Love and Poison | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] this is a story that has obviously shaken Colorado it's stunned the world a Colorado dentist accused of
poisoning his wife's protein shakes was charged today with her murder you have got to be effing kidding me that guy was
my dentist hi I'm Dr Jim Craig you just don't see stories like this maybe in a Hollywood bad script 45-year-old James
Craig is accused of putting Arsenic and cyanide in her protein shakes he's allegedly ordering potassium Cyanide and
arsenic online you have got to be kidding me Jim and Angela Craig seemingly had everything successful dental practice
beautiful large family they seemingly to me were in love investigators say he researched poisons in the days leading
up to his wife's death I couldn't believe the allegations I couldn't believe the story I couldn't believe the
mug shot there's my dentist a mug shot good afternoon Colorado I'm stepan tubs I'm a talk show host here in Denver late
breaking news this after I was told by several people you got to do a podcast on this people want to
know so we started a podcast called arsenic DDS welcome to the first episode of this series i' like the truth another
new development at like to know why Jim Craig is an innocent man until proven guilty if the allegations are true why
did my former dentist kill his wife her symptoms dizziness blurred vision headache slowed responsiveness what does
that tell you yeah that's really worrisome I'm Dr Jeff Le Point I'm a Emergency Physician and
toxicologist arsenic will be absorbed very rapidly and you would probably start getting sick pretty quick what
about potassium cyanide cyanide is one of the most effective poisons you're being suffocated on a cellular
level Angela Craig is getting sicker and sicker and sicker and sicker and she'd she'd
quickly be declared brain dead Dr Jim Craig is accused of premeditated first-degree murder in the poisoning
death of his wife Angela there does seem like there's substantial evidence in the case the
arrest warrant was 52 pages long I'm Skyla zyo I'm a criminal defense lawyer the spouse is a very easy target he's
entered a plea of not guilty maybe he's the most convenient person to look at if
I'm the defense on this you go after the state and you say you didn't go look at
things you should have looked at he administered alleged ly the poison via her protein shakes the state hasn't
presented you any evidence that the poison was actually in the drink you can't show that he did
it I wouldn't say this is a slam dunk case there's no motive here what is the motive
[Music] [Music] [Music] under that vast Rocky Mountain Sky on March 18th 2023 in the Denver suburb of
Aurora Angela Craig died just Days Later former radio personality Stephan tubs began his
podcast about The Sensational case and the unimaginable news I want to to personally send our condolences to the
friends and family of Angela Craig just 43 years old she passed away declared brain dead and not lost on me is the
fact that this family has been temporarily destroyed Jim Craig had been almost immediately charged with the
first-degree murder of his wife Angela he has pleaded not guilty the story of the dentist his wife and the allegedly
poisoned shakes would be told around the world come on a dentist allegedly ordering potassium
Cyanide and arsenic really but it was all as painfully real as a dentist [Music]
drill Dr Craig and Angela Craig were just like two peas in a pod the two of them in the office was cute cuz they
would play pranks on each other all day Chelsea at Toya got to know Jim and Angela when she worked for Dr Craig at
Summerbrook Dental they seemed like the perfect couple until according to Colorado cops James took his shot at the
Perfect Crime investigators say he researched poisons in the days leading up to his wife's death the idea that the
dentist stood accused of murdering Angela his wife of 23 years seemed incomprehensible because the Craigs
seemed so close it just was heartbreaking for everyone and I felt bad my name is Dr Jim Craig and I
practice at Summerbrook Dental Group coming up on our left the former home of Summerbrook Dental is it this one over
here it's that one right there yeah for tubs this office building once home to Summerbrook has become a tragic
Touchstone the last time that I had eye contact with Dr Jim Craig he gave me a root canal
I thought he was a great guy I got incredibly competent friendly care he was a family man we talked about
his family his kids I I met his wife Angela was the heart and soul of that family mother to their six children
and a Hands-On partner in what seemed like a thriving business she was not somebody just to sit there and and stay
quiet she was engaged in the the dental practice she was somebody who was talking about ideas and their marketing
their message tubs helped refine that message working on some of Summer Brook's advertising he witnessed how
those two P's in a pod work side by side with Angela pitching in as one of Jim's
office managers I thought it was kind of cool you know you've got a husband and wife huge family I thought it was it was
great to see a small Colorado business operated by by you know husband and wife Welcome to our third edition of
this podcast tub's podcast would delve into the disturbing details of Angela's medical Journey how and why she was
allegedly murdered that account from police is contained in this 52 page arrest warrant in nearly 34 years of
being a newsman the most unbelievable and seemingly thorough arrest affidavit I have ever read the warrant alleges
that James has shown the planning and intent to end his wife's Life by searching for ways to kill someone
undetected this was not the James Craig that I knew Dentistry can be expensive Dentistry can be scary Dentistry can be
uncomfortable the James Craig Aurora knew was on display that March 6 2023 the day Angela's Odyssey began Jim
was at Summerbrook when Angela texted from home my eyes don't want to focus she texted I feel
drugged and Jim headed right home he picked up Angela and drove to the ER at Parker Adventist Hospital she
reported feeling dizzy and weak doctors fast went to work she ends up going into
the hospital first time was March 6 is that correct that's right March 6th was her first time into the hospital at the
time George Brock was another force in Colorado talk radio this is the George show I'll be he is also the former
elected district attorney for aaho County where Angela lived and would die rattling this community this is a huge
story like Stephan tubs brockler has immersed himself in the details of Angela's Final Days A desperate twoe
ordeal but on that March 6th as the hours passed in the ER there were lots of questions but few answers they really
didn't have a good answer for what she was going through and they end up uh releasing her and sending her
home home where Angela appeared to think she was safe in her marriage at least that's how she sounded in messages the
couple sent each other with Angela now home recuperating from her ER visit there were texts that would suggest a
very supportive loving relationship Jim texts I love you it was so nice hanging out with you and just watching a show
and snuggling Angela texts Jim hi Baby I love your face back home the busy couple picked up
the daily routine that sustained them Jim and Angel apparently worked out in the morning they worked out together and
one of the things that Jim did for his wife was to prepare her a protein shake it was an absolute routine this was just
part of the normal day Jim texts I'll need to ask what you're hungry for and bring it to you you I'm kind of feeling
just a smoothie or something I'm not feeling anything Angela replies don't bring anything I'll eat something
here within 24 hours Angela's symptoms came back fast and strong she headed back to Parker Adventist this time she
would be admitted the doctors and nurses are trying they're conducting tests they
just cannot figure out what is ailing this relatively normal and healthy 43y old
woman all the steps that the doctors and medical staff had taken seemed to not be
working was a real mystery [Music] there was nothing that would be even remotely a red flag or this is a rocky
troubled marriage none of that at all with Angela still terribly sick in March of 2023 she was back at Parker
Adventist a second time now as an admitted patient according to the warrant War during her stay Angela
texted her husband Jim now I'm hungry and he texted back later that he was bringing food writing okay I got you of
the loving husband who wants to see his wife remain healthy that arrest warrant contains numerous texts detailing how as
Angela was hospitalized Jim went back and forth from their home to her bedside to Summerbrook a husband seemingly
supporting his wife and caring for their kids he's continuing to go to work and I
don't begrudge him for that he's got a family of six kids and the warrant would show that
apparent trust that Angela placed in Jim how she reached out to him to share her
symptoms texting I'm cold super tired weak shaky and dizzy and Jim sent compassionate texts
to Angela I love you and miss you and I'm so worried I wish you were healthy enough to come home tonight and snuggle
me Angela Craig was so sick it seemed that all her symptoms had returned she had horrible headaches
horrible nausea she was dizzy and doctors were at a loss we're struggling to figure out
what in the hell is causing this what is making her sick and they just could not get an
