Welcome back. This is Court TV Live! I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands.

Now, we begin this hour in Utah, where it is day one of the grief author murder trial for defendant Kouri Richins. Richins faces a potential life sentence if she's convicted of murdering her husband, Eric, who died from a lethal dose of fentanyl back in 2022. And in the months after Eric's death, Kouri authored a children's book titled Are You With Me?, featuring a father with angel wings watching over his young son.

Now, Kouri and Eric shared three children together, and prosecutors point to Kouri's alleged affair at the time of Eric's death and accuse her of masterminding Eric's murder for financial gain. Now, before we go into the courtroom, let's get some more background on the case against Kouri Richins, and for that, here's Court TV anchor, Julie Grant.

What's this about? Like I said, I'll just let the detectives explain when they get here, okay? April 13th, 2022, Kouri Richins is detained by Summit County Police as they execute a search warrant of her home. Richins is the Utah mother who wrote a children's book about grief after the sudden death of her husband, Eric.

Can you just call my mom? We're- I just need to, I just need to sit with you here till they get here. Investigators had just determined that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose the month before, and they were looking for the source of the illicit drug.

You need some air? I- No, I'm right in front of my neighbor's house. Like, this is so embarrassing. I don't want any air.

Eric Richins was thirty-nine years old when he died. Prosecutors say that Kouri, his wife, poisoned him by putting the drug in his drink. She denies the allegations and claims that Eric had a drug problem and accidentally ingested the fatal dose himself.

You understand you have the right to testify in this preliminary hearing, correct? Correct. Are you following your attorney's advice in waiving that right? Yes, that's correct. Okay.

Kouri and Eric were married in 2013. They were married for almost nine years and had three young sons together. Kouri was working at a Home Depot when they met, but after they married, Eric helped her start a real estate agency. Eric was the co-owner of a stone masonry firm. It was a good business. They were very well-respected in the community, and he was very well off. He had done quite well.

The day of their wedding, they signed a prenuptial agreement that stipulated that Kouri would have no claim to Eric's business if they divorced, but if he died while they were still married, she could claim half of the company. It was clear from their prenup and from other, contracts and, and wills and things that they found, that he was unfortunately worth much more to her, dead than divorced.

Eric was a Mormon and a graduate of the University of Utah. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing. Eric was a family man who always strove to be the absolute best father and husband. He was an attentive and loving father to his three sons and a devoted husband to his wife of almost nine years, Kouri, the defendant.

Investigators say there's evidence that Kouri and Eric's marriage was in trouble during the years before Eric's death. According to court documents, he had met with a divorce attorney and set up a trust in order to protect his assets from Kouri, and she allegedly was having an affair.

Kouri Richins' family stands behind her, and they say there's no way she had anything to do with her husband Eric's death. My sister, sh- she can't even squash a spider. she loved Eric. she loved her family more than anything.

All right, let's get you into the courtroom now. We're listening to the judge instruct the jury ahead of opening statements.

As jurors, you'll decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty, and you must base your decision based only on the evidence. Evidence usually consists of the testimony and exhibits presented at trial. Testimony is what witnesses say under oath. Exhibits are things like documents, photographs, or other physical objects. The fact that the defendant has been accused of a crime and brought to trial is not evidence. What the lawyers say is not evidence. For example, their opening statements and closing arguments are not evidence. You must keep an open mind throughout the trial. Evidence can only be presented one piece at a time. Do not form or express an opinion about this case while the trial is going on. You must not decide on a verdict until after you have heard all the evidence and have discussed it thoroughly with your fellow jurors in your deliberations.

Rules govern what evidence may be presented to you. On the basis of these rules, the lawyers may object to proposed evidence. If they do, I'll rule in one of two ways. If I sustain the objection, the proposed evidence will not be allowed. If I overrule the objection, the proposed evidence will be allowed. Please do not evaluate the evidence on the basis of whether objections are made.

Regarding the order of the trial, the prosecution will give its opening statement. An opening statement gives an overview of the case from one point of view and summarizes what that lawyer thinks the evidence will show. Defense counsel may choose to make an opening statement right after the prosecutor, or wait until after all of the prosecution's evidence has been presented, or not make one at all. You will then hear the prosecution's evidence. Evidence is usually presented by calling and questioning witnesses. What they say is called testimony. A witness is questioned first by the lawyer who called that witness, and then by the opposing lawyer.... Please consider all testimony, whether from direct or cross-examination, regardless of who calls the witness. After the prosecution has presented all of its evidence, the defendant may present evidence, though the defendant has no duty to do so. If the defendant does present evidence, the prosecution may then present additional evidence. After both sides have presented all of their evidence, I'll give you final instructions on the law that you must follow in reaching a verdict. You will then hear closing arguments from the lawyers. The prosecutor will speak first, followed by defense counsel. Then the prosecutor speaks last, because the government has the burden of proof. Finally, you will deliberate in the jury room. You may take your notes with you. You will discuss the case and reach a verdict.

From time to time, we'll call a recess. It may be for a few minutes or longer. During recesses, please do not talk about this case with anyone, not family, not friends, and not even with each other. Until the trial is over, do not mingle or talk with the lawyers, parties, witnesses, or anyone else connected with the case. Court clerks or bailiffs can answer general questions, such as the length of breaks or the location of restrooms, but they cannot comment about the case or anyone involved. The goal is to avoid the impression that anyone is trying to influence you improperly. So if people involved in the case seem to ignore you outside of court, they're not being rude, they're just following this instruction. Until the trial is over, please do not read or listen to any news reports or other reports about this case. Please don't do any research or visit any locations related to this case, and if you observe anything that seems to violate this instruction, please report it immediately to a clerk or a bailiff.

In the past, jurors have caused serious problems during trials by using electronic devices, such as their phones or their tablets or their computers, to research issues or share information about a case. You may be tempted to use your devices to investigate the case or to share your thoughts about the trial with others. Please don't do that. While you are serving as a juror, you must not use electronic devices for any of these purposes, just as you must not read or listen to any sources outside the courtroom about the case or talk to others about it. You'd violate your oath as a juror if you conduct your own investigation or if you communicate about this trial with others, and you can face personal consequences if you do. So please don't Google the parties, the witnesses, issues, or counsel. Please don't post any updates about the trial on social media. Please don't perform any internet searches at all about anything related to this case. Even using something as seemingly innocent as Google Maps to look up a location or an online dictionary to look up a term or a word that you hear in the courtroom can result in a mistrial. Please understand that the rules of evidence and procedure have developed over hundreds of years in order to ensure the fair resolution of disputes. The fairness of the entire system depends on you reaching your decisions based only on evidence presented to you in the courtroom and not on other sources of information. Post-trial investigations do occur, and if improper activities are discovered at any time, they'll be brought to the court's attention, and the entire case may have to be retried. So please, be careful.

Regarding note-taking, please remember that we do not have transcripts of trial testimony, so when deliberating at the end of the case, you will need to rely on your memory of each witness's testimony. So please feel free to take notes during the trial to help you remember the evidence, but please don't let your note-taking distract you. Your notes are not evidence in and of themselves, and they may be incomplete.

All right, we'll now proceed with opening statements. Mr. Bloodworth, let me make sure you have what you need here. Okay. Glare minimized.

