20/20 - Murder She Wrote: The Kouri Richins Trial

Episode Date: March 21, 2026

The shocking story of Utah mom Kouri Richins, accused of poisoning her husband and then writing a children's book about grief. The verdict is in. Her closest friend and a jury foreperson speak out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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So no matter what day of the week, Go's got you covered. Find out more at goadransit.com slash tickets. No matter if it's a parent, a sibling or friend, talking about loss with kids can be a tricky subject. Joining us now is author of Are You With Me? Corey Richens, and Corey, I want to start with your story. What happened in your personal life?

So my husband passed away unexpectedly last year. He was 39. It completely took us all by shock. We have three little boys, 10, 9 and 6. And it's only been a year. How did you go from processing death to I need to write a book and help others? You know, I just watched the struggle that my kids were going through and trying to find something that we could use to cope at nights. Nights are the hardest, it seems like for everybody when, you know, dealing with anything. But I just wanted some story to read to my kids at night.

I was reading in it, and I remember I just was in tears, and I thought, like, this is perfect to your family. It just seemed perfect. And so I was just baffled at how she even had the time to do that. And it's, you know, explaining to my kid just because he's not present here with us, that doesn't mean his presence isn't here with us, and he's doing these things with us. Viewers at home, what they saw in that interview was this bereaved young woman who tragically lost her husband. Like, Dad is still here. It's just in a different way. But this would be just the beginning of the story.

and boy was there a lot more coming their way. My minute one was the emergency. I'm not freezing. She's cold. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. I don't know. I was sleeping with my kids. Okay, I can't understand you.

I need you to take a deep breath. What's going on? It's a little after 3 in the morning, and Corey Richens calls 911 saying her husband Eric is not breathing and is cold to the touch. Okay, we're going to, can you do CPR? Can you do CPR? You don't know. I'm going to tell you how to. Are you willing to do CPR?

Yeah. Okay. Three, four. One, two, three, four. Count all out so I can hear you. I'm counting with you. One. One, one, three, four.

Officers are dispatched at the scene. Paramedics and firefighters are already there when they arrive. In those first few moments of the police body-worn camera, you are watching this life or death moment unfold, long enforcement is trying to make sense of it all. Inside the bedroom, you can see law enforcement trying to help Eric Richens. He is on his back, on the ground. He is no pulse.

He's not breathing. And they're using a CPR machine so you can hear this sort of rhythmic sound. What's your first name? Yeah, let me talk to you. Let them do their work in there. It's what happened today. What time did you see him when he was alert? Hours earlier they were celebrating a big financial win

for her real estate business. She mentions that had a cocktail before bed. She mentions that her son has night terrors and that she'd been asleep with him. When I sleep with my kids, I'll wake up and I go back in my own bed. Where are your children now? I go home, I don't know.

At one point, the officer asked if she would like to call anybody and she mentioned she wants to call her mom. Here, you could use my phone. I got a call. It was Corey, said, Mom, you need to come up here. I said, something's happened. She said, Eric. Does he have any medical conditions or anything like that?

Lyme's disease? I mean, major. So they're asking questions like, does he have any, you know, health ailments? So no heart problems or anything like that? No. So while she's talking to the officer, she says that sometimes he takes a good,

gummy to sleep, but she also tells them she's not sure whether he took one that night. It's like a gummy as in like a THC gummy? Okay. Does he have any history of illicit drug use or anything in the past year? No. As I pull in the driveway, three cops come running at me, asking who I am. I went running through the house to get to Corey. And it was just devastating.

She was in total shock. I had no idea not only as a mother what to do for her, but as a person, how to help a person in shock. I went and talked to the boys and they're just confused. They're not crying because they don't know what's going on. They just know a lot of cops are there. Corey Richon's mother, Lisa Darden, says that he got weekly allergy shots and maybe that has something to do with his medical condition.

He didn't look good last night. He looked pale last night and I just, I asked if you're okay. Yeah, but he was saying his chest was hurting. I had seen him that day and I said, oh my God, what is wrong with you? You look horrible. For a moment, the deputy walks away from Corey Richards and you can see a conversation between him, another officer, and an EMT. I wonder when he had to hand your finger or something with all the blood.

That's, I think, there's a lot of blood for some of no reason. A little bit coming out as soon as we start to compresses when the blood came out. Okay. All right. I don't know. The amount of blood was sort of surprising to the paramedic, and this leads to the initial hypothesis of an aneurysm. My husband acted, they didn't just die in his sleep.

This is insane. Eric was very athletic. You would never expect. an an aneurysm, but that's what they're telling us. They don't know, they're saying an an aneurysm, and you just can't believe he's gone. In the body cam footage, you actually hear Eric's sister Katie before you see her. She's moaning and she's screaming out and it's the raw, guttural pain that you hear when you've just learned that someone you love has died.

In the video, you see Katie take courage. Katie take Korean Eric's young boys upstairs and away from the turmoil. But at one point Katie even can hardly breathe. Natural, okay? Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath. I can't breathe. My God, I've got to breathe. I just talked to him like a couple of hours ago. At 358 a.m., Eric Richens is officially declared dead, but it's also noted that he appears to a have been dead for quite some time before they arrived at the residence. The next thing is our detective and our medical exam is going to respond to the location.

They're going to do their investigation and document everything. And then most likely because of his age, you know, his health and everything else, most likely. The County Coroner's Office has an obligation, a legal requirement really, to investigate forensically any unexpected death. Whenever you have a young man like this who dies mysteriously, you can bet they're going to do an autopsy. This is the night of a tragic end, but the beginning of a mystery that will take years to unravel. The night that Eric died, Corey says that they were celebrating.

They were celebrating what was going to be her most ambitious purchase yet for her real estate business. A distressed mansion in my own. mansion in Midway, Utah, that she hoped to buy for millions, flip it, and sell it for millions more. She was so excited about it and the possibilities for it. This was a very big moment for Corey Richens. Corey grew up working for her aunt's cleaning company, cleaning the toilets of the rich people who lived in mansions in Park City. Corey would dream that one day she would be the one, that owned the mansions and not the one cleaning the toilets.

This was Corey's moment to say, look, I did it. I made something of myself, and now I'm on the other side. Corey grew up at a family that moved a lot. My parents worked construction, so we would move every two, three months growing up. We weren't poor by any stretch, but we weren't wealthy by any stretch either. My parents did what they had to do to get by. When she got to junior high, her family really made a home in Heber City, Utah. It's also part of Summit County.

