The People v. Kouri Richins | Full Episode

it's a small town it's rural America in every way this is the family next door very connected very loving very close they spent a lot of time together with the happy American couple Eric ran a successful contracting business he was involved in his children's sports activities very good with children and taught those children a lot. Cory was a real estate agent who also bought, fixed up and flipped houses. She was smart. She was smart. She knew how to connect. She was absolutely in love with Eric and absolutely in love. love with their children Eric and Corey were probably in the best place they had ever been in their marriage and seemed genuinely happy with each other, they had it all, I mean they were a happy family at 3:00 in the morning Tomorrow, I received a phone.

I called and it was Corey and she said come up here. Something happened to Eric. He went to sleep and never woke up. She is completely devastated. She is sitting on the couch. She's just playing. Were they giving you an idea of ​​how it could have happened? Then the paramedics said aneurysm, so we all believed it was an aneurysm. I had seen him the day before. He looked horrible. He said my chest hurts. So the last time you saw him alive you don't think he looked very good. Another officer came to her house and said they were going to close the case.

They already finished. It's an accidental overdose. He was told that Erad died of a fentanyl overdose in the weeks and months after Eric's death. How would you describe Corey's state of mind emotionally? How was he handling things? It probably took him 2 months to get back to his own room. It was devastating for her. She carries a children's book. He did this to help her get over her feelings for her children. I think the book was 100% beneficial for them. guys, then you can take a leave, it's over, we're done, we can start living again and then I got a phone call.

Cory was just arrested in Salt Lake, a Summit County woman who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after the death of her husband. now accused of being the one who actually killed him, I think she felt that this would be treated as an accidental overdose and that no one would notice, she told her family that if I die, they should keep an eye on her because I think she would try to kill me, They'll have to prove that she got the drugs and somehow gave them to them, and unless they can connect those dots, they'll have a hard time proving murder in this early morning case. hours of March 4, 20122 Lisa Darden was trying to comfort her daughter Cory Richens, 31, she was pulled to the ground sobbing.

Cory had just found out from the emergency personnel that her husband Eric was dead, she was destroying her brothers Ronnie and her DJ was there too, she was completely devastated. I started to cry, according to Lisa, that night Cory had served Eric a drink to celebrate a new opportunity in his real estate business, the purchase of this mansion, she told me that she made him a fly mule which is a drink made with vodka and ginger beer she said they went to bed around 9 9:15 she went and slept with Ash Ashon, the 9 year old has always had big nightmares and when she got back into his bed he had cold.

She went to push him and he didn't respond, it was after 3 a.m. and Lisa says Corey immediately called 911 and, following the dispatcher's instructions, performed CPR. When the first responders arrived, they started working on Eric, but it was too late, it's just incredible. You are shocked that something like this could happen. It was first responders who initially suspected Eric had died of an aneurysm. The father of three young children was only 39 years old. How are the kids? Did the children know what was happening? They knew something was happening. and they could see the ambulances and the police coming and, very distressed, they all sat on the couch and cried together.

The sad scene was a far cry from the happy family they once were. Cory and Eric met in 2009 at a local Home Depot. Then Cory was a cashier. Eric worked in construction and was a frequent customer. I heard that he wanted a number for a long time and was afraid to go get it, so he had to ask a friend to go get it. Eric. They asked her out and hit it off when Cory said I'm dating this guy, what did you think? Cory was terrified that he knew me, oh really, why, because I'm the tough older brother, yeah, yeah, but DJ and Ronnie say Eric fits in.

Right at the time, I thought he was a great guy in 2013. Corey and Eric got married and had kids, first Carter, then Ashton, and finally Weston. Lisa says fatherhood was easy for Eric, he taught those kids so much that they idolized our father and he idolized the kids too. Cory's family met the rich, including Eric's two sisters, Katie and Amy, they came to celebrate birthdays here and there and we are all very friendly. Eventually, Eric started a masonry business and Cory started his own real estate company buying houses and fixing them up. lift them up and sell them for profit Greg Hall was his CT marketing director and his good friend Corey had something that a lot of

people

don't have, many times you find an individual that is smart but has no common sense, her common sense and no intelligence that she had .

