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- [00:00]
A
This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human crime stories with Nancy Grace, The so called Moscow mule mom killer. Remember her? Corey Richards, her bizarre rant in court and her tone deaf message to her own little boys. Good evening, I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Following her husband's funeral, Cory Richards throws a party at her house. He dies in their home by extreme fentanyl overdose served to him, we believe, in a Moscow Mule by her. But that was not the first time, according to prosecutors, that she had tried to kill him.
- [01:00]
B
No, no, no. Look at that. This is the emergency man. I'm not breathing. Keep cold. Okay, what's the address? 282 Willow Court. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. I don't know what this came in. I was sleeping with my kids. Okay, I can ask. That's your office. I need you to take a deep breath. What's going on? I don't. I don't know. I just. I was sleeping in with my kids. I just came in the bed, in our bed and I turned over and. He's just cold. He's just cold.
- [01:41]
A
He's just cold. Hey, my husband's dead. Party at my place. He's just cold.
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C
Cold.
- [01:51]
A
In one moment, I'm bringing in a renowned medical examiner, Dr. William Maroney. But first to Dave Mack, crime stories investigative reporter. He's just cold. Why do so many people, their spouses just die in their sleep? You know who I'm thinking about, right? Dave Mack. I'm thinking about the prophet Chad Daybell. His wife Tammy just died in her sleep right after she ran a marathon. She's healthy as a horse.
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D
She.
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A
She died in her sleep.
- [02:18]
E
Yeah.
- [02:19]
A
Forget about the fact that the cult mom Lori Valo had already ordered her wedding dress and her ring on Amazon, waiting for Tammy Daybell to keel over in her sleep. And amazing. It all played out just like she anticipated on Amazon. Crazy, right? Like Bryan Kohberger just happened to buy a KA Bar knife on Amazon for future use. That is the murders of four Idaho students. And here we have Corey Richards just goes to sleep and poof, her husband dies. And by the time she wakes up, he is cold. Cold. You know how long that takes, Dave Mack, for somebody's body to get cold indoors in ambient temperature? Dave?
- [03:12]
F
It takes some time. It takes hours, Nancy. And it's. The shocking part of that is.
- [03:18]
A
Did you actually just say it takes some time? Okay, cut his mic. I'm going to give you a moment to think about what you just said. Joining me right now, Dr. William Maroney, renowned medical examiner. He's a toxicologist, he's a pathologist, he's an opioid treatment expert. He's the author of American Narcan. And let me just toot his horn, because he'd never do it for himself. This medical doctor puts his own money where his mouth is, and he has created a mobile opioid treatment facility, spreading the word about saving lives from opioid addiction. This guy's raising about 10 children, all right? And he does that, and he's a medical doctor, okay? That said Dr. Maroney, I wrongly went to Crime Stories investigator Dave Mack about how long it takes a body to get cold. Moscow Mule mom who absolutely poisoned her husband with an OD of fentanyl in his Moscow Mule. You know, it's got all that ginger beer in it. You can't really taste anything. She says, I just woke up, and he's cold to the touch inside in ambient temperature. How long does that take?
- [04:38]
G
Well, if he's covered up with the sheets, it's about 1 degree an hour. And if he's open, it's 2 to 3 degrees an hour. If he's exposed to air conditioning, depending on when he was killed, he could drop from 98.6 to somewhere in the high 70s, which is what a room temperature is considered ambient, in about 12 hours. 18 hours. So the day before, the night before.
- [05:11]
H
Hold on.
- [05:12]
A
I'm trying to write as quickly as I can. This is what I know. I know that he was covered in the blankets, and I know his little boys were down the hall asleep with Mommy. So you're asking me to do math? I'm happy to try a serial killer case, okay? I'm happy to argue to the appellate courts. I'm happy to tear anybody a new a hole on the stand, but do not ask me to do math. That's why we have calculators. Okay, give me your best guess. He's under the covers. Ambient temperature in the home, 12 to 18 hours. 12 to 18 hours. Straight out to veteran defense attorney Eric Faddis. He is the founder of the Law Offices of Eric Faddis. He is a former felony prosecutor, which is not an easy job. Now criminal defense attorney, civil litigation@ericfaddislaw.com. that's a double D. Eric Faddis. Faddis. Wow. She got in her Beauty Sleep. 18 hours he's been lying there dead. He's cold. Just wait till I play the rest of the 911. I haven't even gotten to her in court rant and her tone deaf bizarre message to her own sons. But can you address the 18 hour time gap? He's been laying there dead. How did she possibly think anyone would believe she didn't do it,
- [06:40]
I
Lindsay? I mean, you know, ask the wife. You don't have a laser focused attention on exactly what your spouse is doing at every second of the night, Especially if we're talking about the early morning hours. You know, she talks about having to have put her children to sleep. And there are other things to which she's attending. It's not terribly surprising to me that she would wake up, notice something's wrong at that point, and then call 911 and have a demeanor that seems pretty consistent with someone who is distraught.
