Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 7 Pieces of Critical Evidence In Kouri Richins’ Murder Case

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Corey Richens, the Utah mom and former children's grief book author, is accused of murdering her husband. I take a look at some of the most damning evidence prosecutors say they've gathered against her. Welcome to Crime Fix.

Starting point is 00:00:23 I'm Anjanette Levy. Corey Richens' trial for the murder of her husband, Eric Richens, is scheduled to begin next April. Corey has pleaded not guilty to murdering Eric at their home near Park City, Utah in March of 2022. Prosecutors in Summit County say that Corey poisoned Eric with a fatal dose of fentanyl because A, she was in debt from her real estate ventures, and B, she was having an affair and wanted to be with another man and not Eric, and she didn't want

Starting point is 00:00:50 a messy battle over custody of their children. Now, you might be asking yourself, where would Corey Richens get fentanyl? Well, in the last couple of months, prosecutors revealed that Corey had actually asked a housekeeper to get fentanyl for her. A detective testified that he interviewed the housekeeper, who claimed she had given Corey Richens an opiate and counterfeit opiate pills. And there's more. Unsealed search warrants show a handyman working on Corey Richens' properties told investigators that Corey asked him to get her both fentanyl and propofol. Propofol is a powerful anesthetic.

Starting point is 00:01:25 It's the drug that killed Michael Jackson. That man has since died, but his phone, including text messages of the exchanges with Corey Richens, are with police. Now, earlier this year, prosecutors actually laid out much of their case in a 31-page document. Prosecutors say Corey Richens killed Eric Richens on March 3rd or 4th of 2022 by poisoning him, as I mentioned. But a month earlier on Valentine's Day,

Starting point is 00:01:52 she had actually tried to do the very same thing, but failed. That's according to the prosecution. Now, prosecutors say Richens bought fentanyl from a person who had previously been identified as Witness 4, likely the housekeeper that month. But let's go back to the very beginning of this story. Corey and Eric Richens were married in 2013 and they had a prenup.

Starting point is 00:02:13 Corey sold real estate in South Carolina, but then opened her own real estate venture, Corey Richens Real Estate in 2019. Richens flipped houses and funded this venture using a $250,000 home equity line of credit from a home that Eric Richens owned prior to marrying Corey. Prosecutors say that it appeared on the outside that Corey Richens' real estate business was doing really well, but really? They say that a forensic accountant will testify that she was borrowing money at really high interest rates to fund this venture.

Starting point is 00:02:45 At one point in 2021, prosecutors say Richens defaulted on a loan and was sued by Greengrass Holdings three months before Eric Richens died. And according to prosecutors, Eric Richens didn't know that Corey took out that $250,000 home equity line of credit until someone at his bank told him. Prosecutors cite an October 2020 text message exchange between Richens and a friend where Richens wrote, I don't know what to do. If he thinks that I owe him money, then that's fine. I'll pay whatever he thinks and then I'm out. It's getting a little out of hand.

Starting point is 00:03:20 The friend asked, how much did you take out? Richens responded, a lot. The friend then asked, how long do you take out? Richens responded, a lot. The friend then asked, how long do you think it would take to pay it back? Richens responded, $250,000. It will take me a couple of months until my investments pay out. So I just got to be top-notch careful. There's nothing more important to me than the boys and making sure custody is always going to be at least 50-50.

Starting point is 00:03:46 And if he digs and digs and finds something, I don't want him hiring some expensive attorney to fight for the kids or something. Prosecutors say there's a big problem with that text message. They say a forensic accountant will testify that Corey Richens didn't have any investments that she could sell or cash in to pay back that loan. And it was over-advanced by $254,000. Now, on the day that Eric Richens died, prosecutors say Corey Richens owed $3.1 million. She had purchased more properties and borrowed more money, but she wasn't making any money. At the time that Eric Richens died in March of 2022, prosecutors say his estate was worth $5 million and his life was insured

Starting point is 00:04:26 for more than $2 million. On top of this financial mess, prosecutors say Corey Richens was having an affair. Prosecutors quote Witness 8 as saying that Corey Richens feared that leaving Eric Richens would be difficult and that his family would use their considerable wealth to fight her for custody of the kids. Corey Richens is facing the most serious charge you can, murder. I searched her on truthfinder.com to see what I could find out about her. Truthfinder.com is one of the largest public record search services out there. When I looked under criminal and traffic records for Corey Richens, her criminal case in Utah appeared with that murder charge. Truthfinder is really

Starting point is 00:05:05 great because it will show you a person's past and current addresses, criminal and traffic records, social media accounts, phone numbers, and even possible relatives. Right now, you can get 50% off of confidential background reports. You should give it a try. Just log on to www.truthfinder.com slash lccrimefix, log log on and start accessing information about almost anyone. Witness 8 said in December of 2021 that Richens said it would be better if Eric was dead. The following day, prosecutors say Richens texted her paramour, I'm in love with a man that's not my husband. I want to, but I can't break up my family. It's having our cake and

