00:00:17
This case is about a wife and a mother who found herself in perhaps a failing marriage, a business in trouble.
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What's your first name? >> And took some could argue an easy way out. >> I think she really wanted to improve her
00:00:37
life and be free and be rich and have this facade of being the successful person that she wanted to be.
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>> My name is Eric. >> My name is Laura and we served as jurors in the Corey Richens trial.
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>> Please have a seat. Corey Richens didn't seem to me like someone with a very strong moral compass.
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>> Eric Richens was found dead in his home on March 4th, 2022. Eric was married to
00:01:07
Corey Richens and they had three children. >> 911 emergency breathing. He's cold. I just came in the
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bed, did our bed, and I turned over and he's just cold. He's just cold. >> So, what happened today?
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>> I don't know. He was just fine. We were fine. I don't know. It just it didn't really make
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sense. The family had been alerted by Eric that if something happened to him to look at
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Corey. It was almost like they knew something like this could happen someday. >> This was in the months leading up to his
00:01:52
death. He felt that his life could be at risk. >> Right. They suspected Cory would take
00:01:57
part in his death before it happened. >> The state alleged that Corey Richens killed her husband Eric by giving him a
00:02:05
lethal dose of fentanyl. A Summit County woman who wrote a children's book about
00:02:09
coping with grief following her husband's death, now accused of being the one that actually killed him.
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>> The book was to honor him, to express to these boys to remember their father.
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>> She's accused essentially murdering the person who is the topic of the book. Words of wisdom, do not write books
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while you're being investigated. >> As we were preparing for trial, >> Corey was 100% pure goodness and
00:02:34
kindness. She's a good good human being. >> She might have had these good sides to
00:02:40
her where she was giving, but she was willing to give that part up. >> Did Corey Richens ever ask you to
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purchase for her elicit drugs? >> Yes. >> Based upon the testimony and the evidence we saw against Corey, I came to
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see her as pretty cold and pretty calculating. You have to understand that the jurors did not know her. They didn't
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know her. >> There was no smoking gun in this case. There was never uh one thing in this
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case that was absolutely Cory did it and there's no question. >> She basically sacrificed her husband to
00:03:20
get what she wanted. >> My sweet baby boys. And as much as you've been influenced into thinking
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that dad was murdered, that I took your dad from you, that is completely wrong and an absolute lie.
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Corey did not just kill Eric. She attempted to kill the spirit of everyone who loved him. She lied to his children.
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She lied to the world and has shown no remorse while dancing on his grave for profit.
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The evidence will prove that Corey Richens murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life.
00:04:56
>> In February of 2026, in a packed courtroom in Summit County, Utah, Chief Prosecutor Brad Bworth laid out the
00:05:04
state's case against Corey Richens, for the murder of Eric Richens, her husband and father of their three sons.
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It had been nearly four years since Eric died on March 4th, 2022 of a lethal dose
00:05:21
of fentinel served to him by Corey in a cocktail, say prosecutors. She had spent
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almost three years in jail awaiting trial. >> More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her
00:05:36
facade of privilege, affluence, and success. Eric Richens owned a lucrative contracting business and Corey worked as
00:05:49
a real estate agent buying and flipping houses. She was facing not just murder charges
00:05:57
but also insurance fraud and forgery counts. >> She was absolutely convinced that she
00:06:03
would be found not guilty. >> Greg Hall is a friend and former colleague of Cory's. What made her so
00:06:10
convinced of that outcome? cuz she knows that she didn't do it. >> Initially, authorities thought Eric may
00:06:17
have died from an accidental drug overdose. But as investigators dug deeper, they concluded that Corey
00:06:24
poisoned Eric for financial gain. >> Watch out for Corey. Watch out if something happens to me.
00:06:31
>> According to Greg Scores, a spokesperson for Eric's family, Eric had raised concerns about Corey to his family. The
00:06:39
night Eric died, were they immediately suspecting that Corey took part in his death?
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>> They suspected Corey would take part in his death before it happened. And so when it did happen, it was everyone's
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worst you nightmare come true. >> Breathing cold. As the state built its case against
00:07:02
Corey Richens, her 911 call saying she found Eric unresponsive in bed was an integral piece of evidence.
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>> If you need to put me on speaker, put me on speaker. I'm going to guide you through CPR. Okay.
00:07:15
>> The prosecution used the recording throughout the trial to call into question whether Corey was even trying
00:07:22
to resuscitate Eric. >> Start counting out loud so I can count with you. Okay. The operator repeatedly
00:07:27
asks the phone to be put on speaker so Corey can listen while performing CPR. >> One, two, three, four. Am I on speaker?
00:07:38
>> Yes. >> But a prosecution digital forensic analyst testified that phone receiver
00:07:43
sensor activity showed Corey was actually holding the phone to her ear during the call.
00:07:50
>> There's a proximity sensor inside the device that activates the receiver. The
00:07:55
digital download expert could actually see that Corey did not put the phone on speaker phone. She was still holding it
00:08:05
up to her ear. That means she wasn't doing compressions or if she was, she was doing it with one hand.
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>> The 911 call was impactful for jurors Laura and Eric, who requested we not use
00:08:19
their last names. Listening to the call, it didn't seem like there was much effort in the compressions themselves.
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>> The impression these jurors had of her resuscitation attempts didn't match Cory's description of events, which she
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texted to her friend Chelsea Barney. Prosecutor Bworth read the messages to the jury.
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>> His lifeless body on my bedroom floor. I pumped so damn hard. So hard screaming
00:08:46
at him to come back to life that I needed him. some of her text messages to a friend, she said she was screaming and
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beating on his chest, and the evidence did not show that. >> Some of Corey's other actions the day
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Eric died puzzled the jurors we interviewed, like her behavior on this deputy's body cam footage shown in
00:09:06
court. >> It was strange. Right after Eric died, Corey was holding her face with her
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hands. It certainly looks like >> she was trying to hide her face uh and her emotion.
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>> Where are your children now? >> Asleep in that room. Two are awake with their ear to the door.
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>> And when the jurors compared Cory's behavior in the footage to Eric's sisters, they found the contrast
00:09:34
startling. >> Eric's sister, Katie Riches, came in, she was hysterical. >> Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath.
