angela's final days, a desperate two-week ordeal. But on that March 6th, as the hours
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passed in the ER, there were lots of questions but few answers. >> They really didn't have a good answer
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for what she was going through, and they end up uh releasing her and sending her
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home. Home, where Angela appeared to think she was safe in her marriage. At least
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that's how she sounded in messages the couple sent each other. With Angela now home, recuperating from her ER visit,
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>> there were texts that would suggest a very supportive, loving relationship. >> Jim texts, "I love you. It was so nice
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hanging out with you and just watching a show and snuggling." Angela texts Jim, "Hi, baby. I love your face."
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Back home, the busy couple picked up the daily routine that sustained them. >> Jim and Angela apparently worked out in
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the morning. They worked out together. And one of the things that Jim did for his wife was to prepare her a protein
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shake. It was an absolute routine. This was just part of the normal day. >> Jim texts, "I'll need to ask what you're
00:10:27
hungry for and bring it to you." "I'm kind of feeling just a smoothie or something." "I'm not feeling anything,"
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Angela replies. "Don't bring anything. I'll eat something here." Within 24 hours, Angela's symptoms came
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back fast and strong. She headed back to Parker Adventist. This time she would be
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admitted. >> The doctors and nurses are trying. They're conducting tests. They just
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cannot figure out what is ailing this relatively normal and healthy 43-year-old woman.
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All the steps that the doctors and medical staff had taken seemed to not be working.
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Was a real mystery. [Music] There was nothing that would be even remotely a red flag or this is a rocky
00:11:39
troubled marriage. None of that at all. With Angela still terribly sick in March
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of 2023, she was back at Parker Adventist a second time now as an admitted patient. According to the
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warrant, during her stay, Angela texted her husband Jim, "Now I'm hungry." And he texted back later that he was
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bringing food, writing, "Okay, I got you." >> Of the loving husband who wants to see
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his wife remain healthy. That arrest warrant contains numerous texts detailing how as Angela was
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hospitalized, Jim went back and forth from their home to her bedside to Summerbrook. A husband seemingly
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supporting his wife and caring for their kids. >> He's continuing to go to work, and I
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don't begrudge him for that. He's got a family of six kids. And the warrant would show that apparent trust that
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Angela placed in Jim. How she reached out to him to share her symptoms, texting, I'm cold, super tired, weak,
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shaky, and dizzy. And Jim sent compassionate texts to Angela. I love you and miss you, and I'm
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so worried. I wish you were healthy enough to come home tonight and snuggle me. Angela Craig was so sick.
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>> It seemed that all her symptoms had returned. >> She had horrible headaches, horrible
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nausea. She was dizzy and doctors were at a loss. >> Struggling to figure out what in the
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hell is causing this? What is making her sick? >> And they just could not get an answer.
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As Angela stayed in the hospital without a diagnosis, Jim Craig was in touch with
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his friends Michelle and Ryan Redern, a fellow dentist. Ryan had recently become
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business partners with Jim. He would later tell police. >> Ryan Redford went to dental school with
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Jim Craig. All those 20 plus years ago, he'd known him all that time. He was a close confidant. And with Angela so
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sick, according to the warrant, Jim also texted with Ryan's wife, Michelle Redford, trained as a nurse. What were
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they texting about? The texts were really the kinds of things you would exchange with someone who's another
00:14:02
medical professional. I mean, he was talking about blood pressure. He was talking about concerns the doctors had
00:14:08
expressed about symptomology that should have resolved by now. But one of Jim's texts, in retrospect, seemed odd, as it
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appeared he was making light of Angela's mysterious illness. >> Jim Craig texts Michelle Redern, quote,
00:14:24
"If it wasn't my wife, this would be kind of a fun puzzle to try to work out." Who says that?
00:14:38
Still, a bad joke in times of crisis isn't unusual, says former DA Brockler. >> Everybody reacts to trauma differently.
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>> And James Craig seemed worried. It had been four hectic days since Angela was
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admitted. [Music] 1:00 a.m. in the desolate hospital corridors. Police say Jim told others he was
00:15:07
sleeping on a stool next to Angela when her vital signs crashed. Doctors responded through the night.
