00:00:13
It's a small town. >> It's rural America in every way. >> This is the family next door.
00:00:24
>> Very connected, very loving, very bonded. >> They spent a lot of time together.
00:00:34
>> They're a happy American couple. >> Eric ran a successful contracting business.
00:00:45
He was involved in his [music] boys sports activities. >> He was [music] very good to the boys.
00:00:53
And he taught those boys so much. >> Corey was a real estate agent that also would buy and fix [music] up and flip
00:01:02
homes. She was smart, she was savvy, she knew how to connect. She was absolutely in love with Eric and
00:01:12
absolutely in love with her boys. >> Eric and Corey were probably at the best [music] place they've ever been in their
00:01:22
marriage and seemed genuinely happy with each other. [music] >> They had it all. I mean
00:01:28
it was one happy family. >> At 3:00 in the morning I got a phone call and it was Corey and she said get
00:01:38
up here something's happened to Eric. He went to sleep and never woke up. >> She was a complete wreck.
00:01:46
She's sitting on the couch, she's just bawling. >> Were they giving you a sense of how he
00:01:51
may have passed? >> Um so the paramedics said aneurysm so we were all believing aneurysm.
00:01:57
>> I had talked to him the day before. He looked horrible. He said, "My chest hurts."
00:02:03
>> So, the last time you're seeing him alive, you don't think he looked very good.
00:02:08
>> Right. The lead detective and another officer came to our house and said they were
00:02:14
going to close the case. They're done. It's an accidental overdose. >> They communicated that Eric had
00:02:23
died of a fentanyl overdose. >> In the weeks and months after Eric's passing, how would you describe Kouri,
00:02:31
her state of mind emotionally? How was she handling things? >> It probably took her
00:02:37
2 months to go back in her own bedroom. It was devastating to her. >> She writes a children's book.
00:02:48
She did this to help her work through the feelings with her children. >> The book, I think, was 100%
00:02:55
beneficial to the boys. Then you can take a sigh of relief. It's over. We're done. We can start living
00:03:02
again. >> [music] >> And then, I got a phone call. Kouri was just arrested in Salt Lake.
00:03:10
>> A Summit County woman who wrote a children's book about coping with grief following her husband's death now
00:03:16
accused of being the one that actually killed him. >> I think she felt that this would be
00:03:23
treated as an accidental overdose, and nobody was going to be the wiser. He told his family,
00:03:30
"If I die, you need to take a look at her because [music] I think she's trying to kill me."
00:03:36
>> They're going to have to prove that she got the drugs and that she somehow gave
00:03:41
them to him. And unless they can connect those dots, they're going to have a hard
00:03:44
time proving murder in this case. >> [music] [music] [music] >> In the early morning hours of March 4th,
00:04:38
2022, Lisa Darden was attempting to console her daughter, 31-year-old Kouri Richins.
00:04:47
>> She was sprawled out on the floor, just sobbing. >> Kouri had just learned from emergency
00:04:53
personnel that her husband, Eric, was dead. >> She was tore up. >> Her brothers, Ronnie and DJ, were also
00:05:02
there. >> She was a complete wreck. >> I just started crying. >> According to Lisa, that night Kouri had
00:05:08
poured Eric a drink to celebrate a new opportunity at her real estate business, the purchase of this mansion.
00:05:16
>> She told me she made him a Moscow Mule. >> That's a drink made with vodka and
00:05:21
ginger beer. >> She said they went to bed about 9:00, 9:15. She went and laid with Ash. Ashton, the
00:05:29
9-year-old, has always had major nightmares. And when she went back to get in her bed, he was cold.
00:05:41
She went to push on him, and he didn't respond. >> It was after 3:00 a.m., and Lisa says
00:05:47
Corey immediately called 911 and at the dispatcher's instructions performed CPR.
00:05:55
>> When first responders arrived, they started working on Eric, but it was too late.
00:06:01
>> It's just unbelievable. You're you're in shock that something like that, you know, could happen.
00:06:05
>> It was those first responders who initially suspected Eric had died of an aneurysm. The father of three young sons
00:06:13
was just 39. >> How were the boys? Did the boys know what was happening? >> They knew something was happening and
00:06:21
they could see the ambulances and cops coming in. >> Very distraught. >> They all just sat there on the couch and
00:06:27
just cried together. >> This sad scene was a far cry from the happy family they once were.