answer as Angela stayed in the hospital without a diagnosis Jim Craig was in touch with
his friends Michelle and Ryan Redfern a fellow dentist Ryan had recently become business partners with Jim he would
later tell police Ryan Redfern went to dental school with Jim Craig all those 20 plus years ago he'd known him all
that time he was a close Confidant and with Angela so sick according to the warrant Jim also texted with Ryan's wife
Michelle Redfern train as a nurse what were they texting about the texts were really the kinds of things you would
exchange with someone who's another Medical Professional I mean he was talking about blood pressure he was
talking about concerns the doctors had expressed about symptomology that should have resolved by now but one of Jim's
texts in retrospect seemed Odd as it appeared he was making light of Angela's mysterious illness Jim Craig texts
Michelle Redfern quote if it wasn't my wife this would be kind of a fun puzzle to
try to work out exclamation point who says that still a bad joke in times of Crisis isn't unusual says
former da brockler everybody reacts to trauma differently and James Craig seemed worried it had been four hectic
days since Angela was admitted [Music] 1:00 a.m. in the desolate Hospital corridors police say Jim told others he
was sleeping on a stool next to Angela when her Vital Signs crashed doctors responded through the
night I have thought about every agonizing minute that Angela Craig was in [Music]
but over the next day Angela seemed to stabilize and on March 14th still with no answers as to why she was sick Angela
was released from Parker for a second time once again Angela came home to her husband of 23
years but she wouldn't be home for long within a day she started feeling sick again so on March 15th she was admitted
to nearby University Hospital there would be more tubes and tests and monitors Jim was soon by her side they
had no idea what was wrong with her police say Jim didn't stay long at first within half an hour he drove home
from the hospital then about an hour and a half later he returned carrying food cops say he then went into Angela's
room alone soon after Angela had a seizure and once again her Vital Signs crashed
it was critical Jim Craig took these photos of Angela as Hospital staff tried to save
her Angela once so full of life was put on life support what medical staff didn't know
at the time was that days earlier a package had reportedly arrived at Jim Craig's
office authorities say what was in the package ordered by Jim Craig himself would become key evidence in this case
Craig allegedly told a staff member that he would be receiving a personal package
and not to open it Jim Craig said don't open this package somebody did she sees the words
potassium cyanide why are we getting potassium cyanide to a Colorado dentist's office
[Music] Angela Craig was on life support fighting to survive Jim Craig texted the photos he
took to Michelle Redfern writing crash intubated doc says she's very very worried Michelle and Ryan raced to the
hospital Ryan would later tell police he watched as Jim Craig broke down he saw Craig crying after speaking to doctors
about Angela's prognosis yep he did say he saw him crying afterwards but according to police Ryan Redfern was far
from convinced those tears were real that's because on his way to the hospital he had gotten a call from a
staff member at the office the call was to alert Redfern about that package marked potassium cyanide that had
arrived at Summerbrook Dental allegedly addressed and later given to Jim Craig and there's The Dominoes that are now
folling one after the other Ryan Redfern led the way he does what any other normal person would do according to
police while Angela was on life support Ryan tells a nurse that Jim Craig recently ordered potassium cyanide
adding that there was no medical reason or purpose to order potassium cyanide for a dental practice the nurse being a
mandatory reporter calls Aurora Police and I mean it's like that within 5 hours probably even less there is a member of
the homicide unit with Aurora PD at University Hospital cops started asking questions then according to the warrant
Ryan received a call from James personal cell phone tell me about that phone call
I think Ryan and his wife are in the parking lot of the hospital when Jim calls them according to police Jim asked
Ryan if he had said anything to the hospital staff Ryan confirmed that he had and told Jim that he knew what Jim
had ordered and Jim replied that the package was a ring for Angela and that he wanted to surprise her and Ryan says
it's not a ring we know what was in there I mean this is a testament to Ryan Redford a decades long friendship was
about to be tested then shattered this Tale was once again told in a text revealed in that warrant as
the next morning James Craig pleaded with his pal and partner texting in part I want to make an urgent plea to you
please don't talk to anyone including any law enforcement officers you are under no obligation to answer their
questions unless you are served as subpoena and you will do more damage than good to my family by continuing to
insert yourself into this how damning is that text in itself I'm trying to think of all the innocent
applications of the phrase please don't talk to the police I can't come up with any it's a desperate effort to try to
keep Ryan from cooperating any farther with law enforcement but if that's what he was trying to do it was too late
police had already launched their [Music] investigation on March 18th 2023 Angela was taken off life
support friend wife mother of six Angela Craig was [Music] dead I was in complete shock in complete
disbelief in my head I'm like this is crazy it's not true I thought maybe it was an
accident but investigators didn't think so just hours after Angela died Dr James
Craig would be arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his wife Angela there's my dentist a mug
shot James Craig would plead not guilty months later Angela's autopsy would be released that autopsy States
Angela died from a lethal concentration of Cyanide and a lethal concentration of
tetra hydrosaline the chemical found in some eye drops and it says that Angela had toxic concentrations of arsenic in
her blood in those two earlier hospital visits to think about what Angela Craig endured this woman was in agony
dying for so long just a week before Angela got sick according to the warrant Jim Craig said up a new email account
using the Alias Jim and waffles and used it to research multiple poisons all part
of his plan according to investigators to murder Angela one particular Google search how many grams of pure arsenic
will kill a human Craig investigators say also found these videos popular for many reasons we
have cyanide with titles like top five undetect able poisons that show no sign of Foul Play arsenic is virtually
undetectable and police say on the same day he did that online research James Craig made a purchase arsenic and had it
delivered straight to his family's mailbox I think he legitimately believed that he would be able to poison his wife
she would die he would have her cremated and then they'd move on poison some call
it the recipe for a perfect crime a silent Invisible Killer no blood no gun no fingerprints even doctors can have a
hard time spotting it it's a pretty rare medical sub specialty Dr Jeff Leo is the
director of the division of medical toxicology at San Diego's Kaiser Permanente Hospital if it's a poison or
a Venom that's what we specialized you're that guy yeah so we asked him and Dr Leo focused in on the alleged actions
of James Craig and the final days of Angela's life he reviewed the arrest warrant for us and some of the deadly
drugs it lists let's start with arsenic okay um yeah arsenic is a very famous poison it's uh not detectable by taste
or odor Dr Le Point says Angela's symptoms in those first two hospital visits are consistent with arsenic
poisoning nause and vomiting lower blood pressure higher blood pressure generally
lower how much would kill a person it does not take very much but police say there was more a week after he purchased
that arsenic they alleged Craig as Jim and Waffles went back online he ordered a second poison beguiling and beautiful
oleandrin what is that so oleandrin is a toxin found in Oleander I'm thinking of
those white flowers yeah they're really beautiful yeah as lovely as a rose only deadly it prevents the heart from
beating very efficiently but after 3 days the oleandrin hadn't been delivered that's when investigators
say Jim Craig up the ante cops say he placed this order with the medical supply company for his strongest toxin
yet potassium cyanide sin is one of the most effective poisons that exist just a micro do could
kill you then yeah a very small amount per kilogram and you're you're not going to
live when you are Poisoned With cyanide you're being suffocated on a cellular level it's a very potent poison your
victim would die very rapidly cyanide is so deadly that you need a medical license to buy it my name
is Dr Jim Craig and police say that when Dr James Craig placed his order from a medical supply company he stated he
needed it for a complex dental procedure there's no use for pottassium Cyanide in
my practice or I can't think of uh many medical practices so a dentist ordering arsenic potassium Cyanide and oleandrin
what does that suggest to you someone who's trying to collect poison but this father and husband would