It is the evening of March the third, twenty twenty-two. The defendant, Corey Richens, her husband, Eric Richens, and their three children, nine-year-old Carter, seven-year-old Ashton, and five-year-old Weston, are at their home in Camas. Eric Richens lived for his three boys. At seven twenty-two PM, Corey Richens' boyfriend, Robert Josh Grossman, texts Corey Richens an image of two people romantically kissing. The image is captioned, "Love you." At eight thirty-six, Corey Richens replies, "Love you." The boys go to bed- Kouri Richins makes Eric a drink and takes it to him in their bedroom. He drinks on the bed, she departs the bedroom. Kouri Richins returns to the bedroom at about 3:00 AM. She feels that Eric is cold. She nudges him, he does not respond. She sees that he is stiff and pale. His mouth is wide open. At 3:06 AM, Kouri Richins unlocks her cellphone. She takes- she travels 243 feet beginning at 3:08 AM. She unlocks her cellphone again at 3:10, 3:15, and twice at 3:19. At 3:21, Kouri Richins unlocks her cellphone and calls 911. Paramedics respond, but they are unable to revive Eric. He has no pulse, he is cold. They pronounce him dead at 3:58 AM on March the 4th, but they think he has been dead a while.

My name again is Brad Bloodworth. I am one of Summit County's criminal prosecutors, who along with Lindsay Schervenack and Fred Burmeister, will present to you the State of Utah's aggravated murder case against Kouri Darden Richins for causing the poisoning death of her husband and the father of her three children, Eric Richins. The State will also prove to you that two weeks before murdering Eric Richins, Kouri Richins attempted to murder him, and two weeks before that, by fraud and forgery, she took out an insurance policy on his life.

Objection. Can we approach? All right, we got opening statements starting up there. We hear him talking about the other alleged attempt on Eric Richins' life at the hands of Kouri. But we'll get more of those opening statements on the other side of this break. Keep it right here on Court TV.

This is the story of the Richins. Eric, a father of three, met an untimely end, and Kouri, his widow, wrote a children's book on grief. She's also charged now with his murder. He was faced with betrayal and terror. I know her innocence. Is their story a tragic romance- -or a twisted tale of grief? The truth will come out. The Grief Author Murder Trial, live coverage weekday mornings, 8:00/7:00 Central on Court TV.

Back to court in just a minute, but first, here's a quick look at some of the other cases we're tracking here at Court TV. Now, in Utah, it's day one of the long-anticipated murder trial for Kouri Richins. She's accused of poisoning her husband with fentanyl, then writing a children's book on grief in the wake of his death. And in Georgia, it's day six of the Gave My Son a Gun murder trial for Colin Gray. The father of accused school shooter Colt Gray is standing trial for his alleged role in the shooting that killed two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School. Right now, Marcy Gray, Colt Gray's mother, is on the witness stand. And in California, Nick Reiner is expected to be arraigned later this hour. He's accused of murdering his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. Now, of course, we'll keep you updated on all these trials throughout the day, but for now, let's head back to Utah and the trial for Kouri Richins. We're listening to the prosecution's opening statement.

Weeks before attempting to murder Eric Richins, Kouri Richins took out an insurance policy by fraud and forgery on Eric's life, and two weeks after Eric died, she submitted a fraudulent claim on yet another insurance policy. In this opening statement, I will summarize for you some of the evidence that the State will present over the next few days, perhaps weeks, so that you have a framework to assemble and analyze all of the evidence. The evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life. More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence, and success.

Kouri Richins owned a house-flipping business. She would purchase, rehab, and resell homes. She presented herself to friends and business associates as remarkably succes- successful. The evidence will prove that on the day that Eric died, Kouri Richins owed over four and a half million dollars to over 20 different lenders, and she did not have the ability to service that debt- because her bank accounts were exhausted and her credit was exhausted. She had been taking out new loans, to include payday loans, to service existing loans, but her new credit was drying up. In the five months leading to Eric Richins' death, Corey Richins overdrafted over two hundred transactions totaling over three hundred thousand dollars. And on the day that Eric died, Corey Richins was scheduled to close on an unfinished and derelict mansion in Midway, and thus take on an additional three point two million dollars in debt. She did not have the financial ability to service that debt, to rehab the mansion, or to hold onto it long enough to resell it. The mansion may appear impressive from a distance, but upon close inspection, it is just a facade.

On the other hand, on the day that Eric died, his estate was worth over four million dollars, and the evidence will prove that Corey believed, Corey Richins believed she would inherit it all. She believed that she would inherit Eric's two million dollar interest in a stone masonry business, an interest that a prenuptial agreement prevented her from getting any part of if they divorced, but permitted her to get all of if Eric died while they were married. She believed that she would inherit the million or so, so dollar home that they lived in, but that Eric owned separate and apart from her. And she believed that she would benefit from nearly two million dollars in insurance on Eric's life, to include the hundred thousand dollar policy that she took out a few weeks before he died.

Now, for Corey Richins' fresh start at life motive. This motive overlaps with her money motive. She needed Eric Richins' money to get her fresh start at life. The evidence will prove that Corey Richins was chronically unhappy in her marriage. She thought that having children would make her happier, but it did not. She consulted with a divorce attorney in the months leading up to Eric's death. Three months before Eric's death, Corey Richins booked a four thousand dollar, five-night, all-inclusive vacation for her and her boyfriend, Robert Josh Grossman, at the Secrets St. Martins Resort and Spa in the Caribbean. They were to check in the month after Eric died. Three weeks before Eric's death, fifteen days before Eric's death, one day before the charged attempted murder, Corey Richins text messaged Josh Grossman, "If I was divorced right now and asked you to marry me tomorrow, you would? I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle you, watch a murder documentary, and snuggle." Five days after the charged attempted murder and eleven days before the charged murder, Corey Richins text messaged Josh Grossman, "Babe, I miss you. I want you today, every day, not just sexually, but physically, mentally, every day when I wake up. I do want a future together. I do want to figure life out together. If he could just go away and you could just be here, life would be so perfect. I love you. I don't know what my deal is today. I'm sorry." Nine days after the charged attempted murder, one week, one week before the charged murder, Corey Richins text messaged her boyfriend, "I have a crazy dream. You quit your job, I divorce and come up with millions and millions. We buy Midway and live in the guest house and rent out the huge house as a big event center. Fifteen thousand dollars a day like they charge down the road, maybe twelve thousand to stay competitive, and we will just run the event center as our daily job and hang out every day, raise some kids, have a little farm. Deal?" Just over two weeks after Eric Richens' death, Kouri Richens text messaged her boyfriend a link to the secret St. Martins Resort and Spa in the Caribbean and asked, "Are we there yet?" One month and five days after Eric Richens' death, Kouri Richens texted, "I think I want you to be my husband one day."