00:06:36
Corey and Eric met in 2009 at a local Home Depot. Back then, Corey was a cashier. Eric worked in construction and
00:06:45
was a frequent [music] customer. >> I heard that he wanted her number for a long time and kind of afraid to go get
00:06:50
it, so he had to have a friend run in and go get it from her. >> Eric asked her out and they hit it off.
00:06:55
>> When [music] Corey said, "I'm dating this guy." What did you think? >> Uh Corey was terrified to meet meet me.
00:07:01
>> Oh, really? >> [laughter] >> Why? >> Because I'm the big brother and >> Tough.
00:07:06
>> Yeah. Yeah. >> But DJ and Ronnie say Eric fit right in. >> I thought he was a great guy.
00:07:17
>> In 2013, Corey and Eric got married and had the boys. First Carter, then Ashton
00:07:23
and finally Weston. [music] Lisa says fatherhood came easily to Eric. >> He taught those boys so much. [music]
00:07:31
They idolized their father. And he idolized the boys as well. >> Corey's family got to know the Richens,
00:07:39
including Eric's two sisters, Katie and Amy. >> And they'd come up uh for birthdays here
00:07:44
and there and we're all very friendly. >> Eventually, Eric started a stone masonry
00:07:49
business and Corey started her own real estate company, buying houses, fixing them up, and selling them for profit.
00:07:58
Greg Hall was her marketing director and good friend. >> Corey had something that a lot of people
00:08:03
don't. A lot of times you find individual that is intelligent but no common sense or common sense and no
00:08:10
intelligence. She had both. She was a brilliant young lady. >> How many houses would she have on
00:08:17
average that she was working on or trying to flip? >> At one time? >> Yeah. >> I would say on average three.
00:08:25
>> So, it was kind of a constant rotation of buying a home, fixing it up, selling
00:08:31
it. >> Yes. >> And Eric's business continued to flourish. >> They both live very well. And they both
00:08:38
bought and spent what they wanted. >> [music] >> In their spare time, Eric loved to hunt
00:08:43
and together they traveled the world. >> It sounds like on the surface, Eric and
00:08:48
Corey seemed to have it all. Would you say that was so, Lisa? >> yes. >> I don't know that I can even begin to
00:08:53
overstate how close this family was. This was a huge loss. >> Greg Skordas is the spokesman for Eric's
00:09:01
family. >> He was this beautiful son and and brother and to have that taken away from
00:09:06
you, I I can't imagine much worse than that. >> Not long after Eric's funeral, an
00:09:13
autopsy revealed the cause of his death. It wasn't an aneurysm. It was a lethal dose of fentanyl.
00:09:21
>> Fentanyl is many, many times more potent than Oxy's and the other pain medications that we typically use. It's
00:09:28
a very dangerous drug. >> But how did fentanyl get into Eric's system? Corey's family believes his recreational
00:09:38
drug use could be to blame. Nearly every day they say Eric would take a gummy with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in
00:09:47
marijuana. >> It was always just just to relax at the end of the day. >> And according to Ronnie, Eric did not
00:09:54
always get the gummies from reputable sources. >> Just about every trip that I had been on
00:09:59
with him, he'd buy just from someone off the street. >> Lisa says Eric also sometimes took pain
00:10:05
pills. >> Hey, do you have any pain pills? Hey, can you call and get me a hook me
00:10:09
up? >> He certainly wasn't an opioid or an illegal drug user. >> Kouri's family thinks Eric had taken
00:10:15
something he didn't know was laced with fentanyl and that his death was a tragic
00:10:20
accident. Eric's [music] family strongly disputes this claim. >> He didn't die of a self-inflicted drug overdose.
00:10:31
>> Eric's family wondered if Kouri may have been involved. >> They said this doesn't smell [music]
00:10:37
right. No question the family thought that right from the beginning. >> In the months following her husband's
00:10:56
tragic death, Kouri Richins struggled to find her footing on her own and to navigate life as a single mom.