It's a beautiful mountain town. And there she finds a really close group of girlfriends. We just had a really good core group of friends. And I mean, the text we'd get every weekend was, hey, where's the party at? And then we also played sports. And then we were in the same classes together. and we just kind of evolved from there. She's on the cheer team.

In high school, she's playing tennis. And she seems to have really found a home and belonging. She was a tough cookie. Anybody said anything wrong about us. You could kind of always count on Corey to handle it. Corey and Eric met when Corey was working at a Home Depot. Home Depot paid the best. It was brand new.

It was in Park City. and it paid really well for cashiers. He was coming into the Home Depot a lot because of the stoned masonry business, and they headed off and started talking, and people remember sparks flying and instant chemistry. He was significantly older than her. She just thought the world of Eric.

Eric was it. Eric grew up in Bountiful, Utah. Went to high school. Woods Cross. The Richens owned a cattle ranch in Summit County. Then he grew up working on this ranch. His sisters rode horses. They had animals. They were outdoorsmen. Eric was one of three children with two sisters, Amy and Katie, and he was very close to his mother who had died in 2018. Eric grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon

church. His dad shares that it was one of the most important things that they wanted to instill in their children was faith and religion. So much so that Eric went on a two-year mission for the church to Mexico City and then came back and started his stonemasonry business. Eric was a very dynamic individual. He worked hard, but he also played hard. He had ATVs and He camped, he explored. Eric was a big-time hunter. Go to Africa, big trophy hunting stuff.

They began dating. Corey became pregnant with their first child, and they married soon after. The marriage is a backyard ceremony. Family and friends gather. Corey is about to walk down the aisle, and Eric's mother present her with a pre-nup. And the pre-nup says that his stone

masonry business belongs to him and that the only way that she would benefit from that business would be if he were to die while they are married. Corey was pretty distraught over it but ultimately she signed it and she loved Eric she wanted to marry Eric so she went along to get along I guess. I don't think it's a secret that Eric's family or at least parts of Eric's family didn't approve of Corey. It was a rough start at the beginning and once that got passed I mean they had a good wedding. Corey and Eric ended up having three boys in four years. She planned that. She was a planner. And that was her plan.

Corey was everything you'd probably want as a mom. She loved her boys. Her boys are her world. And when she wasn't working, she was with her kids. From Boy Scout leader to soccer, you name it. She's involved in everything. Eric really, he was a dedicated dad. He was a soccer coach for the boys. My last memory of Eric was me and their living room playing soccer with his son, you know, and Eric was sitting in his chair like sitting back like this, giggling,

he-he, he, and his son kicked my ass in soccer, you know, and he was really proud of it. Eric's business has become incredibly successful. It's a million dollar business, C&E Masonry. And they have a very affluent life. They're taking trips together. My first cruise was with them. They would go out to fancy restaurants. Yeah, they had money to spend. At the beginning of all,

Corey stayed home with the children. But at some point, Corey wanted more. And she started a real estate business. In 2019, Corey starts Kay Richon's Realty, which is her home flipping business. That first year, Corey buys and resells a property, to a family that says they found their dream home. As whose homeowners, me, and him, and me, and him, and me.

Just two years later, Corey is managing 15 renovation projects. Corey's making a very good living. It's expanding quickly. She's buying a lot of properties. And by all accounts, it is very successful. This looks like the all-American, American perfect family. A beautiful home, a beautiful family, beautiful children, and two thriving businesses.

What's your first name? Nobody ever thought Eric was going to die. Of course, Eric Richens, a dedicated father, has provided for his children. But this grieving widow is about to discover her future won't be quite what she thought. Eric's sister, Amy, says this home isn't going. yours. They're screaming back and forth. I stepped in between the two of them. 2020 is partnering with vibes, open-ear wireless headphones. That's VyB-Z. If you listen to a lot of true crime, you probably like to listen with a good pair of headphones. But it can be tricky

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I learned the news about Eric passing on March 4th through a phone call. Why? What happened? What could have caused it? It was just surreal. And just the day before, Corey says that she and Eric were toasting the purchase of her dream property, a $2.9 million mansion. And just hours later,

Eric would be dead. Eric was beloved in the community, and many people come and gather at the family home to sort of celebrate his life. There were just constant people coming in and out of the house, paying their condolences. We were just, you know, reminiscing about Eric. We were all just there to support Corey,

keep the boys occupied, keep their minds, sort of off of, you know, what happened. We were literally talking about Eric the entire night and raised and dancing. and listening to his favorite songs. One of our friends is shotgunning a beer. Richard. Richard.

And it's not the way everybody else may celebrate, but that's how we did it, because that's what Eric would have done with us. At one point, you know, they're playing music and Cody Johnson's till you can't comes on, and this is Eric's favorite song. If you're gonna love somebody, hold up as long and as strong and as close as you can.

I mean, it's an incredible song with a very obvious obvious meaning live until you can't you know and to know that we just lost somebody so suddenly it did put it put things in perspective Corey's dancing with her three sons and Eric's sister Amy films the dance and there was this light that kind of projected around them and she's like I swear Eric's dancing with them right now like she it was special and it's this real moment of sort of solidarity between the two families but that That solidarity appears to be short-lived.

The morning after that gathering, there is a dispute and argument between Corey and Eric's sister Amy. Corey realizes that Eric's will is in a safe. She seemed a little adamant about getting the will, and she was pretty positive that it was in the safe, but she didn't know what the combination was. Eric Richon's sister Amy is at the house and a locksmith shows up to access the safe. You just hear like this blood hurtling scream as I ran out into the garage. And Amy had seen a sign on a truck that said locksmith or something. She flipped out and told, you know, you're not supposed to be getting into the safe. And then Amy drops a bomb.

She tells Corey that Eric had secretly set up his trust and will, and Corey was largely cut out. They're screaming back and forth. I stepped in between the two of them. Eventually, the police showed up. In the midst of all of this, Corey wants to fact check what's going on, and they call the estate planner. So the estate planner ends up confirming to Corey

that right around 2020, Eric had a, created an estate and that his sister, Katie, was in charge of that and the executor. He makes his sons the beneficiary of the trust. He puts the house in the trust. And that's when those words of, It's Not Your Home came out. And Corey's like, it is my house. I've lived here for 10 years. You know, what are you talking about?

Amy told authorities that Corey punched her in the face and the neck. Corey is then arrested and charged with assault. She ends up pleading no contest, but she is found. guilty of assault. To think this is happening two days after Eric's death and then these two families have to see each other again at Eric's funeral? The funeral itself, I think, went off very well, but you could already see the animosity between the two families.

