Book of Lies

Summary

Dateline NBC: “Book of Lies”

Original Air Date: April 28, 2026
Host: Lester Holt / Andrea Canning
Theme: The double life of Corey Richins—author, widow, and ultimately, accused (and convicted) murderer of her husband Eric, in a tale of secrets, financial desperation, and a children's grief book masking a darker reality.

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Episode Overview

This episode tracks the stunning rise and fall of Corey Richins, a Utah wife and mother, after the mysterious death of her husband, Eric Richins. Initially perceived as a grieving widow who penned a children’s book to help her sons cope, Corey’s story unravels in spectacular fashion—revealing secrets, financial peril, lies, and ultimately, her conviction for Eric’s murder via fentanyl poisoning. The episode intricately details Eric’s death, the family’s suspicions, the police investigation, legal battles, and the courtroom drama that led to justice for Eric’s family.

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Key Discussion Points & Timeline

1. Eric's Sudden Death

• [01:01–15:00]
  • Incident: On March 4, 2022, Corey Richins reports finding her husband Eric cold and unresponsive in bed after a night spent separately with their children and “celebrating” work success.
  • Initial Response: Paramedics and law enforcement see no clear cause—Eric had seemed healthy (“strong as an ox” [00:13]), local friends stunned.
  • Family’s Grief: The family is devastated and confused by the loss of Eric at just 39 years old.

Notable Quote:

• “He didn’t just die in his sleep. This is insane.” – Corey Richins, [08:05]

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2. Portrait of a “Perfect” Family—and Hidden Tensions

• [10:05–14:36]
  • Courtship: Corey and Eric’s romance began at Home Depot, quickly leading to marriage and children.
  • Financial Success & Ambition: Eric’s masonry business booms; Corey flips homes, eyes a $3.75M “Midway Mansion.”
  • Corey’s Challenging Past: Corey grew up moving frequently; her father was incarcerated; she seeks stability through marriage and children.
  • Strains: Behind the idyll, financial secrets fester—Eric and Corey are keeping things from each other; family rifts grow over asset protection.

Notable Quote:

• “Almost every one of them were [interested in Corey].” – Linda King, [10:48]
• “The betrayal is remarkable and unique.” – Narrator, [07:38]

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3. Eric’s Death: Suspicions, Investigation, and a Shocking Autopsy

• [22:01–28:00]
  • Unanswered Questions: Autopsy reveals fentanyl in Eric’s system—over five times a lethal dose, pure street fentanyl.
  • No Drug History: Friends, family, and colleagues adamant that Eric was not a drug user.
  • Escalating Suspicion: Search warrants issued—no fentanyl or paraphernalia found at home. Investigators grow suspicious of Corey’s story.

Notable Quotes:

• “Eric has fentanyl in his body—more than five times a lethal amount.” – Interviewer, [01:35]
• “He wasn’t really known as some type of drug user in the community.” – Interviewer, [25:10]
• “It’s pretty evident that Eric has fentanyl in his body, which is an absolute, a game changer for this investigation.” – Former Det. Wayne Nichols, [24:11]

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4. Corey’s Children’s Book & Public Persona

• [30:14–34:53]
  • Book Launch: Corey self-publishes Are You With Me?, about a father as a guardian angel; promotes it on TV; aims to comfort her sons.
  • Media Blitz: Corey appears as a grieving, inspirational mother.
  • Rumors Begin: TV hosts and local reporters receive anonymous tips: “You know, she killed her husband.”
  • Discrepancies Surface: Corey gave inconsistent stories about Eric’s cause of death.

Notable Moment:

• “Did you know that she is a suspect in the murder of her husband?” – Anonymous message to TV station, [30:41]

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5. Family Feud & Financial Deceit

• [17:51–21:19]
  • Trust and Assets: After Eric's death, Corey discovers Eric set up a trust excluding her from family assets; altercations ensue.
  • Corey’s Financial Motive: Evidence emerges of Corey’s debt, forgery, and resentment over losing the “Midway Mansion” deal.
  • Lawsuits: Corey sues Eric’s sister Katie (trust executor), escalating family tension.

Notable Quote:

• “They're taking my house, Bryce. This is my damn house.” – Corey, phone call after Eric’s death, [20:27]

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6. Police Pursue Clues: The Housekeeper Connection

• [46:29–54:45]
  • Text Trail: 800 deleted texts between Corey and her housekeeper, Carmen Lauber—who has a serious drug history.
  • Crucial Testimony: Under pressure, Carmen admits Corey repeatedly asked her to get “Michael Jackson stuff” (code for lethal drugs) for a “real estate investor.”
  • Drug Delivery: Drugs left in a home fire pit; traced to Carmen’s supplier, Robert Crozier.
  • Arrest: Corey is finally arrested, media frenzy ensues.

Notable Quotes:

• “Carmen said Corey wanted the Michael Jackson stuff.” – Interviewer, [53:05]
• “Corey Richins is here in the Summit county jail tonight. We're told she is being held without bail.” – [54:45]

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7. The Courtroom Drama: Trial, Testimonies & Revelations

• [58:14–83:47]
  • Prosecution’s Case:
    • Motive: Corey’s overwhelming debt, life insurance, and brewing affair (with employee Josh Grossman).
    • Evidence: Digital forensics (searches on fentanyl and “luxury prisons”), testimony from Josh and Carmen; allegations of forgery, fraud, and premeditated attempts (including the Valentine's Day sandwich & drinks).
    • Children’s book theory: A cynical attempt to profit from tragedy.
  • Defense:
    • Argues lack of physical evidence—no fentanyl found in the home, challenges Carmen’s credibility, suggests Eric could have used unknown drugs.
    • Points to Corey’s earlier searches as post-facto and motivated by curiosity for her legal situation.
    • No witnesses called by the defense; relies on cross-examination of state witnesses.
  • Jury Deliberation:
    • Rapid verdict—“shaking, trembling” Corey as she's found guilty on all counts.

Notable Quotes:

• “How to completely wipe an iPhone clean remotely. Can cops uncover deleted messages? Luxury prisons for the rich in America. Signs of being under FBI investigation. What is a legal dose of fentanyl?” – Listing Corey’s web searches, [63:49]
• “Do you solemnly swear the testimony you’re about to give… is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” – Judge to Josh Grossman, [68:46]
• “We, the jury unanimously find that the defendant, Corey Richins is guilty of aggravated murder.” – Court, [84:28]

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8. Aftermath and Reflections

• [85:17–87:13]
  • Corey’s Fate: Awaiting sentencing; faces life in prison, additional fraud charges pending.
  • Family Statement: Eric’s family expresses relief and a focus on Eric’s memory and the boys’ future.
  • Children’s Welfare: Corey’s children live with Eric’s relatives; her book goes out of print.
  • Community Reactions: Friends and community members express a blend of sadness and closure.

Notable Quotes:

• “Eric was just a simple, good guy, you know, and his kids don’t have a dad, you know, and that’s the part that hits me hard ... but it’s not fair.” – Gabe Morin, [87:28]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Corey’s Webinar Persona:
  “How in the world can you come on live TV, put yourself in the spotlight, want publicity for your product, and tell us that the most important thing to you is to keep his memory alive each and every day?” – Interviewer, [55:19]

• The Affair:
  “During that time, did you feel that she loved you? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I think she did.” – Josh Grossman, [69:25]

• Prosecution’s Motive Statement:
  “More than anything, she wanted his money. To perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence, and success.” – Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth, [65:33]

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Jury Insights

• Assessment: Jury moved quickly to a guilty verdict, citing digital evidence and credible corroboration of Carmen's testimony.
• Key Factors:
  • “Frankly, her testimony combined with the digital evidence of her travels, really corroborated her testimony.” – Juror, [82:25]
  • “Every time I tried to give her a lifeline or an off ramp, it just ended, and it just pointed right back to her.” – Juror Mark, [83:47]

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Conclusion

“Book of Lies” offers a gripping, tragic, and ultimately cathartic examination of the Richins case, peeling back the mask of a family in crisis, a mother’s duplicity, and a justice system’s pursuit to uncover the truth behind a façade built on love—but doomed by greed, deceit, and murder.

Transcript

[Narrator/Reporter]

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[Interviewer/Investigator]

mom away from her babies. And this means war. I'm ready to get this one heck of a fight. Something's wrong with Eric.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Corey says she went into the master bedroom. He's cold. He doesn't have a pulse.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric died in his sleep. He seemed like a healthy guy, strong as an ox.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She was a mess, just shattered.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey wrote a book for kids on coping with grief. We think here she is trying to help other families.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I thought, wow, that's wonderful.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The results of the toxicology come back and it's stunning.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Eric has fentanyl in his body more

[Interviewer/Investigator]

than five times a lethal amount.