00:11:06
>> Kouri was still completely distraught. Even now she's never had time to grieve. She's doing her best to move
00:11:12
on. She didn't know of a way of doing that. >> Kouri's brother Ronnie says it was also
00:11:17
hard for the couple's three young sons. >> The boys, it's so hard for them. They
00:11:23
lashed out a little bit cuz they couldn't quite understand what was going on and they needed some help and Kouri
00:11:28
needed some help. >> Eventually, Kouri found a way to turn her grief into action. In March 2023, 1
00:11:35
year after Eric's death, Kouri came up with the idea to write that children's book about coping with loss, Are You
00:11:42
[music] With Me? She promoted it on a local TV show, Good Things Utah. >> I just wanted some story to read to my
00:11:49
kids at night. And so, you know, I was like, let's just write one. >> The self-published book follows the
00:11:56
story of a child who lost his father, but is reminded his presence still exists all around.
00:12:03
In the book, Eric is portrayed as an angel who is always close by. >> [music] >> "Yes, I am with you on Christmas," Kouri
00:12:11
writes. "You can't see my smile, but it's there. I'm here and we're together." [music]
00:12:18
>> Like dad is still here, it's just in a different way. >> Kouri's mother, Lisa, says writing the
00:12:26
book was therapeutic. >> I think the book was a great thing. >> It helped them. >> It helped them all.
00:12:32
>> Her family says it finally seemed as though Kouri and the boys would be able to move forward.
00:12:38
>> It seemed to make the boys really happy. >> While the family was working to get back
00:12:43
on track, police had been investigating Eric's death. And just weeks after Kouri's appearance on TV to promote her
00:12:51
book, >> New at 10, this has been a talker all day today. A Summit County woman who
00:12:55
wrote a children's book about coping with grief following her husband's death now accused of being the one that
00:13:01
actually killed him. >> On May 8th, 2023, Kouri, the grieving wife, >> This is the home where police found Eric
00:13:08
Richens dead on >> was now the prime suspect in her husband's death. >> He must have been in a panic.
00:13:15
>> I was shocked. She can't be arrested. >> A Utah mother has been charged with murder.
00:13:22
>> Kouri was charged with aggravated murder and taken into custody. Court documents allege she committed
00:13:28
homicide >> [music] >> by the administration of a poison. Greg Skordas, the spokesman for Eric's
00:13:35
family, suspects Kouri put a lethal dose of fentanyl in the drink she made Eric that night, the Moscow mule.
00:13:43
>> The dosage that he was given that night was of such a high level that no person
00:13:49
could have survived it. >> Skyler Zarrow was her attorney at the time. >> Did police ever test the glass that she
00:13:56
gave Eric this cocktail and >> They seized a number of items from the home and there was no fentanyl that was found
00:14:06
on any glassware. >> Kouri's family says they struggle to make sense of the charges. Kouri denies
00:14:13
any involvement in her husband's death. >> For anybody who knows Kouri, just knows she could not have done this.
00:14:22
She'd never do this. >> Lisa says her daughter and son-in-law had a great relationship.
00:14:28
>> Nobody's perfect, but they're pretty close. >> And like many couples that have
00:14:31
disagreements, they were able to overcome their differences. >> He didn't want Kouri to work. He wanted
00:14:38
her to be a stay-at-home mom and she's very independent [music] and that wasn't going to happen.
00:14:44
>> Another issue, says Kouri's brother Ronnie, was the amount of time Eric spent away on hunting trips, sometimes
00:14:51
four or five months a year. >> just kind of hurt her because that this is his biggest passion
00:14:57
in his life is hunting and she might want him home a little bit more and so, you know, they might get in a fight
00:15:01
about that. >> And then, according to Kouri's mother Lisa, there was alleged infidelity on
00:15:07
Eric's part. She says she heard about it first from Kouri and then from Eric. >> It was a text about trust, how I trusted
00:15:17
him as a son-in-law, as a father, as a husband >> [music] >> and how could he do this?