offer a very different story about why he wanted those deadly poisons what do you make of Ryan
redferns Choice chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X [Music] detectives suspected Jim Craig had
bought all those poisons to kill his wife but they wanted to know why they would find a lead miles away from Aurora
on a trip Jim Craig made and a woman he met just before Angela got sick doesn't it just always seem like there's another
woman involved always almost always what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas it's a rule of the road there but
investigators allege it is yet one more rule James Craig didn't think he had to play by when he met Karen Kaine Karen
Kane an orthodontist from Austin Texas she meets Jim Craig at a dental conference in Las
Vegas it was February 23rd a week and a half before Angela Craig first went to the hospital the doctor
was traveling alone and he rolled the dice they strike up a relationship they hit it off it's a
whirlwind a few weeks later according to the warrant Karen Kane would fly to Colorado and Rondevu in this hotel with
James Craig he would use that newly created email Jim and Waffles to flirt with her it's not illegal to have a
Affairs Sky Lazaro is an experienced defense attorney familiar with cases involving poison James Craig and his
attorney declined our request for an interview Lazaro reviewed the case against Jim Craig for 48 hours and she
identified potential weaknesses is it reasonable that that you would kill your wife to be with someone that you had had
a 10-day relationship with the common defense strategy is Affairs do not make a murderer right one doesn't
automatically mean you did the other at the time she visited Jim in Colorado Karen Kane did seem to know
Angela was very sick and in the hospital in fact she had sent a concerned email to Jim it read in part hi honey I am so
sorry for what has transpired this week in your world I am praying for you and seeking God's wisdom for this time I
love you but there is no evidence to suggest Karen Kane knew anything more nothing that I have seen gives any
indication that she knew that Jim was trying to kill his wife and according to investigators Jim
Craig lied to Karen telling her that he filed for divorce and was living separate in an apartment he gives the
standard male typical I'm going through a divorce no he's not and a detective said she told them
her relationship with Jim was intimate but not sexual Karen Kane sent 48 Hours an email writing I had absolutely
nothing to do with this horrific crime and my heart is absolutely broken for Angela Craig and her family and she says
she is cooperating fully with the police and prosecution Karen Kane met the wrong guy
at the wrong time she didn't know anything tubs and brockler imply maybe no one knew anything about who Jim Craig
really was his pristine image loving parent church member dedicated husband now all being questioned and as cops
continued to investigate another possible motive emerged one of the things that surprised me in this story
is the Financial duress that Summer Brook denl was under in fact Jim Craig's business had
filed for bankruptcy in 2020 shortly after his then friend Ryan Redfern signed on as a partner financial
problems financial problems he was way in over his head then in debt way in over his head and at a preliminary
hearing in 2023 prosecutors argued that Jim Craig had about three .4 million reasons to kill his wife the value of
Angela's life insurance Jim had liabilities in excess of $2 million we know that from some of the bankruptcy
filings but Lazaro says she's not convinced those financial problems give James Craig a motive for murder is this
sort of the the portrait of a desperate man not necessarily we see businesses go
through bankruptcy all the time and come out the other side and as for any poisons he may have
ordered Lazaro States those purchases may not even be illegal he can legitimately purchase it cuz he has a
DEA number as a doctor as a dentist right right just having it isn't murder mhm administering it
right but according to the arrest paperwork Jim Craig might have thought he had that figured out too authorities
say he could have slipped the poison into one of those protein shakes he so often made the morning routine at home
for example yeah on that morning of March 15th the day Angela Craig would finally crash
before she was taken to the hospital she was home with Jim investigators say that's when he may have made her one of
those protein shakes and laced it with pottassium cyanide it is tasteless it is odorless
it is colorless it is really hideable inside something like a shake and highly lethal as highly
lethal but attorney Lazaro counters the evidence may not be there she has reviewed the transcripts from that July
2023 preliminary hearing and says there's nothing there that shows Jim Craig put poison in Angela's shakes they
went and tested everything in the house and didn't find any trace evidence of there being
arsenic or cyanide or anything in the protein powder in the protein bottles the state hasn't presented you any
evidence that the poison was actually in the drink and Lazaro says the defense can
paint a picture of Jim Craig as a kind and attentive partner Jim's text messages to Angela are extremely loving
and extremely caring he repeatedly ask her how she's doing he tells her he loves her so if Jim Craig didn't poison
his wife who did Craig had a story to tell about that go behind the scenes with the 48
Hours postmortem podcast welcome to the first episode of as stuffen tubs reported on his podcast
there may be another story to tell about Jim Craig and what happened to Angela the story wasn't about murder it was
about suicide Craig says to the business partner on the phone she was just playing
chicken according to the warrant when Ryan Redford confronted Jim about the cyanide Jim allegedly said that Angela
asked him to order it for her that it was all a dare kind of a deadly game of chicken According to Jim Craig she's
been threatening suicide and this game of chicken is now are you going to are you going to take
it but according to that 52-page warrant none of Angela's family members told police she was suicidal a more likely
argument for the defense says attorney Lazaro is that Jim Craig had been looking for Cyanide not to kill Angela
but to kill himself there was some statements that he in fact was suicidal not her at that preliminary hearing in
2023 Jim Craig's defense team said Jim had spoken to a friend about his own past plans to die by Suicide and that Dr
Craig had made a statement to that friend that he was going to die by Suicide with something that was not
traceable the defense pointed out that Jim suffered from depression and went to counseling in the
past and as the defense indicated Jim told Angela at one point that he had actually drugged her years earlier when
he had tried to kill himself hoping that while she was drugged she wouldn't be able to stop him it sounds like there
had been something that he had tried before with her mhm that he had drugged her so that she would fall asleep so
that he could go essentially kill himself and she wouldn't be there to render any Aid or call for
help and remember when Angela first started feeling sick and she texted Jim I feel drugged Craig's defense points
out that he texted back given our history I know that must be triggering just for the record I didn't drug you
the defense said this text supports the story of Jim Craig's past depression and
suicide attempts but Lazaro says it's unlikely the defense would try to tell a jury
that Jim and Angela were both trying to die by Suicide you have to pick one at some point and it's either she's
suicidal or that he's suicidal and this is why he bought the drugs but perhaps the most compelling
evidence authorities say they have is what Angela Craig left behind in her own blood that autopsy revealed something
investigators find remarkable the the levels of cyanide in Angela's body actually increased while she was in the
hospital on that final day the possible implication tubs wonders if prosecutors will contend Craig gave his wife more
poison in the hospital if the allegations are true this is about as cruel as it gets period Jim Craig's
defense has hired its own toxicologist and come his trial for murder Sky Lazaro says Jim Craig
innocent until proven guilty May himself be portrayed as a victim of cops too eager to make a fast arrest it's
essentially a three-day investigation Jim Craig's quick arrest she says could be a weakness for the state you decided
from the get-go that this had to be poisoning this was the foregone conclusion so you never went and looked
for anything else and as for that idea that poison might be the key to someone trying to commit
the perfect crime toxicologist Dr Jeff Leo says that is just plain wrong you're going to get caught that's an important
message yeah very there are ways that these will be traced and you will be found you'll be
[Music] found and while Angela's friends and family are waiting for their day in
court they are left with photographs and their memories three of Jim and Angela's six
children are living with Jim Craig's brother the other three are now adults living on their own including their
daughter Mera on Mother's Day 2023 Mera wrote this on social media as of tomorrow my mom will be 2 months gone I
haven't the words to express the heartache my my siblings and I feel every day there's no words you
know the whole situation is just traumatic this will all end the lights will come down the cameras leave 30
