COURTROOM INSIDER | Kouri Richins learns her fate on her husband's 44th birthday

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:40]Heat. Heat. N.

[00:01:17]Hey, Heat. Heat.

[00:02:10]Good evening everybody and welcome to Courtroom Insider. I'm Nate Eaton. Nice to have you here tonight. It is Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

[00:02:20]A day that many uh will always remember because of what happened this afternoon, well this morning and this afternoon in a Summit County courthouse in Park City, Utah. Corey Richens learned that she will be spending life in prison without the possibility of parole. You can see that look on her face. She had many, many faces today in the courtroom. I will show you a lot of the images that uh our pool photographer was able to get inside the courtroom and I will play all of the clips in case you weren't able to watch today. It was an emotional hearing. Lasted for about 5 hours and started at 9:30 and we heard many witnesses, not witnesses, many people speak on from Eric's family and for the state's behalf. And then we heard a lot of people speak on behalf of the defense on behalf of Corey. And then at the end of it all, we heard Corey Richen speak for about 40 45 minutes as she gave direct counsel and advice to her three sons who were not in the courtroom. But they did have advocates, counselors speak on their behalf. They read their words as is. And I'll play some of that for you here. Uh, thank you for being here tonight. Good to have you with me.

[00:03:30]Please let me know where you're watching from. If you have any questions, Peggy, our comment moderator, is here. She's active. She's interacting with you and we will um answer some of those questions. Also, for those of you watching over on Meet in the Eatens, my wife is chatting in. She said, "Let people know I'm there." Um, all right.

[00:03:46]Why don't we go ahead and get started?

[00:03:48]Uh there's so much so much to talk about. Um I'm going to show you the many faces of Corey Richens from today. I posted these earlier on my Facebook page, Nate Eaton Reporter. I will um try to get rid of the comments there. I'm just going to scroll through these.

[00:04:03]These were taken through the uh all day.

[00:04:05]These were taken through the variety of the uh through through through a variety of different witnesses, different people who were speaking. Uh there was moments of shock on her face. There was moments of disgust. Uh, there were moments of um, I guess disbelief, you could say.

[00:04:23]Moments of where Corey was stoic. There were moments where she looked like she couldn't believe what was being said.

[00:04:29]Uh, I'm just going to scroll through these. Again, these were during different witnesses. When I when I play the actual sound bites here in a moment, you can see uh, exactly her reaction, particularly during Eric's sister Katie's testimony, our victim impact statement. Corey didn't hold back. In fact, many of you were saying, "Why doesn't the judge put her in line?" And then at the end, as I mentioned, she stood up and went to the lectern with her three attorneys surrounding her. She was in handcuffs. She was in leg shackles. Uh so she couldn't, you know, she didn't have much mobility, couldn't move around, but she's she stood there, she cried, she became emotional. Most of her her uh comments, though, she was pretty serious. You can see there, I guess. Yeah, they're handcuffs, but they're they're also hooked to her waist. Uh, so she's locked in. There are her her two attorneys, Katherine Nester and Wendy Lewis. Uh, and then again, some of the the images. I think I've already shown you those. Um, in in fairness and uh complete, you know, why why I would want to, I want to show you some other photos that aren't Corey. Um, and I'm going to go through these here.

[00:05:40]My apologies. You may see some of Corey simply because uh we we get these photos from the pool photographer. Shout out to the Salt Lake Tribune. They had a photographer in the courtroom taking these images uh all day and they shared them with us as media. And then the uh um lawn crime, they were the pool video people today. So um let me show you some of these photos here that were not of Corey Richens. I have them all. I think all in all they took many many different pictures. Um, okay. I I know that these are small. I This is I think the only way I know how to do it. So, here are some of I I apologize that it's so small on your screen. If I make it big, it will uh I'll have to do them one by one and that'll take a long time. There is Eric's father speaking. There is his sister Katie. You can see Corey in the background. She has her mouth open as Katie speaks. There is Clint. You're going to hear from these folks in just a moment. There's her sister or his sister, Amy.

[00:06:46]She spoke. There's the judge, Corey, of course. Let me scan through these. I showed you a bunch of these just a minute ago. Uh there is her brother, Ronnie. He spoke.

[00:06:58]She became very emotional as he spoke.

[00:07:00]Probably the most emotional of the day.

[00:07:03]And there are the images. So, uh, you can check those out if you're interested in those. I'm always fascinated by photos. I don't know what it is. I don't know if you're like me, but video, you know, I've done my whole world in journalism for 20 years has been video and getting people on camera and talking on camera, but I always like seeing the images. Uh, and and I I enjoy seeing those. So, why don't we start off with the sentence, the actual sentence itself. Judge Richard Morazzic had two options. 15, sorry, 25 years to life or life in prison without parole. Defense was adamant she get 25 to life.

[00:07:39]Prosecution was adamant she get life. It all came down, it seemed, to her children. Do her children need to live their whole lives wondering, is mom going to get out? Or on the flip side, do her children in 10 or 20 years think, I want to have a relationship with mom and because of the sentence today, they can. But before the judge got to that with the count one, which was the homicide, the the murder, he went through the counts in reverse. Forgy, she was sentenced 1 to 5 years.

[00:08:11]Insurance fraud, both charges, she was sentenced 1 to 15 years. Attempted aggravated murder, the attempted for the Valentine's Day sandwich, she was scheduled 5 years to life. Then he got to the main charge, the murder, and this is what he said. Under either scenario, Ms. Richens will be incapacitated, meaning structurally prevented from harming anyone outside the Utah State prison system for at least the next three decades and perhaps much longer.

[00:08:46]but the potential impact on the survivors of the tragedy created by Cory Richens.

[00:08:53]Most importantly, Eric Richen's three sons is more difficult to predict.

[00:09:01]On one hand, if the court sentences Miss Richens to life without parole, one or more of those young men may come to resent that the court eliminated any opportunity they might have in the future. decades into the future to express an opinion as adults with substantial life experience about whether their mother should, for example, be allowed to die with dignity.

[00:09:30]On the other hand, if the court sentences Miss Richens to 25 to life, one or more of those young men may spend the next 30 years questioning why the court failed to protect them from the prospect of the person who murdered their father being released from prison at some time in the distant future, perhaps when they have families and children of their own.

[00:09:59]The court's contemplation of how those young men may come to feel about today's decision some 30 years from now comes from a place of genuine concern for them and humility regarding the court's inability to predict the future.

[00:10:16]sitting here today, it is simply not possible for anyone, not even those young men, to know how their view of this case may evolve over the next several decades.

[00:10:30]My hope is that every person affected by Eric Rich's death will over time find their way to a state of peace.

[00:10:42]As for today, the court's duty is to make a decision, a weighty, longlasting decision based on the best information available today. And the bottom line is this.

[00:11:00]Cory Richens was convicted unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt of attempting to murder Eric Richens, her husband and the father of their three children.

[00:11:15]And then having failed in her first effort of spending the next 17 days, not changing course, but doubling down, preparing to try again, and ultimately completing the act through the administration of poison. And for what?

[00:11:35]Money. All for pecuniary gain.

[00:11:41]a person if convicted of committing that sequence of acts in that way and for that reason >> and who causes the absolute tragedy >> that has befallen Eric Richen's sons and family a person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free accordingly Miss Richen Based on your conviction on count one, firstdegree felony aggravated murder.

[00:12:17]The court hereby sentences you to life without parole.

[00:12:22]You have the right to an appeal. You must file a notice of appeal within 30 days. You have the right to be represented by council on appeal.

[00:12:32]>> And right away, Kathy Nester said, her attorney, we will be filing an appeal.