- [07:08]
A
Did you just say Eric Faddis? First of all, Eric, are you married? I've always been curious. Are you?
- [07:15]
J
I'm not.
- [07:17]
A
Okay. Well, on that happy occasion when you do find someone to marry you, I'm curious. What other things would she be attending to in the middle of the night? You said she's got to get her children to sleep. And there are many other things to which she is attending in the middle of the night from 9pm to 6am what is she doing in the middle of the night?
- [07:43]
I
What I'm saying is her faculties are elsewhere. She might be sleeping, she might be attending to, getting her children ready for bed. She might be contemplating the plan for her day that's coming up. Those are all of things that could be going on that could distract a person from the immediate status of their partner. It might cause a person to not notice if something could be wrong with their partner for a significant period of time, especially if she was sleeping over the course of the night.
- [08:11]
A
To Gigi McKelvey, joining us, investigative journalist, host of a hit podcast, pretty lies and alibis. Gigi, 18 hours. 18 hours the husband laid there till he was cold to the touch and then she's on 91 1.
- [08:32]
E
Yeah. First of all, the 911 call does not have that raw emotion that I think you would have if you found your husband, who was seemingly healthy, cold in bed beside you. And the other thing too is Corey had a lot of time to get rid of any potential evidence she may have used to slip him that that fatal dose of fentanyl. She could have been getting her story straight, getting her emotions up in that time. There was a lot she could have been doing. And she said she was sleeping with her children. But remember in one of the children's victim impact statements or Two, actually. They said that her door was locked that night and they couldn't get in. So to me, that dispute, she was even laying down with her kids at the time. Eric was either dying or laying there dead.
- [09:18]
A
And all this over a flip a real estate deal, right? Dave Mack. It was all because she wanted to buy a multimillion dollar home and then flip it and make a profit. And the husband said, hey, you've already charged us sky high. We're choking in in your debt. You are not buying another million dollar home to flip it all this over. That, right? That was the motive. Dave Mack.
- [09:45]
F
It was. It's the unfinished Midway Mansion, Nancy, that Eric said, no, it's a bad deal. We're not doing it. You're already in enough debt. And by this time, Eric knew way more than Corey knew that he knew about her finances. And, and he said, no way. That's why you got to remember a lot of what we know about at night, Nancy. When Eric died, comes Corey.
- [10:10]
A
Look at your monitor. Look at your monitor. That is a multimillion dollar spread that she wanted to buy and flip. Dave. That's what the argument was over money.
- [10:24]
F
Exactly. And Nancy, this 20,000 square foot luxury mansion, okay, was on eight and a half acres of land and was never finished. The price on that thing was nearly $4 million. Sadly, okay, the deal closed the day after Eric died. But Eric was totally against this deal. He said, no, we're not doing it.
- [10:52]
A
This video is from our friend at East Idaho News, Nate Eaton. To be specific, who I'm going to in just one moment. But first I got to go to Dr. Jeff Gard, longtime colleague and friend, Dr. Gardier, board certified clinical psychologist. He's a professor at Tourow College of Osteopathic Medicine. He's been called many times, American Psychologist. He's an author. Practical Parenting, the Cause of Autism, and so many more books by Dr. Jeff Gardier. You know what, Dr. Jeff, I have asked you this a million times. The love of money, the root of all evil, not money, but the love of money. What is wrong with this woman? And I haven't gotten, I haven't gotten to play you the rant, the crazy rant she goes on in court, much less her completely tone deaf message to her two little boys sitting there. But that said, money, money, what is it? Guardir?
- [11:51]
K
Well, can you imagine the amount of stress that, that she places herself under by buying or trying to buy this Midway Mansion with so many other things going on? And now she brings this to her husband and the husband says, I don't think this is something we should be doing. And therefore, now she feels like she's left in an island. She feels that he doesn't believe in her. And so now she's becoming desperate. And if there were bad intentions to begin with, it becomes even worse, because
- [12:25]
A
now doesn't believe in her. He's bankrolled her whole entire real estate career. They're hemorrhaging money, he's choking in debt because of her deals. And so he finally puts his foot down and. Did I hear you just say he's not supporting her?
- [12:44]
F
What?
- [12:45]
K
Well, at this point. At this point, he says that.
- [12:48]
A
What?
- [12:49]
K
At this point, he puts his foot down and says, that's enough. And now with this flip, if you will, you used that term before, that she can't depend on him or possibly even manipulate financially. At this point, he becomes an impediment to that dream of making riches.