00:09:42
near hyperventilating and her first thought is where are the kids? Are the kids okay? And through that whole video,
00:09:49
Corey said, "My kids are in that room and one of them's listening." But ne never did she move to go comfort those
00:09:55
kids. >> Eric's sister Katie testified about arriving at the house. >> On the morning that Eric died, did Corey
00:10:03
Richens say anything about the house that they were living in? >> Yes. She told me she was going to sell
00:10:10
it. According to Katie, just hours after Eric's death, Corey was talking real estate, how she planned to sell their
00:10:19
home, and how she needed to close on a house she had just purchased, known as the Midway Mansion. I had just lost
00:10:28
one of the most important people in my whole entire life. And she was planning on
00:10:35
selling the house that he had just been wheeled out of closing on a multi-million dollar
00:10:43
mansion. I could not wrap my head around it. >> Prosecutors also presented evidence of
00:10:50
something accessed on Cory's cell phone that morning. these gifts seemingly celebrating coming into money.
00:10:57
>> I thought the gifts were really odd if she was the one that pulled them up, which it certainly seems like that is
00:11:05
the case. That's just more evidence of her state of mind at the time. >> It was not clear to the jurors whether
00:11:12
the gifts were celebrating Eric's death or celebrating the Midway Mansion purchase. Either way, they found the
00:11:20
timing curious. still inappropriate the day after her husband passed away that she's accessing these. So, it was
00:11:28
strange. Strange behavior aside, the state's case hinged on proving Cory intentionally
00:11:37
poisoned Eric, that he did not die of an accidental overdose. The prosecution contends it was Corey who administered
00:11:45
the fentinel, either in a cocktail called a Moscow mule or in a lemonrop shot that she prepared for Eric.
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Investigators found this note in a kitchen cabinet, which the prosecution says chronicles how Corey killed Eric.
00:12:02
>> Notice that here she writes, "Drink in bed." >> And the prosecutor told the jury about
00:12:07
something else authorities found unusual in this incident report. Describing what
00:12:12
happened that night, Corey immediately writes about having a drink around 9:15 p.m. to celebrate work. Her story that
00:12:21
night that she wrote started with Eric drinking a drink that she made. Why would her story start then? Why wouldn't
00:12:31
it start when she walked in the door and found that he wasn't moving? That was just one of these really subtle things
00:12:39
that I thought was really important. >> Also important for jurors was knowing how Corey obtained the fentinel. For
00:12:46
that, prosecutors turned to a witness who became a controversial figure in the case. Cory's housekeeper.
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>> Did you ask Corey Richens about Eric's death? >> Yes, I did. >> What did you ask her?
00:13:02
>> I said, "Please tell me these pills were not for him. What ma'am is your name?
00:13:14
>> Carmen Lobber. >> Carmen Lobber was Corey and Eric's housekeeper and she cleaned homes for
00:13:20
Cory's real estate flipping business. Prosecutors say Carmen also did something else. She supplied Corey with
00:13:28
the drugs used to kill Eric. Did Corey Richens ever ask you to purchase for her illicit drugs?
00:13:36
>> Yes. >> How many times? >> Four. >> In a lot of ways, she is the key witness.
00:13:43
>> Skylazaro had been Corey Richen's attorney before resigning from the case due to a conflict of interest.
00:13:50
>> Carmen really was the only person who could tie Corey to obtaining fentanyl. Carmen testified that in the months
00:13:59
preceding Eric's death, Corey asked her to get pain medication for a client, which Carmen did. Then about two weeks
00:14:08
before Eric died, Corey made another request for something stronger. Carmen says she reached out to a drug dealer
00:14:17
friend and told Corey she could get her fentinel. I had text Corey back and told
00:14:22
her that I had a a friend that could get them, but they were fent bills. >> How did Cory Rich into a spot?
00:14:33
>> She said, "Okay, go ahead and give." The state contends Cory mixed that fentinel into the Moscow mule or lemon
00:14:41
drop shot she served Eric. Carmen, though, has an arrest record from drug charges and is not an ideal witness. She
00:14:50
had a history of drug abuse and although I think she's overcome that, those are who you deal with in criminal cases.
00:14:56
They're not always the shiniest people in the world. >> The jurors we spoke with were able to
00:15:01
look past Carmen's history and found her credible. >> I put a lot of weight on Carmen
00:15:06
Loberers's testimony. I found it uh very impactful, very important to the prosecution's case, and her testimony
00:15:14
was corroborated with the digital evidence. The state's digital forensic expert testified about hundreds of text
00:15:21
messages between Corey and Carmen that matched Carmen's timeline of when Corey contacted her for drugs. Because the
00:15:29
messages had been deleted, investigators could only retrieve dates and times, but
00:15:35
not the messages content. >> Between the two of them, about 800 text messages. The prosecution argued
00:15:42
throughout the trial that this was not the first time Corey used drugs to try to kill Eric. Investigators learned that
00:15:50
two weeks before his death on Valentine's Day, Eric became ill after Cory served him what they say was a drug
00:15:59
laced breakfast sandwich. >> On Valentine's Day, it was a sandwich. When she murdered him, it was a drink.
00:16:06
As for a motive, prosecutors say Corey needed money. A forensic accountant testified about her money problems.
00:16:14
>> What was the amount of Corey Richen's liabilities? >> Right about $8 million.
00:16:21
>> She said Corey was in debt for nearly $8 million from her house flipping business. Some of it from the recent
00:16:28
purchase of that Midway mansion. and Eric between the contracting business, property, and life insurance was worth a
00:16:36
lot. >> On the day that Eric died, his estate was worth over $4 million. >> There was also evidence that Cory took
00:16:46
out an additional $100,000 life insurance policy on Eric about a month before he died and that Eric's signature
00:16:54
was forged. >> Question and known signatures were not authored by the same person. A forgery
00:17:00
prosecutors say committed by Corey. >> She used her business address for this policy and made herself the beneficiary.
00:17:11
And frankly, even as a lay person, looking at the signatures, Eric did not sign that document.
00:17:18
>> And there may have been another motive for murder. According to the state, Corey wanted a new life with this man,
00:17:25
Josh Grossman, a handyman she met through her house flipping business. They had an affair for about 2 years.
00:17:33
>> I don't know how much the family knew about the fact that she had a a paramore. I don't even know how much
00:17:38
Eric knew about it. That turned out to be a helpful piece of evidence that was discovered during the investigation.