years from now those kids who were in their teens right now still will be without a
mom meera's last words in that Poe I love you so much Mama we miss [Music] [Music]
you need more time with 48 Hours go deep behind every True Crime episode with firsthand accounts from 48 Hours
investigations were you at all prepared for what happened in this case shock is the word that comes to mind get inside
the twists and turns and get in on the cage listen to postmortem from 48 hours now
available wherever you get your [Music] podcasts she doesn't do the in-your-face
type of uh homicidal maniac kind of thing she's not a shooter she's not a stabber but I I haven't seen somebody
this ruthless in a long time I've seen a lot of murders I've seen people killed with knives and machetes and guns with
vehicles strangulation Suffocation I have never seen anyone try to kill another person with a piece of
cheesecake until now until now I'm a private investigator here in New York City I was hired to hunt down
and assist in the apprehension of Victoria nasirova as a perpetrator she's one in a
million there was a call from Patrol saying that we have a woman Olga who's lying in bed who appears to be under the
influence of something and she's advising that there are items missing from her bedroom then she tells me this
tale of how this woman Victoria nazarova came to her home she arrived with what she described as the best cheesecake in
New York she says please have this cheesecake Elga says okay I'll try the piece of the cheesecake immediately she
felt extremely ill nauseous um sweaty dizzy and she said I've never felt like that before I don't know what was going
on she passes out within a very short amount of time Olga is fighting for her life someone was trying to kill you who
did you think Victoria Victoria nazarova yep it's vaza pan in the cheesecake a sedative primarily used in
Russia apparently it has no taste and a little bit too much can produce an overdose Victoria found someone that
resembled her I think she wanted to kill this woman and assume her identity Victoria nerova is dangerous arrogant
cunning I didn't know how dangerous she was until I found out the trail of bodies that she was leaving behind in an
unconscious State the only thing I remember I just took one bite of fish and I was out of it in 5 minutes for a
week I was in the hospital police tune discovered that she was wanted for something far more serious this is for
murder this is for murder right here I believe that Victoria felt the the walls were closing in on her
Victoria nasirova had to be taken off of these streets I'm not a killer I'm woman only woman I think anybody that
trusts VI Victoria has something to fear [Music] [Music] she is a very colorful criminal in his
20year career as a New York police detective Kevin Rogers says he never met the likes of Victoria nazarova extremely
brazen diabolical and even the street smarts of a career cop left him unprepared for what he says she
did I've never dealt with a case where cheesecake that's laced with poison is utilized it started on September 2nd
2016 with what seemed like a routine call it was a call from Patrol saying that we have a woman advising that there
are items missing from her bedroom the woman was a Beauty Stylist named Olga svick who did eyelash
extensions at a nearby salon Patrol officers told Rogers she'd reported items including purses had vanished from
her home grabbed my partner and we headed out to this uh woman's house she told him she had just returned home from
the hospital where she said she'd been in and out of Consciousness with severe dizziness and nausea Al's bedroom is the
top right window when he got the scene Olga a Ukrainian immigrant still seemed a bit woozy can you remember at all the
police asking you questions no I don't remember the only thing she remembered was that a frantic client from the salon
had come to her house a Russian woman named Victoria nazarova who had wanted her eyelashes extended in a hurry I need
an emergency eyelash repair done please please please Olga said I I never have done that before every bit of work that
I do is in my salon Olga had told her client she had no appointments available but she says Victoria was in the habit
of being pushy she'd repeatedly suggested they spend time together outside of work she started acting like
she's my friend you know feeling uneasy Olga refused Victoria's offers to hang out and she noticed something else about
Victoria something visually unsettling I thought she's looking like me an uncanny physical
resemblance while Olga turned down socializing with Victoria she relented to her please for eyelash help and told
her to come over Olga's uneasy feeling returned when Victoria showed up at her door with three small slices of
Cheesecake it's from like famous bakery like famous cheesecake Olga says Victoria quickly
gobbled up two of the slices and then insisted Olga try the last one did you eat the entire piece yeah it's like
small piece and what happened I got sick she says she threw up violently and then after that I don't
remember anything so she tells you this story what are you thinking I'm suspicious
with Olga acting woozy Rogers wondered if she was a drug user I said to her I say all I said I want to believe you
however this doesn't add up but she was adamant adamant this 100% happened and this woman is up to something in the
garbage Rogers did see something I walked over to the waste paper basket and right there was this plastic
container with what appeared to be the remnants of a pastry something that look good Olga identified it as the
cheesecake box Rogers told his evidence team to bag it and tag it whatever had been in that box Olga said it had made
her very sick you almost died yeah I was in K 34 minutes but Olga admits doctors
didn't find anything suspicious in her system still she told Rogers she was hospitalized twice he called the
hospitals to confirm but says they wouldn't divulge patient information which again led me to believe that maybe
she wasn't telling the truth Rogers did try to find Victoria nazarova but couldn't well it sounds
like at that point this case is is almost over dead but a few months later the case came back to life when Rogers
found a new witness a neighbor of Olga's who reported seeing a woman visiting her
the day after the alleged cheesecake incident he told me that a woman had and gone a few times the neighbors said the
mysterious woman had told him Olga was sick and when he went to check on Olga he walked into a surreal scene and
called an ambulance her room was like a sauna someone had turned the heat on full blast even though it was a Hot
August day and Olga was passed out in the bed barely dressed when she's discovered she's discovered
in this sort sort of racy lingerie Olga was stunned by this detail because she had been wearing
sweatpants so someone changed you yeah changed your clothes yeah and there was more pills were strewn all over the
floor Rogers wondered had someone tried to kill Olga and then stag the scene to make it look like a
suicide Rogers realized that Olga had probably been telling the truth all along I do have to make that sort of
uncomfortable apology to her of I'm truly sorry for not believing you 100% at first Rogers now turned his attention
again to finding the suspect in this case Olga's client Victoria nazarova but where was
she Rogers had no way of knowing that someone else was also trying to find her his name is Herman Weissberg he's a
private eye and a retired New York City detective Weissberg was tracking Victoria through ads on Russian dating
sites and social media where he says some of her Outreach seemed designed for a niche audience she was advertising her
Services as a dominatrix you could call it SL escort he believe Victoria was using online ads to commit crimes of
opportunity she would would knock out with knockout drugs taking money watches jewelry whatever she can get and he
suspected Victoria had done something much worse who murdered your mother Victoria and the St
[Music] with the fog of her mysterious illness behind her Olga Spix says she went back
to work sharing the story of her harrowing ordeal that's when another client told her something she never
expected to hear she said you know one of my uh husband friend I think somebody also drag him
his name is Reuben meet Ruben borov hi Tina how are you about two months before Olga ate
that cheesecake Reuben who ran a nearby dry cleaning business met a woman on a Russian dating site her name Victoria
nazarova she said she's a good cook and I said i' love to eat the two arranged to meet at her place for dinner I just
took one bite of fish and I was out of it in 5 minutes Ruben says he passed out and Victoria allegedly went on a
shopping spring free she took like $800 maybe $1,000 in my allog together in cash 2400 in American Express so she's
living high on the Hog on your money absolutely and then she brought me here two days later Reuben was still out of
it when Victoria literally took him to the cleaners one of Reuben's employees took this video she was walking here and
there and making some stories to my workers oh we had WI he drank two bottle of wine I don't remember nothing as
Victoria talks to the workers maybe he take peel or something right the camera catches a glimpse of her sitting in the
boss's chair luckily Reuben's sister called an ambulance Victoria would flee the scene
before it arrived but not before cleaning him out I had some money in the basement couple hundred here she took it