Now, for the attempted murder charge. Carmen Lauper was a house cleaner who worked for Kouri Richens' aunt's house cleaning company. She cleaned Kouri Richens' house. She knew Kouri Richens for nearly nine years. Kouri Richens knew that Carmen Lauper had a criminal history involving drugs. The evidence will prove that on February the 11th, 2022, three days before the charged attempted murder, Carmen Lauper, at Kouri Richens' request, purchased illicit pain- or illicit pills from a street drug dealer who was a friend of a friend, and she gave those pills to Kouri Richens. That street dealer's name is Robert Prosier, and he sold Carmen Lauper the pills at a Draper in Maverick. Three days later, on Valentine's Day, Kouri Richins purchased a sandwich from the Mirror Lake Diner and left it for Eric Richens. She then departed Kamas and met up with Josh Grossman an hour away. At 11:33-

All right, let me bring in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Jack Rice. Jack Rice here in the flesh, in person. Oh, come on, man. Good to see you, brother. It's so good to be with you. Always, always. Now, listening to this opening statement, man, I wanna get your general thoughts on it so far. We just talked here, as we were listening to it, and said the prosecutor's kinda cutting her up right now. Oh, he absolutely is, and he's aggressive. Mm-hmm. In fact, when you saw that objection from the defense, that really gives you the hint. Because generally speaking, there's an unwritten rule out there that you don't object during opening arguments during opening statements. And remember, one of the reasons is because it's called an opening statement versus a closing argument. There's a difference. What you're arguing during closings is, i- is that it's not just what the evidence is, it's what it means. The problem is, is what the prosecutor is doing during openings, is they're actually arguing what the evidence means- and they shouldn't be able to do that. They should be arguing what it is. So it's a very aggressive approach. It's actually working very well, too, because you're getting this laundry list, and he's even saying not quite what it means, but he's certainly alluding to it. Mm-hmm. So that's extraordinarily aggressive, and he has a lot to say, and he's coming at her with both fists. Both fists, and he does have a lot to say, and we're gonna listen to more of it coming up on the other side of this break. So, folks, stick around. Coming up, more opening statements here in the trial against Kouri Richens.

Welcome back. You're watching Court TV. I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands. Now, we're back in Utah for the Kouri Richens murder trial. The children's book author is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl. Now, her trial started this morning, and she faces a potential life sentence if convicted of aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, and financial crimes in the death of Eric Richens, who died, again, from a lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022. Now, Kouri has pleaded not guilty to all of those charges, but let's head back in now, where the prosecutor is continuing his opening statement.

At 11:33 that morning, Eric texted Kouri Richens, "I'm gonna lay down for a bit. If I don't start getting better, I'm gonna head to the hospital soon." Shortly thereafter, all activity on Eric's cellphone ceased for nearly 90 minutes in the middle of a busy workday. Once activity resumed, Eric Richens called his two best friends. They sounded, to him, scared, somber, confused, and bewildered. A few days after that, Kouri Richins asked Carmen Lauper if she could get something stronger. The evidence will prove that on February the 26th, five or six days before Eric's death, Carmen Lauper, again, at Kouri Richens' request, purchased pills from the same street dealer at the same Maverick in Draper, and she left those pills- at a home that Corey Richens was just finishing up a rehab on. The evidence will prove that those illicit pills contained fentanyl. The autopsy and toxicology report shows that Eric Richens died of fentanyl poisoning. He had several times a lethal amount of fentanyl in his blood, and more in his stomach, and that extraordinary amount of fentanyl was intentional, not accidental.

The evidence will prove that time and again, Corey Richens tried to cover up her attempted murder and ultimate murder of Eric Richens. When confronted with Eric's reaction on Valentine's Day, Corey Richens text messaged her friend, "It was Valentine's Day, and Eric and I were both working from home that day, and I ordered lunch from Mirror Lake. He never broke out in hives or used an EpiPen." Nap. No hives, no EpiPen. Corey Richens was an hour away from Eric Richens with her boyfriend. Regarding the morning of Eric Richens' death, Corey Richens wrote in a notebook that she entered their room at 3:20 AM. She saw that when she nudged Eric, nothing happened. She grabbed her phone and called nine one one. She first grabbed her phone at at least 3:06 AM, and, delayed calling nine one one at least 15 minutes. The evidence will also prove that Corey Richens had a guilty conscience. The morning that Eric died, his family came over. Corey Richens could not face her children or Eric's dad, Eric Richens. She didn't speak to him. A few days after Eric's death, Corey Richens and her boyfriend, Josh, they drove into the Uintas and talked about Eric's death for the first time. Corey Richens asked Josh, "While serving in Iraq, did you ever kill anyone?" When he responded, she asked, "How did that make you feel?" Along the lines of both cover-up and guilty conscience, Corey Richens Text messages and other data from Corey Richens' phone for the two months leading up to Eric Richens' death, and a week or two after, have all been deleted. Police seized that phone. She got a new phone, and on that new phone, there were the following internet searches: "Can cops uncover deleted messages iPhone?" "Can you delete everything off an old iPhone without actually having it?" "Can deleted text messages be retrieved from an iPhone?" "How to completely wipe an iPhone clear remotely." "How to permanently delete information from an iPhone remotely." On April the 13th, 2022, about five weeks after Eric Richens' death, detectives informed Corey Richens that the autopsy and toxicology results show that Eric died of fentanyl poisoning. Thereafter, searches on her phone include-

All right, that prosecutor still continuing that very aggressive, aggressive opening statement there. We're gonna get more of it on the other side. Coming up, more opening statements in the Corey Richens murder trial. Keep it right here on Court TV.

This is the story of the Richens. Eric, a father of three, met an untimely end, and Kouri, his widow, wrote a children's book on grief. She's also charged now with his murder. He was faced with betrayal and terror. I know her innocence. Is their story a tragic romance- or a twisted tale of grief? The truth will come out. The Grief Author Murder Trial, live coverage weekday mornings, 8:00, 7:00 Central on Court TV.

Welcome back. Let's head back now to Utah, where the trial for Kouri Richens is underway. She's the mom who wrote a children's book on grief for her children after her husband's death. But prosecutors say Richens killed her spouse, Eric, with a deadly dose of fentanyl added in his Moscow mule. Let's head back in now for more opening statements.

If someone is poisoned, poisoned, what does it go down on the death certificate as? Can cops force you to do a lie detector test? Women, Utah prison, luxury prisons for the rich in America. Almost a year after Eric Richens' death, when Kouri Richens knew the police were investigating her for his death, Kouri Richens published a children's book on how to deal with the loss of a parent, and she promoted that children's book on local television and local radio. The state will present to you this evidence and more through a series of fact witnesses, expert witnesses, documents, and Kouri Richens' own words. As you evaluate the evidence, and you consider it, and you weigh it, let me offer four recommendations. The first is the evidence will prove that Kouri Richens murdered Eric Richens. But also consider the evidence that proves that Eric Richens did not kill himself or die accidentally. The evidence will prove that Kouri Richens had the means, motive, and opportunity to murder Eric Richens. But please consider the evidence that proves no one else did. Consider the evidence leading up to Eric Richens' death that proves that Kouri Richens murdered him, but also consider the evidence after Eric's death that also proves it. As you evaluate Kouri Richens' conduct, consider the evidence that proves that she richly values and trades on her perceived appearance, affluence, privilege, and success. Let me please highlight two of the judge's instructions that he just provided. The first is, stay focused on the evidence. What the attorneys say, how they say it, their voice inflection, none of that is evidence. Please stay focused on the evidence. Please take notes. As he said, you will probably only hear from a witness one time, and that is when the witness testifies. At the end of the trial, I'll stand back up here, and in closing argument, we will analyze the evidence. We will apply it to the elements that the dis- the judge instructed you on. And the state of Utah will ask you to find Kouri Darden Richens guilty of the aggravated murder of Eric Richens, the attempted aggravated murder of Eric Richens, two counts of insurance fraud, and forgery.

Back for a moment to the morning of March the 4th, 2022. It is 8:30. Medical examiners place Eric's body in a body bag onto a stretcher, and they wheel him out of his home for the last time. His boys are upstairs with their uncle. Kouri Richens has not yet told them that Eric is dead, and she won't for a few more hours.... The last of the sheriff's deputies leave, crime scene techs, medical examiners, and on Corey Richens' phone, the following three images are accessed.

