Jury finds Utah mom Kouri Richins guilty of murdering husband | Forensic Files

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

Kouri Richins, the Utah mother accused of murdering her husband Eric Richins in March 2022 and later publishing a children's book about grief, was found guilty on all charges by a jury in Utah on March 16, 2026. "48 Hours" correspondent Natalie Morales reported on the case in "The People v. Kouri Richins." This episode aired on March 1, 2025.

CASE UPDATE: On May 13, 2026, Richins was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Kouri Richens is accused of murdering her husband Eric with fentanyl, sparking a complex investigation and family conflict.

Key points

A Happy Family's Tragic Turn. Eric and Corey seemed to have it all until a shocking phone call changed everything.
The Accusation. Kouri, who wrote a children's book about grief, is now accused of murdering her husband.
The Shocking Revelation. An autopsy reveals Eric's death was not due to an aneurysm but a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The Motive. Kouri allegedly had multiple life insurance policies on Eric, raising suspicions of foul play.
The Poisoning Allegation. Eric's family believes Kouri may have attempted to poison him before his death.
Kouri's Court Appearance. Kouri Richens appears in court for a bond hearing, revealing the emotional stakes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He went to sleep and never woke up.

1:40WatchMar 17, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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