"Moscow Mule Murderer's" Children Beg Judge to Put Mom Away for Life | Crime Alert 05.15.26

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: "Moscow Mule Murderer's" Children Beg Judge to Put Mom Away for Life | Crime Alert 05.15.26
Date: May 15, 2026
Host/Contributor: Sydney Silvani for Nancy Grace

This episode of Crime Stories with Nancy Grace delivers an in-depth look at Corey Richens’ sentencing in one of the most shocking family crime sagas in recent years. The coverage focuses on dramatic courtroom moments as Richens, a children's book author, is sentenced to life without parole for killing her husband with a fatal fentanyl cocktail—underlining the devastating impact on her own children and the wider family. The episode also covers two other headline-making crimes: the alleged torture and murder of a young boy in Pennsylvania and a grisly dismemberment case unfolding in Phoenix.

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Segment 1: The Corey Richens ("Moscow Mule Murderer") Case

Case Background

• [00:35] Sydney Silvani: Corey Richens—children’s book author known for writing about grief—was convicted of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, by poisoning his drink with fentanyl five times over the lethal limit.
• Motive presented as a mix of greed and deception: prosecutors detailed her $7.5 million personal debt, the immediate closing on a $2.9 million mansion the day Eric died, and subsequent rapid spending of insurance payouts.
• Sentencing: Judge Richard Mrozic handed down life without parole, emphasizing the need to protect the public and especially Richens’ own children from future harm.

Notable Courtroom Moments and Quotes

Children's Heartbreaking Testimony

• [01:51] Corey Richens' Son (statement read to the court):

  "You took away my dad for no reason other than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. Now my dad can't be my coach anymore, can't be at any of my games... 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."
  [01:51]

Judge’s Rationale

• [00:35] Sydney Silvani: Reports the judge saw Richens as “simply too dangerous to ever be free,” highlighting the lasting terror she caused her children.

Corey Richens' Statement

• [02:44] Corey Richens (addressing her sons during sentencing):

  "My sweet baby boys. I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me, or you may think you hate me. And that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. But I need you boys to know that I have been desperately trying to get in contact with you any way that I can for years. I did not abandon you... Regardless of what anyone tells you. I would never, ever leave you boys." [02:44]

• Continued to deny responsibility, calling the notion she murdered their father "an absolute lie and absurd." [03:19]

Victim Impact: Eric's Family Speaks

• [03:19] Sydney Silvani: Eric’s sister, Katie Richins Benson, reminded the court of her brother’s lost future and denounced Corey's manipulative tactics within the family during a statement delivered on what would have been Eric’s 44th birthday.
• [03:51] Katie Richins Benson:

  "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, to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets."
  [03:51]

Legal Aftermath

• [04:02] Sydney Silvani: Richens’ defense highlighted positive jail behavior and submitted letters of leniency; her legal team indicated plans to appeal, with her brother alleging “the system has lost its way.”

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Segment 2: Pennsylvania Child Abuse & Murder Case

Case Summary

• [04:51] Sydney Silvani: In Pennsylvania, Lauren Maliburdi is on trial for the torture and death of her adopted 5-year-old son, Landon (2023).
• Prosecutors allege Landon suffered horrific abuse: humiliation, isolation, even being forced to drink from a toilet.
• Medical examiners found severe injuries and extensive bruising upon his hospitalization.

Key Testimonies

• [05:05] Sydney Silvani:
  • Lauren testified that it was her husband Jacob who inflicted the fatal injuries, claiming he locked her out, ignored her pleas to seek help.
  • Jacob is being tried separately; he maintains he believed Landon's injuries were from a medical event and denies abuse.

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Segment 3: Phoenix Dismemberment Case

Case Summary

• [05:55] Sydney Silvani: Police discovered human remains—head and hands missing—in the apartment of Christopher Michael Ebanks ("Draco").
• Violence reportedly began after an argument over rent; the victim’s torso was wrapped and hidden, and the whole scene reeked of bleach and showed signs of frantic cleaning.
• Witness: Selena Blanco, Ebanks’ girlfriend, told police she was forced at gunpoint to help clean and destroy evidence.
• Ebanks was already on probation and is now held on $1 million bond. The victim remains unidentified.

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Notable Quotes & Emotional Moments

• [01:51] Corey Richens' Son:

  "You took away my dad for no reason other than greed..."

• [02:44] Corey Richens:

  "I did not abandon you. I did not just walk out of your lives one day. To never return, to never call, to never show up...I would never, ever leave you boys."

• [03:51] Katie Richins Benson:

  "...she repeatedly threatened not to let him see his grandsons unless he could convince me...to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets."

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Timeline & Timestamps

• [00:35] Corey Richens sentencing recap begins
• [01:51] Richens' son reads emotional impact statement
• [02:44] Corey Richens addresses her sons in court
• [03:19] Host details evidence and prosecution narrative
• [03:51] Eric’s sister speaks about manipulation and loss
• [04:51] Pennsylvania child abuse/murder case coverage
• [05:55] Phoenix dismemberment/kidnapping case details

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In Summary

This episode offers a powerful, emotionally charged window into how a devastating family murder can ripple through the lives of innocent children and relatives. The unfiltered statements of Corey Richens’ sons—pleading for their mother's incarceration—stand as the most poignant moments. The coverage emphasizes the complicated legacy of crime, betrayal, and lasting trauma for victims’ families. For listeners following high-profile true crime stories, this episode is a stark reminder of the human cost behind the headlines, blending intimate courtroom moments with breaking news from around the nation.

Transcript

[Sydney Silvani]

This is an I Heart Podcast.

