GOLDEN, Colo. (Court TV) — Eight months after he was convicted of murdering his wife, a default judgment was entered against a Colorado dentist whom his own children sued.
James Craig wipes his face during opening arguments in his murder trial. (Stephen Swofford via Denver Gazette, Pool)
James Toliver Craig, 48, was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Angela Craig, 43. At trial, prosecutors said James Craig killed his wife by repeatedly poisoning her smoothies and protein shakes.
Investigators said that James Craig, who co-owned Summerbrook Dental Group with another dentist, created a secret email account that he used on a computer at the dentistry office to purchase items he needed to kill his wife. On Feb. 27, 2023, he conducted multiple searches on the internet while at Summerbrook Dental Group, including “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human” and “Is Arsenic Detectable in Autopsy?”
MORE | CO v. James Craig: Poisoned Shake Murder Trial
Evidence at trial showed that on Feb. 27, 2023, James Craig purchased 10 grams of Arsenic Metal 99.9999% Crystalline Metalloid from Amazon, which was delivered to his home on March 4. Two days later, Angela Craig went to a local emergency department complaining of “global heaviness” and possible vertigo.
Prosecutors said the potassium cyanide that ultimately killed Angela Craig was purchased from Midland Scientific on March 9. That day, the company sent James Craig a usage form to be filled out before potassium cyanide could be sold. The defendant filled out the form, using his license number, saying that he planned to use the substance for “electroplating over medical prosthesis.” The potassium cyanide was delivered on March 13; Angela Craig died on March 18.
MORE | Poisoned Shake Murder Trial: Detectives behind James Craig case speak out
In the months after the conviction, the Craigs’ six children filed a lawsuit against their father, Summerbrook Dental Group and Midland Scientific, claiming all three were liable for their mother’s death. The complaint, reviewed by Court TV, alleges that Summerbrook Dental Group provided their father with the “credentials and facilities” to order the drugs and then failed to exercise “reasonable care to supervise him.”
The lawsuit alleges that Midland Scientific is also liable for Angela Craig’s death because they sold the potassium cyanide to James Craig. “Midland Scientific has a duty to verify the legitimate use of such an ultrahazardous substance,” the complaint states. “As a seller and distributor of ultrahazardous substances, Midland Scientific was required to exercise heightened caution in evaluating purchasers of Potassium Cyanide; to verify professional credentials; to confirm a legitimate, lawful use; to reject suspicious or inconsistent purchaser statements; and to refrain from selling cyanide to individuals or entities lacking a legitimate industrial, scientific or institutional need.”
Jefferson County District Court Judge Chantel Contiguglia entered a default judgment against both James Craig and Summerbrook Dental Group when neither responded to the complaint in a timely fashion. The case has continued against Midland Scientific, which filed a motion to dismiss the claims against it.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages to be determined by a jury at trial.
