In the weeks before Angela Craig died in March of 2023, her husband James Craig, who is accused of poisoning her protein shakes, searched the internet for ways to make a murder look like a heart attack.

Craig also searched “is there such thing as an undetectable poison?” according to Aurora Police Detective Molly Harris, who reviewed evidence in the case during the department’s investigation and took the witness stand in Craig’s trial Friday.

Meanwhile, Angela Craig was searching her symptoms: dizziness, head pain, lethargy and others, and various conditions, like Diabetes, online. And up until the days before her death, the husband and wife exchanged texts saying: “I love you.”

Angela, 43, died March 18, 2023 at University Hospital from lethal doses of cyanide, arsenic and tetrahydrozoline, which is found in over-the-counter eyedrops.

Craig was arrested on March 19, 2023, on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with her death. The arrest affidavit said that Craig’s dental business was in financial trouble and he was beginning a relationship with a Texas orthodontist named Karin Cain.

Friday marked day four of testimony in Craig’s trial, during which prosecutors called up three witnesses: a former dental assistant at Craig’s practice, a homicide detective for the Aurora Police Department and Craig’s business partner Ryan Redfearn.

The first witness called was Angel Amerine, a dental assistant in South Carolina who worked for Craig for six months, she said.

Amerine testified in similar fashion to Thursday witness Caitlin Romero, another dental practice employee. Both employees talked about a “personal” package containing potassium cyanide that Craig told Romero not to open and was persistent about receiving before Angela’s death.

The defense questioned Amerine about the package, clarifying with her that Craig had not tried to keep the package a secret.

“You were never told not to open the package, correct?” Defense Attorney Lisa Moses asked, to which Amerine replied “no.”

APD homicide Det. Harris testified next, saying she searched Angela’s iPhone, Craig’s phone and a computer from Craig’s practice in her investigation.

Starting on March 6, Angela’s search history changed from “normal, everyday” things to symptoms, diagnoses and treatment providers, Harris said.

“Pre-workout supplement made me dizzy and eyes are blurry an hour later,” Angela’s search read on March 6, Harris confirmed.

She also searched symptoms like head pressure, dizziness, hearing distortion, cold lips, shaking and lethargy, Harris said, along with conditions and questions like “can the flu cause vertigo?”

In months of text exchanges between the two leading up to Angela’s death, they exchanged messages that made clear the longstanding issues between them, and Craig’s desire to fix his mistakes, which included infidelity.

“There’s nothing left for you to break, that’s how shattered this is,” Angela said in a text to Craig, which was showed to the jury Friday.

A separate text from Craig to his wife said he was “sorry I suggested we just get a divorce … I really do want you and want us.”

Between January and March, Craig texted loving messages to her that said things like “I love you, you’re perfect for me” and “I woke up thinking about you again and just love you so much.”

As Angela got more sick, Craig’s messages to her were about him bringing her things she needed and leaving work early out of “concern” for her symptoms.

Moses cross-examined Harris, drilling her on the process of making Craig a person of interest in the case. Moses also questioned the legitimacy of the text and email communications, asking Harris if she saw the actual texts on the phone, to which Harris said no.

On March 16, 2023, at 8:30 a.m., detectives carried out a search warrant at the Craig’s house, then at Craig’s practice hours later.

“Within 18 hours of Angela Craig being brain dead, you already had determination that he was a suspect,” Moses said with her hands on the back of Craig’s chair. “Despite having six children in town at the time, somehow he was a flight risk.”

Moses also seemingly criticized the detectives’ process of searching Craig’s laptop, saying she did the search “despite not being trained forensically.”

When detectives got his laptop, forensics teams were not available, Harris confirmed. She and her team checked the laptop themselves due to the urgency of the case, which is not an uncommon thing for detectives to do, she said.

Dr. Ryan Redfearn, a dentist of 20 years, met Craig in dental school and became his business associate. Redfearn’s wife, Michelle, testified Wednesday.

Redfearn told the jury about the decline of their business, adding that he had to tell Craig to take a significant pay cut if they were to continue working together. Craig took the news “better than expected,” but had a “breakdown” about his marriage, Redfearn said.

The day Angela died, Redfearn said he and his wife went to the hospital to support their friends. On their way, Redfearn got a call from Romero, his coworker, who told him about the potassium cyanide package.

He wasn’t sure what to do with the potassium cyanide information, but “knew I needed to tell someone,” so he told a nurse while Craig stepped away to take a phone call, he said.

“I wasn’t accusing anyone of anything,” Redfearn said he told the nurse.  “But I told them that I had insight she may have been poisoned and that potassium cyanide may have been involved … I knew time was of the essence.”

After they left the hospital, Craig called Redfearn, saying he “heard some disturbing news” about the nurse conversations.

“I said Jim, what was in the package?” Redfearn said, adding that Craig lied that it was a ring, then blew off answering until Redfearn told him he knew what the package was.

“I saw Jim, why do you need potassium cyanide?” Redfearn said, saying he has never used it in his 20 years in dentistry.

“His first response was ‘Ryan, what have you done?’ and he said that a few times,” Redfearn said. 

In a later text, Craig “begged” Redfearn not to talk to police, and asked that other employees of the practice not do so either.

The father of six faces six felony counts: murder in the first degree; two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence; and three counts of solicitation to commit perjury in the first degree. He faces life in prison without parole should he be convicted of the most serious first-degree murder charge.

The trial will continue Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. at the Arapahoe County Courthouse. It’s expected to last two more weeks.

Denver Gazette reporter Michael Braithwaite contributed to this story.