00:15:22
>> Kouri's family says the couple went to counseling, determined to work through
00:15:27
their issues. Scordas, who denies Eric ever cheated on Kouri, >> [music] >> says Eric had a different reason for
00:15:33
wanting to make his marriage work. >> He was going to do whatever he could to make it work because he he lived for
00:15:40
those boys. He would have done anything for those boys. Let's Let's go to counseling. Let's try to keep the family
00:15:44
together. >> Scordas says at one point Eric had considered divorce, but ultimately
00:15:49
decided against it. He says to protect the boys in case the relationship didn't work out, Eric put his estate into a
00:15:57
secret trust without telling Kouri and named his sister Katie in charge. But in the months leading up to Eric's
00:16:06
death, Ronnie says the couple seemed better than ever. >> How were they doing as a couple, as a
00:16:12
family? >> Yeah, fantastic. They were um probably one of the best spots I've ever seen them in in quite some time.
00:16:20
Everyone's having fun, laughing, joking, you know, it's it seemed really great to
00:16:24
me. >> So why would Kouri want Eric [music] dead? Court documents allege Kouri was
00:16:29
having an affair and planned a future with her paramour. Along with that, a life insurance payout might have been a
00:16:37
motive. Scordas says Eric's family agrees. >> This is a cold-hearted greed. >> At the time of Eric's death, there were
00:16:47
at least six life insurance policies on him totaling nearly $3 million. Court documents allege that in January
00:16:57
2022, 2 months before Eric died, Kouri forged Eric's signature to get yet another
00:17:04
policy worth an additional $100,000. Kouri is also accused in court documents of stealing from Eric's personal
00:17:14
accounts and misappropriating monies distributed from Eric Ritchens business [music]
00:17:19
dating back years. According to Scordus, Cory didn't just want the money, she desperately needed
00:17:27
it. Court documents allege her house flipping business was drowning in nearly $2 million of debt.
00:17:35
>> Yeah, she was in way over her head. She needed some money in a hurry. It was a
00:17:39
significant amount of money. >> [music] >> Scordus says a premarital agreement stipulated Cory had given up claim to
00:17:46
Eric's business assets, except that if husband should die prior to wife while the two are lawfully married.
00:17:56
>> He was worth much more to her dead than divorced. She felt that there was easy
00:18:01
money and fast money to be made by not having her husband around anymore. >> Cory's attorney Sky Lazarro strongly
00:18:08
disputes [music] any allegations her client forged Eric's signature, mishandled finances, or stole from Eric.
00:18:16
As for the claim Cory was in debt and needed the money, she says that's simply not true.
00:18:22
>> She was in the business of flipping houses. This is what they did. >> Lazarro says taking on debt from lines
00:18:29
of credit was part of how the business of flipping houses worked and the money would be paid back when a home sold.
00:18:37
>> It's not as if she had all these conventional loans that she owed people money on. It sure looks like a large
00:18:43
number, but we're talking about business transactions with people who she did business with.
00:18:51
>> Eric and Cory sat down every month and did the bills together. At all times, Eric knew what was going in and what was
00:18:58
coming out. >> Lisa says Eric not only knew about the finances, but he was also very
00:19:05
supportive of Cory's new business opportunities, like the purchase of the mansion they were celebrating the night
00:19:11
he died. >> Eric said, "Let's have a shot. Come on, let's celebrate Kouri." >> It was that night, Skordas says, Eric's
00:19:18
family believes Kouri gave him the Moscow mule laced with fentanyl. And he says Eric's family believes it
00:19:28
wasn't the first time Kouri had tried to poison her husband. >> The time he died wasn't the first time
00:19:35
we believe that she tried to kill him. >> Just outside Salt Lake City in the shadow of Utah's Wasatch
00:19:59
Mountains home to famed ski resorts including Park City is the property that Kouri Richens was
00:20:10
planning on flipping. The deal she and Eric were celebrating the night he died, says her attorney Skye Lazaro.
00:20:17
>> It's a decently good size home. >> Lazaro showed us the nearly 10-acre estate.
00:20:23
>> Where are we? Give us a sense of why this is significant real estate. >> is the Heber Valley. Uh right over the
00:20:30
hill is Park City. All the major ski areas. Uh and then to the right is Deer Creek Reservoir. So, this really sits
00:20:39
between major recreational areas. >> It looks ginormous. >> It's massive. >> The 20,000 square-foot mansion and its
00:20:51
4,000 square-foot guest house were originally built in 2017, but never finished. The project was abandoned for
00:20:59
2 years until Kouri discovered it. >> I think this was kind of her dream when she got into this idea of flipping
00:21:08
houses was to be able to do properties like this. >> Lazarus' Kouri used financing from a
00:21:15
group of investors to make an offer on the house for $3.9 million. >> The plan was to develop this, turn it
00:21:22
into a recreational hotspot given this is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world, and hopefully sell
00:21:28
it at a profit. >> How much did she think she could make off of this house? >> Her and Eric sat down with an accountant
00:21:34
one time, and he said if you can get it done and stay under budget, you could walk away with $12 million.