[Narrator/Reporter]

People have skeletons in their closet.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric and Corey both had secrets they were keeping from each other.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Did you feel that she loved you? Yeah. Yeah, I think she did. We see a whole other side that we didn't know about.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Sex, greed, lust, secrets, money. There's so many layers to it. That's what blows my mind.

[Narrator/Reporter]

A young widow wrote the book on Greece. But was she grieving or scheming? I'm Lester Holt and this is Dateline. Here's Andrea Canning with book of lies.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

There are times in life when we all deal with grief. But some losses cut deeper than others. When a 39 year old father died suddenly, his widow set out to help their three young sons make sense of it. She published a book called are you with me? About a father who becomes a guardian angel. Talking about loss with kids can be a tricky subject. Then she went on a to share it with the world. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced. Last year, before that awful loss, it seemed Eric and Cory Richens led A charmed life, a beautiful couple. They both looked very successful. They looked very happy together raising their boys in this idyllic place surrounded by mountains just outside of Park City, Utah. But things aren't always as they seem. TV lifestyle host who's now in the middle of a murder investigation. It's crazy. This is the most surreal thing that has happened in my career.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How did this happen to a normal mom having a really good life? How did it get from there to here? 911

[Interviewer/Investigator]

it all began on March 4, 2022 with a pre dawn call to 911.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay, tell me exactly what happened. I don't know what this came in. I was sleeping with my kids.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey Richens told the dispatcher she'd woken up to find her husband Eric not breathing.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He's just cold.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Who's cold?

[Narrator/Reporter]

My husband.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

First responders arrived at the house on Willow Court 10 minutes later.

[Narrator/Reporter]

What's your first name? So what happened today? He was just fine. He was fine.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey told deputies she had already tried cpr. Paramedics continued those life saving efforts. She's had two epies in her can. Reporter Shelby Lofton covered the story for NBC affiliate ksl. They're doing what they can, but the efforts are failing. And so the bedroom is loud and chaotic. There's a lot of people in there, but it doesn't look like this is a man whose life can be saved. Father and local businessman Eric Richens was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies asked Corey about their night.

[Narrator/Reporter]

What time did you see him when he was alert?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

We had a drink together at nine to celebrate something at work tomorrow.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

What does Corey say happened that night?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Corey says that the night Eric died they decided to have a Moscow Mule and a Lemon drop.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

She told the deputies after the two drinks, she and Eric turned in for the night. We went to bed.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I went to bed with my kids. He went to bed, our bed.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Nate Eaton followed the story for East Idaho News.

[Narrator/Reporter]

One of their sons was having a rough night, having nightmares. So she went to lie down with him. She stayed in his bed, likely fell asleep for some time.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I just woke up.

[Narrator/Reporter]

When I slept with my kids.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I'll wake up and I go back

[Narrator/Reporter]

in my own bed.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I just crawled over on his side

[Narrator/Reporter]

and he was laying in bed.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

He was on his back on the bed.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And then she realized something wasn't right. He wasn't snoring. Normally he snored. She jumped out of bed. She turned on the light. He doesn't have a pulse.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey called her mom, Lisa Darden with the horrible news.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Mom. Mom.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When Lisa got there, she wondered if Eric's recent allergy shots had something to do with his death or maybe a reaction to his shots yesterday. I mean, he said feel good from them.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Like he didn't look good last night.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

He looked pale last night.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And I.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

He just. I asked if you were okay and. Yeah, but he was saying his chest was hurting. Soon they got word to Corey's older brother. Dj. How do you get the news that Eric has died?

[Narrator/Reporter]

My mom called me that morning to let me know, and then I jumped in the car and headed down there immediately.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

That's such, you know, just shocking news when someone is that age, so young to just die in the middle of the night. Yeah, it's not normal.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's not. Oh, my God. I gotta breathe. I just talked to him like a couple hours ago.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When Eric's sister Katie arrived, Corey told her what she had told deputies. And I just turned over to cuddle in anybody who.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Which is so cold.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

As Eric's family and friends struggled with his loss, they could not have known the saga of Eric and Corey Richence would take years to untangle.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The betrayal here is remarkable and unique.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Something was about to happen that would rock your family to its core.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It did. I can't even describe it. I mean, who. Whoever sees that coming.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

It's one of those stories that has sex, greed, lust, secrets.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Right, Money.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The first thing I thought about when I heard this story was, this is

[Narrator/Reporter]

gonna be on Dateline.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I know it is. My husband's active. He didn't just die in his sleep.

[Narrator/Reporter]

This is insane.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

By morning, the paramedics and deputies had packed up and left the Richins house in small town Camas, Utah. The sad news traveled fast. At the Mirror Lake diner, the breakfast rush was in full swing when owner Gabe Morin first heard about his friend. Who called you with the news?

[Narrator/Reporter]

My wife.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

That's a shocker when, you know, you just don't ever expect to get news like that. He seemed like a healthy guy, right?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Young, vibrant, strong as an ox. Sounded like natural causes. And very unexpected.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric always seemed the picture of good health. Gabe says he loved outdoor sports, especially snowmobiling.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We're snowmobiling at 11,000ft. He's not having any problems. He's not short of breath. He's in very strong, good shape.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You saw Eric the day he died?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, that morning. He came in and had his chicken fried steak. We chatted for a bit. Everything was normal.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

How did he look physically to you when he Was here.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. Healthy, normal.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Less than 24 hours later, he's gone.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey's brother DJ arrived from Wyoming to console his sister.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I mean, Corey was, I'll say, a puddle in a corner. It was like every time you turn around, she's just bawling her eyes out, you know, There was a few of us there that were kind of keeping the boys preoccupied or.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah. And your heart is obviously breaking for Corey and for your three nephews.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yes. Yeah. I mean, and he was a good friend of mine, you know. So as soon as I got the news, I broke the.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric and his two sisters were raised in a tight knit family. He was particularly close with his father, Gene, who taught him the value of hard work at the family's cattle ranch. During college, Eric took on some masonry work. It was on one of those jobs that he met Corey at the Home Depot. She worked there part time between college classes. She was a darling, sociable, just nice, cute, bubbly, very smart. I thought Linda King works alongside Corey at the registers. I was always like the mother hen, you know, how guys can get. Were the guys interested in Corey then? Almost every one of them were, yeah. Sometimes she'd get a little scared, you know, so I'd have to walk over

[Narrator/Reporter]

there and tell them, come on over to my register, you know, and deal

[Interviewer/Investigator]

with mama over here, you know, so they would. You're like her protector. I was. Linda did approve of one customer who took an interest in Corey. Why was Eric your favorite customer? He just had the best personality. He had the laugh. Aw, the laugh. Yeah. Corey liked him too. She goes, I like him. You know, and it didn't take very long.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And they were going out on a date.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

This is like out of a rom com, you know, meeting at Home Depot. Oh, yeah, she's working there. He comes in. Yes. And they were on the fast track. Within a few months, Corey moved in with Eric. And soon she was expecting a baby boy. She was excited to be a mom. Was that always something she wanted to be?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Over the moon? I didn't know that so much until she had her first son. And that was her life calling, was to be a mom.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

They eventually married and Eric started his own masonry business with his best friend. They did rock on.