- [13:10]
A
So you're saying it's not just about money. It's a dream. It's one of those fragile dreams. See, I think it's about money. You say a dream. Okay, well, you know what? She and her dreams can stuff it. You know where. Because I want you, Dr. Jeff Gardier, to listen carefully to this 911 call, okay?
- [13:32]
B
Are you right by your. Are you right by your husband right now? Yes. He's so pale. His mouth. Okay, so. Okay, listen carefully. Are you able to lay him on the floor or the ground? On the floor. On the ground. I. I'm shrinking. I can't. I can't. I can't. You can do it. You can do it. You need to calm down. We need to help them. I. I can guide you through cpr.
- [14:01]
A
I'm so drunk. I can't save my husband's life. Crime stories with nancy grace. Why was he yellow and white? Dr. William Maroney is with us. Author and renowned medical examiner and toxicologist. This is an OD of fentanyl, and I want you to explain what that does when your wife ODs you in a Moscow Mule. Why would he be yellow and white? Of course we're taking her word for it. I don't know that he was yellow and white, but explain what's happened to his body.
- [14:44]
G
His lack of blood causes him to go pale, so he doesn't have flesh tone. And it's not necessarily yellow, but it's more like a candle color. So white from pale and a sallow, like a candle color because there's no blood, there's no hemoglobin. When you die. Gravity pulls all the blood to your backside when you're laying in a bed. And he died with his mouth open because he was gasping. It's a respiratory arrest. He's gasping. It's a terrible death from fentanyl because your chest tightens up, and then you slowly stop breathing because fentanyl tells the brain to stop breathing.
- [15:36]
B
And.
- [15:36]
G
And sometimes the worst part about it is you begin to foam from your mouth. It's called foam cone, and it's specific to opioid overdoses like fentanyl. So it's messy, it's the wrong color, it's painful, and it takes a long time.
- [15:55]
A
You know, Dr. Maroney, that Eric's children, his boys, were, like, two doors down, one door down from the bedroom, while dad is gasping for breath, trying to live in the next room. Right? Now, hold that thought and listen to this.
- [16:14]
B
He doesn't have a pole. He doesn't have a pole. No. I don't know what's happening. I don't know. I'm here with you. You're not able to move him to the. The floor. Go out. Go out. Go out. Go out. Go out. Don't come in here. Don't come in here. Oh, my God. My
- [16:38]
A
omg. Don't come in here. Don't come in here. Oh, no. My children are coming in here. She killed him.
- [16:45]
H
Fattus.
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A
She killed him. And is feigning distress because her two little boys have run in, and daddy is cold to the touch and dead. Did you hear that? Don't come in here. Don't come in here. Omg. My kids came in here. Really?
- [17:01]
I
Could this be a person who has never been in this scenario before, never experienced this, doesn't know what to do? Their partner in life is unresponsive. They're on the phone with 911. They're trying to take direction. Oh, now the kids are at the door. There is so much going on, and perhaps they have not been trained to perform perfectly in such a scenario. And so I think defense would say that this is a distraught person who is sort of trying their best under extremely chaotic circumstances.
- [17:33]
D
Today is Eric's birthday. I stand before you because he can't. He was taken away from my dad, my sister, his nieces, his friends, our community, and worst of all, from his distance, three amazing sons.
- [17:57]
B
Sorry.
- [18:00]
D
He was taken away from us by a person he should have been able to trust, the person he should have trusted most in the world in the place of a stable, secure, and loving home. Corey gave the boys permanent trauma. They were in the house the night she killed their father. They were awake. They knew that something terrible had happened to their dad. As we heard on the 911 call during trial, one of them even walked into Eric's bedroom, where Eric's body laid dead, poisoned by someone who his son should have been able to unconditionally trust, love, and depend on. No child should have to bear that trauma. Corey used the boys as bargaining chips with my dad. She repeatedly threatened not to let him see his grandsons unless he could convince me, as Eric's trustee of his trust, to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets.
- [18:56]
A
And that's from our friends at East Idaho News. But I want you. Could you play that again on mute? That last bit of Kate Richards Benson. This is Eric's sister, the dead dad. Okay, Watch. Corey. Whoa, girl. Why are you acting surprised and smiling? That is not a good look in the courtroom when your dead husband that you killed sister is crying and you are making faces and rolling your eyes and acting like. What is she saying? She's saying the truth, woman. That again, from our friends at East Idaho News. Nate Eaton, to be exact. Dr. Gardier, help me out. What is her problem?