she took the watch and Ruben believes Victoria nearly took a lot more than that did you almost die I think so
that's how I was oh he was a sick man but private eye Herman Weissberg says when it comes to Victoria nazarova
Olga and Reuben may have been the lucky ones in 2017 Weissberg began working with this woman Nadia Ford Nadia said
her mother Allah alexenko with whom she was very close had gone missing back home in Russia and so every day you
would talk to her every day Nadia says before her mother disappeared she had mentioned making a new best friend the
friend's name Victoria nazarova before Victoria came to New York she was living in Russia and had become Allah's
neighbor in the apartment next door here is your mother mhm standing next to you
right and here is Victoria right and they seem like an Odd Couple you just wouldn't think they'd hang out with each
other she was always trying to be very friendly to her you know and my mom she trust everyone in the fall of 2014 Allah
had told Nadia she would be sending her daughter special gifts her new best friend Victoria would bring them
Victoria would be carrying $6,000 in cash and other valuables including two fur coats to be hand delivered to Nadia
but Victoria never showed and on October 5th Nadia tried to call her mother but couldn't reach her how many times did
you call your mother that day October 5th oh a lot a lot about 100 really 100 times at least at least I tried
everything and she would not answer no so what do you thinking I got afraid because for 8 years she never happened
that she didn't answer the phone never Nadia saids says she had found Victoria's sudden friendship with her
mom suspicious and that suspicion only grew when she accessed her mother's cell phone records online and I saw the last
person who called her it was Victoria the call had come in at 11:00 p.m. and there were no other calls after it and
that's it and then my heart dropped I just started have this feeling that something
happened something terrible something terrible happened Nadia decided she had to go to Russia to find out the truth
about 2 years later 48 Hours went with Nadia to retrace her steps we brought her back to her
hometown of krasnodar about 800 M south of Moscow near the Black Sea to show us how she
launched her own investigation into her mother's disappearance first Nadia convinced
Victoria to meet her outside her mom's apartment building where she confronted her she says Victoria loudly insisted
Allah was alive and then she ran up the stairs and then I'm like where you going
why are you running and she runs up here you chasing her exactly yeah Nadia told
us she notified police and took them inside her mother's apartment so when I walk into the apartment apartment she
quickly realized the place had been looted nothing credit cards gone nothing nothing family heirloom and expensive
jewelry gone everything and whoever did this also stole most of her mother's life savings
$40,000 all kept in a secret Hideaway if you take this off it was gone this and as far as Nadia could tell what's there
so is Victoria what are the police and the district attorney and what are these people saying to you just wait she's
going to go she's going to come back undaunted Nadia carried on her search Chris crossing the country posting
Flyers like this one she pleaded with Victoria by text listen I give you everything my
apartment money you name it please just give me my mom back Nadia feared she was getting
nowhere when she had an idea Nadia where are we right now we're in a highway that
Victoria had my mom she noticed that most main roads had traffic cameras what if one of them had photographed Victoria
the night Nadia's mother went missing but you got to get access to these photographs how do you do that it's
Russia you buy things you have money you buy things Nadia got access to images from local traffic cameras about 100
miles from the apartment that's the camera is she right there Nadia hit Pay Dirt that's the camera that showed that
my mom was with with Victoria these are the pictures that changed everything the
pictures looked blurry but Nadia was certain that this is Victoria nazarova behind the wheel and equally sure she
knew who was sitting in the passenger seat her mom no doubt in your mind what's the date that this picture was
taken October 5th in the morning 10:00 October 5th the day that you lost all communication with your own mother if
the picture could be believed it meant her mother could still be alive this camera gave me hope Nadia
called Russian police about the pictures and was shocked at their response what does the detective say he said I know I
have these pictures with investigators now working the case Nadia says they confirmed Victoria rented this car with
these plates tracked her down and brought her in for a lie detector test but before the results could come back
unbeknownst to the cops Victoria caught the first flight out of Russia she cannot get away with this
with Victoria on the Run Nadia desperately continued her search for her mother hoping against hope to find her
alive I dedicated my life to that I quit everything and everyone I didn't believe
that my mom is not alive but hope turned a heartbreak in April of 2015 when she got a disturbing
phone call charred human remains had been found in a remote area about a 2hour drive from Allah's apartment
authorities called Nadia in to make an identification I said no it's not her no it's it's just remains and then a few
minutes later I started looking at her teeth and you knew you knew it was your mother yeah and yeah so I basically
recognize my mom by her teeth behind me is the Russian town of armavir it's about 110 mi from krasnodar
and it's important to this case because it's where Victoria nerova grew up why is that significant because less than
a/4 mile from where I'm standing right now is where Allah's body was dumped the body was
here Victoria took everything for me my family my life my mom everything by this time interpole
already had ISS issued an International arrest warrant for Victoria nazarova in Allah's
murder Nadia went home to Brooklyn determined as ever to track down Victoria nazarova on a whim she turned to
Facebook and you'll never guess whose face popped up on the screen Victoria was posting pictures all over Facebook
checking in at this place and that place beautiful life she flew to Mexico having
a great time yeah from Mexico she flew to New York Nadia reported all this to us police and immigration officials but
they couldn't find Victoria that's when Nadia started working with private investigator and former New York City
detective Herman Weissberg he combed through Victoria's Facebook profile with an experienced eye for detail I I never
look at what people want me to see on these sites I'm I'm used to looking at everything except for what's supposed to
draw your attention in late at night Weissberg meticulously studied every photograph and made a remarkable
Discovery right on Victoria's face this particular picture was the most beneficial she's wearing the Rayband
sunglasses that are mirrored and she took a great picture for us to see the dashboard of the car but more
importantly the stitching on that back headrest yeah that's this black leather with a light gray stitching on it
I decided the next morning I was going to be at a big parking lot at a train station he walked row after row of
vehicles peering into Windows hoping to find the make and model that had that stitching and it's a big hub for the
railroad hundreds of cars in here yeah probably thousands all over the place so it's real easy to look for the kind of
detail I was looking for then a Chrysler sedan caught his eye so you look inside the car and what do
you see all right it's got the same stitching and show me on your phone there's her mirrored sunglasses the
stitching over here turns out that only a Chrysler 300 had this stitching and dashboard layout now the hard part
finding the specific car Victoria was driving again this was such a wild goose chase at this point but Weissberg saw
that a series of likes on Victoria's Facebook page were clustered around sheep head Bay a Russian neighborhood in
Brooklyn so you sent some of your investigators to look for one of these Chrysler 300s did they have any luck
well yeah we found a bunch of them then uh the next day I had somebody run the license plates and luckily we we found
one that came back to a Russian sounding name Weissberg took our 48 Hours crew into the area he searched and called me
to the scene when he again found the Chrysler 300 at the heart of this investigation ation this is it yeah this
is the car this is the car yeah take a look inside you see the stitching yep it's hard to miss now oh there it is now
you see how unique it is right yeah this is only an area of 8.5 million people and you found the car
it wasn't a needle in a Hy stack you had to find a hay stack first and when Weissberg went to the address connected
to that car the building looked familiar Weissberg had seen it before in another
one of Victoria selfies when you look at it and you see that that telephone pole
and the location of that manhole cover and that manhole cover and if you look over there you got the telephone pole
and you've got the two manle covers this is brilliant Herman through that reflection in her in her glasses
you figure out this is the apartment building where the man who owns that Chrysler 300 lives and with Victoria in