[Narrator/Reporter]

These beautiful, beautiful homes here in Park City. I mean, gorgeous 20,000 square foot homes.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yeah, I've seen some of Eric's work. It's beautiful. Yes.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I mean, their work is incredible. But Eric had such a drive and a direction that I think really propelled

[Interviewer/Investigator]

that company and gave Eric financial independence to buy that spacious five bedroom home. A good thing because soon the couple would welcome two more sons. Life was good for Corey and Eric and the boys.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yes. Yeah, it was, it really was.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

According to Corey, it was a much more stable life than she knew as a child.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Corey did not have the best of childhoods. Her father served time in prison. And she says that by the time she was a teenager, she had lived to two dozen places that they had moved all over the place. For us to stay in one spot for three, four months was saying a lot. We would move quite a bit. It was probably different than most kids grow up, obviously.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

D.J. says his sister was driven. As a teenager, Corey worked for her aunt's cleaning business, helping care for some of Park City's most lavish homes. Now with her new life, she wasn't interested in cleaning houses. Corey wanted to flip them and get in on the booming real estate market. Corey's good friend Greg hall, who owns a marketing company, helped her get the word out her house flipping. Is it like hgtv?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, kind of. She would find something that she felt that she could buy at the right price and fix it up and flip it and make a profit.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

By 2022, the couple was bringing in significant money. And between three kids and two careers, their lives were constantly in motion.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Busy, busy, busy. Soccer, I mean, soccer was Eric's passion, but it was also the boys. And they gave back to the community a lot. I mean, they were busy.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And Corey was working on the biggest deal of her career. The purchase of a 20,000 square foot home she called the Midway Mansion. This estate was quite something, was an unfinished house in the middle of this beautiful valley surrounded by our gorgeous snow capped mountains. That's a massive deal. This wasn't just something that was pennies, this was millions of dollars to buy. And then in the middle of all that, Corey got Covid and Eric suddenly

[Narrator/Reporter]

fell ill. And he gets really, really sick on Valentine's Day to the point that he has to lie down and take a nap in the middle of the day. That is not Eric. Eric does not stop. He's not going to lay down for 90 minutes on a weekday and have a nap because he doesn't feel well.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric told a friend he thought it might have been an allergic reaction to a sandwich he ate after using an EpiPen. He felt better, but perhaps it was a warning sign of things to come because two weeks after that, Eric was dead. A deputy at the scene told Corey there would be an autopsy because he

[Narrator/Reporter]

was in good health and his age and everything like that. Okay, our medical examiner is going to come and do their investigation real quick. And then also our detective, just to make sure that everything's documented. Documented, you know, correctly.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

As Eric's body went off to the medical examiner's office, his family made funeral arrangements. And Corey was about to discover that her husband had been keeping a secret.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I mean, when you're told your husband just died, this is no longer your house, there's probably going to be an altercation. And there was.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

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[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, absolutely, yeah. I mean, to lose it. I lost my dad when I was 20. For these kids to lose their dad and you know what? 7 years old, 10 years old, I mean, that's crazy. That's terrible.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

How are the boys handling it?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I don't think for them at their age that it had actually clicked in their mind what had just happened.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey's friend Greg Hall Says she lost the love of her life. How was she doing?

[Narrator/Reporter]

She was a mess. She was just shattered. It completely destroyed her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

But as Corey grieved in those early days, she also started getting Eric's affairs in order.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was a safe in the garage that she was trying to get in and call the locksmith to open up the safe. And Eric's sister arrived and said, hold on. You can't go in the safe.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And then the sister, Amy, dropped a bombshell. She told Corey that Eric's other sister, Katie, was in charge of his estate and that the house didn't even belong to Corey. And that situation did not end well.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, Amy said that Corey did end up punching her. And the police were called to the home. I mean, when you're told, you know, your husband just died, and you're told this is no longer your house, there's probably gonna be an altercation. And there was. There's a little bit of pushing. I got between them. And then once you were there. I was there once I was between them. Obviously, they're both throwing over the top of me.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

How mad was Corey when she realized what was really happening?

[Narrator/Reporter]

The police took her upstairs into Eric's office in the garage area. And they actually put Katie's attorney on the phone with Corey so she could pretty much explain to Corey that, you know, nothing belongs to Corey at this point. So I think, you know, she was obviously pretty upset with that.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

A year and a half before he died, while the couple was going through a rough patch, Eric had secretly gone to an estate planner to set up a trust. He put his sister Katie in charge. The trust states that in the event of Eric's death, Corey would be provided for, but everything else, all other assets would go to their sons. Those are big steps that he took, creating this trust, putting it in his sister's name.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Right. He took big steps before he died and then telling his family that, listen, you're going to be the owner of the trust, but don't tell her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

If Corey was surprised, perhaps she shouldn't have been. The Richins family had always been protective of Eric's assets. Did Corey ever confide in you about some of the things we. With Eric's family?

[Narrator/Reporter]

The only thing that she ever did tell me was that the prenup was signed five minutes before she walked down the aisle. She was in her wedding dress, ready to go through the doors, down the aisle, and then it was presented to her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

That's a tough thing on your wedding day.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, I think that would be kind of you wouldn't expect that. It was pretty much an ultimatum to her that, hey, they're sign it or we're not getting married. And, well, here she is holding the baby at that point, obviously she's going to sign it Now.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

With her world falling apart, Corey called Eric's best friend to vent. Her friend recorded the call. They're taking my house, Bryce. This is my damn house.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I thought the house was gonna stay with you no matter what.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

No, the house goes to the trust's name, which goes to Katie. She has the right to sell it. She has the right to remodel it. She has the right to do whatever. I have no rights to the house, so to speak, of the trust.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But Eric would always say that you were his wife, you were the mother of his children, and he loves you, right? And so he would do anything for you and those three boys. I know if Eric was still here today, he would say, no, bull. I need Corey to be protective. But unfortunately, he didn't set her up that way. I just want my house and my

[Interviewer/Investigator]

stuff and my house that me and Eric bought. I just want my house. Thank you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They can have all the money. They can have all the money.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

A week after he died, with family tensions running high, Eric's loved ones gathered for his funeral. You were so close with Eric that you were a pallbearer at his funeral.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It was a very sad service.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric's friend Gabe sensed something else.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was a weird tension about the funeral, and I just thought it was odd.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Whatever was happening between Corey and her in laws seemed to be on display. Corey's name wasn't even mentioned at the service.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was a lot of talk about Eric and the boys, and Eric and the boys, and nothing about Corey.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And still there was that lingering question on everyone's mind. How did Eric die? Paramedics at the scene wondered if his sudden death could have been the result of a burst artery, an aneurysm. I wonder if he had an aneurysm or something with all the blood. Pretty young.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When the Emmy completed the autopsy, she noted there were small nodules on Eric's lungs.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He did have Covid when he died. They did find signs of COVID in his system, but they said that did not contribute to his death at all.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So what had killed Eric? It would take a few more weeks for the toxins ecology results to come back. Finally, there would be some real answers, but not the ones anyone expected.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here? You know, that's the last thing you'd expect with Eric.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Something's wrong with Eric.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The police are here. I don't know what's happening.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

In the days that followed Eric Richen's death, nearly everyone who knew him asked the same question. How could a seemingly healthy 39 year old suddenly die in his sleep? There were multiple stories around town about how Eric might have died.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And it all started actually from the night that EMTs responded. On body camera footage, we hear some of them wondering, how did this healthy young dad die?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

My husband's active. He didn't just die in his sleep.

[Narrator/Reporter]

This is insane. Any mental health conditions? No. Okay, how about any. Any suicidal history? No. Okay. No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

A month later, there was an answer. Former homicide detective Wayne Nichols reviewed the case for Dateline. The results of the toxicology come back weeks later. Yes, and it's stunning to a lot of people in Eric's world.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It absolutely is. It's pretty evident that Eric has fentanyl in his body, which is an absolute, a game changer for this investigation.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin. It's a painkiller that some abuse because of its intense high.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Any history of prescription abuse? No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I mean, when he was in high school and stuff.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. Okay.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Pain pills, I think. At the time of Eric's death, paramedics suspected he may have taken drugs, so they administered Narcan, but it had no effect.

[Narrator/Reporter]

No pulse or anything?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

No, no, he was cold. What made it even harder to fathom was the amount of fentanyl found in Eric's system. He had a lot. A significant amount of fentanyl in his body. More than five times what is considered a lethal amount of fentanyl. And the ME Confirmed the fentanyl was street made, not prescription grade. Eric is a dad, he's a businessman. He wasn't really known as some type of drug user in the community. What does law enforcement do with that when that's sort of the bio you've been given about Eric Richens?