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>> I have thought about every agonizing minute that Angela Craig was in. But over the next day, Angela seemed to
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stabilize. And on March 14th, still with no answers as to why she was sick, Angela was
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released from Parker for a second time. Once again, Angela came home to her husband of 23 years.
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But she wouldn't be home for long. Within a day, she started feeling sick again. So on March 15th, she was
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admitted to nearby University Hospital. There would be more tubes and tests and monitors.
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Jim was soon by her side. >> They had no idea what was wrong with her. >> Police say Jim didn't stay long at
00:16:23
first. Within half an hour, he drove home from the hospital. Then about an hour and a half later, he returned
00:16:30
carrying food. Cops say he then went into Angela's room alone. Soon after, Angela had a seizure and
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once again, her vital signs crashed. It was critical. >> Jim Craig took these photos of Angela as
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hospital staff tried to save her. Angela, once so full of life, was put on life support.
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What medical staff didn't know at the time was that days earlier, a package had reportedly arrived at Jim Craig's
00:17:13
office. Authorities say what was in the package ordered by Jim Craig himself would
00:17:20
become key evidence in this case. Craig allegedly told a staff member that he would be receiving a personal package
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and not to open it. Jim Craig had said, "Don't open this package." Somebody did. She sees the
00:17:37
words potassium cyanide. Why are we getting potassium cyanide to a Colorado dentist's office?
00:17:54
[Music] Angela Craig was on life support fighting to survive. Jim Craig texted the photos he took to
00:18:12
Michelle Redford, writing, "Crash intubated." Doc says she's very, very worried. Michelle and Ryan raced to the
00:18:21
hospital. Ryan would later tell police he watched as Jim Craig broke down. He saw Craig
00:18:30
crying after speaking to doctors about Angela's prognosis. Yep. He did say he saw him crying afterwards.
00:18:38
>> But according to police, Ryan Redford was far from convinced those tears were
00:18:42
real. That's because on his way to the hospital, he had gotten a call from a staff member at the office. The call was
00:18:50
to alert Redford about that package marked potassium cyanide that had arrived at Summerbrook Dental, allegedly
00:18:58
addressed and later given to Jim Craig. >> And there's the dominoes that are now
00:19:05
falling one after the other. >> Ryan Redern led the way. >> He does what any other normal person
00:19:10
would do. >> According to police, while Angela was on life support, Ryan tells a nurse that
00:19:16
Jim Craig recently ordered potassium cyanide, adding that there was no medical reason or purpose to order
00:19:23
potassium cyanide for a dental practice. The nurse being a mandatory reporter calls Aurora police and I mean it's like
00:19:31
that within 5 hours probably even less there is a member of the homicide unit with Aurora PD at University Hospital.
00:19:39
>> Cops started asking questions. Then according to the warrant, Ryan received a call from James personal cell phone.
00:19:47
>> Tell me about that phone call. >> I think Ryan and his wife are in the parking lot of the hospital when Jim
00:19:52
calls them. According to police, Jim asked Ryan if he had said anything to the hospital staff. Ryan confirmed that
00:20:00
he had and told Jim that he knew what Jim had ordered. And Jim replied that the package was a ring for Angela and
00:20:10
that he wanted to surprise her. >> And Ryan says, "It's not a ring. We know what was in there." I mean, this is a
00:20:16
testament to Ryan Redford. >> A decadesl long friendship was about to be tested. then shattered.
00:20:24
This tale was once again told in a text revealed in that warrant as the next morning, James Craig pleaded with his
00:20:32
pal and partner texting in part, "I want to make an urgent plea to you. Please don't talk to anyone, including any law
00:20:40
enforcement officers. You are under no obligation to answer their questions unless you are served a subpoena and you
00:20:47
will do more damage than good to my family by continuing to insert yourself into this.
00:20:54
>> How damning is that text in itself? >> I'm trying to think of all the innocent
00:21:00
applications of the phrase, please don't talk to the police. I can't come up with
00:21:03
any. It's a desperate effort to try to keep Ryan from cooperating any farther with law enforcement. But if that's what
00:21:10
he was trying to do, it was too late. Police had already launched their investigation.
00:21:16
[Music] On March 18th, 2023, Angela was taken off life support. Friend, wife, mother of six, Angela
00:21:32
Craig was dead. I was in complete shock and complete disbelief. In my head, I'm like, "This
00:21:43
is crazy. It's not true." I thought maybe it was an accident. But investigators didn't think so.