It's contentious. Oh, the funeral was incredibly uncomfortable. Corey stood in one and then his family stood in like another area. Yeah, it was a very obvious divide immediately, and they wouldn't talk to each other. There really wasn't much reference to Corey. There wasn't a lot of love going on. Over the top lavish casket, it was like a horse and buggy. It was grand. It was very country. It was just the most uncomfortable funeral I've ever been at. His 40th birthday was just a couple weeks after the funeral. Like his clothes had already been taken down,

and she wasn't wearing her wedding ring, and I thought that was a little odd. I mean, it wasn't even a month. As the months passed, Corey filed a civil lawsuit against Eric's sister, Katie, disputing the trust. And Corey seems to continue to adjust to life as a single mother and a businesswoman. Corey talks a lot about how important routine is to getting through the process of grief. And so, you know, usually at nighttime, this is when you read to your children. And she was saying that they looked for something to read. They would answer some of these questions. And she found nothing.

She said, I have looked everywhere. And I can't find a book on grieving for children. She said, I wonder if I could write one. Corey Richens self-published a book called Are You With Me? The first part of the book is actually written from the child's perspective, the little boy who's wondering if his dad is with him. Corey actually used a ghost writer in order to create this book. Are you at my soccer game when I scored that goal for you?

I looked for you in the crowd, but you weren't. Did you see it? And then later on in the book, it switches to the deceased father's perspective, and he sort of starts saying, yes, I am with you. I am with you when you scored that goal for me. You couldn't hear me cheer for you, but I yelled and clapped as loud as I could, just like always. Corey dedicates the book to my amazing husband and a wonderful father. And then there is a drawing of the family of five who see Corey and Eric together with their three children and the dog. I will forever love you, my sweet baby, until we see each other again.

Yes, I am with you. In March 2023, Corey Richens goes on these local radio and TV stations talking about the book. We got an email, and happy Friday, everybody. Thank you for tuning. We got an email, wrote into the station. It was Corey saying that she had just written what she believed to be was the first book for kids about coping with grief, and that she would love the chance to share that on Good Things Utah. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions

and grieving processes that we've experienced last year. And to make sense and process, I'm sure. Yes, exactly, exactly. What a shock this must be for this poor woman. My heart went out to her. I'm new to all of this, so kind of doing research and reading books and things to try and understand, And, you know, not only how to grieve as a widow as a wife, but also, you know, with my kids, how to help them, how to help them understand what just happened.

But the big shock happened a couple of days later when we get an anonymous email. And there's just one line. And it's in all capital letters with many exclamation marks at the end. And it says, you know she killed her husband. While Corey has moved on with her life and is promoting her children's book about coping with grief, authorities have been digging into the circumstances surrounding Eric's death. Were you first on doing? We were second. And there was blood you were really getting.

A little bit coming out as soon as we start doing compressions. Originally it was one of the EMTs on scene who suggests that maybe Eric had an aneurysm. I don't know if you had an aneurysm or something with all the blood. And I think that made a lot of sense to the family unseen right then, because what else would it be that would make a healthy 39-year-old man all of a sudden stop breathing in the middle of the night? So law enforcement says that there will be an autopsy. They think it might have been aneurysm, but they don't know. For the people that knew Eric, the autopsy was absolutely shocking. The initial autopsy report comes back, and it's drug intoxication fentanyl as the first. cause of death.

Five times the announcement of fentanyl that could kill anyone. Eric did not do drugs. Not to my understanding, you know, and Corey was saying the same thing. So it was just baffling. They also found that it was not medical grade fentanyl. This is nothing that was prescribed by a doctor. This would have been, you know, drugs off the street, the type of drugs that you would procure on a corner

and don't necessarily know the origins of. The autopsy report jumpstarts of criminal investigation. because this is not a natural death. This is either an accident of the overdose or someone killed Eric. Now police officers realize they have to find the origin of the drug. Police get a search warrant

to search the Richens' home for illegal drugs. Investigators go in. They seize Corey's electronics, Eric's electronics, and they search the house for anything that could possibly have traces of fentanyl. But they don't find any fentanyl. But they don't find any fentanyl. During this search, Corey has stopped by then lead detective Jamie Woody.

And at that moment, Corey says what everybody else is saying, that Eric doesn't do drugs, that she's shocked by the cause of death. Cory Richens talks to the chief medical examiner and essentially has a bunch of questions, and she goes down a list of the various items that were found in the stomach contents. The third one, the acetyl, I don't know how you say that? Astille fentanyl. Oh, that's just a variant of fentanyl that is usually only present in the setting of illicitly manufactured fentanyl? Illicit manufactured, like a pharmacy?

No, no, no, like fentanyl that's manufactured by drug cartels as opposed to by pharmaceutical companies. Oh, good Lord. It's pretty clear she's kind of reading from the report and asking individual questions about each part. I was just trying to figure out, you know, if we found out anything new. Definitely, you know, death from fentanyl intoxication, and we still don't know how we got it into him. Yeah. I mean, is that anything you could ever find out? When the toxicology report comes back, Eric's family comes forward to law enforcement and says,

well, we have some concerns about the toxicology report. Eric didn't do drugs. The Richens family was immediately suspicious that Corey had a role in Eric's death. According to Eric's family, while it seemed like Corey and Eric were flying high, when he died, it was a very different reality. Eric discovered actually in 2020 that Corey had taken out a loan to help her business and did so without telling him. Corey had taken out a $250,000 light of credit against the home, which Eric solely owned and had no idea about. That made them all start to be very concerned with Corey's financial situation. And that is actually what cost him to change the trust because he wanted to make sure his children were taking care of.

The family says that when Eric finds out, he visits a divorce attorney. I think it's like, how can you deceive your spouse like that? When you own a home, the idea that you're going to take out a line of credit that they're never going to realize this, and you're somehow going to go out and spend $250,000. and they're just never going to get that that's what was going on behind the scenes. It's pretty shocking. They end up going to counseling, and they do not separate. But there is this idea, you know, she's lied about their finances,

even if there's the facade of things being good within the marriage, there's still a real permanent rift between the couple and the trust has been broken there. But as it turns out, allegations of financial crimes are not the only thing. evidence investigators are uncovering. A year after Eric's death, Corey's finances are not looking good at all. She thought she was going to be getting an inheritance and now the weight of her debt is bearing down on her. She's in a lot of trouble here. She owes a lot of money, millions and millions of dollars. It was hard for her that year, financially and emotionally.

