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Murder She Wrote: The Kouri Richins Trial

13h ago1:26:2612,562 words
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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. Le...

Transcript

EN

It's the middle of the night, in a small town on the Jersey Shore, someone re...

A search gets underway for the missing driver, 19-year-old Sarah Stern.

Is it a missing person? Is it a suicide? At this point, nobody knows. Old friendships, buried cash, and a sinister plot that was once pitched as a movie plays out in real life. I'm Juju Chang, from 2020 and ABC Audio.

Listen now to Bridge of Lies, wherever you get your podcasts. No matter if it's apparent as sibling or friend talking about loss with kids can be a tricky subject.

Joining us now is author of "Are You With Me?"

Corey Richards 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, 10-9-6.

And it's only been a year. How did you perform 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. Knights 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 and I remember I was just in tears and I thought this is perfect for a family. It seemed perfect. And so I just baffled it to how she even had the time to do that.

And it's, you know, explaining to my kids 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, it's 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.

And we're clear. Good job everyone. It's getting ready for headlines. I'm gonna learn what the measure is for being a patient. Okay, tell me exactly what happened.

Okay, I can't even ask you out. I need you to take a deep rest. What's going on?

It's a little after three in the morning and Corey Richens calls 911 saying her husband Eric is not breathing in his cold to the touch. Okay, we're gonna, can you do CPR? You don't know, I'm gonna tell you how to. Are you willing to do CPR? Yeah, okay. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four count on outside could be here.

You have counted with you. One, four, three, four. Officers are dispatched to 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.

Law 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 the sort of rhythmic sound. Okay, what's your first name? Yeah, let's let them do their work in there.

It's what happened today.

When you say we were fine, what time did you see him when he was alert?

We had a drink together at the time to celebrate something at work. Our earlier, they were celebrating a big financial win for her real estate business. She mentions that her son has nightmares and that she's been asleep with him. Where are your children now? I don't know.

At one point, the officer asked if she would like to call anybody and she men...

Here you go, use my phone.

I got a call, it was Cory, 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? He has blind CCs. So they're asking questions like does he have any help ailments? No, hard problems or anything like that.

So while she's talking to the officer, she says that sometimes he takes a gummy to sleep, but she also tells him she's not sure whether he took one that night. It's like they're gummy, it's like a THC gummy.

I see you have any history of it.

It was a drug use or anything. As I pull in the driveway, three cops come running at me asking who I am. They went running through the house to get to Cory 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. Oh God. 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.

Every rich and mother at least a garden 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 he just asked if you're okay. Yeah, but he was saying that 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 Cory Richens, and you can see a conversation between him, another officer and an ENT. The amount of blood was surprising to the paramedic,

and this leads to the initial hypothesis. That's what they're telling us. They didn't just die and asleep. This is insane. Eric was very athletic.

You would never expect an aneurysm,

but that's what they're telling us.

They don't know. They're saying an aneurysm.

You just can't believe he's gone. In the body camp footage, we actually hear Eric's sister Katie before you see her. She's moaning and she's screaming out, and it's a raw, grateral pain that you hear when you've just learned that someone you love has died.

In the video, you see Katie take Cory and Eric's young boys upstairs in a way from the turmoil. But at one point, Katie even can hardly breathe. That's wrong, okay? Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath.

At 358 AM, Eric Richens is officially declared dead. But it's also noted that he appears to have been dead for quite some time before they arrived at the residence. The next thing is architective in our medical examers and respond to the location. They're going to do their investigation and document everything.

And then most likely because of his age, his health and everything else. The county corners 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 with the beginning of a mystery that we'll take in years to unravel.

The night, the 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 Midway, Utah that she hoped to buy for millions, lipid 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 aunts 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 weren't 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 the Hebr City, Utah. It's also part of some accounting. 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 setting a thing 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 it was so amazing. It was amazing business, and they headed off and started talking.

People remember, you know, sparks flying, an instant chemistry.

It was significantly older than her. She just thought the world of Eric. Eric was it. Eric grew up in Bounduffle, Utah. The richins owned a cattle ranching in Summit County. 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 died in 2018. Eric grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterty 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 in 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 stone masonry business. Eric was a very dynamic individual. He worked hard, but he also played hard. He had ATV's big camp. He explored. Eric was a big-time hunter, go to Africa, big trophy hunting stuff.

They began dating. Cory became pregnant with their first child, and they married soon after. The marriage isn't a backyard ceremony. Family and friends gather. Cory is about to walk down the aisle. And Eric's mother present her with a Supreme Up. And the Supreme Up says that his stone masonry business belongs to him.