[Narrator/Reporter]

People have skeletons in their closet. Sometimes people are hiding the pain that they're really in, and they cope with that with drugs or alcohol.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric's friend Gabe couldn't believe it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I heard it was a brain aneurysm. And then we're hearing fentanyl and overdose, and it's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here? And you know that's the last thing you'd expect with Eric.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

What did you think when you heard fentanyl was the cause of death?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Accidental. I mean, we all knew Eric kind of liked to party, you know, he was the life of the party wherever he went, but, you know, so I would think accidental 100%. Does he have any history of illicit drug use or anything in the past year? Okay.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey told deputies they had both taken marijuana edibles in the past. We eat gummies sometimes. He'll go pick up gummies before he goes to bed. It didn't seem like you it though.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's like a gummy, as in like a THC gummy. Okay.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Is there any possibility of THC gummies being laced with fentanyl?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Anything is possible when it comes to the world of illicit drugs, you know, with THC gummies, though, now being so normal, I think law enforcement is going to be able to discount that theory very, very early on in the investigation.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The toxicology report jump started the investigation, sending law enforcement back to the Richins home.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And this time, they come armed with search warrants. Is there any evidence left behind that they can figure out what happened to Eric? And that also includes seizing cell phones and other electronic devices belonging to the family.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

That included taking the family's iPad and Corey's phone, hoping they'd offer clues.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They never found any trace of fentanyl in the house. Now, you could argue that it never was in the home. Or was it flushed down the toilet? Or was it thrown out in the garbage?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Or did the police just never find it?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Or did the police just never find it?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

From what we can infer, the experts don't know how Eric had that fentanyl and how it got into his body. Hey, this is Cory Richens. Hey, I just have some quick questions for you. Months later, Corey was back on the phone, recording more calls. I'm just trying to understand the toxicology report, and I promise I won't take up a ton of your time.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, you're fine. You're fine.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

This time, asking the medical examiner if he knew how the fentanyl got into her husband's system. So does this tell you, like, if he. If it was, like, injected, if he ate it, If. I mean, is that what this. Can you tell from this report?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Not definitively. I mean, it seems like, you know, with what the amount that's there, that it probably was ingested, you know, probably taken by mouth.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Okay, so the 15 NG, like, is that like a substantial amount? Is that like a trace?

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's a lot. That's a lot of fentanyl in the blood.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Then the conversation turned to the source of the fentanyl.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's a variant of fentanyl that is usually only present in the setting of illicitly manufactured fentanyl.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Manufactured like a pharmacy?

[Narrator/Reporter]

No, no, no. Like a lot of most fentanyl that we see that, you know, ends up people leading people to die these days is related to, you know, fentanyl that's manufactured by drug cartels as opposed to by pharmaceutical companies.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Oh, good Lord.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Do you have any indication he was abusing Fenton?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

No. That's why all of this is just like, what the heck is this? It was all so tragic. But Corey was ready for a fresh start and a new venture. You know, I just watched the struggle that my kids were going through. Her story would get people talking, just not in the way she expected. I checked my Facebook inbox and it said, you need to investigate your children's book author. Did you know that she is a suspect in the murder of her husband? As the first anniversary of her husband's death approached, Corey channeled her grief into a new project. A self published children's book called are you with me? Her friend Greg hall watched it take shape.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She did it as a tribute to her children and to give them a memory. And for other children that have been

[Interviewer/Investigator]

through this, her boys were surely struggling. How could they not be correct?

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's correct. And she wanted to comfort them. And I thought it was a good thing. All she was trying to do was find a way that kind of help the boys cope with it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

To help promote her book, Corey went on the Salt Lake City talk show Good Things Utah. So my husband passed away unexpectedly last year. So it's March 4, was a 1 year anniversary for us. The book tells a fictional story that mirrors her own children's loss. Deena Manzanares is a co host of the KTVX program. It's about a little boy who has lost his dad. And as he's going through his life, going to school, going on different adventures, he's wondering if his dad is still there. And they're trying to keep that memory a part of his life every day. In the book, the dad is still there, but he appears as an angel who's watching over his son. Yeah, he's the guardian angel. One passage reads, I will forever love you, my sweet baby, until we see each other again. Yes, I am with you. Did Corey Richen's story seem like something that could help other people? I think what was appealing is that she was a grieving mother who was in her 30s raising three small kids. Here she is trying to cope. She's trying to spread a message to others. To help them cope as well. That sounds like a conversation that we would like to hear more about. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced last year and, you know, hoping that it can kind of help other kids. Myself and the co hosts on the show are all moms with children. We all have empathy for other mothers. You know, I just watched the struggle that my kids were going through. Inside is an illustration of the whole family, including their dog. And there is something special for Eric, dedicated to my amazing husband and a wonderful father. You are an amazing woman and mom, and we thank you for being vulnerable and sharing this and touching the lives of others. Thank you. I really appreciate being here. Corey goes on the program. Good things, Utah. Did you see her appearance?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I did. I thought she did pretty good. Nervous, but yeah. I mean, it's. If it helps one kid, it was well worth it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The co host also sensed Corey's nerves and something else. What I did notice was just reading body language. She was a little bit protected. She had her big, heavy coat on. And I thought, oh, she'll take it off before we do the interview. But she never did. Did you chalk that up to, you know, the fact that she's been through this tragedy? I did. That all changed when Deena arrived at work the next day. Get on my computer checking my emails, and there is an anonymous message that's come into the entire station to every single person at the station. Yes. The subject line was, are you with me? I open it up, and all it says in capital letters and many exclamation points is, you know, she killed her husband. I mean, this is creepy. It was definitely creepy. It was definitely weird. But we didn't. We didn't really give it another thought after the initial, whoa, you don't think maybe she did kill her husband? No, because wild emails can come in, and we thought it was bizarre. We clocked it as being completely bizarre. Still, the email gave Dean a pause. Then she remembered something Corey shared in the green room at the TV station about Eric's death. She said, my husband passed away from COVID and he had a lung issue. I didn't pry when she said that. And I thought, oh, Covid. Oh, well, maybe he did have something underlying. A week after that first email, Dena got another message. That's when I started to go, okay, hold on. What is going on? I checked my Facebook inbox, and it's somebody that I don't know. And it said, you need to investigate your Children's book author. Did you know that she is a suspect in the murder of her husband? The plot thickens. Yes. And this is the point where I felt like I knew something was up. Something was up. Investigators had been looking into Corey's past, and her story of a perfect life with her husband was about to unravel.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It's a house of cards. It is a delicate house of cards that she has constructed, and it's beginning to fall apart.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah. So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night, the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected, and utterly bizarre turn. I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from Dateline. Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now. Wherever you get your podcasts,

[Interviewer/Investigator]

get the best of NBC News with a subscription, fewer ads, deeper access and exclusive content. And now, during the Xfinity member celebration, members can get an exclusive 50% off an annual subscription. Head to xfinity.com membership to learn more. Xfinity. Imagine that subscription automatically renews each year at $65.99, plus taxes and fees until canceled. Auver ends May 20, 2026. Prices subject to change. Visit nbcnews.comxfinity for full offer terms and details. Beyond writing a children's book, Corey had also filed two lawsuits months earlier. Her target was Eric's sister, Katie, who controlled Eric's trust and with it, her brother's estate.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You know, nothing belongs to Corey at this point, so I think, you know, she was obviously pretty upset with that.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

While Eric's estate attorney says she assured Corey she could stay in the house, Corey wanted to un. Undo the trust and get at least half of her husband's assets. Still, her brother maintained she was only interested in one thing.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Everybody looked at it as she was trying to get money out of the estate or whatever. She never cared about the money. She was trying to keep her house.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

In response to Corey's lawsuits, Eric's sister Hired private investigator Todd Gabler.

[Narrator/Reporter]

My job was to investigate on behalf of the estate to determine whether there was a. A wrongful death, to determine if there was financial mismanagement.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric's sisters and father wanted to know if Corey squandered his money on her house flipping business or was even responsible for Eric's death. When do you all realize that the Richens family has hired a private detective to look into all of this?

[Narrator/Reporter]

We knew he was reaching out to people. He reached out to my older sister, too, and then I reached out to him. We didn't have a pleasant conversation, we'll say. But I just basically told him, stay away from my family.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The PI brought on a forensic accountant who found Corey was deep in the red. She'd taken on too many houses.