Her kids, you know, were crying at night. because their dad is gone. And she has Eric's family who are blaming her for his death. Emotionally, she kind of seemed like she's hanging on by a thread. Corey was also trying to run this business that she was doing, and she just seemed really stressed out. One of Corey's biggest financial burdens was this mansion she had purchased.

A luxurious piece of property on the most beautiful, beautiful land. She buys it for close to three million dollars but at this point the mansion is far from finished. Corey Richens commissioned this YouTube video of the house construction. It even included a virtual view of the planned luxe amenities. Corey had talked about turning the Midway Mansion into an event space where people could have weddings. It needed a lot of work estimated to be a a couple million. Corey is allegedly making all of this work

through hard money loans. And these are loans that are short term. They cost more. They tend to be riskier. But Corey didn't have money from Eric's estate to help. And eventually lost the mansion to foreclosure. The fallout from Corey's financial strain allegedly ends up harming one of her best friends,

a woman named Chelsea Barney. Corey's been helping her best friend buy a home, her first home. So she says, look, I'll get the loan, you'll sign the deed, the home will be yours, and you can pay the mortgage each month. She was a waitress and a manager at a restaurant, and she had saved all of her tip money for years. She gave Corey $45,000 as a down payment. She was always on time with her payment. And so when all of a sudden she was getting notices that her home might be in trouble,

She called and asked for a copy of the deed. Essentially, Chelsea had found out that the deed was never properly filed with the county. She never was the owner of the home. The house is foreclosed on. Chelsea and her family are evicted. And to add insult to injury, all this money she saved up to buy this home, it's gone. And there's another family who also say their dealings with Corey did not ever. well.

Terran and Alec Wright buy this home for their family. It's been remodeled. There's a view of the mountains. It has a great yard. But once they were in that home, they discovered a major problem. They claim they find mold in the walls, and they say there was water coming in and that everyone in the family got sick. Nosebleeds, asthma, really unpleasant stuff.

Lori denied that she had any knowledge of any problems with the home and that the home had been inspected prior to their closing on it. The rights filed a lawsuit and told 2020 they lost their house to foreclosure, saying they'd been financially ruined by the cost of a long-term temporary rental while still paying for that home. Meanwhile, there are people who are starting to say out loud what only a few knew that Eric had gotten ill in the past and he suspected Corey was a behind it. Eric and Corey were on a trip to Greece in 2019. They're out having dinner one night and everyone is ordering drinks. Eric had just recently got Lyme's disease from a hunting trip. He's taking medication for it.

On that medication, you're not allowed to have alcohol. It would make you very, very sick. Eric ordered a virgin drink. When they brought it over, he tasted and said that he thought there was alcohol in it. He started not feeling well and they ran up to the hotel room. He called his sister Katie and told her that he thought that Corey had tried to poison him. I don't believe Eric said that.

I don't believe he ever said that. They were in a restaurant when he got sick. So the only one serving him was a waitress. Then actually on Valentine's Day of 2022, so only weeks before his death, Corey had ordered a sandwich from a local diner. The server entered the phone and a to go order was placed, a Bald Mountain Bagel sandwich. It was just a toasted bagel with a bacon, egg, and cheese, avocado, and sliced tomato. And 12 minutes later, Corey came in and picked it up and paid for it.

When she left the sandwich form, she left a note, basically just saying, Happy Valentine's Day, I love you. After just a single bite, Eric's Eve, Eric's Eve, He seemed to believe he was having an allergic reaction. He used his son's EpiPen, took some Benadryl, and went to sleep. And when he woke up, he texted friends. You almost lost me this time. I think she might have poisoned me.

And police are about to learn just where that poison could be coming from. Peace be. Corey came to me about a year after she said her husband had died. All she had said was that he passed away and she was ready for some new family phone. photos. So she wanted to get her hair done to look cute in the pictures with her sons. I was really impressed with how she was handling that situation with her little boys and how much she was doing with her life. Corey spent five or six hours in my chair. We did a full color on her and then we did her extension install after that.

I think she ended up spending around $2,900. It's been a year since Eric Richens' death and Corey is moving on with life, but Eric's family, however, is frustrated. They say they're not seeing progress in the investigation and they're dealing with the back and forth lawsuits over the estate. So they decide to hire a private investigator. This PI pulls phone records, looks at thousands of text messages, pulls electronics, gets cell phone data. So when the private investigator gets into these phone records, he discovers that there are essentially three people that Corey is communicating with all the time.

One is Eric. The other is her mother. And the third person is a woman named Carmen Lauber. This is between the months right before and right after Eric Richens dies. So why is Corey talking to Carmen Lauber so much? Carmen worked for my sister cleaning houses and cleaning the fix and And Corey would call her and say, hey, I need you to go to this address, clean this house. This woman has a checkered past, including a whole bunch of drug stuff.

With the information that the private investigators gathered, he's forwarding all of that to the Summit County Sheriff's Office. A new Lee detective is put on the case, Detective Jeff O'Driskell, and his theory is to start over, start fresh. Carmen is in a court-ordered drug program, and Detective O'Driskel takes the officer. takes the opportunity to search her trash. He finds drug paraphernalia, and that's a violation. Now he's got probable cause to search her home. Not only do they find enough evidence

to bring drug charges, they find a gun, and she's not allowed to have one since she's a convicted felon. And they notice something that stops them in their tracks. They're looking at a wall full of inspirational sayings that she's posted, and they see taped to a mirror

a copy of Eric's obituary. At this point, they really zeroed in on Corey as being, you know, the prime suspect to Eric's passing. And they need somebody to kind of connect those dots. Without Carmen, police really didn't have much of a case. So can Carmen tell them if Corey had any connection to the fentanyl? Write down something as far as you remember it right now. And then we can work on the detail as we continue to talk about it, as we check phone records, as we, you know, do all of our part, our side to corroborate what you're saying, right?

Right. Yeah, but anything I didn't told that probably went wrong about what we told you in. It's okay. And that's fine because, you know what, we want to make sure we get the right story. And so the way you're remembering it is, you know, is all you can give us. You can't make something else that you don't remember, right? Right. She tells police that not only has Corey asked her to get fentanyl,

but she did so on two separate occasions, and she even said, said things like the first batch wasn't strong enough. The thought was insinuated that she wanted you to get something that somebody could die from. I know one thing that when we got one, it wasn't dark enough. I mean, I don't even have it's going to go. Carmen explained she got one set of drugs sometime in February and then was asked to get stronger stuff. And then got another dose of drugs a second time around. So Carmen's facing prosecution.

and years of prison time. The only exception to that and the only thing that they're willing to kind of help you out with is if you can help this out with us. And by so, he means like, give up the detail that will ensure Corey gets convicted of murder.