And the only way that she would benefit from that business would be if he were to die while they were married.

Cory was pretty distraught over it, but ultimately she signed it. She loved Eric, she won't marry Eric.

So she went along to get along there, yes. I don't think it's a secret that Eric's family or at least parts of Eric's family didn't approve of Cory. It was rough start to begin. Once that got passed, I mean, they had a good wedding.

Cory and Eric ended up having three boys in four years.

She planned that. She was a planner.

And that was her plan. Cory 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. And Eric was sitting in his chair like sitting back like this, giggling. And while his son kicked my ass and soccer, you know, and he was really proud of it. Eric's business has become incredibly successful.

It's a million dollar business, C and E masonry.

And they have a very affluent life. They're taking trips together. My first cruise is with them. They go out to fancy restaurants. Yeah, they had money to spend.

At the beginning of all, Cory stayed home with the children.

But at some point, Cory wanted more. And she started a real estate business. In 2019, Cory starts K-Richard's Realty, which is her home flipping business. That first year, Cory buys and resells a property to a family that says they found their dream home. This is home owners me and me and him and me.

We just bought a house.

Just two years later, Cory is managing 15 renovation projects.

Cory is making a very good living. It's expanding quickly. She's buying you a lot of properties. And by all accounts, it is very successful. This looks like the all-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 Richins, 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 yours.

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Our story says that she and Eric were toasting the purchase of her dream property at $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. She would sort of celebrate his life. There were just constant people coming and not the house paying their condolences. We were just reminiscing about Eric.

We were all just there to support Corey. Keep the boys occupied, keep their minds sort of off of what happened. We were literally talking about Eric the entire night in reason, dancing and listening to his favorite songs. One of our friends is shockening a beer. Richard? Richard? Richard? Yep.

And it's not the way everybody else maids celebrate, but that's how we did it.

Because that's what Eric would've done with us. At one point, they're playing music and Cody Johnson's till you can't come on and this is Eric's favorite song.

I mean, it's an incredible song with a very obvious meaning, live until you can't.

And to know that we just lost somebody so suddenly that it put things in perspective. Corey's dancing with her three sons and Eric's sister Amy films the dance. And that 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 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 that will. And she was pretty positive that it was in the safe, but she ended up the combination was.

Eric Richen's sister Amy is at the house. And a locksmith shows up to access the safe.

You just hear like this blood girdling scream because I ran out into the garage. And Amy had seen a sign on a truck that said locksmith or something. She flipped down and told Corey, 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 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 in 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 can already see the animosity between the two families. It's contentious. Oh, the funeral was incredibly uncomfortable. Corey stood in one, and then her family stood in like another area.

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 was wearing a wedding ring. I thought that was a little odd. I mean, it was 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 a life as a single mother and a business woman.

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, that it answered some of these questions, and she found nothing. She said, "I have booked 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 to go straighter in order to create the book.

Are you getting my shocker game when I should go to that goal for you?

I look for you in the cloud, but you weren't there. 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, you 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 into these stations, talking about the book. 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 you talk. 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, 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 an all-capital letters with many exclamation marks at the end and it says, "You know she killed her husband."

Thank you, Corey. Thank you. 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.

Where are you first on doing?

When you're second. And there was blood, you've heard of you. A little bit coming out as soon as we started in compressions. Originally, it was one of the EMTs on scene, who suggests that maybe Eric had an aneurysm.

And I think that made a lot of sense to the family on scene right then,

because what else would it be that would make a healthy 39 year old man all the 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 an 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 and toxication fitting all as the cause of death. Five times, you know, it's a fentanyl. That could kill anyone.

Where did not do drugs? Not to my understanding. You know, and Cory was saying the same thing, so it was just baffling. They also found that it was not medical grade fentanyl.

So this is nothing that was prescribed by a doctor. This would have been, you know, drugs off the street. That type of drugs that you would procure on a corner and don't necessarily know the origins of. The autopsy report jumps starts of criminal investigation,

because this is not a natural death. This is either an accident of the overdose or someone killed Eric.

Police officers realize they have to find the origin of the drug.

Police get a search warrant to search the rich in calm, for illegal drugs.

Investigators go in, they seize Cory'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. During this search, Cory is stopped by then lead detective Jamie Woody. And at that moment, Cory 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 acidillist.

I don't all even say that. I have to ask you, fentanyl. This is a variant of fentanyl that is usually only present in the setting of illicitly manufactured fentanyl. It was manufactured like a pharmacy?

No, no, no. I know 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

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 it.

Yeah.