the picture you thinking she might be living with this guy it she it looks like she took a selfie there and it it
all starts to make sense amazingly the woman Russian authorities wanted for the murder of Nadia's mother was now living
with her boyfriend in Nadia's own backyard four or five blocks away you got to be kidding me no did you try to
go find her no why cuz I would kill her we got lucky early on gone and we spotted Victoria and her boyfriend out
here the boyfriend was the owner of the Chrysler 300 and lived in that apartment
building that boyfriend told us that he eventually became one of Victoria victims himself he says not only did she
steal from him but that she killed his beloved beagle Joey apparently vioria got very jealous of uh the dog getting
some of the spotlight in their house and uh decided to poison the Beagle allegedly on the beagle's birthday I'm a
dog lover so that stuff I've seen him on TV and Joey the beagle's demise didn't sit well with Victoria's neighbors
either she killed his dog that [ __ ] killed his dog every time you learn something else
about this woman you realize that if she was left unarrested this could have really ended poorly for
Brooklyn but now Weissberg knew the hunt was finally over he says he called interpole and Homeland Security but
neither one agreed to take action so he alerted the NYPD and on March 20th 2017 the police made their move the woman who
had once posed as a dominatrix suddenly found herself in handcuffs I just cried I I couldn't
believe believe that it's actually happened it's a miracle detective Kevin Rogers couldn't
believe it when his phone rang Brooklyn advises us that they had this woman Victoria nazarova in their custody Roger
says the cheesecake case suddenly started making sense Olga had something that Victoria wanted and it wasn't money
and it wasn't handbags he says the instant he started reviewing police evidence photos he saw something that
made it clear exactly what Victoria was after this ID of Olga was found in Victoria's apartment the picture looked
eerily similar to Victoria herself I think she wanted to kill this woman and assume her
identity to back up his theory Rogers knew he would need to prove that Olga's cheesecake had been poisoned when he
sent the container found in Olga's house to lab they found nothing but when Rogers decided to send it for more
extensive testing he got a hit fasap Pam is a sedative primarily used at the time
in Russia it makes you sleepy yes sleepy then coma then death Rogers learned that fasap Pam is
especially dangerous in a hot environment remember the heater in Olga's room had been left on high and
Victoria's DNA was on the cheesecake box all these pieces of the puzzle they've come together absolutely and so you
think this was a planned murder absolutely Victoria was charged with attempted murder for the attack on Olga
assault and Grand leny before trial she agreed to sit down with us at New York's
Riker's Island jail Victoria nazarova yes what do you make of Herman Weber's investigation to see more go to 48
[Music] hours.com we'd heard cruel and colorful stories about Victoria nazarova for
months so in 2017 when we interviewed her in jail as authorities investig ated her for attempted murder in Olga's case
Victoria nazarova yes Peter vanent please have a seat thank you we weren't sure what to
expect don't you look at this yeah this is Allah yes she insisted she had nothing to do with The Disappearance of
Nadia's mother Allah Victoria did you kill Allah no you did not no there's a woman named
Olga who looks a lot like you who claims that you tried to kill her by giving her
a piece of poisoned cheesecake you wanted her dead so you could steal her identity Victoria delivered her answer
using the careful language of someone with a lot to lose I know whom you mean I know this
young woman I can tell you that um yeah did not force her to eat it you're telling me all of these accusations
against you all of that is false no I admit doing a part of it but I will only talk about it at the
trial Victoria nazarova would be in custody for nearly 6 years as the pandemic caused delays all right can we
bring the defend out before she stood trial for the poisoning of Olga [ __ ] when the case went to court in
January of 2023 the trial of a woman accused of poisoning her look alike with cheesecake the media we're
watching there are elements of this case that you won't find anywhere else The Beautician the cheesecake in all the
evidence you have what is the most important in your opinion we're looking at it right here it's this container the
cheesecake box from Olga's garbage still has crumbs left inside outlandish as it
is a assistant district attorney Dino Loris tells jurors in opening statements this is not a
joke it's not just a story they should see it as a potential murder weapon this defendant intended to kill this woman
and steal her identity he calls Olga first to highlight the human consequences and she's going to explain
to you everything that happened to her everything that she can remember of course she was poisoned with something
that impacted her memory cameras were not allowed to record witness testimony Olga makes it clear that talking about
the details of her ordeal is still like reliving a bad dream and testifying in front of her alleged attacker
traumatizes her all the more was she looking at you oh yeah she looked at me what did you see on her face in her
eyes you know she smiled smiling she was smiling she was smirking the state also calls Nadia Ford I was
trying to get her look look at me look at the person who mother you killed look look into my eyes remember them for the
rest of your life the judge has strictly limited prosecutors from going into specifics about the murder charges
facing Victoria in Russia so they're hoping Nadia can finesse the details and still get the point across I'll tell you
it was a risky strategy what has she told them that you think helps your case what she told the jury is that something
serious happened in Russia it's one thing for me to say the crime was serious and it's another thing for a
witness to come in and show with her body language with her eyes with her overall demeanor that this was an
incredibly serious crime that Victoria N was wanted for I was staring at her I just want her to look at me
she she didn't look at me once I was almost certain in the beginning of the trial that Victoria was
going to testify and I know that she likes to talk as it turned out Victoria declined to testify and answer questions
but something she did say made it into the trial something she said to me in a part of her 48 Hours interview published
online it's in evidence Peter VanZant asked this woman in English there is a woman named Olga there's a woman named
Olga who claims that you tried to kill her by giving her a piece of poison cheesecake lorgis has someone read
Victoria's answer into the record I know whom you mean I know this young woman I can tell you
that I did not force her to eat it I did not force her to eat it for me as an individual she's guilty
with that statement where in that answer does she say I didn't poison anybody miss NASA is not guilty of these
charges but defense attorney Christopher Hoy doesn't call a single witness to help him prove it instead he argues the
spectacle of this case obscures the specifics details that amount to reasonable doubt there's no direct
evidence of anyone seeing Victoria nerova putting fessa Pam in cheesecake he reminds the jury Olga's
doctors didn't find anything unusual in her system and he says there was nothing
particularly unusual about Victoria's life in New York either she's been just living in the US using her normal
name that's just the point says the prosecutor Victoria's US Visa was set to expire she was scared of facing charges
in Russia and needed a new identity to help her hide there's only two categories of people that need someone
else's ID you have college kids under the age of 21 who want to borrow their Buddy's ID to go drink and then on the
other hand you have international fugitives who need someone's ID as a Lifeline to stay in this country and not
go back to Russia this is not a case about what happened in Russia and the defense
insists that even if Victoria poisoned the cheesecake it's not enough to prove she wanted Olga dead I submit to you
that they have not proven that intent this case has more than you need to conclude Beyond a reasonable doubt that
this defendant is guilty but will the jury agree as they file back in what are you
seeing on their [Music] [Music] faces when this jury goes off to deliberate what's going through your
mind what's going through my mind is that they understand the Diabolical calc ulation that occurred for this crime
Queen's district attorney Melinda Katz says Victoria nazarova is a lot smarter and more committed than the average
criminal defendant it takes patience and it takes planning but it takes the jury in her
trial only an hour and a half to reach a verdict how say you to count number one of the indictment
charging the defendant Victoria nerova with attempting murder in the second degree guilty or not guilty
guilty guilty of attempted murder in the second degree were there tears [Music] yeah at sentencing Ola tells the court
her suffering went on long after Victoria's attack she caused me to lose trust in
people I have difficulty trust people and I cannot know for sure what their true intentions
are I'm grateful that this person will be punished for what she did to me the maximum punishment she can stand up is