Oh my God. This is a serious case, Carmen. I'm not trying. I know. You got Carmen who's looking at 25 years to lie for drug charges and gun charges. she's going to tell the cops whatever they want to hear. And they're making a plea deal.

The goal is to convict Corey for an aggravated murder. These parallel drug investigations are our priority. Carmen says her dealer was Robert Crozier. He's already in custody for other drug crimes, and he's also detoxing. He says that he and Carmen would meet at a gas station where he would sell her the drugs. Carmen says she would hide the drugs at one of the houses Corey was trying to flip. Crozier says it wasn't a regular thing. Yeah, I met her just two times.

I think I talked about another couple more times after. But just to see, you know what I mean, hey, you know, if there's somebody spending, you know what I mean, you know, five, six hundred bucks. Is that what they're doing round about five or six hundred bucks? Yeah. It's not just the drug sales themselves. It's the timing. There were 30 text messages exchanged between Carmen and Corey on Valentine's Day, 2022, the day of that infamous sandwich. And the other day is February 26, which is right before Eric's death.

Now law enforcement has the drug link through Carmen and they have the financial information. Corey Richens was in massive death. She was trying to funnel money back into her own real estate and house flipping business. You add this all up, and it's finally enough for police to make their move. A woman who wrote a children's book about grief after the death of her husband now faces charges for his murder. Corey Richens is charged with one count of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of narcotics with intention to distribute. I woke up in the morning to headlines of Utah mom and children's grief book author, arrested and charged with murder. It was shocking. It was unbelievable.

It just couldn't fathom it. Like, not Corey. You know, why? Why her? Like, it just became this huge story because she wrote that children's book. They are trying to ruin and convict an innocent mother. The simplest answer is often the correct one is most likely an accidental overdose. I will take it to my grave that Corey did not do this. I too believe it's an accidental overdose. For Cory Richens, she's either victim or killer. There is nothing in between.

Is she a widow who had lost her husband and the father of her children tragically? Or did she plan this all out to get from under some massive debt? In my experience, money and love are two of the most powerful motivators for a murder. Now, police know about the money and there may be a romantic angle as well. If Corey wasn't with Eric on Valentine's Day and she wasn't, who was she with? Here are my gloves. Come on, heat. Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be.

This winter, stay warm. the banner to order your groceries online at walla.com. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. I'm R.J. Decker, a private investigator, uncovering the Sunshine State's darkest secrets. Tuesdays, it's the premiere of ABC's hottest new crime show. R.J. Freakin' Decker, as I live and breathe. He's a private eye. It's not a standard murder. Someone bigger.

And a public mass. Trying to get some back to prison today. You go to prison one time and suddenly it's all the jokes. RJ Decker, series premiere, Tuesdays on ABC and stream on Hulu. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced last year. And to make sense and process, I'm sure. Right now we have the arrest of a Utah mom who, who wrote a children's book about grief after her husband's death.

She has now been charged with killing him. I'm new to all of this as a widow as a wife, but also, you know, with my kids. I'm thinking she's just powering through. She's trying her best, maybe not to cry, maybe not to get too emotional. Toxicology report found five times a lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system. This last page, particularly poignant, I will forever love you, my sweet baby, until we see each other again. Yes, I am with you. Written as though it's in the father's words for their bullies.

You are an amazing woman, and we thank you for being vulnerable and sharing this and touching the lives of others. Thank you. I really appreciate being here. Thank you, Corey. Thank you. All right, Gt. is back with more. State prosecutors say they do have enough evidence against Corey Richens to proceed with a trial.

The imminent charge of murder, allegedly at this point, but still, naturally you're thinking, can I believe what she said? On May 8, 2023, Corey is arrested in charge with the aggravated murder of her husband, as well as several counts of possession of illicit drugs with the intent to distribute. Finding that out was such a shock. I mean, talking about this now, it still blows my mind. This could all very well be the perfect crime, a storybook ending where she thought she couldn't get caught.

It's a story that resonates because it's sort of this idea that she's two very different people, a Jekyllyn Hyde situation. She was so empathetic at first glance, and then the story becomes much more sinister. In a June 2023 hearing where Corey's going to find out if she makes bail or not, she appears in street clothes, but she is in shackles. And she has this look of confidence on her face, almost as if she thinks this is still going to go her way.

Prosecutors call three witnesses to testify as to why Corey Richens should not be released pending prosecution. The defendant came to the door and wrote a check from her business for $1,300 for the purchase of the fentanyl. The initial bail hearing had a forensic accountant going into her finances. It went over the phone records and some of her searches on her phone after her husband's death. During the bail hearing, the cell phone expert presented evidence that prosecutors said, said was a sign of consciousness of guilt. Consciousness of guilt can be virtually anything that a criminal defendant does that is consistent

with them understanding that they are guilty. Some of the more interesting internet searches included luxury prisons for the rich in America. Can cops uncover deleted messages iPhone? If someone is poisoned, what does it go down on the death certificate as? And finally, what is a lethal dose of fentanyl? Those internet searches did not come until after Corey had been given a search warrant that was executed on her home.

That search warrant laid out that they believed that Eric had died from a lethal dose of fentanyl, that she had murdered him with it. And so, you know, to now say, well, she searched it so it's the consciousness of guilt. I think it's human nature. Someone hands you something and says, hey, we think you poisoned them with fentanyl, and you're like, I don't even know what a lethal dose of fentanyl is.

