A Colorado dentist accused of spiking his wife’s protein shakes with a fatal dose of poison is facing two new charges, including solicitation to commit murder, officials said Friday.
James Craig, who was charged last year and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Angela Craig, now also faces charges of solicitation of first-degree perjury, the state’s 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Additional details about the new charges were not immediately available.
The development came a day after Craig’s attorney withdrew from the case on the day jury selection in Craig’s trial was set to begin, Denver NBC affiliate KUSA reported.
The attorney cited a professional conflict and other reasons, including one that states the client “persists in a course of action involving the attorney’s services that the attorney reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent,” the station reported.
It was not immediately clear whether Craig has a new attorney who will speak on his behalf.
Angela Craig, a mother of six who was married to her husband of 23 years, died March 18 from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning, authorities said. The latter is found in over-the-counter eye drops.
According to an arrest warrant in the case, she had gone to the hospital three days earlier with a severe headache and dizziness. After suffering a severe seizure, she was placed on life support and died, according to the warrant.
At a preliminary hearing last year, a prosecutor said that shortly after James Craig began an affair, his online search history included the phrases “how do you make a murder look like a heart attack” and “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” associated press.
According to the arrest warrant, the couple’s relationship had been strained for years, with James Craig having multiple affairs and Angela Craig repeatedly saying she wanted to leave her husband.
During the preliminary hearing, James Craig’s attorneys argued there was no direct evidence showing he slipped the fatal dose of poison into his wife’s drink and said he had searched online for ways to commit suicide, according to the AP.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