And 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 rich and 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,

the Corey had taken out a loan to help her business and did so without telling him. Corey had taken out a $250,000 line 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 thought 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 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 my 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 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 Lux 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 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.

Would 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 by 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 end well. "We just bought a house!" Tearing an alic right by 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 claimed they find mold in the walls and they say there was water coming in

and that everyone in the family got sick. Knows bleeds asthma. Really unpleasant stuff. Corey 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 to lawsuit and told 2020 they lost their house to foreclosure, saying they've 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 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 it and said that he thought that there was alcohol and 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 tried to poison him. I don't believe Eric said that. I don't believe he ever said that. They were in the 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 ordered a sandwich from a local diner. The server entered the phone and it took orders placed. A small mountain bagel sandwich. It's 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 from paid for it.

When she left the sandwich, why am she left a note?

Basically, just saying to Happy Valentine's Day, I love you.

After just a single bite, Eric 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, "Y'all must 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.

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 photos. So she wanted to get her her 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, pulse phone records, looks at thousands of text messages,

pulse 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 Lover.

This is between the months right before and right after Eric richens dies. So why is Corey talking to Carmen Lover so much? Carmen worked for my sister, cleaning houses and cleaning the fix and flips. Corey would call her and say hey, I need to go to this address, cleaning this house. This woman has a checkered past including a whole bunch of drug stuff.

But with the information that the private investigators gathered, he's forwarding all of that to the Summit County Sheriff's Office. A new lead detective is put on the case, detective Jeff O'Driskel and his theory is to start over, start fresh. Carmen is an accord-order drug program and detective O'Driskel 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 things that she's posted. And they see tape to a mirror, a copy of Eric's obituary.

At this point, they really zeroed in on Cory as being 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 Cory had any connection to the Sentinel?

Write down something as far as you remember it right now, and then we can work on the details as we can talk about it as we check home records as we do. All of our part, our side to corroborate what you're saying. Right? Hey, now we're gonna hand it to our dad. I'm gonna tell his you.

Okay. And that's fine because, you know what, we want me to read it to the right story. So the way you remember it is, you know, is all you can give us. You can't make something up to you, don't remember it right now. She tells police that not only has Cory ascertain to get fentanyl, but she did so on two separate occasions.

And she even said things like, the first batch wasn't strong enough.

The problem thing you made is 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 in that way. If you know you're gonna help the fentanyl. 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 exceptions step and the only thing that they're willing to kind of help you out with is if you can help us out with us.

And by so keeping like give up the details that we'll ensure Cory is convicted of murder. Oh my God. This is your escape. Oh my God. You got Carmen who's looking at 25 years to life for drug charges and gun charges.

She's gonna tell the cops about whatever they want to hear. And they're making a plea deal. The goal is to convict Cory for an aggravated murder. These parallel drug investigations was on crime. 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 Cory was trying to flip.

Crozier says it wasn't a regular thing.

Yeah, just the two times.

I think I talked with another couple of more times after.

But just to see, you know what I mean, hey, you know, there's somebody spinning, you know what I mean? You know, five six hundred bucks. Because that was 30. Around about five or six hundred bucks. It's not just the drug sales themselves.

It's the timing. There were 30 text messages exchanged between Carmen and Cory 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. Cory Richards was in massive death. She was trying to funnel money back into her own real estate and the house full of new business.

You have this all up and it's finally enough for police to make their move.

Women who wrote a children's book about grief after the death of her husband now faces charges for his murder.

Cory Richards is charged with one count of aggravated murder in 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 Cory.

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 evict an innocent mother. The simplest answer is often the correct one. It was most likely an accidental overdose.

I will take it to my grave that Cory did not do this. I too believe it's an accidental overdose. Procourt Richards, 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 Cory wasn't with Eric on Valentine's Day and she wasn't, who was she with? 2020 is partnering with Vibes, open your wireless headphones. That's Vy BZ. If you listen to a lot of true crime, you probably like to listen with a good pair of headphones.

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Again, that's abcsecretsavings.com/2020. ABCsecretsavings.com/2020. But what I want to do is not to go to the studio. The masterwriter has a laptop, a soft-handed internet. It's a master's, really.

They can say that they can do the same thing. But I don't understand. That's right. It's just a loose track. You just do the same thing.

And when you work, you'll have to pay attention. That's right. How do you do that? Hold your money. Now you can go out.

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 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 with my kids. I'm thinking she's just powering through. She's trying her best, maybe not to cry.

Maybe not to get to emotional.

Poxacology report found five times a lethal dosage, a 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 boys.

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, boys. Thank you. All right, G-T, it was back.