00:17:43
Josh Gman testified that after he heard Cory had been arrested for Eric's murder, by which time they had broken
00:17:51
up, he reached out to Eric's family. >> I was overwhelmed with guilt, sorrow over my wrongdoings, you know,
00:18:01
infidelity. >> With respect to Josh Gman, he seemed like a believable witness. I think we
00:18:10
all felt really sorry for him. at times that he was crying. >> Josh told investigators about a
00:18:18
conversation he had with Corey that now under the lens of murder took on new meaning. Josh, who had served with the
00:18:26
army in Iraq, was asked about that conversation. >> She asked if if I had ever killed
00:18:33
anybody. >> Did she ask a follow-up question? >> Yes. >> She asked me how it made me feel or
00:18:40
something along those lines. The jury was also shown text messages between Corey and Josh. I mean, you see
00:18:48
those text messages back and forth. Very lovey. Life is going to be different. I
00:18:52
promise. If I was divorced right now, and asked you to marry me, you would. I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle
00:18:59
you, watch a murder documentary, and snuggle. I mean, you know, I don't know that that
00:19:07
gets any closer to the reality of what actually happened in this case. >> Yeah. In hindsight, I don't think those
00:19:12
were uh probably well thought out. These coming in the way they did and the timing of them uh I think certainly did
00:19:19
not help Corey. >> Can I get exhibit 3-1, please? >> Something else that did not help Corey
00:19:25
was this reservation she booked for a romantic getaway with Josh. >> And did you know about a trip planned to
00:19:33
the Secret St. Martins's Resort? >> Yes. Corey sent Josh the reservation she made before Eric died with the trip
00:19:41
planned for April, a month after Eric's death. The reservation for that trip was
00:19:48
damaging to Corey. To me that made it look like she had been planning something for a while and at some point
00:19:55
soon Eric would be out of the picture. >> As the investigation proceeded, Corey said the prosecution was worried about
00:20:02
being caught. It showed web searches Corey made after Eric's death, including luxury prisons for the rich in America.
00:20:12
How long does life insurance companies take to pay? If someone is poisoned, what does it go down on the death
00:20:20
certificate as >> Cory's internet searches, questions that were being searched led me to believe uh
00:20:29
she had a guilty mind. These searches were done after she was handed a search warrant when they searched the home. It
00:20:37
kind of takes the sting out of them. I think it's somewhat understandable. >> This is after the fact.
00:20:42
>> This is after and well after. In fact, >> she was looking for information based on
00:20:46
what she found out after her death. >> It was one of the points that Cory's own defense team made as it tried to poke
00:20:53
holes in the entire prosecution's case. You know what you're never going to hear
00:20:59
is how that fendel got inside of him because there is zero evidence of that. Just outside of Salt Lake City, home to
00:21:21
fame ski resorts, including Park City, is the nearly 10 acre estate that Corey Richens was planning on flipping.
00:21:29
>> It looks ginormous. It's massive. >> Sky Lazaro told us Corey hoped to walk away with nearly $10 million in profit.
00:21:38
I think this was kind of her dream when she got into this idea of flipping houses was to be able to do properties
00:21:47
like this. >> And it was that estate, said Corey Richens defense attorney, Katherine
00:21:53
Nester, in her opening statement. The couple were toasting the night Eric died. >> Eric and Corey Richens were celebrating.
00:22:03
They were celebrating because Corey was about to close on the biggest real estate deal that her company had ever
00:22:10
done. They had a lot to celebrate. They also had a wonderful family. >> Nester showed jurors a family photo of
00:22:20
Eric and Corey with their three sons, seemingly happy, and spoke about the love they shared for their boys.
00:22:27
>> And what's more important is that the boys adored their father. And Corey knew
00:22:31
that about her sons and about her family. >> Netor asked jurors to consider why Corey
00:22:36
would poison Eric, knowing the impact it would have on their three sons. Now, after you've listened to all the
00:22:43
evidence in this case, you're going to have to decide if Corey Richens intentionally and knowingly poisoned the
00:22:51
father of her kids, knowing that she was going to cause those little boys to feel
00:22:56
pain every day for the rest of their life for the loss of their father. >> Corey's friend, Greg Hall, says Corey
00:23:04
would never do that. She was loving. She was kind. She was giving. A wonderful mother.
00:23:12
>> Eric suffered from pain a lot. >> Nester told jurors Eric Richens lived with chronic pain.
00:23:19
>> He suffered from knee and back pain related to his work. He did hard work. >> And used drugs recreationally, often
00:23:28
taking marijuana gummies. >> These are all gummies that the police found in Eric's things. Nester said Eric
00:23:35
also used pain medication. >> You're also going to hear that there was an empty pill bottle right next to him.
00:23:42
>> The label on that pill bottle was for the painkiller hydrocodone and it had expired in 2020. Netor suggested it was
00:23:50
Eric who may have come into contact with fentinel. >> You're going to hear that just a few
00:23:54
weeks before Eric died. Guess where he was? Mexico. Guess where the fentinel comes into this
00:24:02
country from? Mexico. >> One by one. >> We'll proceed with cross-examination of Ms. Rich and Spencen.
00:24:11
>> The defense challenged the state's witnesses, beginning with Eric's sister, Katie, and her account of Cory's
00:24:18
behavior the night Eric died. >> And you also said that she just stood there and did not comfort you in any
00:24:24
way. Not that I recall. Okay. Your honor, we'd like to play a clip. This is states exhibit 1-4.
00:24:34
Okay. So that's Corey. Freeze it right there. And that's her squatting down to comfort you while you're on the ground.
00:24:40
And that's your hugging, right? Correct. So your memory about that was clearly wrong.
00:24:46
To be fair, it was four years ago. Okay. >> When it came to the state's key witness,
00:24:52
Carmen Lober. >> Good afternoon, Miss. >> Good afternoon. The defense pointed out
00:24:56
that she made a deal with police in order to stay out of prison. Defense attorney Wendy Lewis played a portion of
00:25:03
one of Carmen's interviews with investigators. >> They're looking to pull your drug court
00:25:09
deal and ask for seven years on your two first. The only exception to that and the only thing that they're willing to
00:25:18
kind of help you out with is if you can help us out with this. And by so he he means like give us the details that will
00:25:28
ensure Cory gets convicted of murder. >> So that's what they said to you. >> Yes. You may be getting seven years in
00:25:35
prison on your state case. >> Correct. >> But if you help them out, that's not going to happen.