All right, let's bring back in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Jack Rice. Jack, powerful opening statement. You know, he's walking through the money, he's walking through her boyfriend on the side, and there he's walking through evidence that he says will prove that Corey, murdered Eric. But do you see any hurdles that the prosecution might have to jump through? Because, you know, the jury could see some of this evidence and think it might be a sure shot to convict her. So will the prosecution have to do some hula hoops, jump through some hoops to- Oh, oh, without question- jump through this? -but let's think about how openings work here. Mm-hmm. Primacy and recency. Mm-hmm. What that means is the first thing you say is what they're gonna remember. The last thing they, that you say is g- they're gonna remember. How did they start? They started by talking about her boyfriend. They started talking about this relationship that she had despite her husband. Then you run through all of the evidence that they're, they're gonna present, right? How did they finish? He's in a body bag. He's in a body bag as they walk him out, as his kids are upstairs, and she hasn't even told them, and then she gets something on her phone. Primacy, recency. You want that jury to go with that. Absolutely, and we heard from the prosecution now, Jack, and coming up, the defense's opening statement in the trial against Corey Richens. We're gonna see what they have to say. Keep it right here on your front-row seat to justice.

Welcome back to Court TV Live. I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands. Now, back to Utah, where we've been following day one of the murder trial for Corey Richens. Prosecutors allege that Richens killed her husband, Eric, for financial gain, all to start a new life with a man with whom she was having an affair. She's accused of using fentanyl to poison Eric, allegedly adding the powerful synthetic opioid to a Moscow mule that she gave him to drink. Let's go back into the courtroom now. It's time for the defense's opening statement.

911, what's the address of the emergency? My husband's not breathing. He's cold. Okay, what's the address? 282 Willow Court. 28- Yes Willow Court? Uh-huh. Okay, what's the best phone number in case we get disconnected? 435-671-4987. Okay, is this gonna be in Francis? Uh-huh. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. I don't, I don't know. I just came in. I was sleeping with my kids. Okay, I can't understand you. I- I need you to take a deep breath. What's going on? I don't, I don't know. I just I was sleeping in with my kids. I just came in the bed, in our bed, and I turned over, and he's, he's just cold. He's just cold. Who's cold? My husband. I turned the light on, and- And he's not breathing? No. He's not breathing? No. I need you to confirm it for me. Is he not breathing? No. Okay, we're gonna s- can you do CPR? No, I don't know how. You don't know. I'm gonna tell you how, though. Are you willing to do CPR? Yes. Okay.

Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow. Six and a half hours before that terrible phone call, Eric and Corey Richens were in that same bedroom, and they were celebrating. They were celebrating because Corey was about to close on the biggest real estate deal that her company had ever done. She was about to close on something called the Midway Mansion. Slide, two, please. A sprawling, multimillion-dollar home in Midway that had been abandoned before construction was completed. And the plan was to fix it up just enough to resell it. In other words, repair the windows, make it look nice. There had been vandalism inside, clean it all out, get it ready to flip and sell, and the concept is to sell it for millions more than the bargain basement price they got because it was just a de- dilapidated, falling apart, abandoned property. And the plan was to flip it for so much that she was gonna make millions of dollars of profit, at least $2 million, for her and for all of her investors, and Eric was a part of this. Eric had been out at the property that very day, the day that he died, spreading gravel to make it look nice for open houses, and so it'd be ready as soon as they closed.

These two had other things to celebrate on March 3rd besides this big deal that was gonna make them a lot of money. One of the things they had to celebrate was that Eric's business was doing great. Can we have slide three? Eric worked as a stonemason, and you're gonna see, this is 2020. This isn't even the year before he died, so this, his income kept going up and up. But he made- he declared to the IRS that he made over $750,000 that year. That was just in one year of what Eric was bringing in to their marriage and their family.... They also lived in a beautiful home. Slide four. It was a beautiful home. Th- they got married in that home. That home was half Corey's. That's how it works in marriage. You get half of a home as soon as you live in it. They also had a two-story garage that you can kinda see in that picture, a little bit back from the house, and it was filled Slide four, I mean, slide five. It was filled with exotic animals. Eric was a huge hunter. He went on trips all over the world. They had the kind of money that they were blessed with. He could travel to Africa and travel to Mexico, which he did two weeks before he died. He was in Mexico hunting an exotic sheep, actually. they had four four-wheelers. They had lots of vehicles. They had snowmobiles, and ATVs, and ski equipment. They were very blessed. They had a lot to celebrate. They also had a wonderful family. Slide six. The one thing that I don't think anybody in this courtroom is ever gonna challenge, us included, is that Eric and Corey adored their boys. They were their world. They were in that place that we've those of us who've had kids have all been in, where you spend your days driving them around to soccer and all their activities, and they're just the center of your world, and that's how both of these parents felt about their kids. They loved them a lot. And what's more important is that the boys adored their father, adored them, adored him, and Corey knew that about her sons and about her family. Their marriage had survived through some rough times, and you're gonna hear about that. Like any marriage, it wasn't a perfect marriage. They'd gone through a really bad year, where they'd both contemplated divorce, and they did what a lot of couples do. They went to marriage counseling, they worked it out, and they decided to stick it out, and they did. You're gonna hear testimony from one of Eric's closest friends, that in the few weeks before Eric died, he and Corey were the happiest together that he'd ever seen them, and you're gonna hear that from one of Eric's closest friends.

Now, on March 3rd, Eric started sending excited texts before their celebration to Corey, saying, "Hey, let's get together. Let's have some celebratory shots." Slide seven, please. Oh, I'm sorry, you guys aren't gonna be able to read that. It's really small, but it basically says, "You wanna..." Thank you. "You wanna grab lunch today with a celebratory shot?" That was Corey saying she can't, that she has other plans, but he's excited. He wants to celebrate about the big closing. When Eric got home the evening of March 3rd, after he'd been out at the property, spreading the gravel, he got home, and they all had dinner together as a family. Corey's mom dropped by. They visited with her mom. Her mom had actually been out at the property the same day, with a carpenter, trying to get some bids and get it ready to start getting it fixed up. Corey's mom left. They tucked their boys into bed, and around nine o'clock, they decided to have their celebratory shot. A friend had given them a gift of some of those I'm sure you guys have seen them. Those copper m- mule, mule, Moscow mule cups that you make, like, in breweries and in bars, and they decided to try out their new cups. So Corey made a, what's called a Moscow mule, and they also had a little shot, which is Eric's idea, of a little lemon drop. They had their drinks. They actually didn't finish them, and set the cups in the sink at the house, right there. Around 9:30, they were getting ready to go to bed, and they heard one of the children, who suffered from something called night terrors, where they scream out. They have nightmares. One of the children was crying out, so Corey went to sleep with her son around 9:30 that night. You're gonna hear the police Corey also told the police, the day that they came to the house, that she believed Eric might have had what we call a marijuana gummy. You're gonna hear Eric loved marijuana gummies. He used them a lot, and the, the police found a whole bunch of them in the house, in his things, in his clothes, in his closet. You know, he was a marijuana gummy user. Slide eight. They These are all gummies that the police found in Eric's things. Some of them, you can tell, had commercial bags, where he bought them from dispensaries. Some were in clear bags, that he bought from somewhere else, the location unknown. So you take it down. So as they're getting ready to go to bed Oh, you're gonna hear that after Corey left the room, Eric was on his phone, and he was talking to a friend named Scott Wagner, and you're gonna hear that Scott Wagner talked to him at 10 o'clock that night. That when Scott Wagner talked to him, he did not sound drunk, he did not sound high, he did not sound like he was on fentanyl or anything else, that there was no sound of the wife or children in the background, that he was alert, that he was having a totally normal conversation with Scott, and this was at 10:00 PM. Shortly after 10:00 PM, you're gonna hear- forgot to mention, when Corey left the bedroom, she has always maintained from beginning to end that she left her phone in the room in the charger next to her bed, which we all do at night. When we're about to go to bed, we charge our phones. Nothing unusual there. After 10:00, around 10:30, so this is an hour after Corey's left the bedroom and is in with her son, Corey's phone is unlocked and moves just a few feet. Now, you're gonna hear Corey's friends in this trial, and some other people, testify that Eric was always checking Corey's phone, and you can kind of see why he probably was doing that based on what you've already heard from the State. Maybe he had good reasons, but he checked her phone a lot. So we know he did that at about 10:30 because we have proof that the phone opened and closed, moved a short distance, like maybe walking around the bedroom, and then closed again. And that is the last thing we know for sure that Eric did the night that he died. Sometime after that, we don't know exactly when, Eric died. Slide nine. When Eric died, his Apple Watch was hanging on a charger, nice and neat. His phone was in a charger on the nightstand. He was lying in his underwear, like when you go to bed, and he was on his back on his side of the bed. So it appears pretty clear that Eric went to bed and fell asleep and died in his sleep. You're also gonna hear, slide 10, that there was an empty pill bottle right next to him in his nightstand, and I want you to pay careful attention to this. The empty pill bottle expired in 2016. Made out to him for pain pills.