- [19:42]
K
Yeah, most people would, in responding to that, shake their head no. Or start crying or become angry. What I saw was, she's such a liar. Oh, I can't believe. It's almost like. Why are you laughing? It's so inappropriate, but may be appropriate to whatever her psychological or personality issues may be. It's. It's simply bizarre and appears to be very disingenuous.
- [20:14]
A
Okay, what about it, Fadis? Can't you control your client, for Pete's sake? Shouldn't you tell her not to roll her eyes and smirk and smile when her dead husband sister is up at the podium crying before court?
- [20:30]
I
I have an advisement with my client, and I let them know, hey, the eyes are going to be laser focused on you. Whether it's the jury, whether it's the judge during sentencing, whether it's the gallery. They are going to be watching your every move, your every reaction, every expression that you emote. You need to be mindful of that and how that could affect your case. You need to make sure you are in control of your faculties and not just sort of gesticulating around and, you know, reacting how you would if you were watching a reality show. This isn't a reality show. This is actual reality. And we are here for sentencing on a homicide case.
- [21:04]
A
Well, what should she be doing other than making faces at the victim's sister.
- [21:10]
I
I think a dignified and remorseful countenance at this juncture would be appropriate. Even if she believes she wasn't guilty, she probably did things that she regrets. She could have done things differently. I think it's important to have that expression convey that to the court, because the court is going to decide her ultimate fate if she is blase and cavalier and, you know, making a mocking expression at person who is genuinely expressing how they feel to the court. Yeah, that's a bad look.
- [21:41]
A
Well, apparently her lawyer told her to shut the hay up and start pretending to take notes. And I happened to get my hands on the note that she was writing in the courtroom. Dr. Williams, got a question for you. Let's juxtapose her behavior in court, all joking aside, and what happened to her husband because he wouldn't go along with her money deal. And now her children. You know what I just did, Dr. Maroney? I just took my daughter to register at college. Who's going to do that with these two boys? It's not going to be mom and dad. And whose fault is that?
- [22:29]
D
Hers.
- [22:30]
I
Hers.
- [22:31]
A
Moscow mule. Mom has destroyed her children's life. And one day, Dr. Maroney, they're going to watch this program, they're going to read this transcript, and they're going to find out what exactly happened to their father while they were one door down sleeping with mom. What did Eric Richens endure? What death? Did he wake up and go, I can't breathe? Did he try to call 911? Did he try to reach for his cell phone? What?
- [23:04]
G
There's a very specific syndrome we see in fentanyl overdoses. It's called wooden chest syndrome. Because you no longer feel that you have an expandable rib cage. Your muscles don't work, your chest is locked up, your mouth begins to gasp, and your heart pumps, but it pumps slower and slower, and you don't breathe. You don't get any oxygen in. I cannot view any type of death worse than suffocation because you're conscious until you're not conscious, and your whole lack of oxygen drives anxiety and fear before you actually die. There can be no other, worse death than suffocation by drug overdose. It has to be terrible. That's why he died with his mouth open, struggling. Wooden chest syndrome. His muscles wouldn't work, his brain didn't function, and your lungs fill up with fluid. You can't breathe through fluid.
- [24:16]
A
I just wonder if he tried to call 911, if he reached for his Cell phone? Or was he so out of it because of the fentanyl, he couldn't even move. Did he come to it all and see her standing there cackling at the end of the bed? Those are images and memories he took to his grave. But I do know this. According to his sister, she also drained the little boy's bank accounts.
- [24:43]
D
Corey also went to great lengths to jeopardize the boy's financial futures. I know you are very aware of this. Among other things, she drained the personal bank accounts that Eric had set up for his boys as college funds. She allowed the boys Social Security survivor benefits to be funneled to individuals who were not taking care of the boys. And she sued me in my role as Eric's trustee and personal representative, not once, not twice, but three separate times. The goal of her lawsuits is singular. She wants all of Eric's assets for herself.
- [25:25]
A
From our friends at East Idaho News. So her greed, as Dr. Jeff Gardier was describing, knew no bounds. And to top it all off, to Gigi McKelvey joining a star of pretty lies and alibis. Gigi, she then goes on, it's all about me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. She writes a book about grief. The book is supposed to be a child's guide to grief, a child living through grief. Hold on. Gigi McKelvey joining me right now, Nate Eaton from East Idaho News. What about the book, Nate?
- [26:05]
J
We did hear a lot about the book that Corey Richins wrote after her husband died and how she went on a local television show to promote it. And we learned that this book about how to deal with grief was actually written by a ghostwriter. It wasn't even written by Corey Richards. She hired someone to write the book for her and to illustrate the book, when she had gone on and said that she wrote it with her boys in mind to mourn their father, turns out that was a lie, too.
