Dentist accused of poisoning the wife drew the death of the principal investigator and another 3 of the jail, prosecutors say

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

The six -year -old dentist and father declared themselves innocent of first degree murder and other positions for the death of his wife, Angela Craig, who was 43 years old. He is accused of killing her by attacking her beaten proteins with poison in 2023.

During a preliminary judicial hearing on Centennial, prosecutors said James Craig faces new additional charges of serious crimes related to the conspiracy of the death of four people: the request to commit murder and request to commit perjury.

“The worst and dirtiest detective in the world is in my case. His name is Bobbi Olson, we have to discredit it, ”James Craig wrote in a letter from the prison, referring to the main detective who investigates the murder of his wife.

Craig supposedly tried to convince a fellow inmate, Nathaniel Harris, to kill Olson; Together with an officer referred to in court only as the officer Hillstrand, who investigators say they have not been able to identify; And two other inmates, Tommy Nunley and Roderic “Rodger” Crittage, who were housed in the Medical Unit of the Detention Center with Craig, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors called two witnesses to testify at the hearing of almost three hours.

In November, as Craig’s trial, his lawyer, Harvey Steinberg would begin, abruptly withdrew from the case.

In his retirement 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 that involves the services of the lawyer that the lawyer reasonably believes that he is criminal or fraudulent”, and the second that “the client insists on taking measures that the lawyer considers disgusting or with which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement. “

Steinberg has not responded to CNN requests for comments.

A day after Steinberg’s withdrawal, prosecutors and the police accused Craig to conspire to kill a Aurora detective who investigated his wife’s murder.

CNN on Friday contacted Craig’s lawyers to comment.

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

The sworn statement of probable cause for an arrest warrant in his wife’s murder said: “James has demonstrated the planning and intention of putting an end to his wife’s life looking for ways to kill someone without being detected, providing their poisons that align with their hospitalized symptoms and working to start a new life ”with another woman.

The defendant “manufactured evidence”, prosecutors say

At the judicial hearing on Friday, the sergeant of the Sheriff’s office of the County of Arapahoe. Nicholas Hudson described the interviews he celebrated with Nathaniel Harris during which Harris said Craig offered him $ 20,000 at the rental murders plot.

Harris also provided Craig with the name and direction of Harris’s ex -wife, Kasiani “Kasi” Konstantinidis, in an attempt to “manufacture evidence,” said high -level deputy director’s prosecutor Mike Mauro.

Craig wrote to Konstantinidis two cards, trying to request his help. Hudson intercepted the first letter during a cell search at the Arapahoe County Detention Center.

Hudson testified that Craig identified himself as “Jim” in the letter and offered “essentially a blank check” to manufacture text messages, telephone records and photographs to support a false story that invented about Konstantinis as a friend of his wife, Angela.

Craig also allegedly offered $ 20,000 each for him to find other people to play along with the roles described in the letter, Hudson told the Court.

Craig provided a “integral history” of Angela’s labor history, the Church and the associates to sell the lie, prosecutors said.

The second letter that Craig wrote was killing on November 14, 2024, sent by: “Jimmy in Po Box 90210,” Kal Gatchis, a researcher at the Arapahoe County.

Gatchis said that Konstantinidis did not know that he had received the letter until the detectives contacted her with the Aurora Police Department and one of them collected her unopened.

The second letter contained more personal information that would allow the recipient to disguise Angela’s friend, Gatchis said. He indicated that Craig believed that his case depended on “being able to find someone to say that Angela was suicidal.”

Craig allegedly wanted Konstantinidis to sell the story not only to the District Prosecutor’s Office, but also to his own lawyer at that time, Harvey Steinberg, who later retired on the day of the jury selection.

The new defense lawyers of Craig, Robert Werking and Lisa Moses, argued that the charges should not be obliged to trial due to research errors. The lawyers said there was an assumption that Craig wrote the letters, but there has been no evidence or verification of their writing by hand to confirm it.

Werking argued that there was nothing in writing about the murder plot, and the position was based on a verbal conversation between Hudson and Harris.

Judge Shay Whitaker finally ruled with the prosecutors, saying that they had fulfilled their burden to submit the requests for the trial.

The next hearing for the case will be April 7. The jury selection will begin on July 10.