All right, the defense starting their opening statement, trying to evoke a little emotion with that 911 call. And then we also heard her talking about marijuana gummies that Eric enjoyed, but those are a little different than fentanyl. All right, coming up after the break, we're gonna hear more of the defense's opening statements in the Corey Richens murder trial. Keep it right here on Court TV. You know the drill. Be there when it pops. Let's do it. We'll get this guy. Like we always do. Thank you. This is gonna be fun. Now, let's get it on. God, I love this team. Find Island on your channel guide or favorite streaming service.

Welcome back. We've been watching opening statements out of Utah, where it is day one of the murder trial for defendant Corey Richens. Now, Richens faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, as prosecutors accuse her of scheming to kill her husband with a leasal dose- lethal dose of fentanyl. Richens denies the charges, and her defense team says, quote, "What the public has been told bears little resemblance to the truth." Now, she faces a potential life sentence if convicted. But let's go back into the courtroom now, right where we left off. We're listening to the defense's opening statement.

That's gonna become important later. Sometime after 3:00 a.m., Corey wakes up and comes back into a dark bedroom. You're gonna hear she unlocked her phone, probably We're not gonna dispute the times that the State just mentioned. The phone gets unlocked shortly after 3:00 a.m., which is what time Corey says from day one that she got up. She always tells the police, "I got up at 3:00." The phone verifies that. The phone moved around the house a little bit. you're gonna hear the distances in the house. there's gonna be investigators that are gonna tell you how many feet from the master bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen. They're gonna tell you about how many feet are in that house if you're walking around the house. It appears clear she walked around the house just a little bit for a few minutes, and then the phone stops being active, which is indicative of being back in the charger, indicative of not moving anymore. And a few minutes later, you hear the 911 call that you guys just heard. So that gives her enough time to crawl into the bed, touch her husband, and realize he's cold. Just about three minutes is all it took, and she picks her phone up, calls 911. You're gonna see that the phone records prove all of this. At that time, I believe everyone's gonna agree, and I think the State even admitted it in their opening, that it's pretty clear he'd been dead for several hours. And you're gonna actually see a photo. When we pass, our blood pools in the position that we lay in. It's not circulating anymore 'cause our heart's not working. And you're gonna see a picture of his back, and you're gonna see that the blood had He had been dead long enough for the blood to pool on his back because he was laying on his back. So that usually indicates he'd been dead for several hours, and the medical examiner is gonna tell you that. So those six hours, ladies and gentlemen, between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., somewhere in that time, Eric Richens died. Somewhere in that time, he ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl. What you will never hear after four years of investigation, where as recently as two weeks ago, they were back searching that house. After four years of investigation and five weeks of this trial, you know what you're never going to hear?... how that fentanyl got inside of him, because there is zero evidence of that. To this day, slide 11, please, you're gonna see that his death certificate Oh, that's the wrong thing, Katie. Just take it down. sorry about that. That's the wrong thing. his death certificate reads that the manner of his death is still unknown to this day. You're gonna hear testimony that a medical examiner has the ability to declare the manner of someone's death. It can be homicide, it can be suicide, it can be accidental overdose, it can be, murder, it can be anything. To this day, the medical examiner, the professional that's the head of declaring how people die in the state of Utah, has never been able to determine the manner of Eric Richins' death. Now, you're gonna hear first responders and law enforcement tell you that no fentanyl was found in the bedroom the night of his death. But you're also gonna hear them that they didn't search for it. You know, we've all seen the TV shows, the crime shows. What do you do if there's a murder, right? If you think there's a murder, tape it off. No one gets in or out. It becomes a crime scene. You search everything. You search the closet, you search the bathroom, you search the vehicles, you search the house, you search the office. They didn't do that. All kinds of friends and family, and you're gonna see video of all the people that were in the house that day. There was no restrictions on anybody. And guess what was sitting in the sink? The cups. They were sitting there. They were never taken, they were never tested, nothing. The m- the nanny ended up putting them in the dishwasher the next morning, and they still had fluid in them. You're gonna hear the day after Eric died, Kouri, or I'm sorry, not the day after, day of, they started interviewing Kouri over, and over, and over again about what happened that night. You're gonna hear for yourselves that her explanation of what happened that night has never changed from that call you just listened to, as far as the timing, as far as what happened, never. Law enforcement secretly recorded her phone conversations for over a year after this incident. Two years later, listening in to conversations with her family to see if her story about what happened that night ever altered, ever changed. You're gonna hear it never changed. You're gonna hear that before Eric's body was even taken out of their bedroom, Kouri was told the body was going to a morgue for an autopsy. So within an hour of the cops getting

There, she knew there was gonna be an autopsy of his body. And what happens when you have an autopsy? You figure out how someone died. That's what doctors do. They test your blood, they test your, your s- your bodily tissues. So she knew that, but did she tell the police, or the medical responders, or the EMS, "Hey, guys, you might wanna check for fentanyl. My husband used it all the time"? Did she do that? Because with one sentence, she could have taken all suspicion off her and made this about a drug overdose, but she didn't.

As a matter of fact, she could have staged a whole drug overdose scene, with fentanyl pills on his stomach and everything all over the place, and say, "Gosh, you know, I tried to get him in rehab for years, and I couldn't." But she didn't, and you know why? Because she told her truth. She told her truth over and over again, and it's exactly what she told that 911 operator that you just heard, and you're gonna hear over and over at trial: "I don't know what happened."

Now, you're gonna hear that Eric Richins' family simply could not accept that. They needed someone or something to blame for losing someone they loved that wasn't Eric himself, and that's totally understandable. No family ever wants to believe that behind closed doors, someone they love is using drugs. No one wants to believe that. But the family's need to make sense of Eric's death went way beyond what you would expect a normal grieving family to go through.