- [26:30]
A
Okay, to Gigi McKelvey, tell those people that are not familiar with. Are you with me? About how she Moscow mule mom goes on TV pushing her book, makes all of these appearance, book signings, the works, about a child dealing with the grief of losing their dad when she killed him.
- [26:52]
E
Yeah, it blows your mind. And to me, it's just a money grab because at that point, she knew that Eric had made that trust before he passed away. And that was a very good call by him because he thought she was trying to kill him. And, you know, I know too, that the anchors that had her on were so disturbed after they found out she had Been arrested for Eric's murder because she was very convincing. She was a good actress, but that was just, I think, to try to supplement some money with no regard for her boys lying to the public as a whole. She did not write the book. She didn't do anything with the book other than pay somebody to do it. So just the worst of the worst. And to. To tell the public she wrote that for her boys. She didn't write a word of that. And that is just typical Corey Richen. She's got a bad case of the liabilities.
- [27:41]
H
Nancy My husband passed away unexpectedly last year. So it's March 4, was a 1 year anniversary for us, and he was 39. It completely took us all by shock. And it's, you know, explaining to my kid, just because he's not present here with us physically, that doesn't mean his presence isn't here with us and he's doing these things with us. I just wanted some story to read to my kids at night. And I just could not find anything. I couldn't find anything that really, you know, suited them or helped them find comfort and peace. And so, you know, I was like,
- [28:16]
A
let's just write one from Good Things Utah. I mean, Dr. Gardier, she kills him, then writes a book, then positions herself on TV talking about the book. She didn't write the book. I forgot a ghostwriter did it. But Dr. Gardier, help me. There's got to be a name for this.
- [28:40]
K
Well, what we call it is compartmentalization and something that we see people who. With personality disorders. I haven't diagnosed her, but possible personalities do. They're able to do something so horrific, such as a murder, and then be able to push back all of those particular thoughts and then express themselves as something completely different from being a murderer that they know that they are. To now being a grieving widow, a caring mother, an author of a children's grief book that takes a lot of mental gymnastics. Gymnastics.
- [29:18]
A
I'm looking at Corey Richards, Moscow mule mom, walking around in her matching pajamas. This is Body Cam. They're all there trying to resuscitate her husband. Oh, yeah. Somebody pinch her so she can cry. There's no tears there. Good luck, girl. We could see through that. Hey, back out to Nate Eaton joining us from East Idaho News. Have I mentioned the secret boyfriend? What a day in the courtroom when he sauntered up to the stand.
- [29:48]
J
Right, Nate, I think that those of us in the courtroom and those watching the trial will never forget the day that Cory's secret boyfriend Walked into the courtroom. He went on the stand. He clearly did not want to be there. He was nervous to talk about their relationship. Their text messages were shown to the jury. He clearly loved Corey Richards, and she seemed to be using him. He would help fix up houses for her. She didn't really pay him. He said there was no set formal arrangements, but she kept leading him along that one day, all will be well. We'll be able to be together. But the moment when he said after Eric Richards died that they went for a drive up in the mountains, and she said to him, have you ever killed anyone? Because he had served in Iraq. And then she followed up with, what did it feel like? And that was just so interesting that she would think to ask that question as she was dealing with the death of her husband. And now we know she killed him, that that was the question she would ask her boyfriend.
- [31:02]
A
Crime stories with nancy grace. Doctor William Maroney has performed literally thousands of autopsies. When you hear words like that from a murderer, hey, have you ever killed anybody? What did it feel like? What's the cold, hard reality of seeing Eric Richens or any other dad on a slab in front of you and you have to perform the autopsy when you know there are children without a dad anymore? What did it feel like? My rear end.
- [31:39]
G
Here's the big difference. We don't have mental illness to blame here. I respect Dr. Gardere, but at this point in our career, when we're medical examiners, you're trying to differentiate a natural death from a homicide. And that homicide came from what we call a criminogenic brain. Besides being an author for my book, I am also a deputy sheriff. So we investigate this from the point of a crime, not just medically, but it's medical, legal. This is a criminogenic brain. Planning, executing, and then covering up his point of view is it's maybe a mental health and compartmentalization. And it's not that we're wrong, but we're looking at this from two different silos. When I see somebody on the table, it's my job to differentiate a natural death from an accident, from a homicide from a suicide. And the first thing you know is this person's coming into you, and they're just a father. And then you do toxicology, and then you do gross anatomy. And when you put it all together in the next 30 days, it's a crime. It comes from a criminogenic brain. Was that too big of a word?
