Dentist accused of poisoning wife allegedly asked daughter to create deepfake Video of mother begging for chemicals

A daughter of James Craig, the Colorado dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife, testified Thursday, July 17 that her father asked her to create a fake video to make it appear that her mother had requested the chemicals that ultimately led to her death.
 

According to her testimony, Craig provided step-by-step instructions in a handwritten letter on how to make a deepfake video of his wife, Angela Craig. Deepfakes are digitally altered videos or audio clips made using artificial intelligence, designed to appear authentic.

“I love you … I’m sorry to even have to ask you for this help,” a portion of the letter read aloud by prosecutor Michael Mauro stated.
 

Craig is accused of poisoning Angela in March 2023 with a combination of arsenic, cyanide, and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in eye drops. Prosecutors allege that once Angela was hospitalized, Craig gave her a pill filled with cyanide, resulting in her death.

Authorities believe Craig was motivated by financial troubles and an extramarital affair. He has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder and multiple counts of solicitation related to tampering with evidence and perjury.
 

The letter allegedly instructed the daughter to purchase a cheap laptop, install a dark web browser, and pay for the project using a prepaid Visa card. She was told the video should appear to have been recorded weeks before Angela’s death and to burn it onto USB drives. She was also instructed to plant the drives in her mother’s belongings and destroy the laptop afterward.

Craig reportedly told her she was chosen for the task because she was most like her mother – practical and technologically skilled.

During cross-examination, the 20-year-old daughter said the letter left her feeling disappointed, confused, and overwhelmed. She had been living at home during her mother’s illness, often driving her to the emergency room and taking care of her younger siblings.

In one incident, she found her mother nearly collapsed on the bathroom floor, extremely weak and disoriented.

Craig’s eldest daughter also took the stand, testifying that her father objected to an autopsy, saying he didn’t want people “poking at her” just to “satisfy their curiosities.” When she raised concerns about possible hereditary illness for the sake of her younger siblings, Craig allegedly remained silent.

With a comfort dog named Fancy by her side, the daughter tearfully described her mother as her best friend — active, health-conscious, and not someone who would take her own life.
 

“We were making plans,” she said.