[Narrator/Reporter]

None of it was solvent.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's exactly right. Having no money to fund your next project, you take the funding from your previous project and apply it to that. It's a house of cards. It is a delicate house of cards that she has constructed, and it's beginning to fall apart. Corey was in a huge amount of financial trouble. She was borrowing money from lenders that charged extremely high interest rates to pay off other lenders that were charging high interest rates.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And there was something else. A year and a half before he died, Eric's family says he learned Corey had secretly borrowed against their own home to start her business. Corey has taken out this home equity line of credit, $250,000 without telling him.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And she apparently forged his signature on this.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

It was after Eric discovered that loan that he set up the trust, giving control to his sister. The family says that he did that because he didn't trust Corey.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I think that's evident. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that the trust between these two was broken and that Eric took steps to protect his boys from her, from her financial mismanagement.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

To anyone who wonders why Eric didn't just leave, did you learn anything during your investigation about why he chose to stay?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I think that he was concerned for the welfare of his three sons.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

As for the home she did sell, some buyers accused Corey of lying about their condition. And then back here, the lipstick on a pig kind of classic scenario is what we, we stepped into here. We knew Molly Crosswhite bought one of Cory's homes in Midway, Utah. Her plan was to rent it out, but she left it not in great shape. Even though it looked good, looked good, looked good, but was not a place that we were going to be proud or comfortable. Putting tenants in. Molly wanted the house and set up an inspection. We learned there was no insulation, There was electrical issues. Disappointed she wanted some of her money back. We had to negotiate while under contract, a credit that we would get at closing and let them know, hey, we can't rent it out the way that it is. Still, she says the credit didn't begin to cover the home's problems. Looks good, feels bad. Kind of a deal, right? Taryn and Alec Wright bought a house from Corey that day on also say looked good.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I remember, you know, walking into the front door and we. I'm getting goosebumps right now. Looking up, I was like. We immediately agreed. We're like, wow.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Weeks after moving in, they say their family's health started to seriously decline. Then they found something troubling in their son's bedroom. When I moved the dresser away from the wall, the mold was growing behind the dresser. And so we never saw. Yeah. And that's when we noticed it growing out of the walls. And so. Oh, my gosh. Yes. After testing revealed dangerous mold levels throughout the house, the family immediately moved out. They say their health issues improved.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I do.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Val Maynard sold the house to Corey and said he disclosed to her it had serious issues.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I showed him the really bad bathroom we hadn't used for about a year or so downstairs.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

What was wrong with the bathroom?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I had lots of water damage.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The rights have now sued Corey, alleging, among other things, that in the sales contract, she checked no on each question related to previous water damage. Corey has denied the allegations in the lawsuit. For Corey, the walls would soon start to feel like they were closing in. That's because investors. Investigators were about to find a surprising trail of texts.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There were dozens of texts on some days going back and forth.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

That's a lot for a housekeeper.

[Narrator/Reporter]

A lot for someone who's cleaning your house.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And more scandalous accusations were coming. You discover Corey Richards has a lover, a secret lover.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I do. Corey wanted to live her life without Eric Richards.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

For over a year, the tragic death of Eric Richards continued to weigh heavily on his family. They were searching for answers and for someone to be held accountable. This was a family who would. That would stop at nothing. To get justice for Eric, they would stop at nothing.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They wanted justice for their brother and son.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

They believed they knew who that someone was. Even in those early hours after Eric's

[Narrator/Reporter]

death, Eric Rich and sister approached one of the investigators in the driveway and said, I think Corey had something to do with it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Really.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They assumed that she was involved in his death. So they had to build their case.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When you have a family member pointing out a spouse right away, that is a big red flag.

[Narrator/Reporter]

A big red flag.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Another red flag. That huge property, the so called Midway mansion. This 20,000 square foot mansion that sits on 10 acres at the base of the Wasatch Mountains was one of the properties Cory wanted to flip. But that would cost millions of dollars and was apparently a big source of contention between Corey and Eric. Remember, Corey said they were celebrating the Midway Mansion deal the night before Eric died with those Moscow mules and lemon drop shots. The family told investigators Eric was reluctant to buy that home. Pat Rivi is a reporter with KSL.com

[Narrator/Reporter]

Corey was really hot on getting that property and flipping it. But Eric, not so much. He thought, no, this is just not going to be a wise investment.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric's sister was stunned when she learned Corey was going to close the deal just hours after his death. The family was also troubled by Corey's initial story that Eric died of a lung fungus just like the one that killed his mother.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She told even Eric's dad that they found this same fungus in Eric's lungs, which was a complete lie.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Even Eric had been suspicious of Corey. He told his family about that Valentine's Day sandwich that made him sick just two weeks before his death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I spoke with a number of people who he had contacted regarding his health condition that day, and they were all very alarmed at how he sounded and what he was saying to them.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

What was he saying?

[Narrator/Reporter]

He was saying that Cory was trying to poison him.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric had also told his family about an unusual drink he had with Corey on vacation years earlier.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They took a trip to Greece and that after Eric became violently sick. Now, we don't know why, but he leapt to the conclusion that Corey was trying to poison him.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And then he starts saying these statements to family members that if something were to happen to me, look at Corey. The family says that's why Eric secretly removed Corey's control over his estate. He wanted to protect his sons from a wife he no longer trusted. He's 39 and creating this living trust and making big changes. It gives us reason to believe that he was in fear for his life. So my husband passed away unexpectedly last year. And as she sat under the TV lights on Good Things, Utah, Corey may have believed the heat of the investigation was fading. She was wrong. A year after Eric's death, a new detective was assigned to the case.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We're seeing the shift from law enforcement looking more at Corey as a suspect.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

One reason investigators eventually ruled out the possibility that Eric had accidentally overdosed. Did you find any evidence that showed that Eric Richins had a secret drug problem?

[Narrator/Reporter]

There's no evidence to suggest that at all.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

As they were looking for a connection between Corey and the drugs that killed Eric, investigators found something curious on her phone.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They look at the frequency of communication. Who she's communicating with the most, who she's calling the most. They also notice a frequency of communication with Carmen, who is her housekeeper.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

These two are, it seems, talking about or discussing more than just cleaning houses.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Detectives found evidence of 800 text messages between Corey and Carmen prior to Eric's death. Most of the texts had been deleted.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So when law enforcement looks into Carmen Lauber, they come to find out that she's got significant drug history and that she's actively in drug court working off her previous charges. I think this would be a big moment for law enforcement.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

So they start putting two and two together that maybe Carmen's the one supplying the fentanyl.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. And I don't think it's a huge leap. You've got deleted text messages. You've got an abnormal frequency in communication between Corey and her housekeeper, and then you've got the drug history. They need to talk to Carmen immediately.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Detectives were able to get a search warrant for Carmen's house.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They find a firearm during that search. I can tell you from experience, when a convicted felon is in possession of a firearm, those are real consequences.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And they found something else up on a wall amongst inspirational quotes and family photos.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Lo and behold, on the mirror is Eric Ridgen's obituary. This is telling. Carmen is close to Eric and the boys, and she is conspicuously absent from his funeral. Her absence is noticed by the family, and I considered that early on as possible evidence of consciousness of guilt.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

It was becoming clear to investigators that Carmen was connected to Eric's death. It's just not me. They arrested Carmen on that gun violation and sat her down in an interrogation room.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That the details about everything we've been talking about are going to be important for homicide investigation.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When they asked her if she had sold drugs to Corey, her memory was fuzzy. So I wanted it. So confusing, but okay. So I want to say when she. She asked, but like I said,

[Narrator/Reporter]

oh,

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I remember when you see. So they offered Carmen an incentive to help jog her memory. We believe you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

And that's why we're here working on what your get out of jail free cart looks like.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Soon enough, Carmen's memory seemed to get better, and she would have quite the story to tell.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We need hard details. There's no more scary. I'm going to do whatever because I've

[Interviewer/Investigator]

struggled so hard to get with my mat.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's great motivation.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah. So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over, or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you at prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I sit down with one of the biggest bands in the world, Mumford and Sons, as we get the boys together to talk about their new number one album, Prize Fighter, and the evolution of that irresistible foot stomping sound. You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts. Let's kickstart your wellness journey with the Dark Today app. Workouts, meal plans. It's your fast track to a healthier you. And now, during the Xfinity Member Celebration, members can get an exclusive 50% off an annual subscription. Head to xfinity.com membership to learn more. Xfinity. Imagine that subscription automatically renews each year at $65.99 plus taxes and fees until canceled. Offer ends May 20, 2026. Prices subject to change. Visit today.comxfinity for full offer terms and details.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Detectives were speaking with housekeeper Carmen Lauber, who they believed was the key link between Corey and the fentanyl that killed her husband, Eric.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Give up the details that will ensure Corey gets convicted of murder. Oh my God. We need hard details. There's no more scammer.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I'm going to do whatever because I've struggled so hard to get rid of my nap.

