Dentist accused of poisoning wife plotted deaths of the case’s lead investigator and 3 others from jail, prosecutors say

Centennial, Colorado (CNN) — Colorado prosecutors on Friday argued additional charges against James Craig, a dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife, as new details were revealed in court about how he allegedly tried to get a fellow inmate to kill a detective on the case.

The dentist and father of six has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the death of his wife, Angela Craig, who was 43. He is accused of killing her by lacing her protein shakes with poison in 2023.

During a preliminary court hearing Friday in Centennial, prosecutors said James Craig is facing additional new felony charges related to plotting the killing of four people: solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to commit perjury.

“The worst, dirtiest detective in the world is on my case. Her name is Bobbi Olson, we have to discredit her,” James Craig wrote in a letter from jail, referring to the lead detective investigating his wife’s murder.

Craig allegedly tried to convince a fellow inmate, Nathaniel Harris, to kill Olson; along with an officer referred to in court only as Officer Hillstrand, who investigators say they have not been able to identify; and two other inmates, Tommy Nunley and Roderic “Rodger” Crittenden, both of whom were housed in the detention facility’s medical unit with Craig, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors called two witnesses to testify in the nearly-three hour long hearing.

In November, as Craig’s trial was set to begin, his attorney, Harvey Steinberg abruptly withdrew from the case.

In his withdrawal request, Steinberg cited two rules of professional conduct, according to prosecutors.

The first rule cited by Steinberg states, “the client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” and the second that “the client insists upon taking action that the lawyer considers repugnant or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement.”

Steinberg has not responded to CNN requests for comment.

One day after Steinberg’s withdrawal, prosecutors and police accused Craig of plotting to kill an Aurora detective who investigated his wife’s homicide.

CNN on Friday reached out to Craig’s attorneys for comment.

His wife died March 18, 2023, of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, according to the coroner. Angela Craig ingested lethal doses of the two substances, and the coroner listed arsenic poisoning as a “significant condition” related to her death, CNN affiliate KUSA reported, citing the autopsy report.

The affidavit of probable cause for an arrest warrant in the killing of his wife said, “James has shown the planning and intent to end his wife’s life by searching for ways to kill someone undetected, providing her poisons that align with her hospitalized symptoms, and working on starting a new life” with another woman.

Defendant ‘fabricated evidence,’ prosecutors say

At Friday’s court hearing, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Nicholas Hudson described interviews he held with Nathaniel Harris during which Harris said Craig offered him $20,000 in the for-hire murder plot.

Harris also provided Craig with the name and address of Harris’ ex-wife, Kasiani “Kasi” Konstantinidis, in an attempt to “fabricate evidence,” said Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Mauro.

Craig wrote Konstantinidis two letters, attempting to solicit her help. The first letter was intercepted by Hudson during a cell search at the Arapahoe County Detention Center.

Hudson testified Craig identified himself as “Jim” in the letter and offered “essentially a blank check” to fabricate texts, phone records and photographs to back up a fake story he made up about Konstantinidis being friends with his wife, Angela.

Craig also allegedly offered $20,000 each for her to find other people to play along with roles he outlined in the letter, Hudson told the court.

Craig provided a “comprehensive history” of Angela’s work history, church and associates to sell the lie, prosecutors said.

The second letter Craig wrote was postmarked on November 14, 2024, sent by: “Jimmy at P.O. Box 90210,” Kal Gatchis, an Arapahoe County investigator, testified.

Gatchis said Konstantinidis was unaware she had received the letter until she was contacted by detectives with the Aurora Police Department and one of them collected it unopened.

The second letter contained more personal information which would enable the recipient to masquerade as a friend of Angela’s, Gatchis said. It indicated Craig believed his case hinged on “being able to find someone to say Angela was suicidal.”

Craig allegedly wanted Konstantinidis to sell the story not just to the district attorney’s office, but also to his own attorney at the time, Harvey Steinberg, who then withdrew on jury selection day.

Craig’s new defense attorneys, Robert Werking and Lisa Moses, argued the charges should not be bound over for trial due to investigative errors. The attorneys said there was an assumption Craig wrote the letters but there has been no testing or verification of his handwriting to confirm it.

Werking argued there was also nothing in writing about the murder plot, and the charge relied on a verbal conversation between Hudson and Harris.

Judge Shay Whitaker ultimately ruled with prosecutors, saying they had met their burden to bring the solicitation charges to trial.

The next hearing for the case will be April 7. Jury selection for the trial is set to begin July 10.

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