She was a bright young woman, how many houses would she have on average that she was working on or trying to remodel at the same time? Yeah, she would say on average three, so it was kind of a constant rotation between buying a house, fixing it up, and selling it. Yes, and Eric's business continued to flourish, they both live very well and they both bought and spent whatever they wanted in their free time. Eric loved to hunt and together they traveled the world. It seems like, on the surface, Eric and Corey seemed to have it all.

Would you say it was like that? I would say yes. I don't know if I can begin to overstate how close this family was. This was a great loss. Greg Scores is Eric's family spokesperson. He was a beautiful son and brother. Has that been taken away from you? I can't imagine anything worse than that, shortly after Eric's funeral, an autopsy revealed that the cause of his death was not an aneurysm, it was a lethal dose of fentanyl. Fentanyl is many times more potent than oxy. and the other painkillers we normally use is a very dangerous drug, but how did phenel get into Eric's system?

Cory's family believes his recreational drug use could be to blame. Almost every day they say Eric would take a gummy with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. It was always just to relax at the end of the day, and according to Ronnie, Eric didn't always buy his gummies from reliable sources. On almost every trip she had taken with him, he only bought them from someone off the street, Lisa says. Eric also sometimes took painkillers. Hey, do you have any painkillers? Hey, can you call me and connect me? He certainly wasn't an opioid or an illegal drug user.

Cory's family believes Eric had taken something he didn't know was laced with phenyl. and that his death was a tragic accident. Eric's family strongly disputes this claim that he did not die of a self-inflicted drug overdose. Eric's family wondered if Cory may have been involved. They said this doesn't smell good. No doubt the family thought that from the beginning. Beginning, in the months following the tragic death of her husband, Cory Richen struggled to find her own balance and navigate her life as a single mother. Cory was still completely distraught, even now she has never had time to cry.

She is doing everything she can to move forward. I don't know a way to do that. Cory's brother Ronnie says it was also difficult for the couple's three young children, the kids are so hard on them that they lashed out a little because they couldn't quite understand what was going on and they needed some help and Cory needed some help, Corey finally found a way to turn his grief into action in March 2023, a year after Eric's death. Cory came up with the idea of ​​writing that children's book about coping with loss, Are You With Me? She promoted it on a local TV show Good Things Utah I just wanted a story to read to my kids at night and, you know, I thought, let's write one.

The self-published book follows the story of a boy who lost his father, but still remembers his presence. exists everywhere in the book Eric is portrayed as an angel who is always around yes I'm with you at Christmas Cory writes you can't see my smile but it's there I'm here and we're together like daddy is still here it's just that in a way different way Lisa, Cory's mother, says writing the book was therapeutic. She thought the book was a great thing, it helped them, it helped their whole family and she says it finally seemed like Cory and the kids could move on. to make the kids really happy while the family worked to get back to normal, the police had been investigating Eric's death and just weeks after Cory's appearance on television to promote her New 10 book, this county woman from Summit has been talking all day today, who wrote. a children's book about coping with grief after the death of her husband, now accused of being the one who actually killed him on May 8, 2023.

Corey The grieving wife, this is the house where police found Eric Richens dead, now He was the main suspect in her husband's death. I've panicked. I was surprised that they couldn't arrest her. Utah mother has been charged with murder. Cory was charged with aggravated murder and taken into custody. Court documents allege she committed murder by administering a poison. Greg Scoris, Eric's family spokesman. He suspects that Cory put a lethal dose of fentanyl in the drink he made Eric that night, the Moscow Mule, the dose he was given that night was at such a high level that no person could have survived.

Sky Lazaro is his lawyer, did the police ever test the glass in which she gave Eric this cocktail. They confiscated several items from the home, uh, and no fentanyl was found in any glasses. Cory's family says they have a hard time understanding the charges. Corey denies any involvement in her husband's death. who knows, Corey just knows that she couldn't have done this, she would never do this. Lisa says her daughter and her son-in-law had a great relationship. No one is perfect, but they are pretty close and, like many couples who have disagreements, they were able to work it out. overcoming their differences he didn't want Cory to work he wanted her to be a housewife and she is very independent and that wasn't going to happen another problem says that Cory's brother Ronnie was the amount of time Eric spent away on trips.