00:21:41
>> Wow. It's a It's a big turn. >> Yes. >> From 3.9 to 12 million. >> Yes. >> There's a lot of excitement. I remember
00:21:49
how excited she was. >> Greg Hall worked with Kouri. He says it was a solid investment.
00:21:55
>> It would have been a real easy flip. They wouldn't have had to to sit on that
00:21:58
for long. >> As far as you know, Eric was on board with this plan. >> But that's not what Eric's family
00:22:07
remembers, says their spokesman Greg Skordas. >> I don't think he was ever in favor of
00:22:12
that. He was on board with supporting his wife. That doesn't mean he agreed with it.
00:22:18
>> In fact, the house is mentioned in this legal filing containing notes from an
00:22:23
investigator who interviewed Eric's family after his death. They said Eric and his wife were arguing about buying
00:22:30
the property. And that wasn't all Eric's family told investigators. According to that same
00:22:36
filing, they made numerous allegations against Kouri, including that they suspected his wife had something to do
00:22:43
with his death. They advised he warned them that if anything happened to him, she was to blame.
00:22:50
They also told investigators they believed Kouri had tried to poison Eric before on two separate occasions.
00:22:59
According to the filing, Eric's family said the first attempted poisoning was in 2019 when Eric and Corey and six
00:23:07
friends were on vacation in Greece. They said Eric became violently ill after Corey gave him a drink.
00:23:14
Ronnie says he heard it was all a misunderstanding. >> Eric was on medication. And that medication you're not allowed
00:23:21
to drink on. He asked the waitress uh to bring a a virgin drink, a drink without alcohol. She didn't do it.
00:23:30
It made him very, very sick. Corey called his doctor, figured out what to do, and later that night he was
00:23:35
back in and fine. Everyone that was there will tell you the exact same thing. >> According to that same filing, the
00:23:43
second time Eric's family said Corey tried to poison Eric was the month before Eric died on Valentine's Day
00:23:49
2022. They said his wife brought him a sandwich, which after one bite, Eric broke into hives and couldn't breathe.
00:23:58
Corey's family denies she ever tried to poison him. >> They ordered a sandwich and the sandwich
00:24:03
was bad. >> He went and took a nap and then went and coached one of his child's games. Aside
00:24:10
from an assertion by the family, uh there doesn't seem to be anything else out there that supports that.
00:24:18
>> Eric's family also called into question Corey's behavior following her husband's
00:24:23
death. According to court documents, Eric's family told investigators two days after
00:24:30
Eric died, Corey punched Eric's sister Amy in the neck and face when Amy tried to stop her from opening a safe they
00:24:39
said contained between $125,000 and $165,000 cash. >> There was an argument that broke out and
00:24:48
Eric's sister said that she owns the house. Everything is put into a trust and she owns the house.
00:24:53
>> Remember, Eric had created that trust and kept it secret from Kouri when they
00:24:59
were going through those marital problems. Until Eric's death, Kouri knew nothing about the trust, according to
00:25:06
court documents. >> If Eric had any sort of documents, he'd have them in the safe. So, she went in
00:25:11
to go see what was in there. Amy came after Kouri and I you know Kouri defended herself.
00:25:16
>> The two of them started pushing and I was standing in the middle of them. All
00:25:20
they did was push. Both of them were trying to swing over the top of me. So, the narrative that's been pushed that it
00:25:25
was poor Amy got assaulted was nonsense. The brothers say Amy stormed off and called the police.
00:25:32
>> A month later, Kouri was charged with assault and later pleaded no contest. >> Her husband's just passed away. She's
00:25:41
highly emotional. Everybody's highly emotional. Things got a little heated between them.
