Dentist accused of poisoning wife’s shake said he gave her 'too much protein': co-worker

The second day of Dr James Craig's murder trial hinged on critical testimony from the office manager at his Sunnybook Dental Group practice in Aurora Colorado who commented Craig flippantly dismissed the first alleged poisoning attempt of his wife Angela Caitlin Romero worked at the dentist's office in and was with Craig for several days during the period he is alleged to have killed his wife by mixing cyanide and tetrahydrozoline a chemical in eyedrops in her protein shakes She notified Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley and the court that on March of that year Craig entered the office unusually late and informed her he and his wife had worked out earlier in the morning He apologized for being late and stated Romero Angela wasn't feeling well after he made her a post-workout protein shake VICTIM OR MANIPULATOR COLORADO DENTIST S MURDER TRIAL PAINTS DUELING PORTRAITS OF WIFE IN TROUBLED MARRIAGERecalling the conversation Romero testified that Craig reported Maybe he added too much protein to his wife's shake She explained Craig left the office later that day to take his wife to the crisis room where Angela stated feeling dizzy She texted her husband that she felt drugged before they went to the hospital She was issued without a identification the same day Craig returned to the office at p m which was exceptional The practice closes at p m When she left for the day Romero revealed she was startled to find Craig sitting in the dark using the computer in an exam room which was not his usual computer When she questioned him what he was doing Craig reported her he had come back to the office to unwind after a stressful day dealing with his wife's sickness After Romero left the office that day she explained Craig texted her to alert her that a personal package would be delivered to the office and petitioned her not to open it That had never happened before Romero noted COLORADO DENTIST'S ALLEGED INTERNET SEARCH HISTORY TAKES CENTER STAGE AS MURDER TRIAL BEGINSOn March Angela returned to the hospital exhibiting similar reactions to three days earlier This time she was admitted and remained in the hospital until March Romero testified that on that day Craig advised her he didn't think Angela would live through the night which Romero explained was the second time he had made that prediction since Angela began experiencing indicators Evidence that Craig predicted his wife's death twice before it occurred can be crucial in his criminal circumstance to prove his alleged intent in his matter Kelly Hyman a nationally renowned defense lawyer and legal analyst reported Fox News Digital Hyman is not involved in the tr Intent in murder cases refers to the accused's mental state at the time of the crime First-degree murder can require proof of premeditation and specific intent to kill in a criminal episode Predictions of death may suggest that Craig had allegedly been contemplating and planning the act for a period potentially for a sustained period of time which may imply premeditation The defense chose not to challenge these statements made by Romero but Hyman mentioned it could have SMALL TOWN DENTIST FACING TRIAL FOR ALLEGEDLY POISONING WIFE'S PROTEIN SHAKE AMID SECRET AFFAIR However the defense would challenge the admissibility and interpretation of such statements and argue that Craig s wife was suicidal Hyman noted Also the defense could argue that the statements were taken out of context and or misinterpreted On March the package arrived to Craig's practice A staff member opened the package before bringing it to Romero who described the contents of the box as a sealed foil package and a paper invoice The box was marked as a biohazard She checked the invoice to make sure it was the personal package that Craig had discussed with her and saw that it was On the invoice she read that Craig had ordered potassium cyanide which she right away googled out of curiosity On March Angela was admitted to the hospital for the final time Craig was in the office that day and stated Romero he had to leave because Angela was returning to the hospital Romero testified that with suspicions mounting she then googled indicators of cyanide poisoning COLORADO DENTIST'S MURDER TRIAL PUT ON HOLD AFTER DEFENSE SUDDENLY QUIT' PRIOR TO JURY SELECTIONDuring cross-examination lead defense attorney Lisa Fine Moses pointed to the fact that while Romero had received the package and read that it contained potassium cyanide she couldn't be sure of that because she did not open the sealed foil package She also demanded Romero about her evening office interaction with Craig on March and Romero conceded that emotionally Craig seemed normal during that time Moses examined Romero's relationship with Craig which Romero described as an intimate emotional relationship She established that the pair were close and often spoke about personal and family matters on personal devices and via channels unrelated to their work Moses also established that during the inspection into the alleged crime when Romero spoke to police she did not disclose the true nature of their relationship or all of the communications between them The importance of calling a critical witness like Romero as a witness so early in the trial was not lost on Hyman The prosecutor will want to start strong and end strong as to the bystanders she commented The prosecutor may want to start the scenario with the majority key witness For example the star witness or someone that is going to start telling the story of the scenario as to the timeline of the development from start to finish