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[Sydney Silvani]

Crime Alert Hourly Update Breaking crime news Now. I'm Sydney Silvani. The search for justice in a case that captivated the nation has reached a definitive conclusion in a Utah courtroom. Corey Richens, the children's book author who rose to infamy for allegedly writing about grief while masking her own role in creating it, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing, handed down Wednesday by Judge Richard Mrozic marks the final chapter in the saga defined by what prosecutors called a lethal cocktail of greed and deception. Richards was convicted of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, by spiking his drink with a fatal dose of fentanyl, five times the lethal limit. In a courtroom thick with tension, Judge Mrozic was blunt about the necessity of the sentence, stating that Richins is simply too dangerous to ever be free. He noted that even under a lesser sentence, she wouldn't have seen a parole board until her mid-60s. But the severity of her actions and the terror she instilled in her own children demanded the maximum penalty. The most heartbreaking testimony came not from investigators but from the couple's three sons. In statements read to the court, her boys expressed a profound fear of their mother, even asking the judge to keep her behind bars for life.

[Corey Richens' Son]

You took away my dad for no reason other than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. Now my dad can't 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.

[Sydney Silvani]

The defense attempted to paint a different picture, presenting letters of leniency and highlighting Richen's participation in jail programs when it was her turn to speak Corey Richens turned her attention to her sons, maintaining her innocence in a statement that investigators might call one last manipulation.

[Corey Richens]

My sweet baby boys. I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me, or you may think you hate me. And that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. But I need you boys to know that I have been desperately trying to get in contact with you any way that I can for years. I did not abandon you. I did not just walk out of your lives one day. To never return, to never call, to never show up. Regardless of what anyone tells you. I would never, ever leave you boys.

[Sydney Silvani]

She went further, claiming the idea that she murdered their father was an absolute lie and absurd. However, the evidence presented at trial told a story of a woman drowning in $7.5 million of debt, who closed on a $2.9 million mansion the day her husband died and immediately began spending insurance proceeds. Eric's sister, Katie Richins Benson, stood before the court on what would have been Eric's 44th birthday to remind everyone who the real victim was. Corey used the boys as bargaining chips with my dad. She repeatedly threatened not to let him

[Corey Richens]

see his grandsons unless he could convince

[Sydney Silvani]

me, as Eric's trustee, to capitulate to

[Corey Richens]

her legal demands and give her all the trust assets.

[Sydney Silvani]

Richens legal team has already signaled their intent to appeal, with her brother issuing a statement to Fox News claiming the system has lost its way. For now, Corey Richards remains behind bars, a mother whose story of grief has been permanently rewritten as a story of cold blooded murder. More crime and justice news after this.

[Podcast Host 1]

I sold my car in Carvana last night.

[Corey Richens]

Well, that's cool.

[Podcast Host 1]

No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong.

[Sydney Silvani]

So what's the problem?

[Podcast Host 1]

That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes to smoothie. I'm waiting for the catch.

[Sydney Silvani]

Maybe there's no catch.

[Podcast Host 1]

That's exactly what a catch would want me to think.

[Sydney Silvani]

Wow.

[Corey Richens' Son]

You need to relax.

[Podcast Host 1]

I need a knock on wood. Do we have. What is this?

[Amazon Health AI / Commercial Announcer]

Table wood?

[Sydney Silvani]

I think it's laminate.

[Podcast Host 1]

Okay. Yeah, that's good. That's close enough.

[Corey Richens' Son]

Car selling without a catch. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up.

[Sydney Silvani]

These may apply. In Pennsylvania, a trial that has laid bare the horrific final days of a five year old boy took a sharp turn this week as a mother took the stand to point the finger at her own husband. Lauren Maliburdi is facing first degree murder charges in the 2023 death of her adopted son Landon. Prosecutors have painted a picture of a household that resembled a torture chamber, alleging Landon was humiliated, isolated and even forced to drink from a toilet. When he was finally hospitalized in January 2023, doctors found brain bleeding, massive swelling and bruises covering nearly every inch of his small body. On Wednesday, Lauren Maliburti testified that it wasn't her but her husband, Jacob, who delivered the fatal blows. She claims she heard Landon screaming behind a locked door and that Jacob prevented her from seeking medical help. This directly contradicts Jacob Maliberti's own testimony taking the stand for the prosecution. Jacob, who is being tried separately, claimed he never harmed the boy and believed Landon was suffering from a medical incident until the moment of his arrest. A horrifying discovery in a Phoenix apartment has led to the arrest of a 32 year old man in a case involving kidnapping and a grisly dismemberment. Christopher Michael Ebanks, known by the alias Draco, is now facing first degree murder charges after police found human remains missing the head and hands inside his home. The Investigation began on May 7 when a local man contacted police after his daughter, Selena Blanco, confessed that her boyfriend had been killed, according to a probable cause statement. When officers arrived at the scene, they were met with the overwhelming scent of bleach. They found signs of a desperate cleanup wet floors, cleaning supplies and blood stains throughout the unit. The victim's torso had been wrapped in carpeting, in an air mattress, then bound with an extension cord. Blanco told investigators that the violence erupted during an argument over rent money. She claims Ebanx stabbed her boyfriend repeatedly with a knife, then held her at gunpoint, forcing her to help him scrub the crime scene and destroy evidence by showering. Ebanks, who was already on probation for weapons and drug charges, was located the following day. During a search of his Glendale apartment, police discovered a suitcase containing further human remains. Ebanx is currently held on a $1 million cash bond. As of now, the identity of the victim has not been released Leav leaving a family waiting for confirmation of a nightmare for the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to tune in Monday on your favorite podcast app with this crime alert. I'm Sydney Silvani.

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[Sydney Silvani]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.