Starting point is 00:05:45 eating it too. I just want to love you. Then in January of 2022, prosecutors say someone accessed a $2 million life insurance policy for the business partner of Eric Richens, changing it to Corey Richens and then back to Eric. Prosecutors believe Corey didn't realize that the policy was actually for the business partner. That same month, Corey consulted a divorce lawyer, but ended those talks telling her brother she didn't want half of everything, but wanted to walk away clean and free. Then prosecutors say she started researching illegal drugs and asking people how to get fentanyl. In late January, prosecutors say Corey Richens took out a $100,000 insurance policy on Eric Richens, forging his signature

Starting point is 00:06:32 and having those documents sent to her P.O. box. Then on Valentine's Day, prosecutors say Corey Richens poisoned takeout food that she bought for Eric Richens with fentanyl pills a friend had purchased from someone identified as witness five Eric Richens texted a person identified as witness one a close friend that day at 1 59 p.m you almost lost me Richens told the friend that Corey Richens had given him a sandwich with a note that he had eaten part of it and then broke out in hives. He tried to treat himself. Then 12 minutes later at 2.11 p.m., Richens called another friend, identified as witness two and said, I think I almost died. I think my wife tried to poison me. Richens had become ill and blacked out. The judge in the case voiced interest in those comments at a hearing earlier this year.

Starting point is 00:07:25 I am most acutely interested in defense's position regarding witness one and witness two, especially 1.59 PM for witness one and 2.11 PM for witness two. I'll make sure you talk to them. Okay. Prosecutors say Eric Richens tried to text Corey that afternoon, but she didn't answer. And then she continued to plan for life without Eric Richens. The next day, Corey Richens texted the paramour, if I were divorced right now and ask you to marry me tomorrow, you would? And I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle you, watch a murder documentary and snuggle. The following month, prosecutors say that Corey Richens carried out

Starting point is 00:08:05 her ultimate goal of poisoning and killing Eric Richens. Prosecutors say Corey Richens' cell phone movements that night did not match the story she told detectives. I want to bring in Lauren Mathias. She is the co-host of the Hidden True Crime YouTube channel. It's a very popular podcast and Lauren you have been following this case very very closely and I want to know what you think is maybe the most important piece of evidence if you can pinpoint it uh pointing to Corey Richardson's guilt because she says I didn't do this I did not kill my husband she does And yet there is so much evidence pointing towards the charges, in my opinion. But I think honestly, a lot of it is her requesting the fentanyl that prosecutors

Starting point is 00:08:59 say took Eric Richen's life on in March of 2022. And that is that she was requesting her housekeeper, Carmen. Hey, by the way, I need fentanyl. And that this the first time she requested that was in February. And then this and then Eric has stated, you know, he feels like he was poisoned on Valentine's Day with a sandwich. And then the second time that Carmen requests or that Corey Richens requests this fentanyl is right before Eric dies. And the prosecutors say it was a Moscow mule. She was

Starting point is 00:09:33 also having an affair. And so there's this sort of, as I say, this classic scenario of here's the affair. It's like money, it's drugs, and it's sex. It's like your classic motives. And there's so much evidence for each of those things, having an affair with a handyman, requesting a housekeeper for fentanyl. And we now know of another employee, another handyman who recently died in a motorcycle accident, actually, that also said that he had been asked for fentanyl by Corey Richards. He recently died, but not before showing law enforcement these texts that he had with Corey Richards. So now we have multiple witnesses. You know, I have to imagine at trial, and I've talked to a family spokesperson for Eric

Starting point is 00:10:27 Richens' family about this before, you know, that the defense will be that, well, Eric Richens was using fentanyl or he was a drug addict and nobody knew about it. I mean, that's where I think this is going to go. I could be completely off base in saying that. But, you know, Greg Skourdes has told me many times eric richards did not use drug he was drugs he was not a drug addict this is not somebody who was asking his wife to go get the drugs for him do you think that's where they're going to go with her defense i think they could but it might backfire too and let me tell you why i I think while that might be in the defense's tool belt, it's also

Starting point is 00:11:06 something that could help the defense because, because, Jeanette, no fentanyl was ever found. And I think that's actually one of the defense's golden arguments they might use is show us the fentanyl. That certainly came up at Corey Richin's preliminary hearing. Like, hey, look, the law enforcement never found any fentanyl. So where is it? So if they try, my point is, if they try that, then the defense will have to say, hey, the prosecution should say, well, where's this fentanyl that you're claiming Eric Richens was using? Do you know what I mean? So it's sort of like this double-edged sword that the defense is clearly from the preliminary hearing where I was at the preliminary hearing. One of the defense's main argument was show us the fentanyl. And so if they use that, then where's the fentanyl that Eric Richens used?

Starting point is 00:11:52 Do you know what I mean? So it'll be interesting if they attempt that. You know, you mentioned earlier this case has it all. And there are the text messages. She's talking with this guy that she's having the affair with, talking about wanting to snuggle up and watch a murder documentary and all of this stuff. I mean, yikes. You've actually been to the house. You know, there was this huge house that she was trying to build out in the middle of nowhere.