00:25:47
>> Two families. Two very different stories. About what they believe happened to
00:25:56
Eric. But with accusations flying back and forth, what did the evidence show? >> The state has to prove that she did
00:26:06
this. That she got the drugs and that she somehow gave them to him. >> She had apparently contacted a drug
00:26:15
dealer, a known drug dealer in that area and purchased fentanyl and had done it on more than one occasion.
00:26:27
>> [music] >> All right. Can I Can I turn this court back to you? >> Have a seat, please.
00:26:43
>> In June 2023, Kouri Richens appeared in court before Judge Richard Mrazik for a bond hearing.
00:26:51
>> The issue before the court is whether defendant Kouri Richins should continue
00:26:56
to be held without bail during the pre-trial period. >> It was the first time since Richins had
00:27:02
been charged in her husband's death that the public got to see her. And for the entire 4-hour hearing, she sat in
00:27:10
handcuffs next to her attorney, Skye Lazaro. >> I cannot imagine how difficult it was
00:27:16
for Kouri to sit there and listen to everything that was talked about at that hearing.
00:27:20
>> To convince the judge why Richins should not be released, prosecutors Patricia
00:27:24
Cassell, >> You know, we have three witnesses. >> Brad Bloodworth, >> Detective, what was the Sheriff's
00:27:29
Office? >> and Joseph Hill presented evidence and called witnesses to make their case
00:27:35
Richins had poisoned her husband. It had all the elements of a mini trial. >> In order for the judge to make a
00:27:42
determination to detain someone at a bail hearing, the state has to prove substantial
00:27:48
evidence. >> Prosecutor Joseph Hill called to the stand cell phone expert Chris Kotodrimos.
00:27:54
>> Sir, can you step in front of Britney? We'll get you sworn in. >> He asked him about Google searches he
00:27:58
says Richins made on her phone. >> Were you able to observe uh internet searches on that phone?
00:28:06
>> Yes. >> Those searches, which were detailed in court documents, included "Can deleted
00:28:13
text messages be retrieved from an iPhone?" "Can FBI find deleted messages?" "What is a lethal dose of fentanyl?"
00:28:22
>> I don't know that these searches mean as much when you look at the timing of when
00:28:29
they're done. >> Lazaro says there's an innocent explanation. Those searches were
00:28:34
conducted after Eric's death. >> I think it's more to answer questions relating to what she was being accused
00:28:42
of. >> The state also called to the stand the lead investigator on the case, Detective
00:28:47
Jeff O'Driscoll. >> I was assigned to be the lead lead detective in this case in April of this
00:28:53
year. >> Prosecutor Bloodworth questioned Detective O'Driscoll about where Richens
00:28:58
may have gotten fentanyl. He specifically asked about an interview the detective conducted with Carmen
00:29:04
Lauber, who said she worked for Richens. She's referred to as CL. >> CL is an associate of the defendant.
00:29:12
Uh she cleaned houses for the defendant's business as well as her personal home at times.
00:29:18
>> Detective O'Driscoll said CL had a criminal history with drugs. At the time of their interview, she was on probation
00:29:26
for multiple drug distribution charges, according to court records. She has not been charged in connection with Eric's
00:29:33
death. >> In our interview, CL told us that in early 2022, the defendant reached out to her either
00:29:41
by phone call or text message requesting that she procure fentanyl for what the defendant reported was a investor who
00:29:50
had a back injury. >> Detective O'Driscoll testified that CL told him she purchased 15 to 30 fentanyl
00:29:57
pills and then sold them to Richens. >> CL told us that after purchasing the pills, she returned home. She said that
00:30:06
either later that night or the next day, the defendant met her and did a hand-to-hand exchange of pills for cash.
00:30:13
>> That transaction, says Detective O'Driscoll, took place on February 11th, 2022,
00:30:19
3 days before Valentine's Day, when according to court documents, Eric's family said Richens had tried and failed
00:30:28
to poison Eric with that sandwich. But there was more. >> We then now shift to a second drug buy.
00:30:36
>> Detective O'Driscoll said CL told him Richens contacted her again approximately a week later.