You will hear that as the detective arri- arrived at the house, Eric's sisters spoke with the detective in the driveway. This is before anyone in the house knows how Eric died, if he had a heart attack, if he had an aneurysm. A lot of people were talking about aneurysms at the scene, and you're gonna hear that. Nobody knew yet how he died. The sisters were telling the police, "Kouri probably did this. Kouri probably did this," day one. His sister, Katie, tells the police, and you're gonna hear her testify about this, that Kouri had recently found out that Eric had put all their assets in a trust, and that Katie was in charge of the trust. She's gonna say, "I'm in charge," and that Kouri didn't like that. She told that to the police at the scene. So Kouri already knew before Eric ever died that his assets were protected in a trust and didn't automatically come to her if he died, that there were legal things you had to go through.

You're gonna hear that it didn't stop there. The Richins family hired a private investigator, and you're gonna see how much they paid that private investigator, and it's almost $100,000. And they paid that investigator to spend every waking minute digging up as much dirt as he possibly could on Kouri Richins to try to implicate her in Eric's death.... Even though the state already had all the evidence from the scene that night that would show what happened in those six hours, right? The investigator goes looking for skeletons in the closet, and boy, did he find some. You're gonna hear that after an exhaustive private investigation into every single thing about Kouri Richins' life, he uncovered plenty of things that I'm quite sure she's not proud of. She's not- All right, defense opening statement there. We're gonna hear more of that on the other side of the break in Kouri Richins' murder trial. Keep it right here on Court TV.

Welcome back to Court TV Live. I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands. Now, we're in Utah this hour for the trial against defendant Kouri Richins. Now, Richins wrote a children's book to help her sons grieve the death of their father, but now she's standing trial for his murder. She has pleaded not guilty to murdering Eric Richins, but prosecutors have accused Kouri of killing Eric by dosing his Moscow mule with fentanyl. Now, they insist she was having an affair and needed him out of the way for financial gain. Let's head back in now, where the defense is still in its opening statement. She's not a perfect person. She's a flawed person. I would submit we all are. But the prosecutor just turned some of her most intimate, personal correspondence into entertainment, with bubbles and slides, and they're gonna continue to assassinate her character throughout this trial, so get ready.

The judge has instructed you not to prejudge this case, and to wait until you hear all of the evidence before you make up your mind. So let me assure you, no marriage is what it appears on the surface. What happens when we close our bedroom door is very private, and is not always known by family or friends, and I think you're gonna learn a lot about Kouri and Eric's relationship in this trial, and I would ask you to wait before you go rush to judgment, like they have, about her sexual morality, her personal decisions, about her marriage, and about her family. The prosecution is gonna spend days and weeks telling you all about arguments Kouri's had with her husband in years past. Problems in their marriage, yeah, they had them. Disagreements, infidelities, ups and downs in their marriage, all true. They're also gonna tell you all about Kouri's business. They tore it apart. They examined every bank account, every real estate deal she ever did, her taxes, when she made money, when she lost money, if she paid her taxes on time, if she bounced checks, if she borrowed too much, if she didn't borrow enough, if she borrowed wisely, if she was too risky in her business. You're gonna hear all of that. None of that has anything to do with those six hours, but you're gonna sit through it, and you're gonna listen to all of it. And you're gonna hear testimony about her most intimate personal and business affairs going back years before Eric died.

The family and the private investigator even came, became convinced that Kouri had tried to kill Eric before, on Valentine's Day, when he had an allergic reaction to a sandwich, drank some Benadryl, may or may not have taken an EpiPen shot, took a two-hour nap, and then drove his kids to soccer. That's the evidence you're gonna hear about Valentine's Day. You're gonna hear that he had discussed with Kouri that he was gonna drive the kids to soccer. So they're asking you to believe that she secretly put narcotics in her husband's food right before he's gonna drive the three things that matter the most to her in the world to soccer. You're gonna hear that Eric didn't even That this incident wasn't even a blip to Eric. He had a professional allergy doctor that he saw very shortly after this incident. He never even brought this up. He never even talked about it with his doctor. You're gonna hear that he laughed about it with one of Kouri's friends, who visited shortly after. He thought it was funny. Interestingly, you're also gonna hear that people who use oxycodone or hydrocodone, like that bottle said, also have, tend to have allergic reactions. They can have very similar symptoms, if you use pain pills, to the symptoms described of what Alec, Eric ha- ec- experienced on Valentine's Day. Here's what you're not gonna see in this trial. You're not gonna see one single bit of evidence showing what was in that sandwich, if he went to a doctor, if he had any tests run, 'cause he didn't. No evidence at all.

Now, the family's investigator regularly updated law enforcement on his, on his investigation. He sent them everything he found. He sent them witnesses to interview. He sent them interviews he did of the witnesses first. You're gonna hear this very same private investigator took Eric's computer before the police got it, and had it for a long time in his possession, looking through all of Eric's computer. You're also gonna hear Eric's family went and hired experts. They hired experts in toxicology, in finances, in handwriting analysis, paid them all a bunch of money, and now those same people that the family hired are gonna appear here as witnesses for the state, to testify against Kouri. You're gonna hear that the family had constant communications with the, prosecution team, right up until they decided to charge Kouri a year later....

Now, as you've already heard from this prosecutor, they're gonna spend weeks in this trial trying to convince you that Cory had reasons to kill her husband, because they can't show you that she did kill her husband. You're not gonna hear a single one of Eric's family, Cory's investors, Cory's friends, her lover, her accountant, her broker, her lawyer, her, her, and her, marriage counselor, her accountants, her husband's friends, her husband's coworkers. Not one of those people is ever gonna be able to tell you what happened in those six hours, not one of them. You're gonna hear me ask each one of them in this trial, "Do you know whether or not Eric Richens knowingly ingested fentanyl? Do you know whether he accidentally ingested fentanyl, thinking he was taking another kind of pill, and it had fentanyl in it, and he took it and accidentally ingested it? Do you know whether he mixed fentanyl with alcohol after Cory went to sleep?" The answer every single time, from every single one of these witnesses, is going to be, "No."

Now, here's what you will hear. You will hear that Eric suffered from pain, a lot. That he was in- he suffered from knee and back pain related to his work. He did hard work. He was a stonemason, lifting heavy stones, and he also was a huge outdoorsman. He was hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, hunting, and he had pain in his back and his knees from that kind of activity. He also had been diagnosed with Lyme disease. He believed he had it, and he claimed to people that were very close to him that he suffered with intense bouts of pain that he believed was related to Lyme disease. But this is a man's man, this guy. He's a hunter. He's a macho guy, right? He didn't wanna show weakness. He didn't want people to know he was suffering. He didn't share that with a lot of people. You're gonna hear that Eric was so dependent on the drugs, like the gummies, that gave him relief from his pain, that he would even take it and smuggle it in his luggage when he went on trips out of the country and out of the continental United States, when you've gotta go through TSA. That's how much he needed that relief.

Now, you're gonna hear on one of the calls that they were recording when Cory was talking to her family, she tells her family that she purchased pain pills for Eric at his request. She purchased them from a woman named Carmen that she knew, who cleaned her properties for her, and she knew Carmen had access to people that had drugs. You will hear that she asked Carmen to get oxycodone. Oxycodone, which is very similar to the hydrocodone that you saw in that pill bottle right there. Your Honors. I apologize. May we approach?