[00:12:37]we want a new trial and we know that we have to file the document I think within 14 days. She asked for 90 days. The prosecution objected and then the judge said uh you have to file it within 28 days I believe. You can see you know there is disgust in her attorney's faces with that verdict but uh with that sentence but there was relief in the um Richens Eric Richens family with that sentence. The judge talked about how, you know, even if Corey got 25 to life, by the time parole came around, she'd be like 66, uh, before she would even get out, knowing Utah. And it's possible she might not get out at that point, but that that's not an issue anymore unless everything is overturned and she gets a new trial, which you might think, you know, won't happen, but look at the Alec Murdoch case today. If you're following that one in South Carolina, we won't talk about that tonight. We'll do that on another night, but he's getting a new trial. the murder uh convictions were thrown out because of what the clerk did. I won't get distracted with that, but um uh pretty interesting hearing there. Okay, so that was that was the end. I want to go back to the beginning.

[00:13:45]That was what the judge handed down, the headline of the day. Obviously, the the one decision everybody was waiting for.

[00:13:51]At the beginning, Bradworth took the stand. You remember last night, we went through that sentencing memo that he gave. It was pretty explosive. Some a lot of new details in there we didn't know. The defense objected to that today. They said that uh that a lot of it wasn't true and that they felt that the judge should strike it completely or at least remove parts. The judge said, "Nope, I'm keeping it. Not even going to consider it." Uh and and the judge um did rule though on the request from Brad Bworth that a continuous protective order be in place that Corey Richens cannot contact her children or Eric Richens siblings or father unless they reach out to her. The judge said basically, as much as I hate to say this, I don't think I legally can grant this. Under the law in Utah, the victim is Eric Richens and he's dead. The family members technically under the law are not the victims in Utah. And because of that, I can't extend that protective order between the parties. He said in juvenile court there could be a protective order issued between the kids and the uh Corey Richens and maybe in another matter there could be for the adults but in this particular case he can't do that. So he had to deny that request. Uh and later on Corey Richens said that she still plans to call her children every single day even if they don't answer. Uh Brad Bworth then took to the lect turn to begin his statement and his recommendation. And here's what he said.

[00:15:23]>> On Valentine's Day 2022, Corey Darden Richens tried and failed to murder her husband and the father of her three young children, Eric Richens.

[00:15:35]Over the next 17 days, she did not think, "What have I done?" Rather, she thought, "How can I do better?" And then she murdered Eric in the presence of their children using poison. and for money.

[00:15:53]Such a person should never again lurk among the rest of us.

[00:15:59]Her children should never worry that they may one day encounter her.

[00:16:04]For these reasons, the reasons set forth in the state's sentencing memorandum, and the boundless reasons the court has learned from presiding over this case, the pending criminal case, and the multiple associated civil cases.

[00:16:23]The state requests that the court impose a sentence of life in prison without parole on count one.

[00:16:31]5 years to life in prison consecutive to any other sentence on count two.

[00:16:38]One to 15 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence on counts three and four.

[00:16:46]And 1 to 5 years in prison consecutive to any other sentence on count five.

[00:16:55]Furthermore, the state requests that the court order the defendant to pay restitution to auto owners insurance company in the amount of $1,17,018 and true stage insurance company in the amount of 352,562.

[00:17:20]State requests that the court order the defendant to pay recruitment to Summit County in the amount of 1,391,943.

[00:17:33]Cory Darden Richens earned this sentence. Her children deserve it. Only this court can order it.

[00:17:42]>> He said, I apologize, the sound was not the best in there. I hope you can hear.

[00:17:46]He said, "Corey Darden Richens earned this sentence. Her children deserve it.

[00:17:52]Only this court can provide it." And then it was the victims who stood up.

[00:17:58]The first being Jean Richens, Eric's father. He talked about how much he loved his son, how much his son loved sports, his son loved coaching, his son loved building character in young men.

[00:18:11]In fact, he helped people uh wherever he went. according to Gan and the kids that he uh coached. Jean says he's thought about those kids, how they didn't how his own children, his three sons, didn't just lose a dad, but so many youth in the community lost a good protective role model who helped them. But Eric still lives on a little bit in these sports teams. Here's what he said. The impact Eric had on these children and families continues even now.

[00:18:43]On the soccer team that he coached before every game, the players gathered and called out a cheer.

[00:18:51]For many teams, it might be something ordinary, but for Eric's team, even four years after his death, they still break the huddle with the words one, two, three, Eric.

[00:19:09]That simple cheer speaks volumes about a man he was and the lasting imprint that he left upon young lives in this community.

[00:19:21]He was a light to his sons, to the Boise Coast, and to our entire community.

[00:19:30]>> And he made a difference still to this day. After uh Jean spoke, it was his Eric's sister Katie's turn, Katie Richens Benson. And this I to be honest is when we saw the most reaction from Corey. Now, I was in the courtroom. How the courtroom was set up, it was Eric's family had the first two rows behind the defendant's bench, and then it was media, and then it was Cory's family behind us. Eric's rows were full. The media row was full, and then the row behind us was about halfway full. There was still plenty of space. Same with the fifth row. Eric's, not Eric, um, Corey's mother was there, her brother, brother, other family members, and supporters.

[00:20:16]Um, and we so we couldn't see Corey's face, but I had pulled up on my computer as I was doing the live updates the live feed on our East Idaho news channel, and I could see them in there, and I could see your comments about the faces Corey was making as Katie spoke. Uh, Katie began, and I'm going to show you a kind of a montage of the faces. We saw some in the pictures there, but I'll show you what she was reacting to here. Uh Katie began by thanking the law enforcement, the prosecutors, the medical examiner, friends, co-workers. She said she was grateful for everyone. And then she mentioned that today is Eric's 44th birthday and instead of having a birthday party or celebrating with him, they were in court. Now, I've budded together several parts of Katie's testimony. Uh, not not the it's not the whole thing, but check out Corey's reactions kind of in the background if you want while you're listening and and the parts where she disagrees, I guess you could say, with Katie.

[00:21:18]>> Today is Eric's birthday.

[00:21:23]I stand before you because he can't.

[00:21:27]He was taken away from my dad, my sister, his nieces, his friends, our community, and worst of all, from his three amazing sons.

[00:21:42]Sorry.

[00:21:44]He was taken away from us by a person he should have been able to trust, the person he should have trusted most in the world, his wife.

[00:21:54]It's impossible to fully describe how devastating Eric's death and Cory's crimes have been to our family. Nearly every aspect of our lives has been permanently changed, and we have no choice but to live with those changes and with Eric's loss forever. This is who Eric truly was, a man defined by love, integrity, and unwavering devotion to his family. He is none of the things that Cory tried to portray him as. Those mischaracter mischaracterizations were nothing more than a vile effort to deflect blame. And those mischaracterizations stand in stark contrast to the reality of the man we all knew and loved. Little to no actual memories of Eric.

[00:22:43]And they had to go through life without their dad because their mother planned and carried out his murder. She could not have done anything more selfish or more cruel to those boys.

[00:22:57]In the place of a stable, secure, and loving home, Cory gave the boys permanent trauma. They were in the house the night she killed their father. They were awake. They knew that something terrible had happened to their dad. As we heard on the 911 call during trial, one of them even walked into Eric's bedroom where Eric's body laid dead, poisoned by someone who his son should have been able to unconditionally trust, love, and depend on. No child should have to bear that trauma.

[00:23:29]But Eric's three innocent sons will bear that burden, and they will bear it for the rest of their lives.

[00:23:36]Cory's selfishness and cruelty did not end with Eric's murder. In the time after Eric's death, Corey has done nothing but isolate, manipulate, disease, deceive, and do harm to those boys. Almost immediately after Eric died, she cut them off completely from our family, from Eric's family. That isolation was calculated and strategic.

[00:24:00]Cory used the boys as bargaining chips with my dad. She repeatedly threatened not to let him see his grandsons unless he could convince me as Eric's trustee of his trust to capitulate to her legal demands and give her all the trust assets. While isolating the boys, Corey provided them with false and harmful information about me and my family. When DCFS took custody of the boys following Cory's arrest and asked where they would like to go, they expressed fear of my family. The fear was not based on reality, but on what they had been told.

