Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - "Moscow Mule Murderer's" Children Beg Judge to Put Mom Away for Life | Crime Alert 05.15.26

Episode Date: May 15, 2026

Moscow Mule Murder Mom, Kouri Richins, gets maximum penalty for poisoning her husband. Pennsylvania adoptive mother points the finger at her husband for inflicting blows that left 5-year-old Landon Maloberti with fatal brain bleeding, massive swelling, and bruises all over his body. Arizona stabbing victim's girlfriend forced to help killer clean crime scene. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News Now. I'm Sidney. The search for justice in a case that captivated the nation has reached a definitive conclusion in a Utah courtroom. Corey Richens, the children's book author,

who rose to infamy for allegedly writing about grief while masking her own role in creating it, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing, handed down Wednesday by Judge Richard Mrazik marks the final chapter in a saga defined by what prosecutors called a lethal cocktail of greed and deception. Richens was convicted of murdering her husband, Eric Richens, by spiking his drink with a fatal dose of fentanyl, five times the lethal limit. In a courtroom thick with tension, Judge Mrazik was blunt about the necessity of the sentence,

stating that Richens is simply too dangerous to ever be free. He noted that even under a lesser sentence, she wouldn't have seen a parole board until her mid-60s, but the severity of her actions and the terror she instilled in her own children demanded the maximum penalty. The most heartbreaking testimony came not from investigators, but from the couple's three sons. In statements read to the court, her boys expressed a profound fear of their mother, even asking the judge to keep her behind bars for life. You took away my dad for no reason other than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. Now my dad can't. He can't be my coach anymore, can't be at any of my games, he won't be at my birthdays, he can't teach me how to drive, he won't be at my graduation, and he can't take me camping or fishing.

You made me paranoid about sleeping on my dad's side of the bed by saying, I might die or get harmed when I was just trying to be close to my dad after you killed him. You took away everything from me and my brothers. I don't want you out of jail because I will not feel safe if you are out. tempted to paint a different picture, presenting letters of leniency in highlighting Richens' participation in jail programs. When it was her turn to speak, Corey Richens turned her attention to her sons, maintaining her innocence in a statement that investigators might call one last manipulation. My sweet baby boys, I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me, or you may think you hate me, and that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings,

But I need you boys to know that I have been desperately trying to get in contact with you any way that I can for years. I did not abandon you. I did not just walk out of your lives one day to never return, to never call, to never show up. Regardless of what anyone tells you, I would never, ever leave you boys. She went further, claiming the idea that she murdered their father was an absolute lie and absurd. However, the evidence presented at trial told a story of a woman drowning in $7.5 million of debt who closed on a $2.9 million mansion the day her husband died and immediately began spending insurance proceeds. Eric's sister, Katie Richens Benson, stood before the court on what would have been Eric's 44th birthday to remind everyone who the real victim was.

Corey used the boys as bargaining chips with my dad. She repeatedly threatened not to let him see his grandsons unless he, He could convince me as Eric's trustee to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets. Richens' legal team has already signaled their intent to appeal with her brother issuing a statement to Fox News claiming the system has lost its way. For now, Corey Richens remains behind bars, a mother whose story of grief has been permanently rewritten as a story of cold-blooded murder.

More crime and justice news after this. In Pennsylvania, a... trial that has laid bare the horrific final days of a five-year-old boy took a sharp turn this week as a mother took the stand to point the finger at her own husband. Lauren Maliburdy is facing first-degree murder charges in the 23 death of her adopted son, Landon. Prosecutors have painted a picture of a household that resembled a torture chamber, alleging Landon was humiliated, isolated, and even forced to drink from a toilet. When he was finally hospitalized in January 2003, doctors found brain bleeding, massive swelling, and bruises covering nearly every inch of his

small body. On Wednesday, Lauren Maliburte testified that it wasn't her, but her husband Jacob who delivered the fatal blows. She claimed she heard Landon screaming behind a locked door and that Jacob prevented her from seeking medical help. This directly contradicts Jacob Malaburte's own testimony. Taking the stand for the prosecution, Jacob, who is being tried separately, claimed he never harmed the boy and believed Landon was suffering from a medical incident until the moment of his arrest. A horrifying discovery in a Phoenix apartment has led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man in a case involving kidnapping and a grisly dismemberment. Christopher Michael E. Banks, known by the alias Draco, is now facing first-degree murder charges after police found human remains,

missing the head and hands inside his home. The investigation began on May 7th when a local man contacted police after his daughter, Selena Blanco, confessed that her boyfriend had been killed. According to a probable cause statement, when officers arrived at the scene, they were met with the overwhelming scent of bleach. They found signs of a desperate cleanup, wet floors, cleaning supplies, and bloodstains throughout the unit. The victim's torso had been wrapped in carpeting in an air mattress, then bound with an extension court. Blanco told investigators that the violence erupted during an argument over rent money. She claims eBankstabbed stabbed her boyfriend repeatedly with a knife, then held her at gunpoint, forcing her to help him scrub the

crime scene and destroy evidence by showering. E-Banks, who was already on probation for weapons and drug charges, was located the following day. During a search of his Glendale apartment, police discovered a suitcase containing further human remains. E-Banks is currently held on a $1 million cash bond. As of now, the identity of the victim has not been released, leaving a family waiting for confirmation of a nightmare. For the latest Crime and Justice, breaking news, be sure to tune in Monday on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.