All right, let's bring back in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Jack Rice. Jack, they brought up that pill bottle. The defense brought up that pill bottle that was found right next to where Eric Richens' body was found. I don't think they sat on it long enough. Oh, you're absolutely right. That I mean, that is what this case is gonna be about, in my mind- Mm-hmm as I listen to this, as I think about this. The problem is, is that some pieces of evidence never go away. Mm-hmm. Now, from the State's perspective, this isn't about anything else. This is all about her killing him, and I appreciate that's the approach. And yet, at the same time, let's think about what that pill bottle is. It goes back to 2016, and yet he keeps filling it up. Filling it up with what? It certainly wasn't what was supposed to be in that, that pill bottle, and yet he continues to do so. You can't dismiss that. Mm-hmm. And the problem is, is the State would love to have that dismissed. I'm, I'm thinking of it from the perspective of the defense, and if what you do is you place everything right at the foot of that bottle, you talk about the, the physicality of what his job is, the brutality of what he's dealing with, the pain that he's dealing with. And the problem is, is the longer you take anything, the less it works. Mm-hmm. And so what happens, and I can say this, having done this for 30 years, is that I see clients, they get stronger and stronger and stronger, and people who start with prescriptions start buying stuff on the street because they can't get it from docs anymore. Now, you can't control what's in it. You may not even know what's in it, and at a certain point, you can't control how much you take, and it doesn't take much fentanyl or almost none sometimes, and you can overdose, and that's where I think the defense has to go. If they don't do this well, they could absolutely lose this case. Absolutely, and, Jack, that kind of goes to what you and I were talking about in one of the earlier commercial breaks, about building this, this world around Eric Richens. 'Cause, you know, when people die, they're always labeled as, "This is the perfect person. They couldn't hurt a fly. They were this, they were that." But there's sometimes some skeletons in the closet when it comes to people. Is that the world that the defense- Oh is probably trying to build here? You're absolutely right again. That is exactly what can happen. When we think about how, when you have death cases, when you have somebody who died, you have a tendency of sort of rising them al- almost into immortality, and the problem is, is that's not how any of us are. And I think one of the, the challenges that the defense is gonna have is, they're gonna have to be able to describe the darkness of this relationship, the darkness that Eric carried, all that he carried- and what he was willing to do to keep going at this. The problem is, is that you risk something. If you can create the darkness that Eric is, you also may be creating the motive for what would- Mm-hmm she would use to kill him. Mm-hmm. And so it's this very, very, very, very thin line. It's this seam that you're trying to run. I mean, as you were talking, you and I were talking off the air, so much of what we do is not about law.... This is about human beings, and about worldviews, and how we see the world, and what people deserve, and what people don't deserve, and why we do it, and how it works. And that has nothing to do with what a statute says or what the elements of a charge are. Mm-hmm. And that's, that's the, dare I say it, the art of what it is to be a trial lawyer. Absolutely. And Jack, you know, you're mentioning you're dealing with human beings, worldviews, moral compasses. Now, let me ask you this, to play a little bit on the other side- At what point, 'cause this, this, this case is kind of built on a little bit on circumstantials, at what point does, you know, circumstantial but compelling quietly become not enough? Because you- the prosecution might be asking the jury to fill in some gaps or to make up some own assumptions for themselves. Well, they're gonna have to. That's what circumstantial evidence is about. Fair enough. I mean, remember, the bottom line is circumstantial evidence is still evidence, and it is. And what can happen is a jury can take it and say, "With all of this circumstantial evidence, that was enough to prove that they did it." Or, and by the way, they did this twice. What the, the prosecution did was they basically said, "Not only do we have enough to prove that she did it, who else but her could have done it?" So in other words, they're actually looking at it two different ways. They're coming at you from two different directions. Mm-hmm. And so that's what they're gonna try to do. What the defense has to be able to do is bring up that pill bottle again. They gotta bring it up. And again. It has to come back, right? And again. That's it. You've, you've gotta be sitting with that and say, "This is a, this is a terrible tragedy. It's a terrible tragedy, and this is a man who struggled, and nobody knew about it." Mm-hmm. And that pill bottle, you cannot ignore. Absolutely. Jack Rice, always appreciate your insight, and appreciate it even more sitting across from you here in person, sir. Thanks, brother. we're gonna come back. We're gonna get back to more opening statements from the defense in Kouri Richins murder trial right here after the break. Keep it right here on Court TV.

This is the story of the Richins. Eric, a father of three, met an untimely end, and Kouri, his widow, wrote a children's book on grief. She's also charged now with his murder. He was faced with betrayal and terror. I know her innocence. Is their story a tragic romance- or a twisted tale of grief? The truth will come out. The Grief Author Murder Trial, live coverage weekday mornings, 8:00, 7:00 Central on Court TV.

Welcome back to Court TV Live. I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands. Now, we're back in one of Utah's highest-profile murder trials, the murder trial for Kouri Richins, who prosecutors say schemed to kill her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl. Now, the year following his death, Kouri even wrote a children's book about grief. But the state of Utah says this was all a ruse just to hide her murder. If she's found guilty, she faces a potential life sentence. Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty to all of those charges. But let's head back in now, where the defense is still in its opening statement. It'll happen a lot over the next five weeks, so get ready.

you're gonna hear that, oxycodone is a fairly low-dose pain pill that you can get prescriptions for. Most prescriptions for oxycodone are around the range of about 10 milligrams per pill. That's about, if your doctor gives you oxycodone, that's about what you usually get it for. If you want stronger oxycodone, like up to 30 milligrams, you generally either have to have a special prescription from a doctor, or you're gonna hear that you can get it on the street, right? And the state has talked about this gentleman, Robert Crozier. Robert Crozier sold higher-strength oxys, up to 30 milligrams. He's gonna testify that back in 2022, when, before Eric died, that's all he sold, was oxy, that he didn't sell fentanyl at that time. It hadn't really got into the country yet, it like it is now, right, where it's everywhere. It hadn't really happened yet. He was just selling oxys, and he sold the stronger dose. So you're gonna hear and you're gonna see evidence that Kouri asked Carmen for something stronger, and that Carmen, you're gonna hear from Mr. Crozier, purchased 30-milligram oxys from Crozier. Crozier's going to say that is what he sold Carmen Lobber, was 30-milligram oxy pills. You're also gonna hear that in Eric's autopsy, there's no oxy in his system, so the pills that were purchased by Carmen Lobber could not have been the cause of Eric's death. The fentanyl had to come from somewhere else. You're gonna hear Carmen testify now that Kouri asked her for fentanyl, but what you're gonna hear is that sh- that was not Carmen's original story. That when Carmen was originally interviewed, she said no mention of fentanyl. It was all about oxy. There was no fentanyl. Carmen talks like she doesn't even know what fentanyl is, right? Guess when she changes her testimony? She changes her testimony when the police say, "Hey, you know what? We caught you. We caught you with drugs, we caught you with guns, and if you don't say what we want you to say, you're going to jail for a really, really long time, federal and state. But we're gonna give you a ticket. We're gonna give you a free ticket to get out of all the trouble you're in, but you gotta say Kouri said fentanyl," and she changes her story. You're gonna get to evaluate her credibility and what you think of her....

You're gonna hear that just a few weeks before Eric died, guess where he was? Mexico. Guess where the fentanyl comes from, into this country from? Mexico. Now, after you've listened to all the evidence in this case, after you've looked at all the exhibits, you're gonna be asked to determine what happened in that six hours. Not the three years before, not the two years before, not the one year before. In those six hours. You're gonna have to decide if Corey Richens intentionally and knowingly poisoned, secretly, her husband, ending the life of the father of her kids, knowing that she was gonna cause those little boys to feel pain every day for the rest of their life for the loss of their father, and that she did it for money, and that she did it for money that was less than what she was about to make on one of her own deals. For way less than what Eric Richens would have earned over the next two years, three years, four years. Way less than you knew she was guaranteed to get, because she knew about the existence of the trust. She knew there's no guarantee on the assets or the home, right?