[00:24:37]For over a year, Cory led them to believe that I hated them, that I had that I was attempting to take Eric's money for myself, and that I intended for them to be left without support, that they would be homeless and starving. These statements were entirely false and had no basis in reality. Had they not been subjected to that influence, they would have known the truth. Corey also went to great lengths to jeopardize the boy's financial futures. And I know you are very aware of this. Um, among other things, she drained the personal bank accounts that Eric had set up for his boys as college funds. She allowed the boys social security survivor benefits to be funneled to individuals who were not taking care of the boys.

[00:25:28]and she sued me in my role as Eric's trustee and personal representative not once, not twice, but three separate times. The goal of her lawsuits is singular. She wants all of Eric's assets for herself. Despite her lies and fanciful public portrayal, she knows that none of Eric's assets are going to me, my dad, or my sister. In fact, she knows exactly where Eric wanted everything to go, and that is to his voice.

[00:26:03]>> You can see that Corey didn't agree with what Katie had to say, but she would have time later on to speak in court.

[00:26:13]After Katie spoke, her husband, Clint Benson, took to the podium. He thanked law enforcement as well, the prosecutors, the judge, the community.

[00:26:22]He did say that the boys are succeeding and thriving because of the community around them.

[00:26:30]>> No sentence can bring Eric back. No outcome will will erase the suffering caused by these actions. But accountability matters. Truth matters and justice matters.

[00:26:42]Corey continues to sh responsibility for her actions, for the pain she has caused and for the resources re resources she has squandered. both Eric's and the states. Even after everything that has been revealed, Corey has demonstrated zero genuine accountability or remorse for the devastation she has left behind.

[00:27:02]Instead, she has repeatedly attempted to distort the truth, create false narratives, and uh portray herself as the victim. She has used the legal system as part of her schemes. There has been lawsuit after lawsuit, motion after motion, delay after delay. All in an effort to blame to shift blame away from the person responsible. The evidence, the truth, and the outcome of this case all tell a very different story.

[00:27:31]What is especially concerning is the continued hostility from Cory and her family, as well as their desire for vengeance directed towards our family, a family already devastated by an unimaginable loss. Statements they have made about going to war and getting the riches demonstrate an ongoing mindset rooted in blame, anger, and retaliation rather than remorse or acceptance of responsibility.

[00:27:56]Clint also asked that the judge sentence her to life in prison. I should say that everybody who's spoken thus far has asked for life in prison. After Clint, it was Amy Richens. Amy is Eric's other sister. She talked about her brother uh being described accurately according to what everyone else has said as being outgoing, confident, loyal, faithful, a best friend, a great businessman, a phenomenal father. And then she shared a touching story that she'll never forget about when she was in school and had just gotten her driver's license. How her brother showed up with an unexpected surprise. On my 16th birthday, I was sitting in my 10th grade English class when I got a text from Eric that said, "Come outside."

[00:28:44]I walked out and there was Eric standing with flowers and that mischievous grin.

[00:28:49]We all knew. I asked what he was doing there and he just said, "Let's go. We've got to get a little mud on your tires."

[00:28:59]I had just bought my first truck, a used Ford F-150.

[00:29:04]Eric took me up into the mountains and we took that truck off-roading for the first time.

[00:29:11]It was exhilarating and terrifying.

[00:29:15]But I felt safe because he was there.

[00:29:18]That was Eric. He made life bigger. He made people feel brave and he protected the people he loved.

[00:29:28]That is the brother I lost and that is the father his boys lost.

[00:29:34]I still wonder when Eric realized he was in mortal danger. I wonder what Corey said to him in his last moments. I'm still haunted by the question, did his boys hear their father's final struggle?

[00:29:49]If Eric had died of an illness, we would have cared for him. If it were an accident, there would have been kindness. But there is no comfort here.

[00:29:58]In his last moments after being intentionally poisoned, my brother was faced with the ultimate betrayal.

[00:30:05]Eric's sons were 9, seven, and five when their world was shattered.

[00:30:11]They are now 13, 11, and nine.

[00:30:14]These are the years when a boy learns how to be a man by watching his father.

[00:30:20]What makes this crime uniquely heinous is that their grief will never pass.

[00:30:25]It will reinvent itself at every milestone.

[00:30:30]This crime didn't just happen once. It happens every single morning when those boys wake up and realize their father is still gone. They did not just lose their father. They lost the life they knew.

[00:30:44]Eric's death didn't end the harm. It began a grinding process of retraumatization.

[00:30:51]Early in this process, I remember being told this case would be a marathon, not a sprint.

[00:30:57]We did not understand how every hearing, filing, delay, and public narrative would reopen whims all over again.

[00:31:07]As if losing Eric was not painful enough, our family was then forced to grieve under p public scrutiny.

[00:31:14]After the publication of the brief book, our family became the subject of public narratives, attacks, and speculation.

[00:31:23]At one point, I received a message sent from a burner phone that said, "You think you're funny?

[00:31:31]Cory will get the last laugh. Your jealousy is is as disgusting as your family."

[00:31:39]Law enforcement later confirmed through warrants that the message came from Corey.

[00:31:47]That moment stayed with me because it captured what these years have felt like. Not just grief, but intimidation and distortion.

[00:31:59]She then went on to talk about how traumatizing this all has been and in a very emotional moment spoke about having a miscarriage and losing her twins uh because of of the trauma of all of this and how it has been so hard um for them. And she did say she wanted to clear up some misconceptions that are out there. One is that the prenuptual agreement between Corey and Eric was obtained long before they got married, not right before they got married. And two was that she never touched Corey during the fight. Do you remember the day after Eric died? Uh Corey was trying to get into the safe in the garage and Amy showed up and they got into a fight and I believe Corey punched her in the neck and Corey or Amy wanted to make sure that that she did not touch her uh and that she was not involved in that fight. By the way, we we are posting each of these victim impact statements in each one separately on our YouTube channel at East Idaho News. So, if you want to go back and watch specific ones, we're we're about a quarter of the way through, but when I'm done tonight, I'm going to stay up late and be sure that we can post them all for for you to see.

[00:33:12]Uh, the next victims were Eric's children, the three children. Now, they did not come personally and appear in court. Had they, I imagine the judge would have cut the audio and video feed, but they had counselors representing them on their behalf. And each of the counselors, three different counselors went up and spoke on behalf of each of the three different boys. And they were the boys words. They said, "These are what the boys wrote down." And so, here's just a little bit from each of the counselors. I put them all together into one clip uh of what each of the boys had to say.

[00:33:47]>> I woke up to sirens and there were a lot of people at my house and I was definitely scared. I felt confused.

[00:33:55]I was in a bedroom with my brothers and I didn't know what was happening. At first, I was really scared because I didn't know what was happening and I had no control and I felt helpless. I felt really overwhelmed.

[00:34:07]After my dad died, Corey would put us in the basement while she was with the neighbor. I felt scared because I thought something really bad was happening again. She would take me to places that smelled really bad.

[00:34:21]Everything she did made me feel uncomfortable.

[00:34:24]When someone talks about Corey, it makes me feel hateful and ashamed. She took away my dad. It's made me have a hard time trusting people. I was scared that Cory's family would come to my school and take me. I had to go to counseling with DCFS in Heber, and I did not like it. DCFS made me talk to Corey, and I couldn't do things that I wanted to do.

[00:34:47]I felt not important to anyone.

[00:34:51]I feel a lot better about myself now than I did with Corey. I can't ever see my dad again. I want her to go to prison forever. If she got out, I would be so scared, really mad, and I wouldn't want to go with her anywhere. I'm worried that she would take me away from Katie and Glint. Once she is gone, I will feel happy, and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more. You took away my dad for no reason other than greed. And you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends. You were not caring and watching over me and my brothers.

[00:35:29]I had to be a parent to W. C. And I would walk him to the bus stop, feed him, and watch him. You were not concerned about our health. When you got when we got hurt, you didn't even care.

[00:35:43]When C got run over by a side by side, you still made him go to the soccer game that day without taking him to the doctor's first. You would lock C in his room and I would have to go to the kitchen and bring him food. You shamed us when we didn't want to eat uncooked lasagna lasagna you made.

