An Aurora dentist facing charges of murdering his wife with poison was delayed for a third time Thursday, a judge ruled. 

James Craig, 45 — a former dentist and father of six — has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with evidence in the death of his wife Angela. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in 2023.

Craig’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg of Denver, withdrew from the case Thursday — just hours before jury selection was scheduled to begin. He cited two reasons for his abrupt departure from the Colorado rule of professional conduct:

• The client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent.

• The client insists upon taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.

Steinberg did not elaborate in court and attempts to reach him for further comment were unsuccessful Thursday. 

The 11-week trial that was scheduled to begin Dec. 2, with jury selection to begin this week. 

According to the minute order obtained by The Denver Gazette, 18th Judicial District Judge Shay Whitaker granted the request to withdraw and scheduled a Dec. 16 hearing for appearance of new counsel. 

The case will also likely be overseen by a new prosecutor as 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner will be replaced by Amy Padden in January. She won the Nov. 8 election. 

Craig’s wife, Angela Craig, had high levels of two chemicals, tetrahydrozoline and cyanide, in her body after her March 2023 death. Arapahoe County Coroner Kelly Lear, who performed the autopsy, testified at an earlier hearing that Craig had more than 400 times the amount of tetrahydrozoline in her body than a therapeutic dose.

Mrs. Craig died at University Hospital after multiple visits to emergency rooms complaining of everything from dizziness and vertigo to lightheadedness.

On March 15, 2023, Mrs. Craig entered the ER, collapsed, was put on a ventilator and was pronounced brain dead that night. She was taken off life support March 18.

The affidavit reported that James Craig’s dental business was spiraling downward and he was starting up a relationship with a Texas orthodontist.

The case has had multiple bizarre twists and turns. Court records show that Craig tried to convince a fellow inmate to find two “attractive” women to pretend they had affairs with the dentist and lie about it in court. In exchange, Craig offered thousands of dollars in cash and free dental work to the inmate’s mother.