An Aurora Dentist’s Attorney Withdraws from Case After Arrest for Suspected Arson
An attorney for the Aurora dentist charged with poisoning his wife to death withdrew from the case this week after he was arrested on suspicion of arson — first responders found the lawyer sitting on the porch of his Centennial home as it burned behind him late Saturday night.
Robert Werking withdrew as counsel for murder suspect James Craig on Tuesday, just two days after his arrest and just 10 days before Craig’s murder trial was set to start in Arapahoe County District Court. It’s the second time that a member of Craig’s legal team has pulled out on the eve of the dentist’s high-profile trial.
Werking owned the home that burned with his wife, Lisa Fine Moses, who is also an attorney representing Craig. She did not withdraw from the murder case, and Craig is now represented by Fine Moses and attorney Ashley Witham, who joined the team on June 18.
Fine Moses did not return a request for comment Thursday, and Werking could not be reached.
Craig is scheduled for a jury trial beginning July 10.
Court records about Werking’s arrest in the arson case were kept secret at the request of Chief Deputy District Attorney Jason Siers, who wrote in a motion to suppress the documents that the release of the details supporting Werking’s arrest could “jeopardize a jury trial scheduled to being (sic) July 10, 2025.”
“The release at this time of the affidavit could result in disclosure of information that could result in destruction, disposal or secreting evidence and tampering with identified and unidentified witnesses, which could jeopardize the ongoing investigation,” the motion states. “Further, release of the information could result in harassment of a witness and jeopardize a jury trial scheduled to being (sic) July 10, 2025.”
That reason for secrecy strikes Denver defense attorney Doug Richards as unusual.
“To me, it feels like a dubious and pretextual reason for sealing a public record,” he said. “If all of this is going to cause a problem with a trial, shouldn’t they be taking a step back and be like, ‘Wait a minute, there is a lot happening right now.’ Is there a reason they have to go to a jury trial right now?”
South Metro Fire Rescue crews responded to Werking and Moses Fines’ Centennial house just before midnight Saturday, agency spokesman Brian Willie said.
First responders found Werking sitting on the front porch of the single-family home with “active flames behind him,” Arapahoe County sheriff’s Deputy John Bartmann said, noting that Werking’s actions were “kind of odd.” He declined to provide additional information, citing the ongoing investigation.
Werking was taken to a hospital for evaluation, Willie said. No one else was at the home and no other structures were burned, he said. Firefighters got the fire under control at 12:58 a.m. Sunday and discovered major damage to the house, Willie said.
“Once we got the fire out and under control, our investigators found there was some type of incendiary accelerant, and they’re actively working with the sheriff’s department,” Willie said.
Werking was arrested on suspicion of felony arson on Sunday, Bartmann said. Formal charges have not yet been filed.
In a separate case, Werking was also arrested on June 14 and cited with a ticket for prohibited use of weapons related to aiming a firearm, a misdemeanor, court records show. Details about that incident were not available Thursday.
The second last-minute withdraw in the Craig case once again raises questions about whether the jury trial can and should go forward as scheduled, said Stan Garnett, former Boulder County district attorney.
“A lawyer preparing for any major trial has an obligation to be focused and prepared and able to do everything that he or she can to represent the client,” Garnett said. “If there is something that impedes that ability, the lawyer has an obligation to discuss it with the client and bring it to the attention of the court.”
Siers declined to comment Thursday. Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden did not return a request for comment.
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