He hunts sometimes four or five months a year, that just bothered her because her biggest passion in her life is hunting and she might want him home a little more, so you know they might fight over it and then, according to Lisa, the Cory's mother, there was alleged infidelity on Eric's part, she says she found out first from Corey and then from Eric, it was a text message about trust, how she trusted him as a son-in-law, as a father, as a husband, and how could He do this Cory's family says the couple went to therapy determined to resolve their issues Scoris, who denies Eric cheated on Corey, says Eric had a different reason for wanting their marriage to work and was going to do everything everything possible to make it work. because he lived for those kids, he would have done anything for those kids, let's go to therapy, let's try to keep the family together.

Scoris says that at one point Eric had considered divorce, but ultimately decided against it; he says that he would protect the children in case the relationship didn't work out. Eric put his estate into a secret trust without telling Cory and named his sister Katie in charge, but in the months before Eric's death, Ronnie says the couple seemed better than ever. How are you doing as a couple? family, yeah, fantastic, they were probably one of the best places I've seen them in a while, everyone's having fun, laughing, joking, you know, I thought it was really cool, so why would Cory want Eric to die?

Court documents allege the life insurance payment. It could have been a motive. Scorda says that Eric's family agrees that this is ruthless greed. At the time of Eric's death there were at least six life insurance policies with him totaling nearly $3 million. Court documents allege that in January 2022, two months before Eric's death, Cory falsified Eric's policy. signs to obtain another policy worth an additional $100,000 Cory is also accused in court documents of stealing from Eric's personal accounts and misappropriating money distributed from Eric Rich's business dating back years, according to scorus Corey not only he wanted the money he desperately needed in court The documents allege his home remodeling business was drowning in nearly $2 million in debt.

Yes, he was way over his head. He needed some money quickly. It was a significant amount of money. Scoris has stipulated prenuptial agreements. Corey had given up his claim to Eric's business. assets, except that if the husband died before the wife while the two were legally married, he was worth a lotmore for his father than getting divorced. She felt that she could make quick and easy money if she no longer had her husband around her. Corey's lawyer, Sky Lazaro. firmly denies any accusation that her client forged Eric's signature, mismanaged finances or stole from Eric, as for the claim that Corey was in debt and needed the money, she says that's simply not true, she was In the house flipping business, this is what they did, Lázaro says he took over.

Line of credit debt was part of how the house flipping business worked and the money would be paid back when the house was sold, it's not like she had all these conventional loans that she owed

people

money for, I'm sure she did. It seems like a large amount. but we are talking about commercial transactions with people with whom she did business. Eric and Corey sat down every month and did the invoices together all the time. Eric knew what was coming in and what was going out. Lisa says that Eric not only knew about the finances, but he was also very supportive of Cory's new business opportunities, like the purchase of the mansion they were celebrating the night he died.

Eric said, "let's try it, let's celebrate." Cory went that night. Scorus says Eric's family believes Cory gave him the Moscow. She spikes fentanyl and says Eric's family believes it wasn't the first time Corey tried to poison her husband. The moment she died was not the first time we believe she tried to kill him. What do you think she happened to Eric Richens? chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and close the deal she and Eric were making. The night she died she says her lawyer Sky Lazaro is a decently good house. Lazaro showed us the almost 10-acre property.

Where we are? He gives us insight into why this is a hot piece of real estate. This is the Heber Valley, just over the hill is Park City. all the major ski areas, uh, and then on the right is Deer Creek Reservoir, so this is really among the major recreational areas, it looks ginormous, it's huge, the 20,000 foot mansion and its 4,000 foot guest house ft. were originally built in 2017, but were never completed, the project was abandoned. for 2 years until Corey discovered her. I think this was his dream when he came up with the idea of ​​flipping houses, to be able to make properties like this.

