Angela Craig’s haunting final words—“Why do I hurt?”—were shared in a Colorado courtroom this week as her husband, James Craig, stands trial for her murder.
The 43-year-old mother of six died in March 2023 after being allegedly poisoned by her husband, a 47-year-old dentist, who prosecutors say laced her protein shakes with cyanide, arsenic, and tetrahydrozoline over a period of days—even continuing after she was hospitalized.
Craig has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
During testimony, Renee Pray—Angela’s sister-in-law—told the court that Craig insisted she deliver antibiotics to Angela and ensure she took them. Angela’s condition quickly deteriorated, and by the evening of March 15, she was declared brain dead.
Pray recounted that Craig later told her Angela’s last words before losing consciousness were: “Why do I hurt?” The moment impacted Pray so deeply that she wrote it down to remember.
Multiple Affairs, Financial Troubles, and Alleged Schemes
Prosecutors allege that James Craig was leading a double life. At the time of Angela’s death, he was reportedly juggling multiple extramarital affairs, including one with a Texas orthodontist he met at a dental conference in February 2023.
On the eighth day of the trial, jurors heard from Elizabeth Gore, the fourth woman linked to Craig. She said she met him through a sugar-dating site in late 2022 and accompanied him on a December trip to Montana. Their vacation ended abruptly after a heated phone call from Angela.
Gore testified that Craig sent her approximately $8,000 during their brief relationship, which continued until March 2023—the same month Angela died.
While the prosecution is painting Craig as a desperate man consumed by financial pressures and infidelity, the defense claims Angela was emotionally unstable and suicidal, portraying her as manipulative and painting Craig’s romantic escapades as incidental.
Suspicious Behavior and Jailhouse Plots
The court also heard disturbing testimony about Craig’s behavior after Angela’s hospitalization. Her brother, Mark Pray, testified that at Craig’s request, he delivered the antibiotic capsules that Angela had been instructed to take. When Mark returned a short time later, Angela had collapsed.
At the hospital, Craig showed little urgency. He reportedly told Mark, “You can take my Suburban and go back home,” adding that he didn’t want to keep him from work—behavior Mark found odd, as if Craig wanted time alone with his wife.
Prosecutors allege Craig even tried to manipulate events from behind bars. One former cellmate testified that Craig asked his teenage daughter to make a fake video of Angela requesting poison and also sought help in plotting the murder of the lead detective in the case.
A Troubled Marriage with a Tragic End
Testimony revealed that Angela had discovered Craig’s affair in 2018 and again in late 2022. Though she had made plans to leave him, she ultimately chose to pursue counseling in hopes of saving their marriage.
Angela’s tragic death—and the chilling words she reportedly spoke in her final moments—have become the emotional heart of a trial filled with deceit, betrayal, and accusations of calculated murder.
James Craig remains in custody as the trial continues.