[00:36:05]We threw it away because we didn't couldn't eat it. Then you made us watch videos of children starving in war areas. You wanted to scare us into eating something that wasn't cooked. You wouldn't let our dog outside and then the dog would pee inside. You created this problem. Then you would smack my dog on the head as hard as you could.

[00:36:27]You wouldn't let me put my kitten in the garage for safety at night and we found it eaten by raccoons the next day. My name and age now. My name and age I was at the time of the crime. CR, age 12, now 13. I was nine when my dad was murdered. What I would like to see happen if the perpetrator is convicted of the crime. I would like to see Corey get a life sentence.

[00:36:53]My thoughts regarding an appropriate sentence for the person who is accused of this crime and if they are found guilty. I think Corey should get a life sentence because what she did is very sick. Because it had no reason to happen and it impacted a bunch of people, including me. These are some reasons why I think she should have a life sentence.

[00:37:12]The information I feel is important for the judge to be aware of in sentencing.

[00:37:17]I think the judge should know that my dad was a good person and very thoughtful and kind and helped whoever needed help. He was always taking the extra mile to help people.

[00:37:29]My physical injuries as a result of this crime are as follows.

[00:37:34]I was sleeping and then I went to get a drink of water then went back to bed and when I woke up shaking and Bailey called the ambulance and they came and I couldn't talk for a while. I think Corey had something to do with it because she didn't call the ambulance. She called Bailey and Bailey called the ambulance.

[00:37:52]At the ER, Corey resisted to have my blood drawn. And kids who usually have this kind of seizure is when they are a few months old to a year old. I learned later that Corey bought more fentinol and had it in the house when this happened. I think this is what happened.

[00:38:08]She did what she did to my dad in the living room.

[00:38:13]>> Those complete statements, those were just bite-sized bites of of all of them.

[00:38:16]You can go watch. Now, that was the end of the states victims. Now, it was time for the defense to put on their victim impact statements. And there were people that Corey knew, including her mother, but she her mother didn't get up and speak. Her mother had wrote a letter and had Kathy uh or had Wendy Lewis, the defense attorney, read it. She said that she missed Eric, that Eric saved her life at one point. Uh that he was a friend to her and to others and that his loss has been hurtful to everyone. She mentioned that she misses her grandkids who she hasn't been able to see. that um Eric was a good man, that this has been traumatic for the kids, for the whole family. And here's a little bit more of what she said. This is again Corey's mother, but Wendy Lewis is reading the letter.

[00:39:05]>> As a grandmother who helped raise these children, I have also lost daily contact with them. They were a central part of my life, just as I was part of theirs.

[00:39:13]The separation from their maternal family has been devastating not only to me but to the boys themselves who deserve access to all safe and loving family connections. Your honor, these children have already endured more than most adults will in a lifetime. Being placed in the middle of adult proceedings and repeatedly confronted with painful realities risks further emotional harm. They love their mother.

[00:39:38]They need reassurance, not fear.

[00:39:40]Healing, not more loss. I asked the court to carefully consider the cumulative impact on these children and the importance of preserving their emotional well-being and future stability when determining your appropriate sentence. Your honor, I ask the court to take a moment to consider Cory Richens as a whole person beyond headlines or assumptions and to understand the life she built before this case. Your honor, I stand before you as Cory's mother. I love my daughter. I have known her for her entire life, not just through this case.

[00:40:10]I cannot speak to every aspect of what the court has considered, but I can speak to who she is as a human being, as a mother, and as a member of her family.

[00:40:18]I do not believe that Corey did this, nor do I believe Cory could possibly be capable of this crime. I can't validate what she did financially one way or another, and that's something Cory will have to live with. I respectfully ask the court to consider a sentence that holds Cory accountable for the jury's verdict, while still allowing for the possibility of mercy and hope. A sentence without the opportunity for parole would permanently separate her from her children and leave no room for redemption. Cory's life has meaning, especially to her three sons and her family. And I respectfully ask that the sentence reflect not only accountability, but also the potential for rehabilitation and the profound long-term impact on innocent children.

[00:41:00]>> That is her mom there in the last shot at the end. You could see her at the at the back. Renee Odum, Corey's sister-in-law, spoke, called her sister, said that she did not want to lessen Eric's loss at all, that she loved him and that he mattered. Spoke about how devastating this has been for the family, that she misses the family gatherings, misses getting together.

[00:41:23]Here's Renee Odum.

[00:41:25]>> Even in separation, Corey has never stopped being their mother. She writes to her boys every single week. She reaches out every birthday, every holiday, holding on to that connection with everything she has and reminding them that they are loved. Corey is my baby sister, and she has been an integral part of my life and the lives of my children. She has shown up for our family in ways that are impossible to count. I was there at her graduation from high school. I was there for the wedding of Corey and Eric, moments filled with love, hope, and dreams for the future. She was there for my wedding and the birth of my son. She was there for me when I graduated college. She stood beside me at the baptism of both of my daughters. She poured her heart into giving my oldest daughter a beautiful sweet 16. There these were not obligations to her. This is who she is.

[00:42:18]From there, Kathy Netor went on to read a letter from Brie Darden, a family member who just had a new baby and couldn't be there. this uh Brie spoke about spending time with the family and how their family was not perfect, but nobody's is. And then we heard a letter from Aunt Dorene, Corey's aunt, uh Kathy Nester read that letter. Here's part of it.

[00:42:42]>> The woman I know is not the monster these proceedings may have made her appear to be. When I think about her, I do not think about charges, headlines, or verdicts. I think about the mother I watched love her children with every part of herself. I think about the woman who worked hard to build a better life through education, determination, and sacrifice. I think about someone who wanted more, not only for herself, but for her children and the people she loved. Her children were never just part of her life. They were her entire world.

[00:43:11]I watched her celebrate their accomplishments, comfort them in difficult times, and carry the weight of motherhood every single day. She loved fiercely, deeply, and unconditionally.

[00:43:22]Eric and those boys were her life. Both Eric and Corey were very loving and attentive parents. They were solid. They loved hard and they played hard. I also watched her work tirelessly to educate herself and create stability for her family. She pushed herself because she believed in building a meaningful future. She was proud of what she accomplished, but even more proud of being a mother. This conviction does not erase the years of humanity, goodness, and compassion that existed before this moment. I know there are people who may only see the charge or the verdict, but I ask the court to remember a person is more than the worst moment of their life, or in this case, more than a verdict that many of us still struggle to understand and accept.

[00:44:05]That seemed to be the theme for a lot of these people who were saying that there that Corey is a whole person, that it's not just these bad acts that she's been found guilty of, but she was she had so much more to her life before all of this. After Miss uh Corey's letter, Greg Hall spoke, sorry. Yeah, Greg Hall. Greg is a supporter of Corey. Greg knew Corey before she was arrested. He says he has sympathy for the Richens and Darden families and he's known Corey for seven years. He says he's spoken to her nearly every day by phone or via text since she's been in jail. uh said that she was a good and kind person, that she um was a a wonderful mother, uh and that she does not deserve life in prison, that she should get 25 to life.

[00:45:03]Here's Mr. Hall.

[00:45:04]>> When my own wife was in an auto accident, a care package showed up at our home.

[00:45:13]If a family was having a difficult time purchasing a home, she would offer to take little or no commission in order to help them.

[00:45:26]Please know that none of these things were ever done for recognition.

[00:45:33]They were done because all she ever wanted to do was good.

[00:45:39]Your honor, what I would like the court to understand the most is that the goodness and kindness toward other people that defined Corey before her arrest has not gone away since being incarcerated.

[00:45:56]When new inmates arrive frightened and disorientated, Cory is the first to step in.

[00:46:05]She helps them get their footing in an environment that is unfamiliar and frightening to them.

[00:46:12]She's also tutored to other inmates working to further their education.

[00:46:20]She has helped women who cannot read or write navigate through the system and draft letters to their family on the outside.

[00:46:30]When women in her unit receive bad news from home, she is the first to sit with them and comfort them.

