DENVER — A dentist accused of murdering his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison now faces additional charges for allegedly attempting to hire a fellow inmate to eliminate a detective involved in the case.

Last week, prosecutors brought forth two new charges against James Craig, including solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to commit perjury. The formal charges do not specify the intended target, but a representative from the Aurora police department confirmed that the person was indeed a detective involved in the investigation.

As of Thursday, there was no attorney listed on court records to represent Craig. On November 21, a judge permitted Harvey Steinberg, Craig’s most recent lawyer, to withdraw from the case due to a conflict of interest, just as the trial for first-degree murder was set to commence regarding the death of Angela Craig. The following day saw the filing of these new charges against him.

Craig’s trial, which has already faced multiple delays, is currently postponed indefinitely. He has entered a plea of not guilty and is expected to appear in court with a new attorney on December 16.

Angela Craig, aged 43, passed away in March 2023 after being poisoned with cyanide and tetrahydrozoline—a chemical commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops, as reported by the coroner. The couple had been married for over two decades and had six children together.

In addition to the latest allegations, Craig had previously been charged with attempting to smuggle a note out of jail through an inmate who was bailed out by one of his adult daughters. This letter reportedly requested the daughter to create a deceptive video where Angela purportedly urged her husband to acquire poisons.

Moreover, he is accused of soliciting yet another inmate to plant forged diary entries in their home, implying that Angela had committed suicide. That inmate, however, rejected the proposal, as per court records. The original defense team for Craig highlighted that the inmate only alerted authorities after a preliminary hearing regarding the evidence against Craig, which had garnered significant media attention.

Prosecutors further claim that Craig devised a more complex scheme to shift blame onto his late wife. Court documents reveal that he allegedly sought the help of another former inmate to locate attractive women willing to testify at his trial that they had affairs with him and subsequently refused to assist Angela after she discovered the alleged infidelity.