00:25:44
>> Correct. >> The investigators keep pushing on her. We need more. That's not enough. And
00:25:48
finally, in the last interview, they basically just spell it out. I love Eric. It was done intentionally. He did
00:25:54
not deserve it. >> We believe you and that's why we're here working on what your get out of jail
00:25:59
free card looks like. >> You know, it's this is your one get out of jail free card. Uh you have to
00:26:05
basically say it's fentanyl. >> And you are willing to do whatever it takes to save yourself from drug getting
00:26:11
kicked out of drug court and going to prison. Correct. >> I'm willing to go forward with the
00:26:15
truth. Yes. I think the defense was really hammering her and I don't think it went over that well.
00:26:23
>> She said, "Okay, go ahead and get the fentanyl." >> That's your testimony today.
00:26:29
>> When I told her what I had, that's what she said. Yes. >> Even if Carmen bought fentinel for
00:26:34
Corey. The defense said there was no proof that Corey used the drug to poison her husband. Katherine Nester told the
00:26:42
jury the cups Corey served the drinks in were never tested that night. >> The nanny ended up putting them in the
00:26:48
dishwasher the next morning. >> I think the most powerful point the defense made is that we don't know
00:26:55
exactly how the fentanel got into Eric Richen's stomach. >> When you have to prove murder, uh you
00:27:04
have to prove that she's the one that administered the fentanyl to him. The defense pushed back on the state's
00:27:11
claim that Corey had tried to poison Eric weeks earlier with that Valentine's Day sandwich. Cory's friend Ally Staking
00:27:19
said the couple downplay that episode as Eric having an allergic reaction. >> He took a bite of the sandwich and got
00:27:26
an allergic reaction and had to shoot himself with a nappy pin. >> Was everyone laughing?
00:27:30
>> Yes, we were all laughing and we jokingly said, "Don't eat what Cory feeds you."
00:27:34
>> Okay. And did Eric appear upset about what had happened prior with the sandwich?
00:27:40
>> No. >> And as for the financial motive that Cory was broke, Sky Lazaro says Cory
00:27:46
Richen's multi-million dollar debt was typical in the house flipping business. >> That's what they do for a living is they
00:27:53
invest in homes to flip. >> So you're saying it's part of the business, right? You get in in debt and
00:27:58
then you flip the house, you sell it, and then you make your money back. >> Absolutely. And that $100,000 life
00:28:04
insurance policy the state claimed wasn't signed by Eric. Nester said there is an innocent explanation.
00:28:11
>> I'm telling you right now, wives everywhere sign their husband's names on a lot of things. You've got to find that
00:28:18
she did it without his knowledge. And I don't know how they're going to prove that.
00:28:22
>> The defense also downplayed Cory's affair with Josh Gman, who testified they never went on that romantic getaway
00:28:29
Corey had booked for them. Then Corey ended the relationship. Correct. >> Right.
00:28:35
>> It was a little bit difficult to understand what the situation was with Josh Gman because she did seem to drop
00:28:43
him pretty quickly. >> Do you think that Josh Gman's relationship with Corey had anything to
00:28:49
do with Eric's death? >> No. If that were the case, after Eric passed away, that relationship would have continued,
00:28:57
not been tapered off. It doesn't make any logical sense. >> On March 12th, 2026, after three weeks
00:29:05
and 40 witnesses from the state, >> your honor, the state rests its case. >> The jurors say they were expecting to
00:29:12
see defense evidence and hear from their witnesses. >> Okay, now we can hear the rest of the
00:29:18
story. >> But what happened next, >> who's uh defense council's first witness, >> caught everyone offguard. My mouth just
00:29:26
dropped open. I was just like, "What?" I was so shocked and I was actually really
00:29:32
disappointed. >> States council and defense council are present. Miss Richens is present.
00:29:50
13 days into the trial, Judge Richard Morazzic asked Corey Richen's defense team about their first witness.
00:29:58
>> I was totally prepared for however many days or weeks of vigorous defense. >> Who's uh defense council's first
00:30:06
witness? >> Um, can we have just a moment? Yeah, >> we have >> we have a couple of options.
00:30:18
>> Understood. But the option defense attorneys Wendy Lewis and Katherine Netor chose was one
00:30:24
these jurors were not expecting. Actually at this time the defense intends to arrest me.
00:30:31
>> I was like seriously now we've seen just about everything in this trial. >> I was disappointed because I'm like you
00:30:39
know I felt like there was more to the story and they denied us access to that. I just want to make sure
00:30:50
you've consulted with your client about this. >> Absolutely. >> M. Richens, may I ask you two direct
00:30:56
questions? >> Yes. >> Do you understand that you have the right to testify at trial?
00:31:03
>> Yes, I do. >> Are you following your attorney's advice and waving your right to testify at
00:31:08
trial? >> Yes, I am. >> I accept your waiver. I find it's knowing and voluntary.
00:31:15
Laura says she at least expected the defense to present testimony about Eric's alleged drug use and what role,
00:31:22
if any, it played in his death. They were just hinting ever so slightly at these things without backing it up. So,
00:31:32
I was really hoping for some testimony if that's really true or you just trying to confuse everything. Greg Scoris, who
00:31:39
happens to be an attorney himself, says perhaps the defense saw no need to call witnesses because it felt there was
00:31:46
enough reasonable doubt. >> If you think you're winning after the prosecution puts on its case, then
00:31:53
there's no reason to put on a case because you could only hurt yourself. So, why why even risk putting on a
00:31:59
witness that could hurt you? >> Laura says throughout the trial, she would sometimes look over at the defense
00:32:04
table. There was really no vibe coming from her. Like I couldn't sense whether she was upset or angry or sad. She had a
00:32:14
very flat effect. >> Was that part of it? The likability of Corey Richens at that point? Do you
00:32:19
think they saw a woman who was having an affair, who was in debt? >> I think that's how it certainly could be
00:32:27
taken. There never was a real opportunity to humanize her, to make her likable, to make her seem like a person
00:32:34
who wouldn't do that. >> Mr. Bledworth, would you like to proceed? >> In its closing, the prosecution
00:32:40
portrayed Cory Richens as a ruthless social climber, chasing a life beyond what she had at her family's expense.