[00:46:41]She has used her time inside to study and she takes her studies very seriously.

[00:46:49]In fact, he mentioned that Corey has earned an MBA since she's been behind bars and works on her education and spends her time studying and praying and going to church and um bettering herself. I had to put a piece of candy in my mouth. I apologize. It was getting uh pretty dry in in this hotel room. Uh if it becomes too distracting, please comment. I'll take it out of my mouth.

[00:47:14]Um, we heard letters from some anonymous people, including some investors who said that Corey never asked them to invest with her. They asked her to invest with them. One of the investors said that she sold a house in three days uh that she was able to flip. That was when the economy was good, the housing market was good and interest rates were lower. They um talked about uh just how good of a person she was. I'm not going to play those. You can go back and listen to those. They were fairly short letters. Then we heard we also heard from three people not connected to the case that the defense wanted the court to hear from. One is a former prosecutor who used to fight for sentencings of life in prison but has since changed his mind because uh he ran into a former person who got a lesser sentence in prison and he was relieved that of the circumstances.

[00:48:13]Another is from a a mom whose son was killed.

[00:48:18]Um and uh then we heard from a woman whose dad killed her mom in Park City here in uh Summit County when she was uh 12 or 13, I believe 13. Her name was Emory. She joined via Zoom or on the on the screen uh whatever the system's called that they use in court. Uh here's a little bit of what she said.

[00:48:41]>> My father served 25 years until his first parole hearing. I was for parole, but nevertheless, he was denied and given another 5 years. At his age, I knew it was a death sentence, and it was. Just last year, after 30 years of incarceration, he died 4 days shy of his 81st birthday. My second worst nightmare came true. The first being my mom being murdered. I was not able to see him while he was dying. There was no compassionate release.

[00:49:13]Some may say he deserved that and maybe he did. I can tell you that no amount of time served ever made this situation right. 20 years, 30 years, and even death. None of it can bring back my mom or repair the immeasurable damage that he caused me and my family.

[00:49:33]Once 20 years had passed, my grandmother even said to me, "It's been long enough.

[00:49:38]You want your dad." I wanted my mom, but I did still have a living parent and I needed him.

[00:49:46]I don't tell you this story to tell you how to feel or that I understand how you feel. I'm offering that hearts and feelings can change over the years.

[00:49:58]>> Now, the purpose of her testimony and the others was to say that a sentence of life in prison without parole, there's no hope. But 25 to life, there is hope.

[00:50:08]and that a life without parole is such a firm thing that once it's implemented, it's implemented and you can't change it.

[00:50:17]We heard from um Corey's brother. I'm going to get to that one in just a moment. And also from Alex Ramos. But before I get to that, the other attorney Wendy Lewis spoke and she she said she she summarized kind of the case and said that Corey has to get 25 years to life because if she gets life in prison, they'll lock her up for 23 hours a day.

[00:50:42]and that if we did that to an animal, then the police would be called. Here's what she said.

[00:50:48]>> Miss Netor spoke a little bit about what a life without parole sentence looks like. Locked down for 23 hours a day. If we treated our dogs like this, they would be taken away. Yet, this is how the state wants Cory Richens to be treated. A sentence of life without parole is safe for only the most heinous of crimes.

[00:51:11]The state wants to place Cory in that category. They say she is in that category, but this simply is not the type of crime that we typically see get a sentence of life without parole.

[00:51:24]Currently, there are approximately only 72 people in Utah serving this sentence.

[00:51:32]These include people such as Edward Deli, the codefendant of Von Taylor, who is currently on death row. They killed two women, kidnapped two young girls, and attempted to kill those girls' father by lighting their cabin on fire.

[00:51:48]Believe that was in Summer County.

[00:51:51]It includes Daniel Ray Troy, a serial killer and rapist of women in their 80s.

[00:51:58]He was convicted of killing two women, admitted to a third, and likely killed a fourth that authorities are aware of. It includes Matthew John Breck who kidnapped a 10-year-old girl, stabbed her multiple times, summoned her spinal cord, and left her death on her front porch.

[00:52:17]It includes numerous individuals who brally murdered children, some who murdered police police officers.

[00:52:24]There are only a handful of people serving life without the possibility of parole for killing a spouse. And in all but one of these that I could find, they killed more than just their spouse.

[00:52:35]They are individuals who killed their spouse and a child or killed their spouse and someone else in the process.

[00:52:43]The only one I am aware of who killed a spouse and no other individual is Craig Crawford who set fire to the home of his aranged husband leading him to die in the fire.

[00:52:56]>> So she went on to say that this crime does not equal those others. And she said in all of her years as a defense attorney, she has in all of the clients she's worked with, she has never believed someone was more innocent than Corey. I'm I'm probably phrasing that not 100% correct. Basically, that she's never had more faith that her client is innocent than with this case, that Cy didn't do it, which was interesting because, you know, Wendy Lewis has has done so many cases Uh, I mentioned Ronnie a second ago. Ronnie spoke. This was when Corey became emotional during today's proceedings. Uh, and he became very emotional and he also kind of lashed out at the sentence and the verdict. Said it wasn't fair or believable. Uh, here is Ronnie.

[00:53:51]>> I miss you. I miss your random banter. I miss your coals.

[00:53:57]I miss your constantly over-the-top positive attitude every time we speak. I miss our game nights. I miss our stupid finger gun dance after we won a game. I miss our holidays.

[00:54:10]I miss you sending the boys to wake me up on Christmas morning, way too way too early after we've stayed up way too late preparing Christmas uh for them so they'll be absolute perfect. I miss our Sundays together.

[00:54:22]I miss arguing with the boys about who's better, Messi or Ronaldo, Brady or Rogers. I miss our backyard games.

[00:54:31]I miss the boys running all over you. I had sports in the backyard and Eric getting mad because you weren't competitive enough and you were really just out there to have fun and laugh. I miss you constantly luring me into uh your newest ideas and getting me excited about them. I miss vacationing. I miss family volleyball. I miss playing Madden in FIFA with Eric and the boys. I miss your stupid goats. I miss the soccer games and the celebrations we created for the boys after they scored a goal.

[00:55:01]I miss Carter smile and his obsession with goat videos.

[00:55:06]Ashton's freckles and his competitiveness and Weston's baby blues and tenderheartedness.

[00:55:12]I miss I miss hearing them say Wanie and playing catch in your living room. I miss your family.

[00:55:21]I miss our family. I miss the life that was stolen.

[00:55:27]I miss the life that was stolen from us.

[00:55:29]Uh for reasons that we can't yet fully understand.

[00:55:33]We don't with 100% certainty know what happened, Eric. No one does. But we do know with 100% certainty that it wasn't caused by you. We know that. The police know it. The prosecution knows it.

[00:55:45]Everyone watching this trial knows it.

[00:55:47]They could not prove their theory. Just the opposite. And yet here we are. For some reason, unbeknownst to us, really bad things happen to really good people, Cor. And you were just really too good of a person. I guess I promised a long time ago that I'd always look after you, Mom, and I intend on keeping that promise.

[00:56:17]Uh, we'll get through this together and the injustice that's occurred here in this courtroom. It'll be right in time.

[00:56:23]Your innocence will shine too brightly to be contained once you've actually had a fair shot at defending yourself. When the day comes, just know I just know somehow that you're that you're going to change a lot of lives that really need your help. I told sister just know that I'm right by your side.

[00:56:48]I'll be right back here for you. I love you.

[00:56:54]>> That was Ronnie uh Corey Richen's brother. We heard from Alex Ramos, the third attorney on the defense team. He said he disagrees with the verdict but respects the court system and says you have to respect it. He says as a Catholic, he believes there is a greater judge, a greater authority. Uh I mentioned that when Corey was waiting for the verdict weeks ago, uh when the jurors were about to come out and deliver their verdict, I noticed that Mr. Ramos had a rosary that he was holding as he prayed in the courtroom.

[00:57:28]and uh he mentioned his Catholic faith today and and talked about uh that greater judge that she that he believes in.