Lazaro says Corey used financing from a group of investors to make an offer on the house. for $3.9 million, the plan was to develop this and turn it into a recreational Hotpot since this is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world and hope

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y sell it for a profit. How much did he think he could earn from this house for her and Eric? I once sat down with an accountant and he told me that if you can do it and stay within budget, you could walk away with $12 million. Wow, that's a big change, yes, from 3.9 to 12 million, yes, there was a lot of enthusiasm.

I remember how. excited that she was Greg Hall worked with Corey he says it was a solid investment it would have been a really easy pivot they wouldn't have had to sit on it for long as far as they know Eric was on board with this plan 100 %. But that's not what Eric's family remembers, says his spokeswoman Greg Scoris. I don't think he was ever in favor of him agreeing to support his wife, that doesn't mean he was okay with it, in fact the house is mentioned in this legal document. presentation containing notes from an investigator who interviewed Eric's family after his death, they said Eric and his wife were arguing about purchasing the property and that was not all Eric's family told investigators, According to that same filing, they made numerous accusations against Corey, including that they suspected his wife had something to do with his death, advising him to warn them that if anything happened to him, she was to blame.

They also told investigators they believed Cory had tried to poison Eric before on two separate occasions, according to the filing. Eric's family said the first poisoning attempt was in 2019, when Eric, Corey and six friends were on vacation in Greece. They said Eric became seriously ill after Corey gave him a drink. Ronnie says he heard it was all a misunderstanding. Eric was on medication and you're not on that medication. He was allowed to drink, he asked the waitress to bring a virgin drink, a non-alcoholic drink, she didn't, it made him very sick. Cy called his doctor, figured out what to do, and later that night he came back and fined everyone. that was there will tell you the exact same thing according to that same file the second time Eric's family said Cory tried to poison Eric was the month before Eric died on Valentine's Day 2022, they said his wife brought him a sandwich that after one bite Eric broke.

He had hives and couldn't breathe. Cory's family denies that he ever tried to poison him. They ordered a sandwich and the sandwich was bad. He went to take a nap and then went to coach one of his son's games, apart from a statement from the family. There appears to be nothing else to support that Eric's family also questioned Cory's behavior after her husband's death, according to court documents that Eric's family told investigators 2 days after Eric's death. Cory hit Amy, Eric's sister, in the neck and in her face when Amy tried to stop him from opening a safe that they said contained between $125,000 and $165,000 in cash.

There was an argument that broke out and Eric's sister said that she owns the house. Everything is put in a trust and she owns the house. She remembers that Eric had created that trust and kept it secret from Corey when they were going through those marital problems until Eric's death. Cory knew nothing about the trust according to court documents. If Eric had any kind of documents, he would have them in the safe, so he went in to see what there was. There Amy came after Corey and you know Cory fought back, they both started pushing and I was standing in the middle of them, all they did was push.

They were both trying to get over me, so the narrative has been pushed. that she was poor Amy was assaulted it was stupid the brothers say that Amy got angry and called the police a month later Cory was charged with assault and then pleaded no contest that her husband just died she is very emotional very emotional things Everyone got a little heated between two families, two very different stories about what they think happened to Eric, but with accusations coming and going. What does the evidence show? The state has to prove that she did this, that she obtained the drugs and that she somehow gave them to him. she contacted a drug dealer, a known drug dealer in that area, she purchased fentel and had done so on more than one occasion.

Okay, please be seated in June 2023. Cory Richens appeared in court before Judge Richard Morazzi for a bail hearing on the matter before the The question before the court is whether defendant Coryer Richens should continue to be detained without right on bail during the pre-trial period. It was the first time since Richens was charged with her husband's death that the public was able to see her, and she was seated throughout the entire 4-hour hearing. handcuffed next to her lawyer Sky Lazaro I can't imagine how difficult it was for Corey to sit there and listen to everything that was said at that hearing to convince the judge why Richens should not be released Prosecutors Patricia Castelle We have three Witnesses Brad Bloodworth The detective who was the sheriff's office and Joseph Hill presented evidence and called witnesses to enrich their case.