00:32:50
>> Behind the facade, however, Cory Richens was incompetent. Her business was imploding.
00:33:01
All the while, Corey Richens was more interested in spending time with Josh Grossman than
00:33:09
Eric. But she did not have the money to leave Eric or the money to salvage her business. She is a risk taker.
00:33:18
There was a way forward. Eric had to die. The defense used its closing argument to
00:33:26
lay out its entire case. >> They want you to look at a woman in the worst moment of her life,
00:33:34
>> citing several reasons why there was reasonable doubt. >> The investigation in this matter was
00:33:41
nothing but sloppy. It was driven by bias. Wendy Lewis told jurors the investigators developed tunnel vision
00:33:50
early on, driven by Eric's family's belief that Corey was guilty. Everything about this investigation was led by the
00:33:58
Richens family. >> It did give me pause whether there was this bias in the entire investigation
00:34:06
that started with the Richen family. >> What else do we find on that first day that Eric died? Lewis pointed to that
00:34:13
trip Eric took to Mexico shortly before his death and that empty pill bottle on his nightstand.
00:34:20
>> The hydrocodone bottle. What was kept in that bottle? What might be the best way to bring
00:34:28
illegal pills back from Mexico? But they're in a prescription bottle. So what's another explanation? What could
00:34:35
have happened? Maybe he thought it was something else and he accidentally got fentanyl.
00:34:41
Maybe had they tested that bottle, we would know, but they didn't. >> She urged the jurors to stand with Corey
00:34:49
Richens. >> Cory Richens did not kill Eric Richens. The state did not prove this case beyond
00:34:55
a reasonable doubt. And you have the courage, have the courage to tell them this and find Corey Richens not guilty.
00:35:03
>> How was Corey feeling? Did she ever feel like this may not go her way? >> No, absolutely not. Honestly, not at
00:35:10
all. She was upbeat, hopeful, enthused. She was absolutely convinced that she would be found not
00:35:20
guilty. You were just fine. You were fine. I don't know. It just it didn't really
00:35:36
make sense. After sitting through the three-week trial, jurors Eric and Laura had no way
00:35:44
of knowing what other jurors were thinking, nor how long reaching a verdict could take.
00:35:49
>> I was thinking, "This is going to be a very long week." >> But in the end, deliberations would only
00:35:54
last about 3 hours. Laura, one of the two women on the eight-person jury, was selected as four person.
00:36:01
>> When we got back there, I think everyone was bursting. I felt like I was bursting
00:36:06
at the seams. >> For the jurors, Corey's money trouble proved to be a motive for Eric's murder.
00:36:13
>> She was in such a position that she had to take drastic action to dig out of the
00:36:19
financial hole that she was in. I shared that I thought the evidence was devastating against Corey and that she
00:36:27
was guilty. I think that opened the door to other people to share exactly where they stood.
00:36:35
>> And when the decision was made to vote, the rest of the jury agreed not just that Cy murdered Eric, but that she
00:36:42
previously attempted to kill him with that poison laced Valentine's Day sandwich and that she committed two
00:36:50
counts of insurance fraud and forgery. >> Ms. Richards, please stand. >> On March 16th, 2026, Judge Richard
00:37:02
Morazzic read the verdict. >> Count one, aggravated murder. We, the jury, unanimously find that the
00:37:10
defendant, Corey Richens, is guilty of aggravated murder. Corey Richens was stunned as she learned
00:37:18
she was found guilty of all five counts related to Eric's death, says her friend
00:37:24
Greg Hall. >> Totally unexpected. She was absolutely crushed and heartbroken. >> Cory Richens declined our request for an
00:37:32
interview. >> State of Utah versus Cory Richens. Two months later, on what would have been
00:37:43
Eric Richen's 44th birthday, Corey Richens, now wearing a prison uniform, was back in court to receive her
00:37:52
sentence. Eric's family gave heartfelt statements. His sister Amy emphasized the impact his loss has had on his three
00:38:01
sons. >> This crime didn't just happen once. It happens every single morning when those
00:38:06
boys wake up and realize their father is still gone. The boys were 5, seven, and nine when
00:38:14
their world was shattered. Today, they are 9, 11, and 13. And through written statements read by each of their
00:38:21
counselors, for the first time, the world got to hear from them. The first statement read aloud was written by the
00:38:29
youngest, Weston. When someone talks about Corey, it makes me feel hateful and ashamed. She took away my dad. It's
00:38:37
made me have a hard time trusting people. >> The middle child, Ashton, called Corey
00:38:43
greedy and said she did not properly care for him and his brothers. >> When we got hurt, you didn't even care.
00:38:49
He accused her of harming the family pets. >> You wouldn't let me put my kitten in the
00:38:55
garage for safety at night, and we found it eaten by raccoons the next day. You wouldn't let us turn on and use the
00:39:03
heater lamp for the chickens and bunnies and they froze to death. >> Carter, the oldest, said Corey was often
00:39:12
drunk and would lock him in his room. >> This happened pretty much daily. I feel
00:39:16
angry that she locked me in my room. I miss my dad, but I do not miss how my life used to be. I don't miss Corey. I
00:39:22
will tell you that. All three boys asked the judge to give their mother, whom they only referred to as Corey, the
00:39:29
harshest possible sentence. >> What she did is very sick. >> When it was their turn, Cory's friends
00:39:36
and family pleaded for leniency. Her brother Ronnie, >> the injustice that's occurred here in
00:39:42
this courtroom, it'll be right in in time. And until then, little sister, just I'm right by your side. I know what
00:39:48
you're right here for. I love you. Then Corey Richens was allowed to speak. She did not testify at trial, but now
00:39:58
she approached the podium and used her time to address her kids. >> I will use any opportunity I can to get
00:40:06
a message to you. >> She says she has been cut off from them for the past two years.