State prosecutors say they do have enough evidence against core origins 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 23, Corey is arrested and charged 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 is two very different people, a Jacqueline Hyde situation.

She was so empathetic at first glance

and then the story becomes much more sinister. In a June 2023 hearing where Corey is going to find out if she makes bail or not, she appears in street clothes, but she isn't 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 to why Corey Richens should not be released, pending prosecution. The defendant came to the door and wrote a check from her business for $1300

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 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 their guilty,

some of the more interesting internet searches related luxury prisons for the rich in America can cops uncovered 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 the Eric had died from a lethal dose of fentanyl that she had murdered him with it. And so, you know, did now say,

well, she searched it so it's a 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 Richard's death is that Corey Richard was in massive death. Being bad with money does not make you a murderer.

The defense makes the argument that the prosecution has no kings 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 victims' 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 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. With the circumstances of this case, we soundly against granting pretrial release of any kind. Since Corey was arrested,

she's been held in the Semicounty 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 as while she's in jail, that authorities make what appears to be a stunning discovery. The Epidies 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 very, very significant in the case. [MUSIC] Since her arrest, Corey richens the aspiring writer

is being held in Utah Semicounty jail, and she's added again. During a sweep of Corey's cell, an officer discovers a four-page letter at the top of the first page that's walked the dog

in an explanation point. And prosecutors argue that this letter is a message for Corey's mother to relate 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 fentanyl 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 is alternative to how Eric had gone to Mexico and possibly obtained 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 and there that makes it very obvious that it's not true.

Corey is always maintained that the walk the dog letter

was part of a greater manuscript. Not only was it a turning client communication, it was also a turning work product. Is this damaging to she admit that she committed murder and 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 the support page letter, you see Corey writing herself into the plot. It is Corey's own written word that prosecutors keep coming back to his evidence that she is in fact at the center of this.

The canvas 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. Authorities learned that Grossman and Corey

had been carrying on a year's long affair. According to investigators, The lover's 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 or 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 jurors' mind

when they're thinking about how to weigh all this other evidence?

I think that absolutely becomes the case.

We're following breaking news out of some a county for you. The judge granted a request from the defense team to withdraw from her case. Suddenly, defense attorney's skylizaro

withdraws from the case, signing a conflict of interest involving her law firm.

This preliminary hearing

is a critical right that every single-- Replacing Lizarro is public defender Kathy Nester and co-council 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. The world is yet to hear who I really am, what I really got when I really didn't do, but it really is protected Eric at all cost, what I really didn't do.

It's for a real estate. It could not, it would not ever do that to Eric or anyone for that matter. I'm asking the world to give me a chance. And Corey Richens will have that chance in court.

While the narcotics charges were dropped,

she has pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges,

including two counts of insurance fraud. One of those charges 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' dad. That 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 murdered. You know, that's step one. And they've got to be able, from 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 going to have a hard time connecting those dots.

All eyes on you, Todd 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. Bring 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 an 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 and 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 Richens murder trial. Before being selected as a juror, I had her read 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 confident 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, whether with her family's supporter. Every second, every minute, every day. So long as it takes, she will beat this. Work 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 four and a half million dollars

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. I'm going to learn what I'm trying to say to Eric. 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

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's zero evidence of that. The witnesses that the state started with were powerful. Your honored state calls Katie Richens Benson. They called Eric's sister Katie to the stand. They you received the phone call about Eric.

Yes, who is early in the morning? Who called you? My dad did. What could he say? He was screaming and crying.

I was screaming and crying. 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 Lover 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 Corey Richens purchased fentanyl from her. She's pretty much getting out of jail free pass for her testimony. She comes clean.

The first part of her testimony is essentially Carmen Lover laying out all of her sins for the entire world.

Have you ever sold her? 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 that's what happened.

I needed to step up and take accountability. Of my part in this still happened. 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. To an addict's due when you're using a true addict's life. All right.

Activatics. Next, the state calls the person they say, put those drugs in Carmen's hands. Robert Crozier. Remember, he's the one prosecutor say, soldier the fentanyl that killed Eric. Recylant pills in late 2021 and early 2022.

But I'm 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's 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. He 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 it in many ways it would be better if you were done. Corey's lawyer's pounds, challenging Becky's memory. A couple of weeks after Eric died, you gave an interview about this conversation you and Corey had.

And isn't it fair that in that first interview you never mentioned anything about saying

it would be better off if Eric was dead.

Did you?

I don't recall. You don't recall. I don't recall. Okay.

You're on at the state call as Ali, Stakeings.

