Suvechha Sarkar
In March 2023, the city of Aurora, Colorado, was completely rattled when Angela Dawn Craig, affectionately known as Ang, suddenly passed away from a grave illness under mysterious circumstances. What initially seemed to be an unexplained medical crisis soon unraveled into a string of betrayal, revealing she was poisoned. CBS’ ’48 Hours: Who Poisoned Angela Craig?’ pieces together the events leading up to her death and how the investigation revealed evidence pointing to the killer. It also features interviews with the officials and court details, shedding light on how the killer was found to be someone close to her.
Angela Craig Passed Away in the Hospital
Angela Dawn Pray, fondly known as Ang, was born on April 15, 1979, in Dodge City in Ford County, Kansas. She was the proud daughter of Donald Dean Pray and Elizabeth Jane Pray and was always surrounded by their love. She grew up in a big household along with her nine other siblings. She was especially close to her brother, Mark, and sister, Toni Kofoed. A woman of faith, Angela was known among her loved ones as someone energetic who loved the outdoors. Her faith eventually led her to take on roles such as choir director, teacher, and youth organization leader within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, she ultimately found her calling as a Family History Consultant. Besides being a proud student of Interior Design, Angela often took on creative projects like woodworking.
In adulthood, Angela met James Toliver Craig, and on December 18, 1999, they tied the knot. Over the years, they welcomed their six children into the world and later settled in Aurora, Colorado. While James was a dentist with his own practice, Summerbrook Dental Practice, Angela helped him as one of his office managers. Her life largely revolved around her family, but everything changed on March 18, 2023. On March 6, Angela texted James that she felt weak, dizzy, and “drugged.” So, he took her to the hospital, but since doctors couldn’t find anything wrong, she was sent back home. Within just 24 hours, her symptoms, like dizziness, nausea, and headache, returned. Angela was then admitted to the hospital, but there was still no diagnosis.
During that time, Angela’s vitals reportedly crashed, but she stabilized by the following day. Although she was released on March 14, she was again admitted to the University of Colorado Hospital the next day by her brother, Mark. On March 16, she had a seizure and was declared brain dead, following which she was put on life support. On that day, hospital staff contacted the police on suspicion that Angela was possibly poisoned. Unfortunately, on March 18, 2023, she was taken off life support. The autopsy determined her cause of death to be a lethal concentration of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a compound often found in eye drops. It reportedly revealed that her blood had toxic concentrations of arsenic during her two earlier hospital visits. However, the protein shake bottle found at her home tested negative for any poison.
Internet Search History, an Affair, and a Package Led to the Arrest of the Killer
When Angela was taken to the hospital for the first two times, James informed his business partner, Ryan Redfearn, and his wife, Michelle, who were also their friends. James updated them about Angela’s symptoms and brought his wife food. However, on March 15, one of his dental office managers, Jacqueline Calderon, contacted Ryan. She informed him that a few days earlier, James told another manager, Caitlyn Romero, that a personal package would arrive for him and asked her not to open it. However, when it arrived on March 13, someone opened it, and Caitlyn discovered it contained potassium cyanide. When she googled it, its effects matched with Angela’s symptoms. She then informed Jacqueline, who called Ryan. So, he informed a nurse about the potential poisoning, which led to an investigation.
In the beginning, James reportedly pleaded with Ryan not to speak to officials and claimed that the package had a ring in it for Angela. Ryan informed officials that James had previously told him that he was having marital problems. James later alleged to Ryan that he ordered potassium cyanide because he and Angela were playing a game of chicken, but he claimed that he knew Angela wouldn’t take it. Investigators learned that every morning, James and Angela worked out, and he always prepared pre-workout protein shakes for her. When Angela first fell ill, she drank one of those shakes. When James was questioned, he claimed that Angela was suicidal, and when he spoke about divorce in December 2022, she allegedly became more depressed and suicidal. They also found out about Angela’s $3.4 million life insurance policy.
Detectives reportedly discovered that James had filed his business for bankruptcy in 2021 and had liabilities in excess of $2,254,720.56. Upon searching his office laptop, they found that he had a separate email, which he recently used to search for topics like “How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?” and “Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?” Following that, he reportedly looked for chemical suppliers and ordered arsenic, which was delivered to his home. Moreover, he also searched on YouTube for “Top 5 undetectable poisons that show no signs of foul play” and “How to make poison.” Angela’s sister, Toni, informed officials about James having had multiple affairs before. They also learned that he met a woman, Karen, when he traveled alone to a conference on February 23, 2023, and they hit it off. James was arrested on March 19, 2023, and charged with premeditated first-degree murder.
James Craig is Currently Serving His Time in a Colorado Prison Facility
Initially, James pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. By November 22, 2024, the prosecution additionally charged him with solicitation to commit first-degree murder and two counts of solicitation to commit first-degree perjury. By the time his jury trial began, he also faced two counts of solicitation to tamper with physical evidence, in addition to the previous three charges. The prosecution presented his Google searches, text messages, witness accounts, and proof of his troubled finances before the jury. They reportedly claimed James had been in and out of the hospital when Angela was admitted. They alleged that he possibly laced her protein shake with the poison and also administered it last in the hospital.
The prosecution reportedly pointed out that while in jail, James tried to obstruct justice by asking his teenage daughter to create a fake video of Angela requesting the chemicals to die by suicide. They also stated that he tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill the detective in the case, plant false evidence, and produce perjured testimony. The prosecution reportedly emphasized that James had previously drugged Angela, which was confirmed by his text to her claiming he had nothing to do with her feeling “drugged” on March 6, 2023. However, the defense claimed that Angela took her own life due to her strained marriage. They alleged that the investigators conducted a rushed investigation.
The defense reportedly pointed out that Angela’s protein shake bottle results were negative for the presence of poison. They claimed that when James earlier drugged Angela, he did so hoping she would be asleep while he could die by suicide. They emphasized that James even went to counseling for depression. Ultimately, on July 30, 2025, James was found guilty on all the charges against him. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder. He was further sentenced to an additional 33 years in prison for the other charges, to be served consecutively. As of writing, James is incarcerated at the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center in Denver, Colorado.
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