Crime House Daily – “Night Watch: The Killer Dentist”

Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Katie Ring

Brief Overview

This episode of Crime House Daily’s “Night Watch” dives deep into the chilling Colorado case of James Craig, a dentist convicted of murdering his wife, Angela Craig, through an elaborate poisoning scheme. Host Katie Ring unpacks the intricate details of the investigation, unraveling how trust, infidelity, and deception shattered a seemingly picture-perfect family, leading to a high-profile trial and a grim verdict.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene & The Crime

• Victim: Angela Craig, mother of six and beloved community member, fell mysteriously ill over ten days before dying.
• Perpetrator: Her husband, James Craig, a dentist with a respected reputation but mounting personal and professional issues.
• Immediate Fallout: Three of the couple’s minor children now live with James’s brother after his conviction (04:00–04:39).

2. Family and Community Context

• Background: Craig family were well-known, devout Mormons in Aurora, Colorado (04:39–05:15).
• Facade vs Reality: James faced bankruptcy, disclosed a history of pornography addiction, and confessed to cheating using sugar daddy websites. Despite this, Angela tried to salvage the marriage (05:15–06:18).

3. Prelude to Murder

• Ongoing Betrayal: James begins an affair with Karen Kane, a fellow dentist, while away at a Las Vegas conference. He lied to her about his marital status (06:18–06:53).
• Angela’s Illness Begins: March 6, 2023—Angela feels unwell after their usual morning workout and protein shake. She describes neurological symptoms to James and over text (06:53–07:56).
• Suspicious Behavior: James makes strange assurances via text referencing past drugging (“Just for the record, I didn’t drug you”) (07:56–08:31).

4. Angela’s Medical Crisis

• Repeated Episodes: Despite hospital visits and multiple tests, no cause is determined. Symptoms intensify, and Angela passes out at home (March 9) (08:31–10:10).
• Hospitalization & Deterioration: Hospital tests finally reveal arsenic poisoning. Craig behaves dutifully on the surface, visiting his wife but managing suspicious packages at the office containing potassium cyanide (13:41–15:30).

5. The Plot Unravels

• Toxicology Bombshell: Angela’s blood later tests positive for cyanide and tetrahydrozoline (a toxic eye-drop compound), marking clear homicidal intent (15:30–16:48).
• Key Suspicion: Office manager Caitlin Romero and business partner Ryan Redfern connect the dots (the package of cyanide and Angela’s symptoms). Ryan alerts hospital staff, who notify authorities (17:20–19:26).

6. Critical Hospital Incident

• Caught on Camera: March 15—Craig seen taking a syringe into wife’s ICU room, after which she crashes and has to be stabilized. Cyanide levels in her blood double after this incident (22:26–23:10).
• While Angela Dies: James flies out his mistress, Karen Kane, the very next day (23:10–23:20).

7. Investigation and Evidence

• Digital & Physical Trail: Searches for “how to make poison,” arsenic dosage and procurement, and large purchases of eye drops revealed on James’s work computer (23:20–24:15).
• Motive: Prosecutors cite James’s extramarital affair and financial desperation—he stood to benefit from Angela’s life insurance (24:15–24:35).

8. Desperation & Trial

• Schemes in Jail: While incarcerated, James attempts to bribe inmates for false testimony and solicits his daughter to manufacture a fake video suicide note from Angela (24:45–25:35).
• Verdict: After a two-week trial, the jury takes eight hours to deliver a guilty verdict; James is sentenced to life without parole plus 33 years (25:35–25:56).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Angela’s family in shock:
  "We were there and he killed her right under my nose. We took her to the hospital and that's the last time she was ever gonna be alive again."
  — Witness or Family Member (01:23)

• James’s eerie reassurance via text:
  "Given our history, I know that must be triggering. Just for the record, I didn't drug you."
  — Katie Ring, paraphrasing James’s message to Angela (08:11)

• Revelation for office manager:
  "Kaitlin realizes...while James was describing Angela's symptoms, she couldn't help but notice that they sounded a lot like cyanide poisoning."
  — Katie Ring (16:45)

• Confrontation over motive:
  "Ryan tells James that he knows about the package of potassium cyanide, and James doesn't try and deny it. However, he claims that Angela asked him to order the cyanide, but that he, ‘didn't think she would actually take it.’ This is clearly a cover story, and a weak one at that."
  — Katie Ring (19:00)

• Shocking jailhouse plot:
  "He asks [his daughter] to create a deepfake video of her own mother made to look and sound like a suicide note, and then destroy the laptop the video is made on. James's daughter does not agree to this."
  — Katie Ring (24:50)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:02–01:33| Verdict and sentencing announcement; testimony from family | | 04:39–06:18| Craig family's background & James’s troubled marriage | | 06:18–07:56| James’s new affair and Angela’s first symptoms | | 07:56–08:31| James’s suspicious text referencing a past drugging | | 10:10–12:58| Angela hospitalized; arsenic poisoning discovered | | 13:41–15:30| Arrival of cyanide package at dental office | | 15:30–16:48| Hospital discovers multiple poisons in Angela’s blood | | 17:20–19:26| Office manager and business partner alert authorities | | 22:26–23:10| ICU poisoning incident caught on camera | | 24:45–25:35| James's jailhouse schemes and deepfake plot revealed | | 25:35–25:56| Jury verdict and final sentencing |

Tone and Analysis

Katie Ring narrates with a mix of empathy for the victim, skepticism toward the accused, and clinical detachment required for covering ongoing investigations. The episode is factual, suspenseful, and peppered with measured outrage at the audacity of Craig’s actions and the depth of his betrayal.

Conclusion

Katie closes with a reminder of the far-reaching impact on Angela’s children and invites listeners to share their own thoughts on the case. “Night Watch: The Killer Dentist” is a deeply researched, emotionally resonant case study in the dark intersection of trust, medicine, and manipulation.

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