Starting point is 00:12:20 And that was really one of the downfalls, the prosecution says in this case, this monstrosity of a house that a lot of people say really didn't fit where she was building it. And it sounds like the prosecution is going to say, look, she was trying to make it as this real estate investor, you know, realtor, house flipper, but she just didn't have the knack for it. And she was trying to cover all of that up. So this house is kind of just like this huge house that never really was completed. And it's out in the middle of nowhere. So tell me about

Starting point is 00:12:51 that because you've been out there. Yeah. I recently visited that house because it's still not finished. Although it does have new owners who say they are going to finish it and make it a family home it uh it it's massive a swimming pool two kitchens um a climbing wall a golf golf simulator all these you know it is it is fancy i think 12 bathrooms so so this plays a big part too because you're right money and fraud is a big part of this case and it's part of the motive. Again, there wasn't just an affair. There was also this... Corey Richens was in a lot of debt and it was secret debt that she wasn't even telling Eric, her own husband, about all of the debt and all of her investments.

Starting point is 00:13:40 And according to Corey Richens, and this is something I think the defense will try to say is that Corey Richens story is, hey, I was buying this ginormous property, this gigantic property. And Eric was on board, he was so excited, because they were going to flip this, they were going to finish building it and then flip it. And hey, Eric was on board. And what we were doing that night, the night that Eric Richens died is we were celebrating that my offer of $2 million was accepted for this home. But then we hear that it was after Eric Richens' death that she threw a party celebrating the deal had gone through, just after her husband's death. And so it actually not only,

Starting point is 00:14:25 I think, is what happened that the prosecution is going to say, hey, actually, this is what she claimed happened, but it really didn't happen because Eric didn't want any part of this property. Corey was going into severe debt on her own. All of Corey Richen's investments were on her own. And she even does actually even have two counts of mortgage fraud. They won't be part of this trial that's coming up at the end of April. They're actually going to be a separate trial, but she also has those charges as well. So I think that they'll say is, hey, look, no, Corey was doing this on her own. And the fact that they were celebrating, it just doesn't, that just doesn't hold water. How important do you think, and do you think it will matter at all, the grief book?

Starting point is 00:15:11 Do you think that comes into this at all as prosecutors saying possibly that this was a cover? You know, obviously, she's going to say, I was trying to help my children. You know, my children lost their father. And she's pleaded not guilty. She maintains she did not commit this crime. Do you think that that comes into evidence in some way, shape or form? The grief book is fascinating, especially when it comes to the human interest story of this. I think the grief book, you know, she's known as grief book mom. Oftentimes the grief book and the fact that she allegedly wrote or helped to write this book on grief for her children and went on the local news to promote this book

Starting point is 00:15:46 is certainly compelling. And I think it's the reason that the story hit the media so quickly. As far as evidence that was shown at the preliminary hearing, it didn't actually come up. I think it could come up. I think Corey Richens might bring it up. I think Corey Richens will likely testify at her own trial

Starting point is 00:16:03 from what her defense attorney's saying, Kathy Nestor is actually saying, look, if my, if my, you know, if my client testifies, it's going to be lengthy, but I don't know if that's going to be like this major piece of evidence, compelling, definitely a solid piece of evidence in this convoluted story. I'm not so sure. What about the comment that, and I don't know if it would come in at all, it may very well not, but I found it so interesting when she was saying to a Dateline producer, she apparently passed a Dateline producer earlier in the year saying something as she was walking out of the hallway and passed a note saying something to the effect of, this is war, or something like that. She is defiant. I mean, she is going to fight this. She is absolutely defiant. She has stuck to her story or even possibly changed her

Starting point is 00:17:00 story, but in no way has she accepted any responsibility. And the fact that she even wants to testify, in my opinion, shows that she has things to say and wants her moment on the stand to tell her story, which is not the story of the prosecution. I think defiance is a great way to explain Corey Richens. Any final thoughts, Lauren? I think that this case is going to be interesting. A lot of people have said, admittedly, that they think this is a done deal, that this is going to be easy,

Starting point is 00:17:36 that they're going to convict Corey Richens because of the evidence that the prosecution has. I will say that I actually think the defense will have a good defense. And I brought it up, the fact that they don't have the pills that they say Eric Richens took the day he overdosed on fentanyl, I think is a good piece of or lack of evidence that the defense will be able to use. I think this is going to be a fascinating trial, especially again, if we hear Corey Richens testify. But I also don't think that this is just like an easy win for the prosecution. I do think that the defense has things to say and will have

Starting point is 00:18:20 some good arguments. Lauren Mathias, we know you will be on top of it. Thank you so much for joining me. I really appreciate it. Check Lauren out on Hidden True Crime. Thanks, Anjanette. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me.

Starting point is 00:18:37 I'll see you back here next time.

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Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 7 Pieces of Critical Evidence In Kouri Richins’ Murder Case

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Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 7 Pieces of Critical Evidence In Kouri Richins’ Murder Case

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