- [33:01]
A
No, I liked it. Criminogenic brain. Crime oriented Dr. William Maroney, everyone. Not only medical examiner, but author of American Narcan and American Narcan, Volume 2. So we hear about her draining money. It's all about flipping that deal and making a profit. And, hey, my husband's dead. Party at my house, complete with champagne. Within 76 hours of his death. Celebrating the deal. She did the flip deal. There's the party. Okay. There's the grieving widow. Let's see. What. Okay. Oh, my goodness. Check that out. Who are these ghouls at the party? I mean, don't they know Eric Richards is barely cold in his grave? Oh, and they're. Look, Corey Rich is laughing like a hyena. Freaks. Freak. She is a freak. But that's not all. As soon as Eric is dead, she actually gets into a fight, a physical fight with his sister over, guess what? Money. Nate Eaton. Isn't that right?
- [34:13]
J
The jury was shown body cam footage of Corey right after her husband died. And then the day after her husband died, there was a confrontation between Corrie and Eric's sister over a safe in the garage. Corey wanted access to the safe, but before he died, Eric had changed the ownership of the home to the family trust that was managed by his sister. And so one of his sisters showed up and said, you don't have rights to get into that safe. And a physical altercation ensued. They fought with each other to the point Cory punched his sister in the throat. And the jury heard about this. The jury heard that there was a confrontation in the garage over the safe that Corey really wanted into the safe. There was money in there. There was some guns. There were some other personal items in there that she wanted access to.
- [35:03]
A
Eric Faddis, she is not worried at all about her dead husband or her children. She punched her husband's sister, punched her over a safe.
- [35:14]
I
I think from a defense perspective, they're going to look at that and say, hey, this is a person whose life is in shambles, right? Financially, it's in shambles. Romantically, it's in shambles. Familially, everything is crashing down on all sides for her. And, you know, if they're asserting her innocence, they're saying, hey, this is a person who was unstable in that moment. Yeah, there might be a dust up here or there. She might have a little tiff, especially with family, when they're talking about sensitive matters. And then when you look at that video of her celebrating, you know, what is she supposed to do? Just sort of, you know, crawl into a hole for the next, what, one year, five year 10 years or go on with her life. You know, I think that that's what her attorneys would argue.
- [35:55]
A
Gigi McKelvey, star, Pretty Lies and Alibis. You just heard Eric Faddis trying to distance the party from Eric's murder. And the other people at the party had no idea that Eric had been murdered. They had no idea. For all I know, they thought they were cheering her up. But let's clarify. Gigi McKelvey star, Pretty Lies and Alibis. When was this party? It was not a year after Eric's murder. When was
- [36:29]
E
was not. It was the day or the evening after he was murdered. And also the same day that she closed on that multimillion dollar Midway mansion. So these were Eric's friends there who, like you say, had no idea at this point she had murdered him. They were there for the boys. They were there for her just to cheer her up and be there, be present with no idea that the very that the killer was standing right there and celebrating and taking shots and drinking alcohol, which we heard from her own kids is not anything new for her. Celebrating that closing on that Midway mansion. And he was barely cold at that point.
- [37:08]
A
NANCY wow. Okay. Nate Eaton joining us from East Idaho News. Did she testify?
- [37:17]
J
The question through all of it was, was she going to testify and what was she going to say and what would the defense be? And you asked earlier about one of the most surprising moments in the trial. I think it could also be when the defense said they were resting for weeks. We had heard about their witnesses and the defense that they were gonna call and they might have dozens of witnesses. When it came down to it, they said we rest. And Corey Whitney, Corey Richards didn't say anything until it came time for sentencing.
- [37:45]
A
Was that a wise move? Eric Faddis, you've won a lot of trials as a defense attorney.
- [37:50]
I
Well, Hindsight is always 2020. You know, you always have the Monday morning quarterbacking of these trials. You know, they lost. And so, gosh, if she would have put up more of a fight, put up more witnesses, maybe she would have had a better chance. That being said, you know, Court Richards just her nature. She is kind of aloof, oblivious sometimes. She doesn't always have an awareness of how she's being. You can see that in the courtroom videos. So I wouldn't be surprised if her counsel had some reluctance to put her on the stand for fear of how she may be received even if she was innocent.
- [38:23]
A
COREY richards, bizarre rant at trial Even though she did not take the stand when it came to sentencing, Boy, she let loose. Listen, my sweet baby boys.
- [38:39]
H
I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me. But you may think you hate me, and that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. When the day comes that you're ready, I will be here for you, waiting for you and loving you. Secrets diminish self respect. They lose trust. They make us lose ourself. I fell in love with someone who wasn't your dad. Your dad fell in love with someone who wasn't me. I did things behind your dad's back. He did things behind mine. Don't keep secrets. Always put your spouse first. Your dad and I didn't always do this, but don't be like us in that aspect. We made mistakes that I know I regret. And I'm sure if you were here today, he would say that there are a few things he regrets as well.