00:21:54
Just hours after Angela died, Dr. James Craig would be arrested and charged with
00:22:01
the firstdegree murder of his wife, Angela. There's my dentist. A mug shot. >> James Craig would plead not guilty.
00:22:13
>> Months later, Angela's autopsy would be released. That autopsy states Angela died from a lethal concentration of
00:22:21
cyanide and a lethal concentration of tetrahydroine, the chemical found in some eye drops.
00:22:29
And it says that Angela had toxic concentrations of arsenic in her blood in those two earlier hospital visits.
00:22:37
>> To think about what Angela Craig endured, this woman was in agony, dying, for so long. Just a week before Angela
00:22:51
got sick, according to the warrant, Jim Craig set up a new email account using the alias Jim and Waffles and used it to
00:23:00
research multiple poisons, all part of his plan, according to investigators, to murder Angela.
00:23:08
>> One particular Google search, how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?
00:23:15
Craig investigators say also found these videos >> popular for many reasons. We have
00:23:21
cyanide >> with titles like top five undetectable poisons that show no sign of foul play,
00:23:28
>> arsenic is virtually undetectable. >> And police say on the same day he did that online research, James Craig made a
00:23:36
purchase, arsenic, and had it delivered straight to his family's mailbox. I think he legitimately believed that he
00:23:45
would be able to poison his wife. She would die. He would have her cremated and then they'd move on.
00:23:51
>> Poison. Some call it the recipe for a perfect crime. A silent invisible killer. No blood, no gun, no
00:24:00
fingerprints. Even doctors can have a hard time spotting it. >> It's a pretty rare medical subsp
00:24:06
specialty that you do. >> Dr. Dr. Jeff Le Point is the director of the division of medical toxicology at
00:24:11
San Diego's Kaiser Permanente Hospital. >> If it's a poison or a venom, that's what
00:24:16
we specialize. >> You're that guy. >> Yeah. >> So, we asked him and Dr. Le Point
00:24:21
focused in on the alleged actions of James Craig and the final days of Angela's life. He reviewed the arrest
00:24:29
warrant for us and some of the deadly drugs it lists. >> Let's start with arsenic.
00:24:34
>> Okay. Um, yeah, arsenic is a very famous poison. It's uh not detectable by taste
00:24:39
or odor. >> Dr. Le Point says Angela's symptoms in those first two hospital visits are
00:24:45
consistent with arsenic poisoning. >> Nausea and vomiting, >> lower blood pressure, higher blood
00:24:50
pressure, >> generally lower. >> How much would kill a person? >> It does not take very much.
00:24:55
>> But police say there was more. A week after he purchased that arsenic, they allege Craig, as Jim and Waffles, went
00:25:04
back online. He ordered a second poison. Beguiling and beautiful. Oleandrin. What
00:25:11
is that? >> So oleandrin is a toxin found in oleander. >> I'm thinking of those white flowers.
00:25:17
>> Yeah, they're really beautiful. >> Yeah. >> As lovely as a rose, only deadly.
00:25:22
>> It prevents the heart from beating very efficiently. >> But after 3 days, the oleandrin hadn't
00:25:27
been delivered. That's when investigators say Jim Craig up the ante. Cops say he placed this order with the
00:25:34
medical supply company for his strongest toxin yet, potassium cyanide. >> Cyanide's one of the most effective
00:25:44
poisons that exist. >> Just a micro dose could kill you then. >> Yeah, a very small amount per kilogram
00:25:50
and you're you're not going to live. When you are poisoned with cyanide, you're being suffocated on a cellular
00:25:57
level. It's a very potent poison. your victim would die very rapidly. >> Cyanide is so deadly that you need a
00:26:06
medical license to buy it. >> My name is Dr. Jim Craig. >> And police say that when Dr. James Craig
00:26:12
placed his order from a medical supply company. He stated he needed it for a complex dental procedure.