[00:57:36]>> But refusing to impose a sentence of life without parole, does mean that we do not close the door completely.

[00:57:44]It means we do not presume to know with absolute certainty what a human life, victim or condemned, may become decades from now.

[00:57:53]It means that we do not extinguish hope entirely.

[00:57:58]Time changes people. Pain changes people. Grief changes people.

[00:58:04]Even victims and victims families over years and decades sometimes arrive at places their present suffering could never foresee.

[00:58:14]Some discover forgiveness.

[00:58:16]Some discover peace.

[00:58:19]Some simply discover that healing and permanent condemnation are not always the same thing.

[00:58:28]We heard then actually we went to lunch.

[00:58:32]So that all of that happened before lunch. So 9:30 to 12:30ish. It was a short lunch. Actually, it was more like 1:00. And um when we came back from lunch, it was Corey and Corey alone. She spoke for about 45 minutes. She asked to approach the podium there in the middle of the courtroom with her three attorneys flanked around her. and she went on to the whole thing was addressed to her sons. Um she spoke about um the well let me just play. This is how she started her her her remarks.

[00:59:08]>> My sweet baby boys, I know that today you don't want to speak to me, have a relationship with me, or you may think you hate me, and that's okay. I will never be angry at you for your feelings. When the day comes that you're ready, I will be here for you, waiting for you, and loving you. But I need you boys to know and understand that I have been desperately trying to get in contact with you any way that I can for years that all of my communication has been completely cut off from you since early 2024.

[00:59:46]And now I will use any opportunity I can to get a message to you. Even if that means sharing it publicly to the world fully restrained in my jail clothes and one of the most horrible situations possible. I don't care and I'm not embarrassed or ashamed by any of it. All I care about is you boys. I will do whatever it takes for you to hear the truth from me and to come home to you.

[01:00:14]For the time being, I don't know when that is or when my next opportunity will be. So, for now, bear with me as I have tried to consolidate everything I've wanted to share with you for the last few years with everything I want you to know until I'm able to speak to you again and one long message.

[01:00:34]And although you may not be ready to hear it today, that's okay. My hope is one day you will be.

[01:00:45]May 6th of 2024, temporary custody was transferred from the state of Utah child services to your aunt Katie and uncle Clint. My last video call with you boys was several weeks prior to that around April 24th, 2024 when you were still in the state's custody.

[01:01:04]Once temporary custody was transferred to Katie and Clint against my wishes, they cut off all of my communication between you boys and I. It was years before I would ever have a trial.

[01:01:16]I warned social services that if they gave custody of you to the Ridgen's family, it would be the last time I would be able to see or speak to you boys again.

[01:01:27]She went on to describe the custody battle and then gave her son's advice like, "Don't lie, work hard, never beg for mercy, don't take the easy way out, be like your dad," as she said multiple times. Um, you know, study hard, be nice to people, turn the other cheek, forgive others.

[01:01:51]Advice like that. Here is a little bit of when she said, "Be like your father."

[01:01:56]>> Never stop learning through education, through people, through travel and culture, through business and friends, from your success and achievements, from your mistakes and failures.

[01:02:15]We love your dad.

[01:02:31]Love the outdoors.

[01:02:33]Find your peace, your therapy, your heart and soul on the top of a mountain somewhere where it's quiet.

[01:02:52]where it's calm, where you will be able to feel the spirits of those that you love and miss the most.

[01:03:03]Be like your dad.

[01:03:11]Laugh. Laugh often. Laugh.

[01:03:16]Laugh when you want to cry.

[01:03:18]Laugh when you're mad.

[01:03:22]Have that laugh that everyone recognizes and no one will ever forget.

[01:03:28]Now, I do want to say that as she was speaking, I don't think the camera caught this cuz they remained on her.

[01:03:33]Judge Morazzic rarely looked at her. He looked down like this. He was writing. He looked over at his computer screen. At one point, I caught him looking at us in the gallery.

[01:03:47]He uh I this is my opinion.

[01:03:53]He seemed not interested in what she had to say. I know that's not true because he did, you know, you have to consider what the defendant has to say. Um however, he honestly didn't I I I've been in these sentencings before. I've covered so many sentencings and the judges, you know, often I I also haven't heard a statement like this before from Corey Richens. I I compared I was talking with my wife Erica and I I compared it to like you know on Facebook you see or on Instagram you see the nice little quotes that pop up like love love loud um you know live life. It was it was like a lot of those put together that she she put all in one document for her son like advice for life I guess you could say.

[01:04:38]But she said the court got it wrong, that she didn't kill her husband, that she that that and that she'll be vindicated, and that she will come home one day. She said she's going to fight, she's going to appeal, and she's going to get out of the uh corruption of this county and go on and be and fight and eventually will come home.

[01:05:02]I can beat myself up all day about how I could have been a better person or made better personal choices. And I can understand and accept you boys being upset about those things.

[01:05:16]But murder, no. Absolutely not. I will not accept that. And I will not be blamed for something I did not do.

[01:05:27]I will appeal and fight these charges no matter how long it takes. Not because I have anything to prove to this court, to the state, to the Richens family, or to the world. But I do have something to prove to you three.

[01:05:44]I do care what you boys think, and I need you boys to know the truth.

[01:05:51]And because of that, I will never quit or give up on this fight for justice.

[01:05:55]The truth. and coming home to you.

[01:05:59]So, please, I know that right now you may not believe me, that you believe I took dad from you, and that's okay.

[01:06:09]I still and will always love you, and I'm asking that you please just don't give up on me. I'm coming home, not today, not this year, but we're going to make this right. Our justice system will get this right. Although this courtroom can't seem to, we have a long road ahead, but I will never quit biting my way home to you boys. I love you more than these words could ever express.

[01:06:42]I loved you before I ever met you.

[01:06:49]And I will love you long after I'm not here to say it.

[01:06:56]Every minute of every day, I miss you boys more and more.

[01:07:04]And I think about how much I wish I could be with you and this nightmare would go away and we could have our family back.

[01:07:17]This entire situation isn't fair to anyone, but it's especially not fair to you three. And you boys are all that matters.

[01:07:26]I want to remind you just how strong you are. That you are loved by so many. And I am beyond proud of you, of everything you have overcome, everything you have achieved, and how much you bring into this world.

[01:07:54]You boys have been through so much. And I wish I could take away all your sadness and all your pain.

[01:08:01]Tell you how much Dad and I love you, and that everything's going to be okay.

[01:08:12]I wish I could count the freckles in their little cheeks.

[01:08:20]Reading books before bed and help you with all your homework.

[01:08:30]Wish I could help you through your toughest nights and hear your laugh through your happiest days.

[01:08:40]But for now, that's just not the way it is.

[01:08:49]We have to be strong.

[01:08:52]We have to remember that our strength grows in these moments.

[01:09:00]But we don't think we can go on.

[01:09:04]But we keep going on anyway because we appreciate these hard days.

[01:09:10]>> Someone commented, "Thank you for not playing the whole thing. If you want to see the whole thing, we have it on our YouTube channel. It was about 45 minutes of of Corey Richens giving her statement." Uh, someone asked me too as I was uh walking out in the parking lot.

[01:09:24]Do you really think she believes she will be getting out? And so I ask you that watching at home. Do you think she really believes she'll be getting out and that her brother Ronnie believes she'll be getting out? Uh, it's an interesting question. I mean, a lot of people that's all they have to hang on to when they are in these situations, especially when she's life in prison without parole, that there'll be some sort of appeal or that some other court might take it up and say it something wasn't done done right. Uh, so interesting thing to think about. After that, the judge gave his sentence. Judge Morazzic did not have many words. He walked through the charges simple.

[01:10:00]simply, you know, some judges will will have I don't want to say a little speech, but some words for the defendant. And Judge Morazzic did not.

[01:10:09]He just kind of went walked through it.