[Narrator/Reporter]

That's great motivation. Like I said, I love Eric. He was a damn diggood.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And so Carmen began. It was February 2022, a month before Eric died. Carmen said Corey reached out and asked if she could get drugs for a real estate investor.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Corey figured that Carmen might have access to someone who could provide her with drugs.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And Carmen did. A few days before Eric ate that Valentine's Day sandwich, Corey directed Carmen to a house she had flipped. Carmen told investigators she went inside, took the cash Corey had left and went to buy the drugs. Carmen said she later returned and placed Them in the backyard fire pit for Corey. I pulled into the dry Beta flat,

[Narrator/Reporter]

and there was just a.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

It wasn't a big fire pit. Like, it was a tiny fire pit. It's kind of the infamous fire pit of Midway. And it's right here. And this is where, apparently, drugs were left. I'm not quite sure. Detectives paid a visit to the owner of the house. You've already met her. Molly Crosswite. How did you feel when you started to learn these details? That this house that you bought might have been used to secure, really, a murder weapon of sorts. Drugs. It was upsetting. It just was kind of. Just shocking. I don't know how else to say it, but the last thing I expected. In the interview room, the detectives were turning up the heat on Carmen. She told them that just days before Eric died, Corey reached out again, looking for more drugs.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So there was a couple of. There was one. Okay. Now we're eating some of it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I know one thing. That when we got one, it wasn't dark enough. I don't even know how long. Dark enough as in strong enough. Carmen said Corey wanted the Michael Jackson stuff.

[Narrator/Reporter]

All she knows about the Michael Jackson drug is that it killed him. But that message indicates a state of mind that she wants the drugs that are lethal. Doesn't matter what it is.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Detectives tracked down Carmen's drug dealer, a man named Robert Crozier. It wasn't that hard to find him. He was in jail.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How are you? Confused. I imagine you are. So we are here to talk to you about a transaction that you made a little over a year ago with a female named Carmen Lauper. You met her at a Maverick and Draper on two separate occasions in February of last year. So a little over a year ago. Okay, probably. Did she ask for blue specifically? Or fentanyl specifically? I think she might have asked me for blue. Like manicure. She knew what she was, but, okay, so she. She knew that they were absolutely with

[Interviewer/Investigator]

the dealer, Corroborating Carmen's story. Detectives now believed they had what they'd been searching for. The crucial link between Corey Richens and the fentanyl that killed her husband. It was a Monday morning, a month after that TV appearance. Law enforcement waited until Corey's boys were at school, and then they arrested her. Corey Richens is here in the Summit county jail tonight. We're told she is being held without bail.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I just kept on thinking, she couldn't do that.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

She wouldn't do that.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah, it's a lot to process, especially in a small valley like this. It's pretty heavy stuff.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Suddenly, the story of the grieving mother turned alleged killer who wrote a book to help her sons was everywhere. A headline making case out of Utah.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Oh, indeed.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Part time author turned alleged killer.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If you haven't heard by now, this is Corey Richards. And the reason we're talking about this today is they have now formally charged her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

If she did it, if she planned this, how in the world can you come on live tv, put yourself in the spotlight, want publicity for your product, and tell us that the most important thing to you is to keep his memory alive each and every day. Corey called her friend Greg. Do you remember the first thing she said to you during your first phone call after her arrest?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yeah. She was crying and she said she was scared.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And what did you say to her?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Things would be all right. Things would be okay. We're going to help you.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Five weeks after her arrest, Corey got her chance to ask for Bailey.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Ms. Russians, good morning.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Attorney Sky Lazzaro defended her. There's nothing to show that Corey did anything to Eric. Being bad with money does not make you a murderer. Toward the end of the hearing, Eric's sister Amy addressed the court. If she gets out on bail, I will be afraid not only for my own life and those of all of my family, but most importantly, for the lives of Eric three sons. Our family has already suffered enough. Please do not let Corey out on bail where she will be a risk to do further harm.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Defendant Cory Darden Richens shall continue to be detained without bail.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey later entered a plea of not guilty and braced herself for the battle she was about to fight. You took an innocent mom away from her babies, and this means war. For nearly three years, Corey Richins called the Summit County Jail home. You keep calling and visiting and messages. You know this is daily, off and

[Narrator/Reporter]

on, all day, continually.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You're her lifeline.

[Narrator/Reporter]

100%. 100%.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

We, of course, wanted to talk to Corey, too. In May of 2024, she sent us a recorded message. I've been silent for a year, Worked away from my kids, my family, my life, living with the media, telling the

[Narrator/Reporter]

world who they think I am, what

[Interviewer/Investigator]

they think I've done. And it's time to start speaking up.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I'm anxious to get to trial, and

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I'm ready to get this one heck of a fight. You took the innocent mom away from her babies, and this means war. In February 2026, almost four years after her husband Eric's death, Corey at last got her chance to fight the charges against her first degree murder. And attempted murder, along with fraud and forgery. She sat at the defense table flanked by her new team of attorneys. Eric's supporters lined one row of the packed courtroom. Corey's another.

[Narrator/Reporter]

My name is Brad Bloodworth. I am one of Summit County's criminal prosecutors. The evidence will prove that Corey Richards murdered Eric Richards.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The prosecution rolled back the timeline to Valentine's Day, 2022, two weeks before Eric's death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Good morning, sir. Hello.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Turns out that sandwich Eric ate that made him sick came from his friend Eric. Gabe Morin's diner. The jury got a look at the to go order that Corey called in.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So at 8:55, you know, it says a Greek omelette, quinoa salad, bagel sandwich with hash browns. And then Corey is typed in.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Does the detective tell you why this is coming into play? Order.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Nope. Nope.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The prosecution argued Corey was the one who picked up the food. So she had put something in Eric's sandwich. Her first failed attempt to murder her husband.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We know that Corey ordered it. Corey picked it up in person. Eric was a really good friend of mine.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Eric's business partner, Cody Wright told the jury Eric called him at 2pm that Valentine's Day.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Why is it you remember that phone call? The fear in his voice, the urgency of the situation.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The state theorized that Corey learned from her mistake. After that failed attempt with the sandwich,

[Narrator/Reporter]

you bite into that and you taste the sourness of that fentanyl pill. You do not get the full dosage of what has been put on that sandwich because you take a couple of bites and you put it down.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Prosecutors argued her next try was something easier to ingest.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The Moscow meal she made that night was ginger beer and fentanyl. The lemon shot drop shot, maybe. Lemon and fentanyl. If it's in a shot glass masked by alcohol. You throw that back and the wrong taste doesn't matter because it's too late. It's already in your system.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The prosecutor told the jury to listen carefully to Corey's behavior on her 911 call.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The 911 call operator asks her to perform CPR.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey told first responders she'd started CPR, but the prosecution said there was more to the story. She seemed to do everything she could to avoid CPR as precious minutes ticked by.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Are you able to lay him on the floor? On the floor. On the ground. I can't.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

I can't. Tell them I can't. You can do it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You can do it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

This sheriff's deputy was one of the first to the Richards house. He said Corey didn't act like most grieving family members right after a death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Normally, they have tears. They look at me when I ask them a question while they respond it. Just every time I spoke to Ms. Richins, it just seems like her face was in her hands and I couldn't see her face. It was just a little abnormal. Your Honor, the state calls Katie Richins Benson, Eric's sister.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Katie also testified about Corey's behavior that morning. She wasn't crying like I was. She wasn't hysterical. Katie said not long after Corey told her boys their father was dead, she was talking about closing the deal on the Midway Mansion. I was dumbfounded, and I looked at Corey and said, you can't tell me you're going to close on that Midway Mansion when my brother just died. And she looked at me, matter of

[Narrator/Reporter]

fact, and said, yeah, absolutely.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

He has nothing to do with it. The money's already gone through. It's all my business. I'm going to. Behavior was one thing, but to make the case stick, prosecutors knew they needed to connect the dots between Corey and the drugs that killed Eric. For that, they needed their star witness.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The honor of state calls Carmen Lauper on the stand.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

She admitted to a troubled past.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Do you have a criminal history involving drugs?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Yes. Carmen testified about Corey asking her if she knew someone who could get pain medication for one of her investigators. I had text Corey back and told

[Narrator/Reporter]

her that I had a friend that

[Interviewer/Investigator]

could get them, but they were fentanyls.

[Narrator/Reporter]

How did Cory Richards respond?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

She said, okay, go ahead and get. The state called this digital forensics expert to prove that Carmen met up with drug dealer Robert Crozier just days before the Valentine's incident and the week before Eric died.

[Narrator/Reporter]

They're located in, at or near the exact same location.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Prosecutors argued it was proof Carmen was telling the truth.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So all of that information corroborates the story that Carmen is telling.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Which was helpful because when he took the stand, Robert Crozier couldn't remember how many times he'd met up with her.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It was four years ago, so I don't really remember if I met her more than once.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The prosecution presented even more digital evidence to the jury. The searches Corey made on her cell phone. Those searches were incriminating. The prosecutor told the jury.

[Narrator/Reporter]

These are the searches. What was Corey Richards worried about?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

How to completely wipe an iPhone clean remotely. Can cops uncover deleted messages? Luxury prisons for the rich in America. Signs of being under FBI investigation. What is a legal dose of fentanyl? Your thoughts on those searches?