00:26:21
>> There's no use for potassium cyanide in my practice or I can't think of uh many
00:26:26
medical practices. So, a dentist ordering arsenic, potassium cyanide, and oleandrin. What does that suggest to
00:26:32
you? >> Someone is trying to collect poison. >> But this father and husband would offer
00:26:39
a very different story about why he wanted those deadly poisons. >> What do you make of Ryan Redern's
00:26:50
choice? Chat now with the 48 hours team on Facebook and X. [Music] Detectives suspected Jim Craig had
00:27:06
bought all those poisons to kill his wife, but they wanted to know why. They would find a lead miles away from Aurora
00:27:15
on a trip Jim Craig made and a woman he met just before Angela got sick. >> Doesn't it just always seem like there's
00:27:23
another woman involved? Always almost always >> what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
00:27:33
It's a rule of the road there. But investigators allege it is yet one more rule James Craig didn't think he had to
00:27:40
play by when he met Karen Kaine. >> Karen Kaine, an orthodontist from Austin, Texas. She meets Jim Craig at a
00:27:49
dental conference in Las Vegas. It was February 23rd, a week and a half before Angela Craig first went to the
00:27:58
hospital. The doctor was traveling alone and he rolled the dice. >> They strike up a relationship. They hit
00:28:05
it off. It's a whirlwind. >> A few weeks later, according to the warrant, Karen Kaine would fly to
00:28:13
Colorado and rendevu in this hotel with James Craig. He would use that newly created email, Jim and Waffles, to flirt
00:28:22
with her. >> It's not illegal to have affairs. >> Sky Lazaro is an experienced defense
00:28:28
attorney familiar with cases involving poison. James Craig and his attorney declined our request for an interview.
00:28:36
Lazaro reviewed the case against Jim Craig for 48 hours and she identified potential weaknesses. Is it reasonable
00:28:43
that some that you would kill your wife to be with someone that you had had a 10day relationship with? The common
00:28:52
defense strategy is affairs do not make a murderer, >> right? One doesn't automatically mean
00:29:00
you did the other. >> At the time she visited Jim in Colorado, Karen Kaine did seem to know Angela was
00:29:08
very sick and in the hospital. In fact, she had sent a concerned email to Jim. It read in part, "Hi, honey. I am so
00:29:17
sorry for what has transpired this week in your world. I am praying for you and seeking God's wisdom for this time. I
00:29:25
love you." But there is no evidence to suggest Karen Kaine knew anything more. >> Nothing that I have seen gives any
00:29:32
indication that she knew that Jim was trying to kill his wife. And according to investigators, Jim
00:29:40
Craig lied to Karen, telling her that he filed for divorce and was living separate in an apartment. He gives the
00:29:49
standard male typical I'm going through a divorce. No, he's not. >> And a detective said she told them her
00:29:59
relationship with Jim was intimate but not sexual. Karen Kaine sent 48 hours an email writing, "I had absolutely nothing
00:30:08
to do with this horrific crime and my heart is absolutely broken for Angela Craig and her family." And she says she
00:30:16
is cooperating fully with the police and prosecution. >> Karen Kaine met the wrong guy at the
00:30:23
wrong time. She didn't know anything. Tubs and Brockler imply maybe no one knew anything about who Jim Craig really
00:30:32
was. His pristine image, loving parent, church member, dedicated husband, now all being questioned. And as cops
00:30:43
continue to investigate, another possible motive emerged. One of the things that surprised me in this story
00:30:52
is the financial duress that Summerbrook Dentl was under. >> In fact, Jim Craig's business had filed
00:31:02
for bankruptcy in 2020. Shortly after, his then friend Ryan Redern signed on as a partner.
00:31:11
>> Financial problems. >> Financial problems. >> He was way in over his head then in
00:31:15
debt. >> Way in over his head. And at a preliminary hearing in 2023, prosecutors argued that Jim Craig had
00:31:24
about 3.4 million reasons to kill his wife, the value of Angela's life insurance.
00:31:31
>> Jim had liabilities in excess of $2 million. And we know that from some of the bankruptcy filings.
00:31:37
>> But Lazaro says she's not convinced those financial problems give James Craig a motive for murder. Is this sort
00:31:45
of the the portrait of a desperate man? >> Not necessarily. We see businesses go
00:31:50
through bankruptcy all the time and come out the other side. >> And as for any poisons he may have
00:31:57
ordered, Lazaro states those purchases may not even be illegal. >> He can legitimately purchase it cuz he
00:32:05
has a DEA number as a doctor, as a dentist. Right. >> Right. Just having it isn't murder.