25 years in prison you are an extremely dangerous woman I sentence you to 21 years in jail judge Kenneth holder
decides a 21-year sent is enough with credit for time served Victoria may be out in
15 even so she has some Choice words for the court as she is Led away barely audible under her
mask she's a narcissistic homicidal maniac that's what narcissistic homicidal Maniacs say when they
something everything goes bad for them Victoria's time Behind Bars has already been rough in in 2018 at Riker's Island
in New York she was assaulted by fellow inmates and suffered multiple injuries to her
face and when she's done serving her time in America Victoria faces deportation and murder charges back in
Russia I know there's great satisfaction for you that Victoria is finally going to prison but it's not for what she did
to your mom is that still an EMP inside for you I I feel better at least I know now that
for next 15 years she's not going to hurt anyone two of the people Victoria has hurt most have resolved to draw strength
from each other since tragedy unexpectedly brought them together Nadia and Olga have become the best of friends
when we met I feel like I knew n all my life she's very kind very nice openhearted like you know kind of remind
me of my mom n she's went through hell they seem to know it takes one victim of Victoria nazarova to
truly understand another do you think the two of you will be friends for life I think yes
[Music] a beautiful heart a gentle gentle Spirit a woman found dying from a gunshot wound
crime scene evidence that doesn't add up there's definitely Mysteries involved in
this case then prosecutors take a creative approach a psychological autopsy 48 hours Saturday on CBS and
streaming on Paramount [Music] plus 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 the happy American [Music] couple Eric ran a successful contracting business he was involved in his boys
sports activities [Music] he was very good to the boys and he taught those boys so
much Cory was a real estate agent that also would buy and fix 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 place they've ever been in their marriage and seemed genuinely happy with
each other 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's a complete wreck she's sitting on the couch she's just balling were they giving you a sense of
how he may have passed um so the paramedic said aneurism so we were all believing
aneurysm I had Tau 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 a another officer came to her 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
Corey her State of Mind emotionally how was she handling things it probably took
her two 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 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 and then
I got a phone call Cory 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 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] in the early morning hours of March 4th 2022 Lisa Darden was attempting to
console her daughter 31-year-old Cory richens she was brought out on the floor just sobbing
Corey 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 Cory
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 mosc on mule that's a drink made with vodka and ginger beer she said they went to bed
about 9 9:15 she went and laid with Ash ashon 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 dispatchers instructions perform CPR when First Responders arrived they started working on Eric but it was too
late it's just unbelievable 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 are 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 the sad scene was a far cry from the happy family they once were Cory and Eric met in 2009 at a
local Home Depot back then Cory was a cashier Eric worked in construction and was a frequent customer I heard that he
wanted a number for a long time and was kind of afraid to go get it so he had a have a friend run in and go get it from
her Eric asked her out and they hit it off when Cory said I'm dating this guy what did you think uh Corey was
terrified me meeting me oh really yeah 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 [Music] guy in 2013 Corey and Eric got married
and had the boys first Carter then Ashton and finally Weston Lisa says fatherhood came easily to Eric he taught
those boys so much they idolized our father and he idolized the boys as [Music] well Cory's family got to know the
richens including Eric's two sisters Katie and Amy they'd come up uh for birthdays here and there and we're all
very friendly eventually Eric started a stonemasonry 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 an individual that is intelligent but no common sense her
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 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 say that yes I don't know that I can even begin to overstate how close this
family was this was a huge loss Greg scoris 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 fent fentanyl is many many times more potent than oxies and the other pain
medications that we typically use it's a very dangerous drug but how did fenel get into Eric's
system Cory'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 hook me up he certainly wasn't an opioid or an illegal drug user Cory's family thinks
Eric had taken something he didn't know was laced with fenol and that his death was a trag
accident Eric's family strongly disputes this claim he didn't die of a self-inflicted drug overdose Eric's
family wondered if Corey may have been involved they said this doesn't smell right no question the family thought
that right from the beginning in the months following her husband's tragic death Cory richan struggled to
find her footing on her own and to navigate Life as a single mom Cory 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
Cory'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 because they couldn't quite understand what was going on and they needed some help and Cory
needed some help eventually Corey found a way to turn her grief into action in March 2023 one year after Eric's death
Corey came up with the idea to write that children's book about coping with loss are you 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 yes I am
with you on Christmas Corey writes you can't see my smile but it's there I'm here and we're
together like Dad is still here it's just in a different way Cory'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 Corey 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 Cory's appearance on TV to promote her book new 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 Corey The Grieving wife this is the
home where police found Eric Rich's dead was now the prime suspect in her husband's
death you must have been in a panic I was shocked she can't be arrested Utah mother has been charged with murder
Corey was charged with aggravated murder and taken into custody court documents allege she
committed homicide by the administration of a poison Greg scoris the spokesman for Eric's family suspects Corey 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 Sky Lazaro is her
attorney did police ever test the glass that she gave Eric this cocktail and They seized a number of items from the
home H and there was no fentanyl that was found on any glasswar Cory's family says they
struggle to make sense of the charges Corey denies any involvement in her husband's death for anybody who knows
Corey 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 Corey to work
he wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom and she's very independent and that wasn't going to happen another issue
says Cory's brother Ronnie was the amount of time Eric spent away on hunting trips sometimes four or five
months a year it just kind of irked her because that this his biggest passion 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 Cory's mother
Lisa there was alleged infidelity on Eric's part she says she heard about it first from Corey 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
been and how could he do this Cory's family says the couple went to counseling determined to work through
their issues scoris who denies Eric ever cheated on Corey 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 scoris 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 Corey 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 are 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 Cory want Eric dead court documents allege a
life insurance payout might have been a motive scorda says Eric's family agrees this is a
coldhearted greed at the time of Eric's death there were at least six life insurance policies on him totaling
nearly $3 million court documents alleg that in January 2022 two months before Eric died
Corey forged Eric's signature to get yet another policy worth an additional $100,000 Cory is also accused in court
documents of stealing from Eric's personal accounts and misappropriating monies distributed from Eric Richard's
business dating back years according to scorus Corey didn't just want the money she desperately L
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 scoris say a premarital agreements stipulated Corey 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
dad 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 Lazaro strongly disputes any allegations her client forged Eric signature mishandled
finances or stole from Eric as for the claim Corey was in debt and needed the money she says that simply not true she