What do we do? We Google search. Prosecutors argue that the motivation behind Eric Richens' death is that Corey Richards was in massive debt. Being bad with money does not make you a murderer. The defense makes the argument that the prosecution has no case

because they have no way of showing how the drugs ultimately got into Eric's system. They went through the home, and they found absolutely no forensic evidence to substantiate their allegation that she must have given Eric fentanyl in this drink. But perhaps the most compelling argument was made by Eric's sister, Amy Richens, during her victim's impact statement. Eric was a family man who always strove to be the absolute best father and husband. I go through the terrible sequence of events. I wonder when he realized he was in a family man.

mortal danger. This last year has been a living hell for our family. We have watched as Corey has paraded around portraying herself as a grieving widow and victim while trying to profit from the death of my brother. But the circumstances of this case weigh soundly against granting pretrial release of any kind. Since Corey was arrested, she's been held in the Summit County Jail. Corey not only has been separated from her children at this point. she lost custody of her children. The state of Utah takes her kids away, even though she's presumed innocent,

because Utah has a law that allows the court to do that when one spouse is suspected of causing the death of the other spouse. And it's while she's in jail that authorities make what appears to be a stunning discovery. Deputies did what's called tossing herself, where they go in and they essentially perform a search, and they found a letter that the prosecution believed

to be vivid. very, very significant in the case. Since her arrest, Corey Richens, the aspiring writer, is being held in Utah Summit County Jail, and she's added again. During a sweep of Corey's cell, an officer uncovers a four-page letter. At the top of the first page, it says,

walk the dog with an exclamation point. And prosecutors argue that this letter is a message for Corey's mother to relay to her brother Ronnie, what he needs. to say to help get her off. It reads in part, here's what I'm thinking, but you have to talk to Ronnie. He would probably have to testify to this.

Eric told Ronnie he gets pain pills and fentany from Mexico from the workers at the ranch. Reward this however he needs to make the point with Mexico and drugs. Prosecutors say this is evidence of witness tampering of influencing a person's testimony that could potentially take the stand in her case and providing a story that

story that is alternative to how Eric had gone to Mexico and possibly obtain drugs while there. Of course, that's hugely significant from the perspective of detectives and the prosecution. I mean, she just explained to me that it was some fairy tale book that was loosely based on what's going on, but there's a whole bunch of stuff in there that makes it very obvious that it's not true. Corey has always maintained that the Walk the Dog Letter was part of a greater manuscript. Not only was it attorney-client communication, it was also attorney work product. Is this damaging? Does she admit that she committed murder in it? Absolutely not. So the question becomes whether a jury will see this as Corey insists as a fictional manuscript or

further evidence of her guilt. First with the death of her husband and this children's book, Are You With Me? And now with this four-page letter, you see Corey writing her into the plot. It is Corey's own written word that prosecutors keep coming back to as evidence that she is in fact at the center of this. The Camus mom accused of killing her husband and then writing a children's book about grief is facing more criminal charges. So in March 2024, the prosecution amended their complaint to include an allegation of attempted murder. This is the attempted murder charge for the poisoned Valentine's Day sandwich that Eric ate just weeks before his death. Eric supposedly saying that he thinks his wife is trying to poison him.

It's absolutely absurd. And the heat is about to be turned up even higher on Corey. With all the media coverage on her case, someone was watching. And that someone reached out to Eric Richen's family wanting to clear a guilty conscience. That someone is 41-year-old Josh Grossman, who Corey had hired as a handyman at a home that she was renovating. learned that Grossman and Corey had been carrying on a year's long affair. According to investigators, the lovers texted almost daily.

I want you today, every day, not just sexually, but physically, mentally, every day when I wake up, I do want a future together. So in addition to the financial motive here, we also have a totally separate motive, and that is she's having an affair where she's repeatedly communicating with this man, talking about how much she wants to be with him and how much she loves him. Among the frequent text exchanges, in February of 2022, Corey wrote, If he could just go away and you could just be here, life would be so perfect. I love you.

You know, I'll acknowledge the timing of the texts are not ideal. You know, is this evidence of murder? No. But is it one of those things that may weigh in the back of a juror's mind when they're thinking about how to weigh all this other evidence, I think that absolutely becomes the case. Following breaking news out of Summit County for you, the judge granted a request from the defense team to withdraw from her case. Suddenly, defense attorney Sky Lazaro withdraws from the case, signing a conflict of interest involving her law firm.

And this preliminary hearing is a critical right that every single... Replacing Lozaro is public defender Kathy Nester and co-counsel Wendy Lewis. Together, the defense attorneys have more than 30 years of experience. Whenever legal counsel changes in a case, this will heavily stall any sort of outcome because now a new attorney has to come on, build a report with Corey, and learn the case inside out. In May 2024, just days after her new lawyers are appointed, Corey makes her first public statement in an audio recording released to ABC News. alleges that Corey took out a life insurance policy on Eric without his knowledge.

When you throw in a financial motive, that's big. That's huge. That she needed Eric Richens' dead. That's financial motive is massive. It's big. But then you throw in an affair. You throw in a love story. Now you're talking multiple motives. The state first has to prove that he was. was murdered. You know, that's step one. And they've got to be able, if I'm the jury, I mean, I want to know how.

You know, you can't just say he died, she was there. It must have been her, you know, because she had an affair. They're gonna have a hard time connecting those dots. All eyes on Utah this morning as the Corey Richens murder trial began. The murder trial of Corey Richens is now underway. Nearly three years after her arrest, Corey Richens,

is in court right now for day one of that trial. We'll be inside of that courtroom all week bringing you the latest. I knew that this trial would be big. I didn't know it was going to be this big. This story, just in a quiet community that doesn't have things like this happening is obviously a pretty big deal. This is a small courthouse sort of off the beaten path in the beautiful mountains of Utah near Park City, Utah.

Most people expect that there will be 12 people on a jury, but in this case, there were eight jury members, six men, two women. My name is Laura, and I was the jury four-person in the Corey Richon's murder trial. Before being selected as a juror, I had heard or read just a couple headlines, but I never really looked at stories. I really knew nothing about the case. Corey looks nervous. She's worried.

She doesn't have that same confidence she did a few years ago. While the situation appears tough for Corey, she still has her supporters. I'll be in the courtroom right there with her, with her family, supporting her every second, every minute, every day. As long as it takes, she will beat this. Mark my words. All right, we'll now proceed with opening statements. The prosecutor, Brad Bloodworth, is very direct. He gets right to business.

In opening statements, the prosecutor had a laundry list of motives as to why Corey would have killed her husband. The evidence will prove that on the day that Eric died, Corey Richens owed over $4.5 million to over 20 different lenders, that Corey Richens was chronically unhappy in her marriage, that Corey Richens murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life. On the defense side, they start with someone else's voice,

Corey's voice, the 911 call she made the night Eric died. Number one was the out of the emergency. Okay. My husband's not breathing. He's cold. And he's not breathing? Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow. The defense urged the jurors to focus on the six hours leading up to Eric's death and not six years prior.