She had poisoned her husband. She had all the elements of a mini-trial for the judge to make a determination to detain someone at a bail hearing before the state. has to prove substantial evidence prosecutor Joseph Hill called to the stand cell phone expert Chris Kotos I'm sure if you stand in front of Britney we'll make you swear asked her about the Google searches she says Rich did on his phone if you could to look at the Internet searches on that phone yes, those searches that were detailed in the included court documents can recover deleted text messages from an iPhone can the FBI find deleted messages what is a lethal dose of fentanyl?

I don't know if these searches mean that much when you look at the moment they ended up in Lazarus says there is an innocent explanation that those searches took place after Eric's death, I think it's more to answer questions related to what she was being accused of the state, also called this position the leader. case investigator Detective Jeff O'Driscoll I was assigned as lead detective on this case in April of this year Prosecutor Bloodworth questioned Detective O'Driscoll about where Richens may have gotten the fenel and asked specifically about an interview the detective conducted with Carmen Iber, who said he worked for Richens, whom he refers to as cl cl, is a partner of the defendant.

She cleaned houses for the defendant's business, as well as her personal home. Detective O'Driscoll said CL had a prior drug conviction. At the time of her interview she was on probation for multiple drug distribution charges. According to court records, she has not been charged in connection with Eric's death in our interviews. CL told us that in early 2022 the defendant contacted her either by phone call or text message. message requesting that she get fentel for which the defendant advised that he was an investor who had a back injury. Detective O'Driscoll testified that CL told him that she bought 15 to 30 Fentel pills and then sold them to Richens Seal told us that after purchasing the pills she returned home and said that later that night or the next day , the defendant met with her and did a hand-to-hand exchange of pills for cash.

That transaction, according to Detective Odral, took place on February 11, 2022, 3 days before Valentine's Day, when, according to the court. documents Eric's family said that Richens had tried to poison Eric with that sandwich, but there was more that we must now pass on to a second drug detective, OD Driscoll, said CL told him that Richens contacted her again about a week The defendant then approached her again. by text or call and said he wanted more fentanyl that was stronger than the previous batch, this time Detective O'Driscoll said Seel told Rich that he was paid via chat and the defendant came to the door and texted him a check from your business. of the defendant's business for $1,300 for the purchase of phenol just a week later, Eric was dead, we disputed all of those allegations on cross-examination.

Lazaro asked Detective O'Driscoll if there could have been another reason for that $1,300 check. It could be that Corey was paying her to clean houses right, I don't want to speculate, but it could be despite what C said right, okay, Lazaro says that because Carmen Lobber is a convicted felon, it's not credible, she was on parole in that time, I think at any time they have an informant type situation, uh, it can call into question the veracity of their statements or the motive of what they say in an interrogation by Detective O'Driscoll Lazaro tried to show how CL could have felt pressured to tell the researchers what they wanted.

I heard he started the interview by essentially explaining to CR a terrible situation that she is right about. I don't have the interview memorized, but I know we talked about it. Yeah, well, you told him she was on probation in drug court for four. first degree felonies right right you essentially tell her that she has the potential to commit a considerable number of state and federal crimes at some point potentially yes, this is a common tactic in law enforcement to be able to take advantage of information charges. Lazaro also asked the detective what evidence there was to support Cl's claims that she had sold fenel to Richens.

I because Cl is working for the defendant. The communication is correct, correct, but Detective O'Driscoll said he did not see text messages where Richens allegedly asked CL for drugs. We didn't find any. It was someone with her who was able to corroborate that he saw Corey sneak drugs, not that I know of. 48 Hours she attempted to contact CL for comment. We don't get a response, they have to prove that she obtained drugs and she gave them to her husband and unless they can connect. Those points are going to have a hard time proving murder in this case.

What do you think of Cory's Google searches for a timeline of the case? Visit us at 48 hours.com as Cory Rich's bail hearing came to a close, his attorney Sky Lazaro. He was hopeful that his client would be granted bail. This is a case where there doesn't seem to be any smoking gun. These cases are generally more favorable to the defense. Good morning, the prosecution closed its case todenying bail to Rich with a victim impact statement from Eric's sister Amy, I am here today to represent my brother Eric. Eugene enriches. Eric is gone and I am heartbroken.