Ali Stakeings 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 I'm 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.

It was. Yeah. When I was asked on the stand of shoes, but best friend or not. Like, it's. I don't know because I'm now learning.

I completely different side of this person that I knew and loved.

You know, for the last 20 years.

Ali 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. It's what we had thought it was. We were on acting. 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. You're on the state called 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 on love with him. And he's the one who wrote those text messages to Corey.

To you saw my swear, the testimony you're about to give in the matter before the court

to be the truth, the whole truth, and I think that the truth is subject to the pain

and penalties of surgery. 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'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 Richer? I do. And why did you move to Utah? To work with her, help her for the thousands. 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. Whenever I needed it, I just, you know, I liked her, so I had a 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 and 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. It almost had like a middle school feeling about it.

I love 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. Kay, kind. Oh, outgoing.

You, unique, are romantic. I injure the way 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.

Oh, that was heartbreaking.

Josh presented himself as a very sincere and genuine, sad, open-hearted. 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.

How do we take my five calls for a moment? The text between Josh and Corey evolved. Corey, sort of suggesting to Josh her dream life, which would be to live with him in the guest home of the Midway Mansion and run a event center together and race 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, 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 hanging until Friday.

Well, what was Friday? Friday was the day Eric rich and stied. 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's her did she ask? She asked if if I had ever killed anybody. It was that specific to kill anybody while serving in Iraq. Right. Did she respond?

I did. Did she ask a follow-up question? Yes. So 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. These Lewisman's Nestor, what's the plan? I don't know. Ready to go?

Who's defense counsel's first witness?

Good, just a minute. Yeah? We have a couple of options. What do you say? The prosecution's case took 13 days.

And the defense's case was expected to go 7 to 10 days. Corey's defense attorneys are whispering to each other back and forth, and it seems like they're trying to decide who'd call first. But that is not what we got. You are actually at this time that defense intends to rest.

They said they were calling no one and also rested. It was an absolute shock. It was very surprising there was no defense. So when the defense rested without presenting,

any witnesses, my mouth, I think, dropped open.

There has to be another say this story and we can fill in little holes and then when they didn't call anyone, that was shocked. Why would court richins defend 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?

Yes they do.

Are you following your attorney's advice and waiting your right to testify at Trump?

Yes they do.

Prosecution and the defense have presented their closing arguments.

Judge Morazic 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 isn't. No way.

If you feel overcome with emotion, just look down. We cannot have any outward rich. From 30-30 podcasts.

Ryan Pataf, senior defensive lineman from Miami, gunned out.

The key to this case, it's Brian. It's Brian. Brian.

All before he died, he was on the phone.

Arge once about this might be a hit. You want the truth. You just want to conviction be implicit or rest. We had a killer amongst us. Murder at the you. Listen now.

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I had 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, in the my kids would say, "Well, did you?" 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. And on my little sister, she loves her. Her boys way too much to take their father away from them. State of Utah versus Corey Richens is rich in his present.

After deliberating for just under three hours, the jury informs the court they've come to an agreement. The court has informed that the jury has reached over it.

Would you please hand the verdict form to the deputy?

Ms. Richens, please stay. 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 that gave them pause. And then we all discussed at length. And that helped us kind of come to the conclusion.

And it helped people to help off the fence. To convict the woman of murder was absolutely heartbreaking. Corey's friend, Ali Staking, watched the verdict live online. guilty. Eric was my friend, too. I didn't choose Corey over Eric.

But I'm now, I've lost, lost both of them. I choose somebody that meant a lot to me, that her family meant a lot to me. And they meant a lot to pick up. To pick up. And that it's a loss, nobody wins in this.

After the verdict is read, Eric's family and friends gather outside of the courthouse and embrace each other. 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 rich and family wrote that the justice system has now

fairly run its course, and we believe the jury's verdict was just inaccurate. But 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's free little boys at the heart of this.

They have a lot of love, a lot of love surrounding them. They're great boys and they're going to be fun.

He was an amazing father, brother, son, person, happy person, friend. He was an amazing person.

The most contagious laugh out there. I'll remember Eric's laugh. If I can hear it in my head, he's nice 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 so 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. Welcome back, Grace. You and your sister are here for a very exciting reason. Now with beaters. Hunters, you haven't told Don to kill them both.

Experience the most unhaired. I'm not playing. 20. Diabolically Twisted. Movie of the year. Some more weaving, Catherine Newton, Elijah Ward, and Sarah Michelle Yeller.

Back for round two. Yeah. But you're not to, here I come. We do that. Under 17 on a middle-out terrace, no plain only beaters.

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