- [39:33]
A
Oh, my stars. Okay. That's my friends at East Idaho News to Eric Faddis. If I were the judge and I heard her blaming the victim that she murdered, siphoning all of her children's money away that the husband had saved, and now she's blaming him. She's the one that had the sex affair, not that the husband.
- [39:56]
B
What?
- [39:57]
A
I'm sure if he were here today, but he can't because I killed him, he would say there are things he regrets.
- [40:04]
B
What?
- [40:05]
A
Did you hear that,
- [40:08]
I
Nancy? That's Exhibit A of why I wouldn't put her on the stand during the trial. She is just such a loose cannon. She really has no sense of decorum and what other people are expecting to hear from her. You know, this judge is looking for some semblance of remorse, some semblance of acknowledgment, of recognition of the gravity of what's happened and that for which she's been convicted. The jury already convicted her at this point. There was none of that in that statement. You know, I understand sort of wanting to get up there and vindicate your name in some glorious fashion, but you've got to read the room, and Corey Richards is horrible at reading the room.
- [40:46]
H
Our love is enough to protect each other, even though it may cost us everything. Love can make you lose yourself sometimes. It makes you do things you know you shouldn't, but knowing it's not wrong at the same time. Because your spouse is your person, your love is enough. Admit when you make a mistake, even when it's embarrassing or humiliating, even when it can ruin relationships, careers, or your integrity, be honest with Yourself and those you need to. But never apologize for something you didn't do. Never neglect to something you didn't do. And never beg for mercy for something you didn't do. Don't take the easy way out.
- [41:31]
A
Don't take the easy way out. Did I just hear that? Dave Mack, did you hear her say, don't admit to something you didn't do? The evidence is overwhelming that she did do this. Dave Mack, What's a tiny sample of the evidence proving her guilty? You've got her drug dealer that supplied her the fentanyl. Go on, Nancy.
- [41:56]
F
They had the prosecution was able to lay out the entire case against Corey Richards in such a way that you knew when she got the drugs, how many times she tried to poison her husband. Walking it through this timeline of the financial records that showed how she lied, cheated and stole from her husband financially to the point where Eric had to cover up his own finances to take care of his sons in the future if he wasn't here. So the evidence that was laid out before this case clearly made it so that Corey Richards was the only person motivated, had the opportunity at the time to pull off the murder of her husband. And the fact that even as she's stating this as sentencing in some allocation to her own sons to damage the character of their father shows she has no conscience about anything and doesn't care about her own children, only about herself.
- [43:04]
H
And I'm so sorry you boys are being pulled through the middle of this. This absolute chaos between two families fighting that both love you so very much. Trust and assets, our home, none of it matters. You boys are what matter. I'm sorry. That horror. People from a jury who have never met you or me or our family had the right to determine our future. And they did that in less than three hours.
- [43:48]
A
From our friends at East Idaho News, that being Nate Eaton, Dr. Jeff Gardier. You hear her blaming the jury because they came back in three hours. They had sat through days and days and days of testimony. And I know they're not supposed to take into account that she did not take the stand, but they notice. They notice she can't explain what happened and endure cross examination. There's a reason for that, but she's blaming them.
- [44:15]
K
She's blaming everyone and not taking any personal responsibility. And as one of your guests said, what is the legacy that she's leaving for the boys more than anything else, she's confusing them about values and about truth and about honesty. One last thing I've got to say with Dr. Dr. Maroney he and I don't disagree. Just because someone may have a personality disorder, we're looking at more of a sociopathic personality. And it doesn't mean that the person is mentally ill, and it doesn't mean that they're not guilty by reason of insanity or they're not competent. But it does mean that someone who does something like that morally and ethically may be very, very ill. And that's what we see with murderers.
- [45:02]
H
And as much as you've been influenced into thinking that dad was murdered, that I took your dad from you, that is completely wrong and an absolute lie. And the thought of that is still as absurd today as it was four years ago. And just because someone may not be perfect, that's a far reach for them to be capable of murder. To kill someone. Someone.
- [45:30]
A
Don't worry, girl. Nobody accused you of being perfect. Okay? What? I don't want you to be influenced into thinking your dad was murdered. A jury said that. No one is putting that in the boy's ears.
- [45:44]
C
But.
- [45:44]
A
But listen to this. Listen to this.
- [45:46]
H
Your dad was in physical pain. A lot of physical pain. And just because some people didn't know or didn't want to see certain things doesn't mean they weren't happening or they weren't true. He would have never left us intentionally. And I would have never taken him from you. From us.
- [46:12]
A
Gigi McKelvey. What is she saying? That her husband was in so much physical pain. From what? He was a young man, an athlete. He coached all the boys teams, all of them. What physical pain is she talking about? Is she trying to say he was in so much pain he OD'd on fentanyl?