None of our lives will be the same again. Eric died in horrendous circumstances. It torments me to think of what he endured. Please don't allow it. Corey to hurt Eric's memory, our family, friends and community, we have been through enough. Judge Richard Morazzi spent very little time making his decision. Richens would remain in custody. The circumstances of this case weigh strongly against granting pretrial release of any kind. Rich's family was disappointed they say her time in jail while awaiting trial has taken its toll Hear her on the phone Hear her sobbing in September 2023 Rich's family and say she had a medical emergency in custody while taking prescription medication and needed to be taken urgently.

At the hospital, what did she say? He happened to be given the wrong medication and it caused him to have a seizure. He made a

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recovery, but while he was out, jail officials say they found this handwritten letter in his cell that was never sent. The document was then archived. In the court file it has become known by the word that appears at the top of the page walks the dog, prosecutors say it belongs to Richens to his mother. I take care of her 16-year-old dog, M, and her thing is to make sure to walk her. so concerned about this dog in November 2023, prosecutors filed this motion asking the court for a no contact order to deny Rich access to his mother and brother in the motion, they say the letter is evidence of witness tampering, they say that Richens instructs his mother about what his brother Ronnie should say in court the letter instructs Lisa Darden to induce the defendant's brother, Ronald Darden, to testify falsely the motion tells me that this letter is an attempt to getting a witness to testify about something that is not true by spoon-feeding the Witness the testimony you are supposed to give in the letter.

Richens writes that his defense will have to establish that Eric bought drugs while traveling abroad. We need some kind of connection. This is what I'm thinking, but you, I would have to talk to Ronnie, she would probably have to testify about this in the letter, it seems like she is laying out her defense a little bit, for example, your name comes up. Eric told Ronnie that he receives painkillers and fentanyl for Mexico almost as if she was solving a case he says to tell Ronnie Richens continues writing Ronnie should have text messages from Eric talking about getting high and rephrase this, however, he needs to stop the period, just include it, the entire connection must be made with Mexico and the drugs she is giving.

Your instructions in this letter I don't know I don't know one way or another um most of it unfortunately I can't speak to the things that are in the letter are true and everyone in his circle already knew it, but Cory has a different explanation: He says the letter is fictionalized in separate phone calls from jail that were recorded and later entered into the court file. He told his mother and Ronnie that the letter was part of a book he had been writing that is private, according to the judge. He denied the no-contact motion, saying the state had failed to prove witness tampering.

It's not witness tampering because it went nowhere and was never communicated to anyone while the famous people await trial. They say their focus is on Eric and Corey's three kids, the family is worried about the kids, that's the main focus, the kids, that's what's important here right now. Both families say they hope to gain custody. The children currently live with a member of Eric's family. Lisa says they are only allowed to talk. to her mother twice a week in a simply heartbreaking video call about what they are going through. Lisa Ronnie and DJ have been denied private visits with the children, but Lisa says she does what she can to support them and attends all of their sports. practices and the reason why I can do it because it is a public place.

They can't stop me from going there. I can still see it. I still get a hug and a kiss and that keeps me going, in addition to the criminal case that could carry a sentence of 25 years to life in prison there are multiple civil cases ongoing over the fate of Eric's estate both sides believe the other is seeking the money both families are worried about the children you could say you could say that I would not believe that the defendant's family is worried about the money they can get, whoever ends up with the children will end up with the money, that's all they want , it's not okay until that is resolved, both families are waiting for the trial to begin and hoping for a verdict that will deliver their version of justice.

What is the family doing to stay strong now? You know that family has family, they have each other, they feel that the state has prepared a good case and they will stick together and support each other no matter what happens in In this case, she is innocent, they have put her in the prison for something he has not committed. Are you both sure that Corey will be found innocent? Lisa, I'm 100% 100% she'll come out. They were given life sentences for her notorious crime. That? What did these parents do to deserve that? Now they hope new evidence can reopen the case.

My hope in the case is that they will finally get out of prison if the Menendez brothers have been punished enough 48 hours on Saturday on CBS and streaming on Paramount More