00:40:11
>> As much as you've been influenced into thinking that dad was murdered, that I
00:40:15
took your dad from you, that is completely wrong and an absolute lie. And just because someone may not be
00:40:23
perfect, that's a far reach for them to be capable of murder. >> Judge Morazzic had two options when
00:40:31
considering Corey Richen's sentence. Either 25 years to life with the possibility of parole or life in prison
00:40:39
without parole. And he made it known he carefully considered each. The court's duty is to make a decision, a weighty,
00:40:49
longlasting decision based on the best information available today. Accordingly, Miss Richens, the court
00:40:59
hereby sentences you to life without parole. For Eric's family, it was the end to a
00:41:11
year's long nightmare. Greg Scoris, the family spokesperson, says the true heartbreak is for the kids who are now
00:41:20
living with Eric's sister, Katie. I can't think of anything worse as a child to lose your father,
00:41:30
except to know that it was because of your mother. I mean, think about that. my sweet baby boys,
00:42:21
I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me, or you may think you hate me, and
00:42:27
that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. That was Corey Richens addressing her
00:42:34
children on May 13th at a sentencing hearing. It was the first time any of us heard from Richens since the Utah mother
00:42:42
of three was found guilty of aggravated murder in her husband Eric Richen's 2022
00:42:48
fentinel overdose death. She was also found guilty of four other charges including attempted aggravated murder,
00:42:56
two counts of insurance fraud and forgery. And now I will use any opportunity I can to get a message to
00:43:03
you. Even if that means sharing it publicly to the world fully restrained in my jail clothes and one of the most
00:43:11
horrible situations possible. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Welcome to the season finale of
00:43:19
Postmortem. I'm your host 48 hours correspondent Ann Marie Green. And joining me today is 48 Hours
00:43:25
correspondent Natalie Morales to discuss the dramatic conclusion of a case that has certainly gripped the nation.
00:43:32
Natalie, welcome. >> Thank you, Anorie, for having me again. And boy, is this explosive, this
00:43:38
sentencing hearing. Um, we not only heard statements from Corey for the first time, but also from Eric's
00:43:45
sisters, also from Eric and Corey's children in a statement, which you'll hear as read by their counselors. Now,
00:43:53
this is a case, as you know, it's been getting a lot of media attention. We've reported on it extensively as well.
00:44:00
We're going to break it all down for you today. All right. So, we are going to get into this, but first, a reminder, as
00:44:05
usual, everyone, if you haven't watched or listened to this episode, it is called Corey Richen's Behind the Facade.
00:44:12
Go check it out now and then come on back for this conversation. And so, as you sort of point out, uh, Natalie, a
00:44:20
lot of people had been following this case. Um, but it has gone on for quite a while. So, why don't you give us a bit
00:44:26
of a recap? Well, let's go back to March of 2022, and you know, Corey Richens at
00:44:31
the time was 31 years old, Eric 39 years old. They seemed to have it all by outward appearances. They seemed to be
00:44:38
in a good marriage. They had three young sons. But it was in the early morning hours of March 4th, 2022 that Corey
00:44:45
called 911. And she called and told the first responders that she had fallen asleep with one of the kids when she put
00:44:52
him to bed. And then when she woke up, she went back to her bedroom. And she found Eric cold to the touch and not
00:45:01
breathing. So when the first responders arrived, they tried to save Eric, but it
00:45:06
was already too late. Now, initially, authorities thought that Eric may have died from an accidental drug overdose,
00:45:13
but as investigators dug deeper, they suspected that Corey poisoned Eric for financial gain. So, I think part of the
00:45:22
reason why this case caught so many people's attention is because Richens notoriously published a children's book
00:45:31
about grief. This is following her husband's death before being charged with murder along with the insurance uh
00:45:38
fraud charges and the forgery charges. But then in February of 2026, nearly 4 years after Eric's death, the trial
00:45:47
finally begins in Utah in a courthouse there. What was the prosecution's case? The prosecution alleged that Corey
00:45:56
poisoned Eric with fentinyl that was served to him either in a Moscow mule cocktail or a lemon drop shot after
00:46:04
apparently previously attempting to poison him via a breakfast sandwich. This was on Valentine's Day, which was
00:46:11
two weeks earlier. The prosecution painted Corey as a killer who was set on taking her husband's money because she
00:46:18
was deeply in debt with her house flipping business. and they pointed to the evidence that she was also the
00:46:24
beneficiary of multiple life insurance policies on her husband and forged a policy as well. Now, the prosecution
00:46:32
said that Eric Richens was considering divorcing his wife when he was killed and that they had argued over this
00:46:39
purchase of this multi-million dollar mansion that she was trying to flip for her real estate business. The
00:46:46
prosecution also said that Corey was having an affair and her former paramore, Robert Josh, he I think he
00:46:53
goes by Josh more commonly Gman. He actually testified to their relationship in the affair that they had during the
00:47:01
trial. And the prosecution presented evidence that about 3 months before Eric's death, Corey had even gone so far
00:47:09
as to book a Caribbean vacation for herself and for Grossman. Although it turns out they never ended up going on
00:47:15
the trip because they broke up apparently after Eric died. >> Huh. Okay. So then a lot of motive
00:47:22
there. What about the defense? What did the defense argue? >> So the defense said Eric was dependent
00:47:28
on drugs to deal with his chronic pain and he had back issues apparently. And they maintained that he most likely died
00:47:36
from an accidental overdose. Now, Cory's attorney said that Eric might have actually gotten the fentinel himself
00:47:42
when he had traveled to Mexico just a few weeks before he died. The defense also implied that he might have taken a
00:47:49
marijuana gummy that he didn't know was laced with fentinel. And what was really
00:47:54
interesting and I think uh kind of shocking to the jurors and you're going to hear from them in just a little bit.
00:48:00
The defense made the decision not to call any witnesses and Cy did not testify during the trial.