Finally, you're gonna be asked to determine whether or not the sandwich incident was an attempt to commit a murder. That's gonna be an easy one for you. You're gonna be asked to whether she lied to the life insurance companies, and I presume the State's gonna argue that the lie was that she didn't cause his death. Because if you cause someone's death, you can't get the life insurance. So I guess that's what they're saying the fraud is. And then there's a little flyer that she got in the mail, that we've all gotten in the mail, that if you're a credit union member, about once or twice a year, you get this little thing in the mail that says, "Hey, we'll give you $100,000 free life insurance. Just sign here, 'cause we are so glad you're our credit union member." And so she signed that a little while before Eric died, for $100,000. $100,000. That's Eric Richens made that in two months, right? Three months. And they're saying she forged his name on that little flyer when she mailed it in. In order to prove that, they-

All right, coming up, more opening statements in the Corey Richens murder trial. Plus, Nick Reiner just appeared in court for his arraignment, as he is charged with killing his parents. The latest on that hearing after the break. This is Court TV, your front row seat to justice.

All right, welcome back to Court TV Live. I'm Cody Thomas, in today for Ted Rowlands. Now, before we head back into that Utah courtroom, let's check in on some breaking news out of California, where Nick Reiner was arraigned in court just moments ago, and he has officially pleaded not guilty in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner. Now, Reiner sat in the glass box and only spoke to the court to agree to waive his rights to a speedy trial. He was not wearing the suicide prevention smock that he was seen wearing during his first court appearance back in December. Now, Nick has been held without bail since his arrest, hours after the actor, director, and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds back in December of last year at their home in Los Angeles. Let me bring in my guest for this hour to discuss, criminal offense- criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor Jack Rice. Jack, are you surprised at this not guilty? Yeah, I'm not, but you gotta remember everything that's going on underneath this. They just took this before the grand jury. They just came back with first-degree, premeditated murder charges. So we're looking at those seriously right now as well. Now, you have to look backward and realize there's some mental health issues. He was under conservatorship earlier. There may be issues of that in this case. So even if they have him, even if they have evidence in this case, if those charges are there, there's no benefit, frankly, for him to plead guilty at this point, because the likely could be, if he pleads guilty, he goes to prison for the rest of his life. My response is, why would anybody do that? And I think that's really where we sit, but I think this really highlights what's coming next, which is enormous changes. That's what I I mean, you know, the evidence is so overwhelming, and I'm just sitting here thinking, if and when this goes to trial, it's almost like, you know that scene in Rocky IV where Adrian tells Rocky, "You can't win"? Yes. It seems like he, it seems like he won't be able to win with all this evidence. I Trust me, I, I, I, I've been Rocky in that case. Right, right. You know what I mean? "You can't do it!" Yeah. Yeah. So, and that's exactly where we sit with this. But think about it this way, and I think people will watch trials, including the one we're, we're dealing with right now. There is years of a tail before this, and remember, it's not just first appearances. We have omnibus appearances, and pre-trials, and contested pre-trials, and, and you're dealing with, motions in limine to try to exclude pieces of evidence. There's also competency issues. And remember, competency, and I'm not- I don't have to go back to his conservatorship. My response is, what was his competency at the time of the murders themselves- Mm-hmm and the deaths, the homicides of his parents? What about his competency throughout this process? Because competency cuts two ways. It's gonna also be, what's going on right now? Does he have the bility- the ability to understand what he's being charged with and help in his defense right now, let alone his competency at the time of the incidents themselves. Think about that. This is a year, two years in the making. Mm-hmm. This is an enormous fight. I've done these myself, and I can tell you, they take years off of my life- Right every time I do them. And mental health is gonna be paramount. Yeah, and mine, too. That Yeah. Stop laughing at me. No, no. Come on. Trying to keep it, trying to keep it hidden now. Jack Rice, this is the big one, man. So we're gonna have to keep our eyes on him. And of course, to our viewers, we'll keep you updated with all the updates as we get them to our newsroom.

Now, back to Utah, where it is day one of the murder trial- for defendant Corey Richens, where Richens faces a potential life sentence if she's convicted of murdering her husband, Eric, who died from a lethal dose of fentanyl back in 2022. Now, in the months after Eric's death, Corey authored a children's book titled Are You With Me?, featuring a father with angel wings watching over his young son. Now, Corey and Eric shared three children together. Prosecutors point to Corey's alleged affair at the time of Eric's death, and accuse her of masterminding Eric's murder for financial gain. Let's get you right back into the courtroom now for the remainder of the defense's opening statements....

In order to prove that, they have to prove that Eric didn't allow her to do it. Now, I'm telling you right now, wives everywhere sign their husband's names on a lot of things. You've gotta find that she did it without his knowledge, and I don't know how they're gonna prove that. Now, there is one piece of good news as you evaluate this evidence and the facts in this case. There is some good news for you. There are gonna be a lot of facts that we actually agree on, that we're not even gonna challenge. We'll just be like, "Yeah. Yeah, that happened." Hopefully, that's gonna help them move- the case move a little faster for you guys. But interestingly, even though we're not gonna dispute the facts, we sure are gonna dispute what the facts mean. Sometimes you can look at the same facts and see two very different results. Let me show you what I mean. Katie, can you put up slide 12? Is it up on your screen, Katie? One second, please. The judge has to give us the pass to get into the screen. This happens from time to time. Okay. Brittany, can you do me a favor? Disconnect from table one. Plug back in. Okay, one moment. Here it is. So look at this picture of a young woman in a fur coat. See it? Now, look again. You see a witch? Nose, mouth. There's gonna be times in this case where the State is gonna discuss facts with certain witnesses, and they're gonna show you the witch. And I'm gonna take those same facts and those same witnesses, and I'm gonna show you a widow. At the end of the trial, if you can still see both faces, that's reasonable doubt.

The judge has instructed you that the burden of proof in this case lies with this table. Katie, can you put up slide 13? Can you make it a little bigger, please? The law presumes the defendant is not guilty of the crime charged. She's innocent right now, and you have to accept that to do your job. The presumption persists unless the prosecution's evidence convinces you beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. Katie, can you put up slide 14? This burden, this is a heavy burden for the State. We know that, and our Constitution gives them that burden. Our Constitution, that same Constitution, promises Corey Richens a fair trial by a jury of her peers, and that's you, her fellow citizens, who took an oath to swear that you will stand between Corey and the government and make them meet their duty before they can get through to you. And they've gotta meet it by proof beyond a reasonable doubt, m- more powerful than just more likely or not that she did it. It has to be firmly convincing you. There are very few things we know with absolute certainty. The criminal case doesn't require proof that co- overcomes every possible doubt. But if you think there is a real possibility that she is not guilty, you must give her the benefit of the doubt and find her not guilty, and that's the burden that's on your table. When you go back into that jury room, that's gonna be on y'all's table. We're asking you to be courageous, to pay attention, to stand strong, and to hold the government to that burden that's on their table. Hold them to it. And at the end of this case, you will see Corey Richens is innocent. She is counting on you to do your job, and the only proper verdict to return in this case, which we are going to ask you to return at the end of this case, is to find her not guilty on all charges. Thank you.

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Kouri Richins' Murder Trial: Opening Statements

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