00:32:12
>> Mhm. >> Administering it. All right. >> But according to the arrest paperwork,
00:32:18
Jim Craig might have thought he had that figured out, too. Authorities say he could have slipped the poison into one
00:32:25
of those protein shakes he so often made. >> The morning routine at home, for example.
00:32:31
>> Yeah. On that morning of March 15th, the day Angela Craig would finally crash before
00:32:39
she was taken to the hospital, she was home with Jim. Investigators say that's when he may have made her one of those
00:32:46
protein shakes and laced it with potassium cyanide. >> It is tasteless. It is odorless. It is
00:32:54
colorless. It is really hidable inside something like a shake >> and highly lethal. That's
00:33:00
>> highly lethal. But attorney Lazaro counters the evidence may not be there. She has
00:33:07
reviewed the transcripts from that July 2023 preliminary hearing and says there's nothing there that shows Jim
00:33:14
Craig put poison in Angela's shakes. >> They went and tested everything in the house and didn't find any trace evidence
00:33:23
of there being arsenic or cyanide or anything in the protein powder in the protein bottles. The state hasn't
00:33:30
presented you any evidence that the poison was actually in the drink. >> And Lazaro says the defense can paint a
00:33:37
picture of Jim Craig as a kind and attentive partner. >> Jim's text messages to Angela are
00:33:44
extremely loving and extremely caring. He repeatedly asks her how she's doing. He tells her he loves her.
00:33:51
>> So, if Jim Craig didn't poison his wife, who did? Craig had a story to tell about
00:33:56
that. Go behind the scenes with the 48 hours post-mortem podcast. Welcome to the first episode of
00:34:19
>> As Stefan Tubs reported on his podcast, there may be another story to tell about
00:34:24
Jim Craig and what happened to Angela. The story wasn't about murder. It was about suicide.
00:34:31
>> Craig says to the business partner on the phone, she was just playing chicken.
00:34:38
>> According to the warrant, when Ryan Redford confronted Jim about the cyanide, Jim allegedly said that Angela
00:34:45
asked him to order it for her, that it was all a dare, kind of a deadly game of chicken. According to Jim Craig, she's
00:34:54
been threatening suicide. And this game of chicken is now, are you gonna are you going to take it?
00:35:02
>> But according to that 52page warrant, none of Angela's family members told police she was suicidal. A more likely
00:35:11
argument for the defense, says attorney Lazaro, is that Jim Craig had been looking for cyanide, not to kill Angela,
00:35:19
but to kill himself. There was some statements that he in fact was suicidal, not her.
00:35:27
>> At that preliminary hearing in 2023, Jim Craig's defense team said Jim had spoken
00:35:33
to a friend about his own past plans to die by suicide and that Dr. Craig had made a statement to that friend that he
00:35:41
was going to die by suicide with something that was not traceable. The defense pointed out that Jim suffered
00:35:48
from depression and went to counseling in the past. And as the defense indicated, Jim told
00:35:56
Angela at one point that he had actually drugged her years earlier when he had tried to kill himself, hoping that while
00:36:03
she was drugged, she wouldn't be able to stop him. >> It sounds like there had been something
00:36:10
that he had tried before with her, >> that he had drugged her. so that she would fall asleep so that he could go
00:36:19
essentially kill himself and she wouldn't be there to render any aid or call for help.
00:36:26
And remember when Angela first started feeling sick and she texted Jim, "I feel drugged." Craig's defense points out
00:36:33
that he texted back, "Given our history, I know that must be triggering. Just for
00:36:39
the record, I didn't drug you." The defense said this text supports the story of Jim Craig's past depression and
00:36:47
suicide attempts. But Lazaro says it's unlikely the defense would try to tell a jury that
00:36:55
Jim and Angela were both trying to die by suicide. >> You have to pick one at some point and
00:37:02
it's either she's suicidal or that he's suicidal and this is why he bought the drugs.
00:37:10
But perhaps the most compelling evidence authorities say they have is what Angela
00:37:15
Craig left behind in her own blood. That autopsy revealed something investigators
00:37:22
find remarkable. The levels of cyanide in Angela's body actually increased while she was in the hospital on that
00:37:31
final day. The possible implication. Tubs wonders if prosecutors will contend Craig gave his wife more poison in the
00:37:42
hospital. >> If the allegations are true, this is about as cruel as it gets. Period.