So those six hours, somewhere in that time, Eric Richens, died. Somewhere in that time, he ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl. What you're never going to hear is how that fentanyl got inside of him, because there is zero evidence of that. The witnesses that the state started with were powerful. Your Honor, the state calls Katie Richens-Benzhen. They called Eric's sister Katie to the stand. You received a phone call about Eric. Yes. It was early in the morning. Who called you? My dad did. What did he say? This is not easy. He was screaming and crying. It said Eric's not breathing. Eric's not breathing. Sorry, guys. This is the worst in my life. I'm sorry. The state needs to convince the jury that Corey purchased that lethal dose of fentanyl

with the intention to kill. When Carmen takes the stand, All eyes are on her. She makes her breaks this case for the state. Please proceed. Thank you, sir. Remember, Carmen Lauber was facing a lot of trouble with the law, but now she's testifying with immunity. She made a deal with prosecutors if she tells the truth about how Cory Richens purchased fentanyl

from her. She's pretty much getting a out-of-jail-free pass for her testimony. She comes clean. The first part of her testimony is essentially Carmen Lauber laying out all of her sins for the entire world. Have you ever sold drugs? Yes. Do you have a criminal history involving drugs?

Yes. Carmen became very emotional on the stand. And yes, she was given a deal for her testimony. But if you believe her, she insists that isn't the only reason that she's doing this. She says she's trying to write a wrong for her role in all of this. Did you ask Corey Richens about Eric's death? Yes, I did. What did you ask?

I said, please tell me these pills were not for him. When they had mentioned that it was from an overdose, that hit hard. Only for the fact that if that's what happened, I needed to step up and take accountability of my part in this that happened. And what I was asked for. Defense attorneys love witnesses like Carmen. because she has a criminal record. They are going to go after her on her credibility, especially about the drug charges.

And you lied about it? Yes. All right. That's what addicts do when you're using. That's true. Addicts lie. All right. Active addicts.

Next, the state calls the person they say, put those drugs in Carmen's hands. Robert Crozier. Remember, he's the one prosecutors say sold her the fentanyl that killed Eric. We selling pills in late 2021 and early 22? Selling Broxies then, yes. But on cross-examination, the defense points out that he had changed his story and is now saying those pills weren't fentanyl.

When you initially agreed with detectives that you might have sold fentanyl, you were high, you were coming down and you don't remember saying that specifically. That is correct, yes. All this testimony was crucial for attempting to piece together. the how. But what was really mind-blowing was the why. And that testimony came from Corey's long-time friends. Becky Lloyd is someone that was a friend of Corey and Eric in someone that ended up working at C&E Masonry. Becky testifies that there was an evening in December during Christmas time that Corey and Becky started talking. and having a bit of a heart to heart.

She talked about how she was feeling trapped. She was feeling like there wasn't an easy way forward out of the marriage. And she said that in many ways it would be better if he were dead. Corey's lawyer's pounce, challenging Becky's memory. A couple of weeks after Eric died, you gave an interview about this conversation you and Corey had. Yes. And isn't it fair that in that first interview,

you never mentioned anything about saying it would be better off, Therick was dead, did you? I don't recall. You don't recall? I don't recall. Okay. Your Honor, the state calls Allie Staking's. Allie Staking is called to the stand. This is Corey's best friend, someone she's known since middle school. I've known I was going to take the stand for four years now, and it's been a nightmare. There was a lot of emotions in walking in the courtroom, and then seeing Corey, it felt like I was about to betray her going on the stand and I didn't like that feeling. Are you one of her best friends?

Yes. Yeah. I was, yeah. When I was asked on the stand if she was my best friend or not, like, it's, I don't know because I'm now learning a completely different side of this person that I knew and loved my, you know, for the last 20 years. Allie should be a strong witness for the prosecution. They want her to tell the jury about a conversation she had with Eric.

about that infamous Valentine's Day sandwich, but it sort of backfires on them. He said that he thought that Corey had tried to poison him, but it was more of a funny story. It was like an allergic reaction is what we had thought it was. We were all laughing. And that past laughter has now turned to loss. I wish I could say it was nice to see my friend,

but I miss my friend, but that's... Things are different now. Having your best friend take the stand is one thing. Your Honor, the state calls Robert, Josh Grossman. But when your ex-lover walks into the courtroom, well, that's just a whole other level. Mr. Grossman, you need a minute or two. I don't know what I mean.

Please have a seat. Mr. Bloodworth, the state's next witness, please. The most anticipated witness the state is about to call. It's a bombshell. Your Honor, the state calls Robert, Josh Grossman. Josh Grossman is the man that Corey was having an affair with. She said she was in love with him. And he's the one who wrote those text messages to Corey.

Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to give in the matter before the court to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is subject to the pains and penalties of perjury? The swearing in of a witness is usually a pretty routine thing in a courtroom, but not this one. While he's being sworn in, they're asking if he's going to be honest. He doesn't know how to answer it. Sir, I have to see you for me if you don't mind. I've never seen this moment before where the judge has to explain what he needs to do.

Mr. Grossman, do you understand the difference between what's true and what's not true? I do. And then Josh says, okay, I understand, yes, I'm going to be honest in my answers. And right away, Josh has our attention. Sir, do you know Corey Richards? I do.

And why did you move to Utah? To work with her, help her flip houses. Josh is quiet. He has this southern accent. He's a redhead, like Eric. He served in the military, including combat in Iraq. Eric came from an affluent ranching family, and Josh was a man from South Carolina who was essentially couch surfing.

She took care of me, you know. I lived for free. She gave me money whenever I needed it. I just, you know, I liked her, so I'd work for free. His body is slouched. He fidgets. During that time that you were romantically involved with Miss Richens, did you love her?

Yes. During that time, did you feel that she loved you? I think she did. So this, of course, gives prosecutors more than just a financial incentive for Eric's death. The prosecution introduced a series of text messages between Josh and Corey. They put them up on the screen for a painfully long period of quiet time, allowing everybody to read them. They were sad. They were very corny at times. He said, you know, I tend to fall, head over heels in love with someone.

Corey seemed a little less authentic, like she was kind of leading him up. I want to know everything about you. It's part of being in love. There's something specific you want to know. I will be up all night wondering, babe. The text ranged from poetic confessions of love, almost had like a middle school feeling about it. I love you. I love talking to you, being with you.

I don't have that in my marriage. And I really enjoy my relationship and love for you. But you're right. We both know this love triangle can't go on forever. He looks so uncomfortable as the world reads his private text messages. I love you. K. Kind. O. outgoing.

You unique. R. Romantic. I. inches away from signing her divorce papers and falling madly in love with her soulmate. Too late, I have already fallen, night. There's this moment where he starts crying. I'm watching this and wondering, what is the jury thinking right now? We couldn't talk about it.