00:30:44
>> The defendant reached out to her again by text or or call and said that she wanted some more fentanyl that was
00:30:51
[clears throat] stronger than the previous batch. >> This time Detective O'Driscoll said CL
00:30:56
told him Richens paid by check. >> And the defendant came to the door and wrote her a check from her business,
00:31:03
from the defendant's business, >> [music] >> for $1,300 for the purchase of the fentanyl.
00:31:09
>> Just a week later, Eric was dead. >> We dispute all of those allegations. >> In her cross-examination, Lazaro asked
00:31:17
Detective O'Driscoll if there could have been another reason for that $1,300 check.
00:31:22
>> It could very well be that Corey was paying her for cleaning houses, correct?
00:31:27
>> I don't want to speculate. But it could be. >> It's possible. >> Despite what CL said, correct?
00:31:33
Okay. >> Lazaro says because Carmen Laber is a convicted felon, she's not credible.
00:31:39
>> She was on probation at the time. I think anytime you have an informant-type situation, uh
00:31:47
it can call into question the veracity of her statements or the motive for what they're saying.
00:31:52
>> In her cross-examination of Detective O'Driscoll, Lazaro attempted to show how
00:31:57
CL might have felt pressure to tell investigators what they wanted to hear. >> You began the interview
00:32:04
by explaining to CL essentially how dire of a situation she's in, correct? >> I don't have the interview memorized,
00:32:13
but I know we talked about that, yes. >> Okay. Well, you told her that she was on
00:32:17
probation to drug court for four first-degree felonies, correct? >> Correct. >> You essentially tell her
00:32:24
that she has a potential of doing a considerable amount of state and federal prison time, potentially.
00:32:31
>> Yes. This is a common tactic in law enforcement to be able to leverage charges for information.
00:32:37
>> Lazaro also asked the detective what evidence there was to back up CL's claims that she had sold fentanyl to
00:32:43
Richens. >> And because CL's working for the defendant, there's communication, correct?
00:32:48
>> Correct. >> But Detective O'Driscoll said he saw no text messages where Richens allegedly
00:32:54
asked CL for drugs. >> We didn't find any. >> Was anyone with her that could corroborate that she saw
00:33:02
CL hand Kouri drugs? >> Not that I know of. >> 48 Hours attempted to contact CL for
00:33:10
comment. We received no response. >> They have to prove that she obtained drugs and gave them to her
00:33:19
husband. And unless they can connect those dots, they're going to have a hard time
00:33:25
proving murder in this case. >> [music] >> As Kouri Richens' bond hearing came to a
00:33:45
close, her attorney, Skye Lazzaro, was hopeful her client would be granted bail.
00:33:51
>> This is a case in which there doesn't appear to be any smoking gun. These cases are generally more favorable to
00:33:57
the defense. >> Good morning. >> The prosecution closed its case to deny Richens bail with a victim impact
00:34:04
statement from Eric's sister, Amy. >> I'm here today to represent my brother, Eric Eugene Richens.
00:34:11
Eric is gone, and I am brokenhearted. None of our lives will ever be the same. Eric died under her ender circumstances.
00:34:20
I am tormented at the thought of what he endured. Please do not allow Kouri to hurt Eric's
00:34:25
memory, our family, friends, and community anymore. We have been through enough.
00:34:33
>> Judge Richard Mrazik spent very little time making his decision. Richens would
00:34:38
remain in custody. >> The circumstances of this case weigh soundly against granting pretrial
00:34:45
release of any kind. >> Richens family was disappointed. They say her time in jail while waiting for
00:34:52
her trial has taken its toll. >> I hear her on the phone. I hear her sobbing. >> In September 2023, Richens family says
00:35:03
she had a medical emergency in custody while taking prescription medications and needed to be rushed to the hospital.
00:35:11
>> What did she say happened to her? >> That they gave her the wrong medicine and it caused a seizure.
00:35:17
>> Richens made a full recovery, but while she was away, jail officials say they
00:35:21
found this handwritten letter in her cell that was never sent. The document later filed in the court record has
00:35:28
become known for the words scrawled at the top of the page, "Walk the dog." Prosecutors say it's from Richens to her
00:35:36
mother. >> I take care of her 16-year-old dog. >> Mhm. >> And her thing is be sure you walk her.