00:48:07
>> Why did the defense think that this was the best approach? Many defense attorneys would advise their clients
00:48:14
against testifying on their own behalf because it just opens themselves up to then being cross-examined and harshly
00:48:23
generally cross-examined by the prosecution. And you know, in fact, I asked Sky Lazaro, who was Corey's
00:48:29
original defense attorney, about that. She made the point that if the defense also had called witnesses,
00:48:36
>> the state then would have the opportunity to rebut the witnesses and it's not the defense that has the burden
00:48:43
of proof here. It is the prosecution and Sky pointed out that the defense likely thought they were in a strong
00:48:51
position. And in fact, um, Greg Hall, who is Corey's really good friend and has been her supporter through all of
00:48:59
this, he was there during a lot of the trial, Greg said that when the case wrapped that the defense felt, and Corey
00:49:07
in particular felt really strong about their position. They felt like they were winning. Well, I mean, their their
00:49:14
senses were off because the jury deliberated for about 3 hours before returning the verdict, right? They found
00:49:20
her guilty on all five counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, and
00:49:25
two counts of insurance fraud, and forgery. One of the things that is new in this episode is 48 Hours actually
00:49:34
interviewed two of the jurors from the trial, Laura and Eric, and they requested that we only use their first
00:49:40
names, but they gave us some insight into, you know, what the jury was considering,
00:49:47
how they deliberated, what did they have to say. They both said um Eric and Laura
00:49:53
that the minute the trial ended and they walked back into the deliberation room,
00:49:58
they felt completely convinced of Corey's guilt, but they didn't know how the others felt yet. And Laura was the
00:50:04
four person on the case. Um but she said she could just see that everybody was bursting at the scenes to talk. They
00:50:12
share what they thought about the witnesses, >> the strengths, the weaknesses. Um, but
00:50:17
when they did take that vote, Laura said it was quick. I mean, deliberating for just three hours. It was pretty short,
00:50:25
especially when you consider this is a murder charge and all these other charges as well. Um, what evidence was
00:50:31
the most convincing for them? >> So, the juror, Eric, felt there were some inconsistencies with Corey's story
00:50:37
and with what was actually presented as evidence. They pointed to her behavior right in the aftermath after discovering
00:50:44
her husband was cold to the touch. They first talk about that 911 call as well as the video that came from the
00:50:54
responding officer's body cam. And they said it didn't seem like Corey was trying very hard to resuscitate him.
00:51:04
Now, you can contrast that with these text messages that Corey exchanged with a friend where Corey said that she was
00:51:12
screaming. She was beating on Eric's chest trying to get him to come back to life. They were also looking on the body
00:51:19
cam footage of the responding officers to see how Corey >> was acting in those moments. And Corey
00:51:26
is hiding her face a couple of times behind her hands. Like, you don't see tears. Laura, the juror said it's
00:51:34
difficult to judge how someone grieavves or how somebody acts in a traumatic situation. But again, what was most
00:51:41
impactful to Laura was the time that it took for Corey apparently to start the CPR. So, the prosecution in its closing
00:51:50
arguments actually had a stopwatch to show that it was approximately six minutes between when the 911 operator
00:51:58
told Corey to start and when it appears that Corey on the other side of that call actually says she started. Wow. And
00:52:06
the most convincing piece of that evidence came from the digital download expert who an was able to analyze the
00:52:14
phone data and determined that Corey did not put her phone on speaker phone that
00:52:20
she was still holding it up to her ear when she said she was doing CPR, which again should be done with both hands,
00:52:26
suggesting she wasn't actually doing it or she was doing it one-handed, so not really giving it the full effort. Then
00:52:32
beyond that, you know, Corey's money trouble really was the biggest motivating factor that they saw. That
00:52:38
was the main motive that that convinced them that Corey was responsible for Eric's murder.
00:52:49
So then 2 months after her conviction, on what would have been Eric's 44th birthday, Corey Richens is back in court
00:52:57
for sentencing. She's now convicted. She's in shackles. She's wearing a prison uniform.
00:53:03
This sentencing hearing lasts nearly 5 hours. The judge allowed a lot of statements um into the record, including
00:53:13
Corey's three children who are still quite young, 9, 11, and 13. They have prepared written statements that are
00:53:20
read by counselors. Right. And again, this is the first time that we're hearing from these three
00:53:28
boys. um the first time that they're expressing their feelings publicly. Uh I want to play a few portions from that
00:53:36
court hearing. Now, the first statement was written by the youngest of the boys,
00:53:40
Weston. His counselor read his statement. I feel a lot better about myself now than I did with Corey. I can't ever see
00:53:49
my dad again. I want her to go to prison forever. If she got out, I would be so scared, really mad, and I wouldn't want
00:53:59
to go with her anywhere. >> I mean, it is heartbreaking. All of the three boys expressed feeling safer with
00:54:06
Corey being locked up. The oldest explicitly asked the judge to give her that life sentence. So, it gives you a
00:54:14
sense of, >> you know, what what has been lost in this relationship with her children. So
00:54:22
Ashton is Corey Richen's middle child who accused Corey of of not caring for him or his brothers, but he also accuses
00:54:30
Corey of harming the pets. He referred to his brothers in the statement just by their initials. Let's listen to some
00:54:38
portions of his statement read out loud by his counselor. >> You took away my dad for no reason other
00:54:43
than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. You were not caring and watching over me and
00:54:51
my brothers. I had to be a parent to W C and I would walk him to the bus stop, feed him and
00:54:59
watch him. You wouldn't let our dog outside and then the dog would pee inside. You created this problem. Then
00:55:07
you would smack my dog on the head as hard as you could. You wouldn't let me put my kitten in the garage for safety
00:55:16
at night. and we found it eaten by raccoons the next day. You wouldn't let us turn on and use the heater lamp for
00:55:23
the chickens and bunnies and they froze to death. >> This is kind of all new information,
00:55:30
right? This wasn't was this sort of stuff brought up at the trial? >> Nothing. Nothing of this was brought up
00:55:35
at the trial. What came into question was how she was as a wife. >> Um not as how she was as a mother. These
00:55:45
two children would have been quite young at the time when they were living with her. Um Carter is the eldest son and
00:55:53
Carter says that Corey was often drunk that uh that she would lock him in his room. Um here's another counselor
00:56:00
reading his statement. I felt like I had to take care of my siblings. Ash mostly
00:56:06
took care of me though because I was locked in my room. Ash would bring me food. Corey would
00:56:12
lock me up if I told her she was drunk. This happened pretty much daily. I feel angry that she locked me in my room.
00:56:18
>> We should point out that about these statements. They're not calling her mom.
