Victim's Utah brother recalls moments leading up to sentence for dentist who poisoned wife

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Angela Craig's brother, Mark Pray, shared his emotional journey in the aftermath of his sister's murder.
James Craig, Angela Craig's husband, was sentenced to life in prison for poisoning her on Wednesday.
Pray's emotions were mixed after the conviction; the family now seeks closure.

SALT LAKE CITY — It's been a long road, a rollercoaster of emotions for Mark Pray of Payson. The devastating ending to his sister's life, by the ultimate betrayal.

Angela Craig's husband, James Craig, lethally laced her protein shakes with potassium cyanide and arsenic.

Pray shared some of those mixed emotions with KSL-TV, just two days after Craig's murder sentence, which sparked national attention.

"Up until the very time (Judge Shay Whitaker) read guilty, we didn't know what was going to happen," Pray said.

He described the anticipation during Craig's trial in Aurora, Colorado. "The prosecution finds James Craig guilty," guilty for killing his sister, Angela Craig, 43, in 2023.

Beyond lethally lacing her protein shakes, James Craig, 47, did the same to Angela Craig's sinus medicine and hospital IV. Craig was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for her death.

"It was just that moment, like, you know, at least he can't hurt anybody else. We don't have to think about him anymore," Pray said.

Triumph for Pray and his family, in the moment the guilty verdict was read. But was justice served?

"No, justice is never served when somebody is murdered. There's nothing you can do to bring that person back. And all you can do is protect society from the person that murdered her," he said.

A murder conviction and sentence, Pray said, was a slam dunk for his family. And jurors.

"(What) they said to us was how aghast they were at what he did," Pray said.

Craig even used his own children in his dark scheme.

"Trying to get his daughter to fake being her mother and say, 'I wanted to commit suicide. I did this to myself.' And especially the detail he went through on where she should go ... get on the dark web, use a laptop that you can destroy later."

A horrifying glimpse into Craig's thinking. But now, after all is said and done, Pray reflects on the beautiful light his sister spread while still alive.

"She was always happy, she was always positive, and she didn't go through those ridiculous, rebellious teenage years. She was always good. She always lived the gospel. It was always center of her life."

A life cut short. Pray said Angela Craig's six children are trying to cope without their mother. Some even testified against their father during the trial. He said it'll take some time for them to process everything after this exhausting nightmare.

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