A Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes wanted to kill a detective, police say

New charges against a Colorado dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife’s protein shakes focus on his alleged attempts to kill a detective involved in the case, authorities said.

A spokesman for the Aurora Police Department confirmed the accuracy of a report by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver about the first-degree murder charge filed last week against 46-year-old James Craig.

Craig was previously arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the March 18, 2023, death of his wife of 23 years, Angela Craig, 43. He has pleaded not guilty to that charge.

Citing a professional conflict, Craig’s attorney withdrew from the case shortly before prosecutors filed the solicitation charge last week. It was not immediately clear whether Craig has a new attorney who can speak on his behalf about the new charges, which include solicitation of perjury.

According to documents obtained by KUSA, Craig was in prison twice with the man he allegedly tried to have murdered the detective, once in May and June 2023 and again last month. The inmate has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the Craig case, the station reported.

Citing several sources familiar with the investigation, the station reported that the detective who was the target of the alleged conspiracy was involved in the investigation into the death of Angela Craig.

The police spokesman declined to provide NBC News with further details about the allegations.

Authorities previously accused James Craig of adding cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a drug found in eye drops, to his wife’s drink. She first became ill in early March 2023 and was admitted to hospital on March 15 with severe headaches and dizziness. Angela Craig later died after a severe seizure, authorities said in the arrest warrant for James Craig.

According to the arrest warrant, investigators initially assumed that her death was due to arsenic and cyanide poisoning. But the county coroner later attributed it to a combination of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline.

Authorities have pointed to Craig’s internet search history, which shows he was seeking information about whether an autopsy showed arsenic. They also pointed to his online purchases: Weeks before his wife’s death, Craig ordered potassium cyanide from Amazon and had it delivered to his dentist’s office, according to the arrest warrant.

When James Craig’s business partner learned of the purchase, he reported it as suspicious to a nurse at the facility where Angela Craig was hospitalized. There was no medical reason to purchase cyanide for a dentist’s office, he told the nurse, according to the warrant.

The nurse, a mandatory reporter, then contacted authorities.

When the business partner confronted James Craig, he initially denied purchasing the cyanide but later said his wife asked him to order it, according to the warrant.

At a court hearing last year, Craig’s defense attorney said there was no direct evidence that his client had poisoned his wife’s drink.

That attorney withdrew last week on the day jury selection was scheduled to begin in Craig’s trial. The attorney attributed his withdrawal in part to the belief that his client was “perpetuating a course of conduct that engages the attorney’s services and that the attorney reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” KUSA reported.

The selection of the jury has been postponed indefinitely, the station reported.