[Narrator/Reporter]

It is incredibly important information about her state of mind at the time that those searches were made.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

But why had Corey allegedly killed Eric? This wife and mother of three had kept her share of secrets, but perhaps none as explosive as him. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to give in the matter before the court to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, subject to the pains and penalties of perjury? You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah. So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over, or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Buying shoes that get you and prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Is the state ready to proceed, Mr. Bludworth?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Prosecutors may not be legally required to provide motive in a murder case, but they also know it's human nature to want to know the why. Why would Corey Richards murder her husband, Eric? Reason number one, said prosecutor Brad Bloodworth. Money.

[Narrator/Reporter]

More than anything, she wanted his money. To perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence, and success,

[Interviewer/Investigator]

the prosecution called forensic accountant Brooke Carrington to the stand. She was initially hired by Eric's family after he died. As of the date that Eric Richens died, Corey Richards was in financial distress.

[Narrator/Reporter]

On March 5, 2022, immediately after closing on the Midway Mansion, what was the amount of Corey Richen's liabilities?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Right. About $8 million. As her company tanked, the state argued Corey homed in on her husband's life insurance policies. A month before he died, prosecutors said Corey took out a $100,000 policy without Eric's knowledge. This handwriting expert testified Eric probably did not sign that policy himself.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was no evidence that Eric authored this signature.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey ended up with nearly $1.4 million in life insurance money from Eric's death. Prosecutors also highlighted for the jury the prenuptial agreement Corey had signed.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Their prenuptial agreement meant that if she left him, she would also leave most of his money.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The state argued that she believed Eric was worth more to her dead than alive. I got hired originally as an admin. Becky Lloyd worked for Eric's company. She recalled a conversation with Corey a few months before he died.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She talked about how she was feeling trapped.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And she said that in many ways, it would be Better if he were dead. The prosecutor told the jury that book Corey supposedly wrote to help her children through their grief was in reality also a money grab.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You see the emails? They're in evidence. She thought she would sell 100,000 copies in 10 months at $5 profit, a copy that is not tethered to reality. But it does provide insight in how desperate she was for money.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

According to the prosecution, there was more than money to Corey's motive. She had been cheating on Eric and was planning a fresh start with another man. There was some question behind the scenes at the courthouse if they were even going to find him for him to testify. And then her former boyfriend, Josh Grossman, entered the packed courtroom. Josh Grossman comes in. But it starts off rocky. Immediately, with Corey seated just feet away, the clerk began swearing him in. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to give in the matter before the court to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is subject to the pains and penalties of perjury. He asks what do you mean by tell the whole truth? And the judge immediately stops everything, whisks the jury out of the courtroom and sits Mr. Grossman down and tries to spell out for him what he is signing up for.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Mr. Grossman, do you understand the difference between what's true and what's not true? I do. Do you promise under the pains and penalties of perjury to tell the truth when you're asked questions? Absolutely.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And Josh agrees to do that finally. So the jury's brought back in. Josh's discomfort was palpable. He testified that he started working for Corey's house flipping business in the park city area in 2020. He told the jury he'd stay in the houses they were working on.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I had my dog with me. We'd do live in flips, me and the dog. Other than accommodations, did she pay you for your service

[Interviewer/Investigator]

there?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I mean, we didn't have any contractual agreement, you know, I. She. She took care of me, you know, I lived for free. She did. She gave me money whenever I needed it. I just, you know, I liked her, so I. I'd worked for free. Not that. Not that she didn't, you know, pay me. She did from time to time in lump sums. And during that time that you were romantically involved with Ms. Richards, did you love her? Yes. During that time, did you feel that she loved you? Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. I have a tendency of going head over heels, though, probably more than most. So, you know, I think she did.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The prosecutor pointed out that a few Months before Eric died, Corey had even booked a trip with Josh to the island of St. Martin.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I think that was a birthday present.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Josh's discomfort only grew as the state showed the jury dozens of text messages between him and Corey. He was having a very difficult time breathing deeply, making noises, spitting in his chair. Corey was texting with Josh and drove an hour to visit him on Valentine's Day 2022, the day prosecutors alleged she tried to poison Eric with that sandwich. The following day, Josh texted Corey that he was in love. In love with her. She responded, like, actually in love with me. If I was divorced right now and asked you to marry me tomorrow, you would? Josh replied, yes, in love with Y O U. Of course I would.

[Narrator/Reporter]

He then puts his head down on the witness stand like he doesn't want to be there. He then starts to cry and wipes tears from his eyes. Mr. Grossman, love me. Do you need a minute or two? Let's just start with that. Why don't we take a five. Pause for a moment, if you don't mind.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Testimony soon resumed and the subject again those texts. One week before Eric died, Corey wrote Josh, I have a crazy dream. I divorce and come up with millions and millions. We buy Midway and live in the guest house, raise some kids, have a little farm deal. Corey and Josh even made plans, plans to celebrate her purchase of the Midway Mansion on March 4, 2022. When he didn't hear from her that day, he texted, what's going on with you? You good? Corey responded, no, Eric passed away. Josh said the next time he saw Corey was two weeks later. That's when she asked the Iraq war veteran about his time in the military.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She asked if. If I had ever killed anybody. Sir, what was that follow up question? She asked me how it made me feel or something along those lines. And then I answered her. I took it as not out of the normal, though, really. The prosecution made the point that Corey was trying to deal with her guilt of killing her husband by trying to figure out how her boyfriend dealt with it.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Josh said his relationship with Corey cooled off in the months following Eric's death.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Things weren't the same. So I don't know if that led to us parting ways or what, but there was a lot on both of us, you know what I mean? Understand? Thank you, sir. I don't have any further questions.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

After calling dozens of witnesses.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Okay, your honor. Then the state rest.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

It was the defense's turn. With a move no one was expecting. I saw a lot of mouths dropped and eyebrows shot up and they stared at that defense table. Prosecutors had given jurors in Park City, Utah, a lot to work with. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you're about to give. They'd put on 43 witnesses to make their case. I'm one of Ms. Richten's attorneys, so it's nice to meet you. The defense cross examined 38 of them, hoping to unravel it.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Going back to the web searches.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey's attorney, Alex Ramos, wanted the jury to understand that those questionable searches Corey made on her. Her phone happened after Eric died.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I imagine you're aware that all these searches were done after Ms. Richards knew she was under investigation, correct? Yes.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Corey's former lawyer, Sky Lazzaro. The timing of these searches, I think, are probably the most critical and important part of the analysis of them. These searches were done after she was served the search warrant for. For her home and for her electronics. She just found out her husband died of a lethal alpha dose of fentanyl. You might want to know what that means. Those searches, to me were less of an issue than some other things in this case. How does the defense combat a lover, you know, Josh's mere existence in this. Sometimes the best way to combat things that are bad for your client or optically bad for your client is just to hit them head on from the beginning. There was no running away from Josh. The prosecution hammered the point that Corey wanted a new life. The defense argued it was an affair, nothing more. Would it be fair to say that the talk about a future together between you and Corey was really more a fantasy than a realistic expectation?

[Narrator/Reporter]

My opinion. You want my opinion on it? Sure. I'd say yeah. Yeah, More of something that. That maybe I. I thought I wanted, but didn't necessarily like. I. I couldn't picture it in the future, you know?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

To counter witnesses who said Eric was scared about how sick he got after eating that Valentine's Day sandwich, Corey's old friend Ally Staking testified Eric thought the whole thing was funny. Was everyone laughing? Yes, we were all laughing. And we jokingly said, don't eat what Cory feeds you. When it came to the accusation that Eric's death would bring Corey an infusion of cash, the defense pointed out Eric made a lot of money and would continue making plenty more. He declared to the IRS that he made over $750,000. That was just in one year. I mean, if you accept that theory that she doesn't like him or she doesn't want to be married to him, you know, she's better off with him if it's purely financial, motivated, the money, the boyfriend, the sandwich, the Google searches were all problems for Corey. Good afternoon, Ms. Lobbin. Good afternoon. But it was the cross examination of Carmen, the housekeeper that could make or break the defense's case. Reasonable doubt is one of the things that you don't always get in case. But this case does have certain amounts of reasonable doubt. And that is, you know the stuff with Carmen. There was Carmen's fuzzy memory when police first talked to her. You told them more than once over those days, you had a lot of memory problems. Correct? Then my memory wasn't the best. Yes. To underscore her credibility issues, the defense got Carmen to admit she had a history of lying in drug court to stay out of prison. That's what addicts do when you're using. That's true. Addicts lie. And the defense said with Carmen, it was always about staying out of prison. You are willing to do whatever it takes to save yourself from getting kicked out of drug court and going to prison, correct? I'm willing to go forward with the truth, yes. And you tell them I'll do whatever it takes? Yes. The prosecution had given Carmen immunity in exchange for her testimony. And the bottom line, said the defense, was Cory never actually used the word fentanyl when talking to Carmen. You told authorities during the course of these interviews that Cory Richards never asked for fentanyl. Yes. Robert Crozier, who also received immunity for his testimony, said on the stand he didn't have fentanyl to sell. At the time Eric died, you had no access to it in January, February, March of 2022?