- [46:31]
E
Yeah. I mean, he did have a history of Lyme disease. However, you know, here's the big thing, Nancy. Nobody that worked with him, his business partner, or clients of his said that Eric struggled at all to perform his duties at work. Lifting. He was a stone mason, so he is lifting heavy stones, not coming into work late. So it was just a reach for her throwing anything against the wall. One thing that stuck out to me about her statement, I was in the courtroom for this, by the way. It was very uncomfortable. They said 30 minutes, and we thought, oh, Lord, here we go. Is the. A couple of phrases she used. You may think you hate me. Like she's not validating the fact that her boys clearly hate her. And also, you may have been led to believe I murdered your dad. It's like, even in that. In the hopes, in her mind, they see this one day, she's already trying to make them doubt the things they already likely feel. But yeah, Eric was very healthy. He was at every game. He was a coach in the community. He rooted for kids that were not his. He paid for kids to be able to play that were not his. No sign from anybody, no word from anybody other than Corey that he was in this debilitating pain that would have caused him take this massive fentanyl overdose.
- [47:46]
A
Then she caps it all off with a tone deaf suggestion and directive to her two little boys.
- [47:55]
H
Love the outdoors. Find your peace, your therapy, your heart and soul. On the top of a mountain somewhere where it's quiet, where it's calm,
- [48:20]
B
where
- [48:20]
H
you will be able to feel the spirits of those that you love and miss the most. Be like your dad
- [48:30]
A
to Dr. Jeff Gardier, a renowned clinical psychologist and author of multiple books. Dr. Gardier, go find your peace. Go climb a mountain. Quote or something. They're going to be destroyed the rest of their lives with all sorts of abandonment issues, betrayal issues. Look, I'm just a trial lawyer. You're the shrink. And she tells them to go climb a mountain.
- [48:57]
K
Yeah, she's essentially kicking them out of the nest where there are no parents and where she's responsible for this complete debacle, trauma in their lives, and basically saying, good luck to you. Go do your thing. Wishing you the best. That's not what a mother does.
- [49:19]
A
Well, it didn't work. This is how her boys really feel.
- [49:24]
C
I want her to go to prison forever. If she got out, I would be so scared, really mad, and I wouldn't want to go with her anywhere. I'm worried that she would take me away from Katie and Clint. Once she is gone, I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more. You took away my dad for no reason other than greed. And you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. You were not caring and watching over me and my brothers. I had to be a parent to w. Now my dad can't be my coach anymore, can't be at any of my games. He won't be at my birthdays, he can't teach me how to drive. He won't be at my graduation and he can't take me camping or fishing. You made me paranoid about sleeping on my dad's side of the bed by saying I might die or get harmed when I was just trying to be close to my dad. After you killed him, you took away everything from me and my brothers. I don't want you out of jail because I will not feel safe if you are out. You have never said sorry for anything that you have done to me and my brothers. I don't want you to hurt anyone again. I know that you will need to stay in jail to fully take accountability for what you did to me. See W and my dad. With you and jail, I will be able to continue to feel safe and live a happy and successful life without fear of you hurting me or anyone I love.
- [50:58]
A
Still not a tear from Corey Richards as she hears therapists read her little boy's statements in court at this hour. Moscow Mule mom plotting her appeal, plotting a way to get a lesser sentence
- [51:20]
F
Nancy Using the recent decisions in South Carolina to overturn the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh, Corey Richards is seeking a new trial and in so doing the defense is going straight after the judge who sentenced Richens to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In a 14 page motion, the Richins defense team is asking the court to vacate Richens convictions, claiming the action actions of Judge Richard Mrazek during the trial favored the prosecution and created an appearance of bias against Corey Richens. Judge Mrazek says the allegations of bias present a conflict of interest for the court and he is seeking to recuse himself. Richen's defense says allowing the state to rely heavily on Richens financial crimes created substantial undue prejudice and denied Richens a fair trial. The presiding judge for the district willed review Razek's request for recusal and make a final determination. But Nancy, in another part of the case that is similar to the Murdoch case mentioned in the filing, Richen still faces nearly 30 felonies in another case prosecutors filed last June representing the full scope of Richen's alleged financial misdeeds.
- [52:28]
A
We wait as justice unfolds and we remember tonight American Hero Deputy Sheriff Michael Hartwick, Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff passed away in the line of duty, leaving behind two grieving sons, William and Brandon. American Hero Deputy Sheriff Michael Hartwick. Thank you to our guests, but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Gray signing off for tonight, but I'll see you tomorrow night and until then, good night friend. This is an I Heart podcast, guaranteed human.