You could see in people's faces in their eyes, like, ugh, that was, that was heartbreaking. Josh presented himself as very sincere and genuine, sad, brokenhearted. It was kind of devastating to watch him on the stand. The court, I think, was very patient with him. You need a minute or two. I don't know what I mean. Let's just start with that. Why don't we take a five?

Pause for a moment. The text between Josh and Corey evolve. Corey sort of suggesting to Josh her dream life, which would be a few which would be to live with him in the guest home of the Midway Mansion and run a event center together and raise children together. I have a crazy dream. I divorce and come up with millions and millions. We buy Midway and live in guest house and rent out the huge house as a big event center. $15,000 a day, raise some kids, and have a little farm, deal?

You see all of these exchanges, and they contextualize what that relationship was. And then Corey sends her boyfriend a plea in the form of a text, and that's less than 48 hours before Eric is found dead. She texts roughly, hang in until Friday. Well, what was Friday? Friday was the day Eric Richards died. Life is going to be different, I promise.

Can I try Friday? Give me a few days. Hang in there until then, please. The relationship between Josh and Corey just fizzled out. It was in the weeks after Eric passed away. He testifies that he and Corey take a drive, they stop, and they sit in her car and talk. Josh testified that Corey asked him a very important question, perhaps a very revealing question. What sort of did she ask? She asked if I had ever killed anybody.

And was that specific to killed anybody while serving in Iraq? Right. Did you respond? I did. Did she ask a follow-up question? Yes. Sir, what was that follow-up question? She asked me how it made me feel or something along those lines. Grossman's dramatic and emotional testimony comes to a close. And then something utterly mind-blowing unfolds in the courtroom with the defense team as they are about to present their case. Ms. Lewis, Ms. Nestor, what's the plan? Ready to go. Who's defense counsel's first witness?

We have just a minute. Yeah. We have a couple of options. Understood. The prosecution's case took 13 days. And the defense's case was expected to go seven to ten days. Corey's defense attorneys are whispering to each other back and forth, and it seems like they're trying to decide who to call first. But that is not what we got. Your Honor, actually at this time, the defense intends to rest.

They said they were calling no one and also rested. It was an absolute shock. It was very surprised that there was no defense. So when the defense rested, without present, any witnesses, my mouth, I think, dropped open. There has to be another side of this story, and we can fill in the little holes, and then when they didn't call anyone,

I was shocked. Why would Quirritian's defense rest without calling anyone? They may believe the prosecution didn't make out their case, that having any witness on the stand would it make sense because they've already won their case. Do you understand that you have the right to testify at Trump? trial. Yes, I do.

Are you following your attorney's advice and waiving your right to testify a trial? Yes, I am. Prosecution and the defense have presented their closing arguments. Judge Morazik instructs the jury and courts dismissed. Then, on the same day that the trial ends, and just within a few hours, there's word from the court. Okay. I just received some news that a verdict is in. No way.

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The Hulu original series Love Overboard is coming to Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus on March 26th. 16 singles are headed to this super luxury yacht to fall in love. I'm a romantic. I want to find love. This is going to be the best summer of our lives. But whoever you do not choose will be going overboard. This is insane. What begins begins.

Watch the new Hulu original series Love Overboard, March 26. Streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bonus subscribers. Terms apply. Yeah. I told my kids early on that Eric had died, and my kids were devastated. I said along the way, sometimes it looks like Corey might have done it. But, you know, and then my kids would say, well, did she? And I'd say, I don't think so.

But it sometimes looks like it. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Corey is innocent. I know my little sister. She loves her boys way too much to take their father away from them. State of Utah versus Corey Richens. Ms. Richens is present. After deliberating for just under three hours, the jury informs the court. They've come to an agreement.

The court is informed that the jury has reached a verdict. Would you please hand the verdict form to the deputy? Ms. Richens. Please stand. Count one, aggravated murder. We, the jury, unanimously find that the defendant Corey Richens is guilty of aggravated murder. Corey Richens is found guilty on all counts. The entire three hours was constant, robust, electrifying discussion. There were some people who were sort of on the fence with some of the elements.

Like they felt that she was guilty, but maybe the state didn't meet the burden. And so we focused on what some of those issues were. They gave them pause. And then we all discussed at length. And that helped us kind of come to the conclusion. And it helped people jump off the fence. To convict a woman a murder was absolutely heartbreaking. Corey's friend, Allie Staking, watch the verdict.

live online. Guilty. Eric was my friend too. I didn't choose Corey over Eric, but I'm now, I've lost both of them. She was somebody that meant a lot to me, her family meant a lot to me, and they meant a lot to like, and that's, it's a loss. Nobody wins in this. After the verdict is read, Eric's family and friends got to

outside of the courthouse and embrace each other. Justice is served. Four years ago, our family lost the brightest light. Eric is deeply loved and missed every single day. We are grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring justice for Eric. Our focus is now on honoring Eric's life and supporting his voice as we all continue to heal.

Thank you all for being here. In a statement to ABC News, the Richens family wrote that the justice system has now fairly run its course and we believe the jury's verdict was just and accurate. There is a hole in our family that cannot be filled, but now, at least we have definitive closure. Corey Richens will return to that courtroom to learn her sentence on May 13th, which is no ordinary day. That would have been Eric Richens' 44th birthday. She faces. up to life in prison. And her legal troubles are far from over.

She's facing a whole other criminal indictment with multiple counts of mortgage fraud, money laundering, forgery, bad checks. These are serious allegations. One of the real tragedies in this case is Eric and Corey's kids. Their father tragically passed away. Their mother's parental rights have been terminated.

She has forever lost. her children. Those children have been adopted by one of Eric's sisters. There are three little boys at the heart of this. They just love, they have a lot of love, a lot of love surrounding them. They're great boys and they're gonna, they're gonna be fine. He was an amazing father, brother, son, nephew, person, friend. He was an amazing person, friend. He was an amazing person with the most contagious laugh out there. I'll remember Eric's laugh. If I can hear a

in my head. He needs to be remembered as just a loving dad. He had so much more life to live. And he wanted so much for his boys. I'm going to remember just how much he loved him. And that's our program for tonight. Thanks for watching. I'm David Muir. And I'm Deborah Roberts. From all of us here at 2020 and ABC News, good night. This is the show everyone is watching. Every moment, every game. Every drop of sweat. It's tournament time. It's win or go home.

Get your popcorn ready. All for this. Players walk in. Legends walk out. March Madness on ESPN. Greatness is now playing. Continues through April 5th. On ABC, ESPN and streaming on the ESPN app.

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