was in the business of flipping houses this is what they did Lazaro 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 it looks like a large
number but we're talking about business transactions with people who she did business with Eric and Corey 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's saying let's have a
shot come on let's celebrate Cory it was that night sortis says Eric's family believes Corey gave him the Moscow Mule
laced with fentanyl and he says Eric family believes it wasn't the first time Cory
had tried to poison her husband the time he died wasn't the first time we believe that she tried to
kill [Music] him what do you think happened to Eric richens chat now with the 48 Hours team
on Facebook and X [Music] just outside Salt Lake City in the shadow of Utah's wasach
mountains home to fame ski resorts including Park city is the property that Corey richens
was planning on flipping the deal she and Eric were celebrating the night he died says her attorney Sky Lazaro is a
decently good siiz home Lazaro showed us the nearly 10 acre estate where are we give us a sense of why this is
significant real estate so this 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 ft man mentioned and its 4,000 ft Guest House were originally
built in 2017 but never finished the project was abandoned for two years until Corey 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 lazara
says Cory 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 Hot Spot 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 that's a that's a big turn yes from 3.9
to 12 million yes there was a lot of excitement I remember how excited she was Greg Hall worked with Cory he says
it was a solid investment it would have been a real easy flip they would have had to to sit on that for long as far as
you know Eric was on board with this plan 100% but that's not what Eric's family
remembers says their spokesman Greg scoris 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 Corey 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 believe Cory 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 medic Med ation 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 Cory called
his doctor figured out what to do and later that night he was back and 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 Cory
tried to poison Eric was the month before Eric died on Valentine's Day 202 22 they said his wife brought him a
sandwich which after one bite Eric broke into hives and couldn't breathe Cory'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 2 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 a house everything is put into a trust and she owns the house remember Eric had created that
trust and kept it secret from Corey when they were going through those marital problems until Eric's death Cory 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 Corey and you know Cory 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 Cory 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 fenel and had done a it on
more than one occasion all right back have a seat please in June 2023 Corey richens appeared in court
before judge Richard morazzi for a bond hearing the issue before the court is whether defendant Cory richens should
continue to be held without bail during the pre-trial period it was the first time since richens 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 Sky Lazaro I cannot imagine how difficult it was for Corey to sit there
and listen to everything that was talked about at that hearing to convince the judge why richens should not be released
prosecutors Patricia Cassell 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 richens 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 cotos sir if you'd step in front of Britney we'll get you sworn in he asked him about Google searches he
says richens 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 Sentinel 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 lead lead detective in this case in April of this year prosecutor Bloodworth
questioned detective O'Driscoll about where richens may have gotten fenel he specifically asked about an interview
the detective conducted with Carmen lber 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 interviews SE told us that in early 2022 the defendant reached out to her
either by phone call or text message requesting that she procure fentol 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 seal 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 when it 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 fentol that was stronger than
the previous batch this time detective O'Driscoll said c 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 for $1,300 for the purchase of the fentol
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 13 00 check it could very well be that Cory was paying
her for cleaning houses correct I don't want to speculate but it could be despite what C said correct okay Lazaro
says because Carmen lobber is a convicted felon she's not credible she was on probation at the time I think
anytime you have an informant type situation it can call into question the veracity of their statements or the
motive for what they're saying in her cross-examination of detective odris Lazaro attempted to show how CL might
have felt pressure to tell investigators what they wanted to hear you begin the interview by explaining to C 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 deegree felon Mones correct correct you essentially tell her that she has the 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 fenel to richens because CL is 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 there was anyone with her that could corroborate that she saw cland Corey
drugs not that I know of 48 Hours attempted to contact CL for comment we receive no
response they have to prove that she obtained drugs and gave them to her husband
[Music] and unless they can connect those dots they're going to have a hard time
proving murder in this [Music] case what do you make of Corey's Google searches for a timeline of the case
visit us at 48 [Music] hours.com as Cory Rich's bond hearing came to a close her attorney Sky Lazaro
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 good morning
the prosecution closed its case to deny Rich's 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 broken brokenhearted none of our Lives
will ever be the same Eric died under horrendous circumstances I am tormented at the
thought of what he endured please do not allow Corey to hurt Eric's memory our family friends and Community anymore we
have been through [Music] enough judge Richard morazzi spent very little time making his decision richens
would remain in custody the circumstances of this case weigh soundly against granting pre-trial release of
any kind Rich's 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 Rich and's 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 word scrolled 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 M and her thing is be sure you walk her she's so wored about
this dog in November 2023 prosecutors filed this motion asking the court for a no contact order to deny Rich and's
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 M 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 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 because 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 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 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 that keeps me
going besides the criminal case which could carry a sentence of 25 years to life 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 is
concerned about the money that they can get whoever ends up with the boys ends ups 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
[Music] they were given life sentences for their notorious crime what did these parents
do to deserve that now they're hoping new evidence could reopen the case My Hope in the case is that they'll finally
walk out of prison have the mende brothers been punished enough 48 hours Saturday on CBS and streaming on
Paramount Plus

"48 Hours" brings you stories about crimes that possibly involved poison in this mini-marathon.

00:00 Who Poisoned Angela Craig? 40:40 The Case of the Poison Cheesecake 1:23:33 The People v. Kouri Richins

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

Colorado dentist James Craig faces murder charges for allegedly poisoning his wife Angela with arsenic and cyanide.

Key points

The Perfect Crime?. Investigators reveal James Craig's alleged planning to murder his wife through poisoning.
Angela's Mysterious Illness. Angela Craig's sudden health decline raises questions about her husband's involvement.
The Poisonous Affair. Detectives suspect Jim Craig bought poisons to kill his wife, but the truth is murky.
A Dangerous Game. Jim Craig claims Angela dared him to order cyanide, but was she really suicidal?
The Cheesecake Incident. Olga Svick nearly died after eating cheesecake laced with a sedative from Victoria Nazarova.
Nadia's Desperate Search. Nadia Ford embarks on a relentless quest to find her missing mother, leading to shocking discoveries.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This was not the James Craig that I knew.

Reflection on the dentist's character.

8:13WatchMay 11, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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