00:56:24
They're calling her Corey. But we don't know if prompts were given to the children to get those kinds of
00:56:31
statements or what kinds of questions they were even asked by their counselors. >> Um the court also heard from Katie, that
00:56:38
is Eric's sister. I want to play some of that sound. >> There is no question that this case is
00:56:44
famous and that Corey is now famous. But what Corey never mentions in talking about her fame and notoriety are the
00:56:52
reasons why this case is now famous. It is famous for how appalling and sickening it is. It is famous because a
00:57:01
mother meticulously planned to kill her husband, killed him while their children
00:57:06
were sleeping in the next room, and then had the audacity to hold herself out as
00:57:10
the author of a children's book about grief and loss. It is famous because she spent time googling luxury prisons for
00:57:17
the rich in America. It is famous because from her jail cell, she scripted a bunch of phony testimony so that her
00:57:26
brother could perpetrate a fraud on the court. No love lost there. >> Absolutely not. I mean, she's not just
00:57:33
angry about the loss of her brother, but she clearly is disgusted by Corey Richens and her character, the type of
00:57:42
character she thinks she is. Eric has another sister. Her name is Amy. She also spoke.
00:57:48
>> I didn't just lose my brother. I lost my sister-in-law. I lost someone I considered my friend.
00:57:59
We had good times together. That loss is so complicated now, your honor. Because it forces you to grieve someone
00:58:09
who is still alive while facing the horror of what they have done. It is grief that doesn't resolve. It
00:58:18
just sits there heavy every day. This crime has fractured our family in ways outsiders cannot understand. Corey
00:58:27
did not just kill Eric. She attempted to kill the spirit of everyone who loved him. She lied to his children. She lied
00:58:35
to the world and has shown no remorse while dancing on his grave for profit. >> Amy, I think, is a little more
00:58:43
retrospective and looking back on the relationship that she had with Corey >> and talking about that loss. Interesting
00:58:51
to hear her say, "I didn't just lose my brother. I lost my sister-in-law. I lost
00:58:55
someone I considered my friend. Um, there were other people who spoke though on behalf of Corey, like her friend
00:59:03
Greg, who described her as a loving mother who always went out of her way to help other people who were in need. And
00:59:09
then her brother Ronnie said this and as Ronnie was speaking, Corey was crying. >> We don't with 100% certainty know what
00:59:17
happened, Eric. No one does. But we do know with 100% certainty that it wasn't caused by you. We know that, the police
00:59:25
know it, the prosecution knows it, and everyone watching this trial knows it. They could not prove their theory. Just
00:59:31
the opposite. And yet, here we are. For some reason, unbeknownst to us, really bad things happen to really good people.
00:59:37
Corin, you were just really too good of a person, I guess. >> Very stark contrast to the other
00:59:43
statements that we heard. >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, one side paints her as just so heartless and so evil and so
00:59:51
greedy, and here you have, you know, the other side is like, no, she was an incredible mother and an incredible
00:59:57
friend and an incredible sibling, right? The too good of a person. Um, you know,
01:00:01
we did speak with Ronnie when we first reported on this case on 48 Hours and he clearly believes in her innocence and
01:00:10
the same goes for Greg Hall, who I interviewed once again for this most recent hour. And they they all feel that
01:00:18
the jury missed the opportunity to get to know her. And you know, I mentioned that Corey had been crying when she was
01:00:25
listening to her one brother there, but she had a lot of facial expressions during the sentencing hearing. She
01:00:30
looked surprised. She looked incredulous. She wasn't stonefaced. Let's put it that way.
01:00:35
>> No, certainly not. I mean, the one thing that you you could say about Corey, she
01:00:41
was very expressive. She at one point appeared to be smirking. She rolled her eyes, it seemed, when Katie was
01:00:47
speaking, Eric's sister. People look at that and and they will make judgments based on that. Of course, she's already
01:00:54
been judged by the jury. They've already found her guilty, but now it's her sentencing hearing. And then of course
01:01:00
we heard from Corey Richens herself and she spoke for about 30 minutes in a statement that was sort of a letter for
01:01:08
her sons. She expressed, you know, regret for some of her behavior, but notably she maintained her innocence,
01:01:16
even apologizing to her sons for how the case unfolded. I'm going to play a clip of that.
01:01:23
>> I'm sorry. that eight people from a jury who have never met you or me or our family
01:01:35
had the right to determine our future. And they did that in less than three hours.
01:01:45
In a perfect world, there might be justice, but in a perfect world, nothing ever
01:01:51
goes wrong. Tragedies don't happen. Some think a verdict or this sentencing will be the answer that they seek or
01:02:09
that they need, but it won't. It will only give them something else to think about for a while.
01:02:17
It may help to disperse some of their hurt or their resentment, but it won't relieve it.
01:02:26
This grief will outlive us all. What's so interesting of of you know what she said there in my opinion is she says,
01:02:36
"I'm so sorry for the jury's decision. I'm so sorry the jury found me guilty." She said that her sons have the right to
01:02:45
be angry, of course, sad and confused, and that quote, "One day when this is all over, we can sit down and talk about
01:02:51
all of this and sort it all out." And she ended by saying she will continue to call her boys every day, even if her
01:02:59
calls are blocked and that she loves them forever because, you know, Corey has not had any uh real contact with the
01:03:05
boys in all of these years since she was um you know, awaiting trial. So, the judge is taking all of this in and the
01:03:12
judge sort of openly debates whether or not to sentence Corey Richens to 25 years to life or life without parole. Uh
01:03:21
he weighs the impact of the sentence on her three sons and really expresses a desire that everyone impacted by Eric's
01:03:29
death find their way to a state of peace. Ultimately, the judge sentences Corey Richens to life without the
01:03:38
possibility of parole. Natalie, is this the last we will hear from Corey Richens? Probably not. Um, according to
01:03:48
her team, Corey plans to appeal the verdict. So, this is going to keep going. Um, you know, but for the boys, I
01:03:58
think, and for Eric's family, they feel that it's over >> and they want it to be done with.
01:04:04
>> And and I mean, do we have any idea how her sons are doing today? >> Well, we know that they're living with
01:04:10
with Katie, that's Eric's sister, and her husband Clint. They've really tried to keep them
01:04:18
away from all of this attention. You know, now they've lost both parents. um and extended family as well. So um the
01:04:27
ripple effects of something like this will continue and and unfortunately you know it's the children who really pay
01:04:35
the greatest price. >> Absolutely. Um well Natalie, thank you so much for joining me today for
01:04:42
postmortem. >> Good to talk about this with you again an Marie. If you like this episode,
01:04:46
please rate and review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.