[01:10:11]He said, "That's the order of the court." And so it was. We left the courthouse and I was handed a statement from DJ, Corey's brother. I'm going to read this. I started to read it earlier today uh when we were live outside the courthouse but I didn't have a chance because stuff was happening. He said this is DJ. Today is not justice. Today is a big big example of how our justice system has failed. Money, greed, and opportunity have ruled the day at the highest expense. There are four victims in this case and none of which is Eric Richens. When a prosecution team has hid evidence on multiple occasions, written witness statements, and listened to attorney client phone calls without any repercussion from the judge, this is not justice. This is a prosecution team being malicious when the police department has one job to protect and serve, but it is allowable to lie, intimidate witnesses, and destroy evidence. Once again, this is not justice. This is corruption. Police cameras magically malfunction during an illegal search of attorney client material. Jeffrey Epstein all over again. Not to worry, the judge will allow it and even go one step further and block anyone from telling the jury how it was obtained and hearing the truth. The lead detective in this case is allowed to take the stand and lie repeatedly only to be turned in by fellow officers. Caught coaching and threatening witnesses on what to say to get immunity. The court remains silent and the judge allows it. When Corey is falsely arrested and her personal items are stolen without a legal warrant, this is allowed. the police and lead detective. Loose, I think he means lose. Loose destroyed the pill bottle that may have held evidence with Eric's fingerprints. So, that's okay. The possibility that Eric used drugs is inconvenient and doesn't fit the narrative they want. A drug dealer comes forward and states Eric had tried to purchase fentanyl, uh, they will find him not credible and block the jury from hearing it. These are actions by a justice system that has lost its way. Corey is innocent.

[01:12:12]Innocent. We stand with her fully. We are glad to get Corey out of this unjust, corrupt, and harmful Summit County court system. We are excited to get the appeal process going in a fair and impartial manner. Cory's brother, DJ, uh I I have not factchecked his claims. I am not saying they're true or not. I'm simply reading the statement that Cory's brother gave to the media this afternoon. I also want to play a statement from Amy Richens who came out of the courthouse and addressed the media. Uh here is what she said earlier today. You will notice halfway through we have to move our media gaggle as they call it because a truck was trying to get through and a deputy moved us in the parking lot. Uh here's what Amy said.

[01:12:59]>> Today does not bring my brother back. It does not restore the years his children lost with their father. the milestones he should have been here for or the life our family believed he still had ahead of him. But today does matter. Today the court recognized that what happened to Eric Richens was not an accident, not unexplained and not something our family imagined. His life was taken intentionally and permanently. And the consequences of that choice are now being acknowledged in this courtroom.

[01:13:31]And for that, Judge Morazzic, we thank you. Eric was more than the headlines that followed his death. He was my brother, a son, a father, a friend, and a person deeply loved by so many people.

[01:13:46]The public has heard about the investigation, the evidence, and the trial. I remember the man himself, his laugh, his presence, his loyalty to the people he cared about, and the place he held in our family that can never truly be filled.

[01:14:04]No sentence can undo the trauma this has caused. It has affected every part of our lives. It changed holidays, birthdays, relationships, and the sense of safety and trust we once had in the world around us. For more than four years, my family has endured unimaginable grief while also facing misinformation and intense public and media scrutiny. Today, the noise stops.

[01:14:30]The verdict and this sentence speak louder than any misinformation ever could. Through it all, we have honored Eric with dignity, patience, and truth.

[01:14:41]We are deeply grateful to law enforcement, the prosecution team, and everyone who worked tirelessly to pursue justice in this case. We know the weight and complexity of what was asked of them, and we are thankful for their commitment to seeing this process through.

[01:14:58]To the members of the jury, we owe you a debt of appreciation that words cannot fully express. You are asked to step away from your lives and shoulder the heavy burden of our family's tragedy. We thank you for your diligence, your sacrifice, and your courage in weighing the facts to see through the distractions.

[01:15:17]Your commitment to the truth has restored our faith in justice. I also want to thank the civil the civil legal team who fought tirelessly to help preserve Eric's estate for his children.

[01:15:30]While we were grieving and trying to survive the unimaginable, they worked to protect part of Eric's legacy and future for the people he loved most. I also want to acknowledge and thank Eric's lifelong friends. Some of them are standing here behind me.

[01:15:47]These incredible men who have consistently supported our family during the darkest times. They never turned away. Instead, they stepped into roles and spaces that were never meant to be vacant, attempting to fill shoes that no one truly can. Their loyalty, love, guidance, and unwavering presence have helped us endure years of pain and uncertainty.

[01:16:13]>> I am deeply.

[01:16:16]I'm almost done.

[01:16:19]>> I am deeply grateful.

[01:16:21]>> Let's just move.

[01:16:26]>> Sorry, not making it easy on you guys. I feel bad for all walk. Walk back.

[01:16:32]>> There you go, girl.

[01:16:34]>> Okay.

[01:16:37]>> Their loyalty, love, guidance, and unwavering presence have helped us endure years of pain and uncertainty. I am deeply grateful for their strength and love. Most importantly, I want Eric's sons, my nephews, to know this.

[01:16:54]Your father mattered.

[01:16:56]He was completely loved, as are you. And no verdict, sentence, or passage of time will erase that. As a family, we will continue moving forward as best we can, carrying Eric with us, honoring his memory, and choosing to live in a way that honors the life he deserved to keep living. Today, we invite everyone to remember Eric and his generous spirit by performing a kind act for a stranger.

[01:17:25]The world lost a wonderful man, and it will take all of us to embody his kindness. Thank you.

[01:17:32]>> What do you make of this coming on his birthday? Was that by chance?

[01:17:35]>> Um, a lot of things have had So 13 was Eric's lucky number and so a lot of things throughout the last four years have actually ended up on the 13th. So we've had um some try right some different hearings some different things like that. And to us as soon as the judge read out read the 13th I I knew Eric was around. That was a definite sign that Eric was around. So to me it wasn't a bad thing. It was Eric saying, "Don't worry, I'm here. We've got this."

[01:18:05]>> You plan to celebrate him tonight?

[01:18:08]>> We don't have any plans because honestly with some things, right, it's not a celebration. Um cuz more than anything, I feel really bad for my nephews cuz this is another really hard day for them. Um because we all we all loved Corey. Um, and this was really hard hard to realize and hard to and so I can't even imagine what they're feeling right now. And so we're trying not to do anything like that just out of respect for them.

[01:18:37]>> Your response to her speaking directly to the boys in her statement.

[01:18:42]>> Um, I thought it was interesting. I've never been through any of these. This is my first time, so I don't I didn't really know what to expect. Um, I just think so. I I just think some of the lies are are intense that they're still lying. Um, and I don't understand why, but I just wish more than anything cuz she was talking about how right they they should be honest. They should do all of that. I I wish she would kind of look in and and follow some of that on her own.

[01:19:12]>> Your sister, you and your your father spoke about the gap that has been left behind because of of Eric not being around.

[01:19:18]>> Yes. He was our pillar. Does this have any finality to you? Does this bring any finality to your family?

[01:19:25]>> Honestly, no. And I was asking everybody else this too because I even after the um conviction, it's it's been hard. I I honestly would like a little bit of relief, but I think it's just still a we're in a lot of shock. Um but there's still so much going on. I um just with everything else because I still don't know what's going to happen with the financial cases with all of those. So, and the civil cases are still going.

[01:19:52]>> Family has a huge platform now. What if any good do you hope can come from all of this?

[01:19:57]>> We just hope that the story about Eric continues on and people will live through and do kind things and um look up to him and hopefully continue that on and learn.

[01:20:10]>> Amy, thank you. Thank you. To hear Cy defend her makes it such >> conviction. What does that say about remorse and her opportunity to give the boys some closure?

[01:20:20]>> I don't think she had any remorse in my opinion, but um >> yeah, I don't I I think she lives in her own little world. So, >> thanks.

[01:20:31]>> Thank you all so much. I appreciate it.