00:35:42
She's so worried about this dog. >> In November 2023, prosecutors filed this motion asking the court for a no contact
00:35:51
order to deny Richens access to her mother and brother. In the motion, they say the letter is
00:35:58
evidence of witness tampering. They say Richens gives her mother instructions on
00:36:03
what her brother Ronnie should say in court. The letter instructs Lisa Darden to
00:36:09
induce the defendant's brother Ronald Darden to testify falsely, the motion states.
00:36:16
>> To me, this letter is an attempt to get a witness to testify to something that isn't true
00:36:23
by spoon-feeding the witness the testimony that he's supposed to give. >> In the letter, Richens writes that her
00:36:30
defense will need to establish that Eric bought drugs while traveling abroad. We
00:36:35
need some kind of connection. Here's what I'm thinking, but you have to talk to Ronnie. He would probably have to
00:36:41
testify to this. >> In the letter, it appears that she's laying out a little bit of her defense.
00:36:48
For example, your name is brought up. Eric told Ronnie he gets pain pills and fentanyl from Mexico. Almost like she's
00:36:55
laying out a case. >> Mhm. >> Saying, "Tell Ronnie Richens goes on to write, "Ronnie should
00:37:02
have texts from Eric talking about getting high as well. Reword this however he needs to to make the point.
00:37:09
Just include it all. The connection has to be made with Mexico and drugs." >> Is she giving you instruction
00:37:17
in this letter? >> I don't know. I don't know one way or another. >> Um most of that, unfortunately, I can't
00:37:25
speak about. >> The things that are in the letter are true things, and everybody who's in her
00:37:31
circle already knew this. >> But Corey has a different explanation. She says the letter is fiction. In
00:37:39
separate phone calls from jail that were recorded and later entered into the court record, she told her mother and
00:37:45
Ronnie that the letter was part of a book she's been writing, and that it's private.
00:37:51
The judge denied the motion for no contact, saying the state had failed to prove witness tampering.
00:37:58
>> It isn't witness tampering cuz it didn't go anywhere. And it was never communicated to anyone.
00:38:06
>> As the families wait for the trial, they say their focus is on Eric and Corey's
00:38:11
three sons. >> The family is concerned about the boys. >> That's the main focus, the boys.
00:38:18
That's who's important here right now. >> Both families say they hope to gain custody. [music]
00:38:25
The boys are currently living with a member of Eric's family. Lisa says they're only allowed to speak to their
00:38:30
mother twice a week on a video call. >> Just heart-wrenching as to what they're going through.
00:38:38
>> Lisa, Ronnie, and DJ have been denied private visits with the kids. But Lisa says she does what she can to support
00:38:45
them and attends [music] all their sports practices. >> And the reason I can do that, it's a
00:38:50
public place. I can't be stopped from going there. I still get to see him. I still get a
00:38:55
hug and kiss and >> [music] >> that keeps me going. >> Besides the murder case, which could
00:39:00
carry a sentence of 25 years to life, Corey faces another criminal case for fraud and forgery charges. And there are
00:39:08
multiple ongoing civil cases regarding the fate of Eric's estate. Both sides believe the other is after the money.
00:39:16
>> Both families are concerned about the boys. >> You could say that. You could say that. I wouldn't. We
00:39:22
believe that the defendant's family's concerned about the money that they can get.
00:39:25
>> Whoever ends up with the boys ends up with the money. That's all they want. It's not right.
00:39:32
>> Until that's resolved, both families are waiting for the trial to start and are
00:39:38
hoping for a verdict that delivers their version of justice. What is the family doing to stay strong now?
00:39:45
>> You know, the family has the family. They have each other. >> They feel like the state has put
00:39:50
together a good case and they're going to stay united and and support each other no matter what happens in this
00:39:55
case. >> She's innocent. She's been thrown in jail over something that she hasn't
00:39:59
committed. >> Are you both confident that Corey will be found not guilty, Lisa? >> I am, 100%.
00:40:04
>> 100%. She'll be out. >> New CBS next. A young romance is cut short when a mysterious car wreck leaves
00:40:26
a man dead. >> His car was way over there and his body was way down here. >> There was footprints and tire [music]
00:40:31
tracks. >> She believes that this was no accident. >> many things missing from the story.
00:40:36
>> 48 Hours is all new. CBS next and streaming on Paramount+