After numerous delays and three separate sets of attorneys, the Aurora dentist accused of poisoning his wife finally appears to be headed for trial.

James Craig will stand trial for murder in the March 2023 alleged poisoning death of his wife, Angela.

Jury selection will begin July 10 in a proceeding that is expected to last three weeks. It is the third trial date set in the high-profile murder case. 

The tale of Angela Craig’s agonizing last days has had so many bizarre developments that it attracted the attention of three major murder mystery programs — 2020, Dateline, and 48 Hours. 

This coming Valentine’s Day, Craig is scheduled to be in an Arapahoe County courtroom, where investigators will seek to explain a murder-for-hire he allegedly planned from jail. 

It’s unclear who Craig allegedly wanted killed, but Aurora police spokesperson Joe Moylan confirmed that an Aurora detective was on the alleged hit list. 

Craig, 46, faces a total of six charges involving his wife’s death, including first-degree murder. He was in court Friday represented by his third set of attorneys in less than two years.

Alternate defense counsels Rob Working and Lisa Moses now represent Craig after criminal defense attorney Harvey Steinberg withdrew from the case due to an ethical issue, which happened in November 2024, just as Craig was about to stand trial for first-degree murder in the death of his wife.

Prosecutors filed two new charges, solicitation to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit perjury against Craig the following day.

Angela Craig’s death

Angela Craig, 43, died in March 2023 of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline. The latter is a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the coroner. The couple had been married for 23 years and had six children together.

According to an arrest affidavit, Angela Craig was treated at two hospitals three separate times over a week and a half as symptoms of a mysterious illness got progressively worse. She complained about everything from dizziness to having problems focusing, nausea, and shakiness.

Her final trip was an urgent life-and-death situation. Court records showed that Angela Craig’s brother rushed her to University Hospital on March 15, where she collapsed. She was declared brain dead at 4:29 p.m. on March 18, the arrest record said.

She was taken off life support on March 21, 2023.

James Craig has suggested that Angela was behind her own death. He told his dental practice partner that it was Angela who got him to order the potassium cyanide but that he didn’t think she’d actually take it and likened her behavior to a game of “chicken,” according to the arrest document.

In a text message to a friend, which was revealed in the arrest affidavit, Craig appeared concerned about his wife as her health spiraled downhill.

But then he added an odd afterthought, one which was circled in red on the document by detectives.

“If it wasn’t my wife, this would be kind of a fun puzzle to try and work out,” he wrote.