00:37:50
>> Jim Craig's defense has hired its own toxicologist. And come his trial for murder, Sky
00:37:56
Lazaro says Jim Craig, innocent until proven guilty, may himself be portrayed as a victim of cops too eager to make a
00:38:06
fast arrest. >> It's essentially a three-day investigation. >> Jim Craig's quick arrest, she says,
00:38:12
could be a weakness for the state. >> You decided from the get-go that this had to be poisoning. This was the
00:38:20
foregone conclusion. So, you never went and looked for anything else. >> And as for that idea that poison might
00:38:28
be the key to someone trying to commit the perfect crime, toxicologist Dr. Jeff Le Point says that is just plain wrong.
00:38:38
>> You're going to get caught. >> That's an important message. >> Yeah. Very. >> There are ways that these will be traced
00:38:44
and you will be found. >> You will be found. [Music] And while Angela's friends and family
00:38:54
are waiting for their day in court, they are left with photographs and their memories.
00:39:01
Three of Jim and Angela's six children are living with Jim Craig's brother. The other three are now adults living on
00:39:09
their own, including their daughter, Meera. On Mother's Day 2023, Meera wrote this on social media. As of tomorrow, my
00:39:19
mom will be two months gone. I haven't the words to express the heartache my siblings and I feel every day.
00:39:32
There's no words. You know, the whole situation is just traumatic. [Music] >> This will all end. The lights will come
00:39:43
down and the cameras leave 30 years from now. Those kids who are in their teens right now still will be without a mom.
00:39:52
>> Meera's last words in that post. I love you so much, mama. We miss you. [Music]
00:40:19
[Music] New CBS next. >> Where is my child? >> A young woman discovered shot dead in
00:40:29
her car. >> I just wanted her to be okay. >> A bizarre crime scene and a bloodied
00:40:33
ex-boyfriend with no memory. >> You don't know how you ended up behind the car. That's old.
00:40:37
>> I'm thinking he's not telling me the truth. >> 48 hours is all new. CBS next and
00:40:42
streaming on Paramount Plus. [Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most shocking
  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 85
    Biggest twist
  • 80
    Most emotional

Episode Highlights

  • The Shocking Allegations
    A Colorado dentist is accused of poisoning his wife, leading to her murder charge.
    “You have got to be effing kidding me.”
    @ 00m 21s
    July 18, 2025
  • The Tragic Death
    Angela Craig, mother of six, dies after a mysterious illness, shocking the community.
    “This is crazy. It's not true.”
    @ 21m 40s
    July 18, 2025
  • The Poisoning Evidence
    Investigators reveal Jim Craig's online searches for poisons, indicating premeditated murder.
    “A silent invisible killer. No blood, no gun, no fingerprints.”
    @ 23m 57s
    July 18, 2025
  • The Deadly Toxin Oleandrin
    Oleandrin is a toxin found in oleander, a beautiful but deadly flower.
    “As lovely as a rose, only deadly.”
    @ 25m 18s
    July 18, 2025
  • Jim Craig's Poison Orders
    Investigators reveal Jim Craig's orders for deadly poisons, including potassium cyanide.
    “Cyanide's one of the most effective poisons that exist.”
    @ 25m 42s
    July 18, 2025
  • A Mother's Heartache
    Meera expresses her grief on social media after losing her mother, Angela.
    “I love you so much, mama. We miss you.”
    @ 39m 55s
    July 18, 2025

Episode Quotes

  • You have got to be effing kidding me.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode
  • This is crazy. It's not true.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode
  • There's my dentist. A mug shot.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode
  • A silent invisible killer. No blood, no gun, no fingerprints.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode
  • It is tasteless. It is odorless. It is colorless.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode
  • If the allegations are true, this is about as cruel as it gets. Period.
    Angela Craig's husband found guilty in case of poisoned protein shakes | "48 Hours" Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Murder Charges00:20
  • Angela's Symptoms01:42
  • Hospital Visits10:46
  • Life Support18:03
  • Angela's Death21:32
  • Deadly Beauty25:18
  • Poison Orders25:42
  • Heartbreaking Loss39:55

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown