The Colorado dentist charged with murdering his wife by poisoning her protein shakes appeared in court this morning for the first time since his case shocked America.
Jim Craig appeared in person to hear the charge of first-degree murder after deliberation formally filed against him.
He shuffled into courtroom 308, head bowed, hands cuffed and ankles shackled. He did not make eye contact with any of the family and friends who had filed into the small room to support him.
James ‘Jim’ Craig kept his head down as he entered the courtroom, avoiding the glare of the many who’d gathered to see him
Jim’s wife Angela started feeling sick on March 6 and went to the hospital for help. She was sent home but continued feeling unwell, and returned on March 15. Three days later, after suffering a seizure, she was taken off life support
Toliver Craig is comforted by Michelle Redfearn, the wife of his father’s business partner, and his uncle, Mark Pray, as he waits for his father to enter the courtroom
Craig’s parents were also inside the courtroom to see him face charges
Craig’s daughter Mira holds hands with her fiance as she sees her father enter court
His parents arrived shortly before 8.30am with Craig’s oldest son, Toliver.
Several of Craig’s older children were also present. They sat silently and betrayed little emotion as their father entered the court.
Craig’s mother let out a small gulp as she swallowed back her reaction on seeing her son who was unshaven and dressed in an orange Arapahoe County Detention Center jumpsuit.
During the brief hearing the judge deferred a defense request to put a temporary gag order on Aurora Police Department.
Deputy Public Defender, Katie Telfer, raised the motion objecting to statements made in Aurora PD’s Chief in a press release on Craig’s arrest which, she said, were tantamount to a ‘presumption of guilt.’
In it Aurora Police Division Chief Mark Hildebrand described Angela’s death as, ‘a heinous, complex and calculated murder.’
Craig spoke only briefly during this morning’s hearing, which lasted barely ten minutes, as he confirmed that he was waiving his right to a preliminary hearing within a 35-day period.
Craig is shown into the Arapahoe District Court on Thursday to face first degree murder charges
The 45-year-old was silent as he made his way inside, shackled at the feet and handcuffed
He was arrested after colleagues went to the police to report their suspicion that he’d poisoned his wife
The family home in Aurora, Colorado, where the couple lived with their six kids
The court will make a ruling on the gag motion at that preliminary hearing which has been set for April 7.
Craig is charged with poisoning his wife, Angela, by putting arsenic and potassium cyanide in her protein shakes.
She first started feeling ill on March 6 and went to the hospital with a headache and nausea but doctors were unable to find the cause of her illness, so sent her home.
She returned to the hospital on March 15 and quickly deteriorated, suffering a seizure and eventually dying on March 18.
Prosecutors say Craig wanted to set up a new life with a mistress in Texas, and that he even flew her in to Colorado to be with him while his wife received treatment in the hospital.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed yesterday that the mistress, Karin Cain, is in the midst of divorcing her husband.
Disturbing text messages included in his arrest affidavit also show Craig telling his wife that he loved her and asking about her condition in the days before she died.
The affidavit also revealed that he drugged her once before, around ‘five or six years ago’, according to Angela’s sister.
In that instance, he told her he wanted her knocked out so that she couldn’t intervene with his suicide attempt.
The Mormon couple and their six kids. They had been married for more than 20 years
DailyMail.com caught up with orthodontist Karin Cain in Marble Falls, Texas on Wednesday
She was still wearing her wedding band, despite currently going through a divorce from husband Jason
Included in evidence was an airline itinerary for Cain from Austin to Denver and back which included Cain’s name
The Mormon couple have six children and seemed to have a ‘perfect life’ which Angela proudly displayed on their shared social media account.
Behind closed doors, Jim had run the dental practice ‘into the ground’ and blown their personal savings on gambling, Angela’s sister told police.
He was arrested after colleagues went to the police to report their suspicion that he’d poisoned his wife.
They told how they intercepted a delivery of potassium cyanide to the office earlier in the week that she started feeling sick.
He is yet to respond to the allegations.
Cain and her family have lived in Marble Falls, Texas, for 24 years
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