[Narrator/Reporter]

No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Do you solemnly swear this with the lead detective? The defense drove home the point that law enforcement never found any fentanyl in the Richens house during that four years period of time. As recently as less than a month ago, you were still issuing search warrants, is that right?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And there were a total of at least 10 or 10 searches by law enforcement of Ms. Richen's home, is that right?

[Narrator/Reporter]

There were 10 search warrants issued? Yeah.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

We have no murder weapon. Like you haven't found anything that was connected to Eric's death? No fentanyl in the house? Correct.

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was a boatload of fentanyl in his stomach that came out of the house with him.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

If the lead detective couldn't point to any fentanyl in the house, the defense argued, maybe Eric kept a secret stash in this old pill bottle. What else do we find? On that first day that Eric died, what else do they find? The Hydrocodone bottle. Why wasn't it tested? What was kept in that bottle? The painkiller was prescribed to Eric six years earlier. The defense asked the first detective on the scene about it. Wasn't there an empty hydrocodone bottle seized from right next to Mr. Richen's?

[Narrator/Reporter]

There was.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You didn't put in an evidence bag?

[Narrator/Reporter]

No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

You didn't swab it for the inside of it? No, it was empty. Do you know where it is to this day?

[Narrator/Reporter]

No.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

When it was time for the defense to put on its own witnesses, Corey's attorneys asked for a break. We're all seated, really on the edge of our seats in that courtroom, anticipating that the defense will call witnesses. Then the jury heard this. Your Honor, after consulting with our client, the defense rushed. I saw a lot of mouths dropped and eyebrows shot up. And they stared at that defense table. What did you make of the defense not calling any witnesses? When you're the defense in trial, everything is on the spot. Kind of game day decision. How's it going, and what do we do next? And you have to calculate the risks. Not putting on witnesses, is that going to hurt Corey? Are we leaving them on a high note? And have we been able to effectively cross examine everyone in order to get the points we needed to make for her defense through the state's witnesses?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Mr. Bloodworth, would you like to proceed? Yes, you, Honor, we may proceed.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

To a packed gallery, both sides made their closing arguments.

[Narrator/Reporter]

All the evidence in this case proves that Cory Richards murdered her husband and the father of her three children, Eric's Richards.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Do not let them fool you. Do not fall for red herrings. Corey Richards did not kill Eric Richards.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Count one.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And with that, the case went to the jury.

[Narrator/Reporter]

So I'm looking at Corey, and I said to the lady next to me, I'm like I said, she's shaking. And she goes, she's trembling.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

After sitting side by side for three weeks, the jurors tasked with deciding Corey Richen's guilt or innocence began their deliberations. We spoke with two of them, Mark and Eric, out of privacy concerns, they added, asked us not to use their last names. Take us into that jury room.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I mean, as soon as we got in the jury room, we just all needed to sit down and take collective breaths. And then after that, we just started to say, hey, look, we each are going to talk for five minutes about what we saw. Not necessarily, is Corey innocent or guilty? But just what did your lens as a person see on this trial?

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Mark's front row seat in the jury box allowed him to keep close watch on the defense table. Did you keep an eye on Cory Richant's expressions throughout the trial and how she was reacting to things?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I absolutely did, for the most part. I think there was a poker game that was being played after they told me.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The jurors were also glued to the testimony of key witness Carmen Lauber. Carmen, the housekeeper, tricky witness because she has this past with drugs. She's in trouble herself, and she's been given a bit of a lifeline here, you know, to help the prosecution.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I saw a woman who was making genuine efforts to get on the right path and improve her life. And frankly, her testimony combined with the digital evidence of her travels, really corroborated her testimony.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

They felt for Corey's former boyfriend, Josh, too.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You know, my heart bled for him. He was having problems breathing. He needed water. I had such compassion for him, especially being a veteran.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

As for the defense, do you think that was a mistake to not put on a formal defense and, you know, just try the case through cross examination?

[Narrator/Reporter]

I don't think it was a mistake as much as their tactic, and that was their right to do so.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Juror Eric thinks, though, the defense could have made more of the fact that no one knows for sure how Eric Richins ingested that fentanyl.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I think probably if they had focused on that, then they may have gotten

[Interviewer/Investigator]

to reasonable doubt in the plus column for the defense, a closing argument that tugged on this juror's heartstrings. I was unexpectedly widowed, and I was not much older than Corey, and I had two rules. How do you judge someone in that moment? They want you to look at a woman in the worst moment of her life and to judge her grief. There is no wrong way to grieve.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It was a plea for not sending a mom to jail who has three children. And I understand that. I was rooting that. But then I got back to deliberations, and it was like, wait a minute, Mark. Like, take a deep breath. Stop focusing on the emotional element. And every time I tried to give her a lifeline or an off ramp, off, it just ended, and it just pointed right back to her.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

After only three hours, the court is

[Narrator/Reporter]

informed that the jury has reached a verdict.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

The speed at which the jury came back was shocking to everyone. We all quietly file into the courtroom, and the judge makes it very clear that there is to be no outward reaction.

[Narrator/Reporter]

If anybody in here can't follow these instructions, this is your chance to leave. I'm looking at Corey, and I said to the lady next to me, I'm like I said, she's shaking. And she goes, she's trembling. And I looked down at her feet, and they were shaking. Counsel, Ms. Richards, please stand. Count one, aggravated murder. We, the jury unanimously find that the defendant, Corey Richins is guilty of aggravated murder. Count two, attempted aggravated murder. We, the jury unanimously find that the defendant, Corey Richins is guilty of attempted aggravated murder. Guilty. Guilty, Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

And you just see Corey just. Yeah, her head goes down. You can just read her face, right?

[Narrator/Reporter]

She did a pretty good job throughout the whole trial having that poker face on. But at that moment, she looked down and her world came crashing down inside her head.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

A look of defeat.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Defeat. I saw a broken woman, but I think there's carnage everywhere. It was shock. I mean, it was literally just shock. You know, my mother said, Corey did a good job that she just didn't break down there. And I said, well, it's not a matter of breaking down. I said, it's just shock. You don't know what to do. I said, and I felt the same thing she did

[Interviewer/Investigator]

for Eric's family. Finally, justice. Four years ago, our family lost the brightest light. Eric is deeply loved and missed every single day. We are grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring justice for Eric. Our focus is now on honoring Eric's life and supporting his boys as we all continue to heal. Thank you all for being here. Corey is scheduled to be sentenced next month. She faces the possibility of 25 years to life behind bars. She also has another criminal case pending. With 26 additional financial charges. She has not yet entered a plea. Her three boys are living with Eric's family. Corey's book is out of print now, but we did find it on ebay selling for more than $5,000. Back in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, the Midway Mansion, once a symbol of everything Cory dreamed of, now has new owners and renovations are well underway at the Mirror Lake Diner. Gabe Morin thinks about Eric when someone orders his favorite chicken fried steak or sits in his usual seat.

[Narrator/Reporter]

You know, I'm sad this whole situation happened, but I think it's the right outcome.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

He certainly never imagined the role his diner would play in Corey Richen's murder trial. Or that his friend's three sons would be left without a father.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Eric was just a simple, good guy, you know, and his kids don't have a dad, you know, and that's the part that hits me hard and, you know, know, and those kids will be okay. Eric taught them right. They are smart, strong kids. They'll be okay, but it's not fair. That's all for this edition of dateline. And don't forget to check out our Talking DATELINE podcast, which will go behind the scenes of tonight's episode, available Wednesday in the DATELINE feature. Wherever you get your podcasts, we'll see you again next Friday at 9, 8 Central. I'm Lester Holt. For all of us at NBC News, good night. I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers. Cheers.

[Interviewer/Investigator]

Cheers.

[Narrator/Reporter]

I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own glass apple. Search Glass Apple with Craig Melvin From Today on YouTube. And wherever you get your podcasts.