[01:20:34]>> There we go. That is the end of the statement. And that is near the end of our program tonight. Everybody, hope that that was beneficial. I I know I packed a lot in and I still didn't get to play clips of everybody, but that's kind of a recap of the sentencing uh hearing today. Corey Richens is now an inmate with the Utah Department of Correction and she will be going to the state prison. She has been here in Summit County. I don't know the timetable. They don't release the timetable for security purposes. We know with Lorie Valow Debel, she was on the bus within hours and and or not the bus, the vehicle. I think it was a car. They sent her back to Madison County and she was booked in the middle of the night.

[01:21:11]They did not waste any time getting her out of the jail. Every day the inmate is in the jail, the county pays for it, so they might want to get her out of out of there. Uh, okay. We have some shout outs and questions. By the way, if you have any questions, please put them in the comments. Peggy, our moderator, is going through those. By the way, kudos to Peggy Peggy. Kudos to Jordan, our photographer, who put the feed out today so you could all watch. And also when we had to move in that press gaggle, he lifted his camera high up so that y'all could get the shot. And those he those cameras can be uh heavy for a long period of time. Your arms get tired. So my thanks to Jordan for doing that. Uh here we go. We have some shout outs. We have Beverly Anderson. Hi Beverly. We have Millie from England. I wonder if Millie is short for Amelia. I have a a niece named Millie, but her real name is Amelia. And I'm sure that um maybe maybe Millie Amelia, thanks for watching. Joan Capool, Brian Waller, Dom the Bomb, uh Dom the Bomb is what I'll I'll call him. Sonia Bristone, Katherine Mooney, Shelley Johnston. Thank you all for watching. We have people watching tonight in Australia, Gig Harbor, Washington, Ireland, England, Anna, Marie Island, Florida, Cincinnati, Westland, Oregon, Culver City, California was just there. Calvary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thank you all for watching uh from all over the world.

[01:22:35]It's an honor to have you here. I met a woman today who who is visiting from Edmonton, I believe, from Canada, and she watches. So, hello to you. I'm sorry, Heather, I think, was your name, right? You were she was in a car in the parking lot. Uh Heather, thanks for watching. Here we have some questions.

[01:22:49]How long will will C Cory stay in jail before she goes to the state prison? I I I just answered that. You were ahead of me. Um I think she'll she could be in the prison right now. I have not checked ID not IDOC, Utah Department of Correction to see if she's been booked.

[01:23:03]And I need to also see if we can get a new mug shot and see what that looks like. Um can Josh the boyfriend have given an impact statement?

[01:23:12]Uh maybe. I mean, it all depends on if the court would have allowed it. I guess he was technically a victim in one way. I mean, you could argue the friends are victims. Brad Bworth made it clear when he got up that that the court will be best served from hearing directly from family members and and that's what he did. You heard from the sisters, the dad, the kids, and that's who he focused on, the direct family members. You could have been there all day for three or four days having the people, you know, give their statements, but they focused on the family members.

[01:23:49]Nate, were you in court the day the undercover detective testified? Have heard that fentanyl is odorless and tasteless? I was not in court that day and I but but you're right. Fentanyl can be odorless and tasteless. You're Yep.

[01:24:02]You're exactly right. And he may have testified to that. Um we should get a fentanyl expert on. I will say if you watched my interview with the juror Christie, who by the way will be at Crime Con with me in two or three weeks, it's coming up quick. Uh we're g we're doing a panel on what it's like to be on high-profile cases. And so she'll be joining me there along with Laura, the juror from Lorie Valow's trial. Uh she said that the one witness that impressed her the most was that undercover cop, the undercover detective who took the stand. And um it would be fascinating, but I was not there that day. Nate, what is behind you on your TV stand? It looks like you have some candy.

[01:24:40]Good. I I have some Starbursts.

[01:24:45]Here we go.

[01:24:47]I have some uh trail mix, which I had for lunch today at the court. And I had some Starbursts. Here's what we got. We have three pink and a and a yellow. I would argue those are the only good flavors of Starbursts. Maybe red, definitely not orange, but I know some people hate the lemon, but thank you. I still, as you can tell, have my candy uh habit. And here's here's a little cup of candy that I have here in my room. This is the candy candy, and this is the chocolate. My hotel has a a little um like a lounge area, and they have candy out there, and that is the worst for me, as you know, but that helps me when I have to sit through these uh hearings.

[01:25:30]I love your coverage. I've tried to find the new YouTube channel and I can't.

[01:25:34]Thank you. Can you repost the link?

[01:25:35]Okay. I am so sorry to those of you. I talked about this last night and immediately five imitation that I know of courtroom insider channels popped up on YouTube and many of you were linking to the wrong ones. Here is the proper one. This is what it looks like. Do you see the at handle? I'm going to grab this little pen here if I can and draw on this. There we go. Okay. laser pointer. It's atcourtroom.insider.

[01:26:04]There's one that says um just I'm gonna zoom in so you can see it at courtroom.insider and it has this image.

[01:26:17]This is the one. It's not the other ones that like there's courtroom insider 96492. It's not that one. It's simply courtroom insider. This is our new channel. Uh, obviously we're here on Courtroom Insider every night on East Idaho News, but we are going to be covering more trials. We're going to be doing more special programming that we'll put on both channels for now, but I think eventually Courtroom Insider will be focused solely on like courts and crime in a in a respectful manner uh from from me and others uh on our team.

[01:26:51]Uh, but if you want to go over there and subscribe, we would love you to do that and that can help us. So, thank you. And I my apologies if you subscribe to any other courtroom insider last night, unsubscribe. A kind gentleman came up to me today at court. He's like, I couldn't even find it. Again, that's what it looks like. And at the very top, you will see this. Um, maybe I'll zoom out.

[01:27:12]So, it looks like our courtroom insider logo. Okay. Uh, I've never seen a defense council and defendant adamantly deny the charges and blatantly state the jury and judge are wrong during a sentencing hearing. I believe they were worse than Lorie Del. Do you think comments like this could harm the appeal new trial process? I I don't think so.

[01:27:32]Um, at the end of the day, the appeal is going to be, was anything legally wrong?

[01:27:38]Should witnesses have been allowed in?

[01:27:40]Should certain statements have been allowed in? um was did the judge heir in allowing uh common law Carmen Lober to say such and such? That's just an example. I I don't I don't know if if them expressing their opinions that they disagreed with the court and the jury will ultimately affect the outcome of it. How can Corey have the money to maintain an account for them to take life insurance premiums on the boys out each month? That came up today. Uh, apparently Corey did not know that the life insurance policies, there were two life insurance policies left.

[01:28:15]She didn't she thought they had been cancelled, but apparently they were not.

[01:28:19]And so it was the dividends of the account, I guess, that had been paid in.

[01:28:23]I I didn't understand all the financial matters, but it was basically paying on what? On a bank account that had dividends or something, but she planned to cancel that account, those two accounts if she could. and those financial crimes. There's this other trial with Corey Richens that we haven't even really talked about with all the financial stuff that one day I need to do a deep dive along with all of the civil stuff. Um I want to go through that with you all. Um that that stuff I I'm not I don't know of the specifics, but that will that will be it. Prior to the trial, did the family ever know about Josh Gman? Yes, Josh Gman actually contacted the family. contacted Eric's sister and said, "I" when he learned that that Eric had died and when he learned that Corey was arrested, he contacted Josh's sister, not Josh's sister, Eric's sister, and said, "I was having an affair with her, and I think I might know some stuff." And they told him to contact Todd Gabler, the PI, who I interviewed here a few weeks ago. And then Todd Gabler got him in touch with the police. If you missed my interview with Todd Gabler, I would suggest going back and watching it. He has some fascinating perspectives on this case and he's he's just a great interview.

[01:29:41]Um, and I know many of you many of you are asking if I can interview Josh. I'd love to interview Josh. It it's the problem is tracking him down. So, if any of you know Josh or Josh if you're watching, feel free to reach out to me.

[01:29:52]We can talk off the record. And if you don't want to go on camera or don't want to do an interview, totally fine. But if you do, I'd love to share your story.

[01:29:58]Nate, where were you sitting in court? I was well uh three different places because there was we basically on the third row moved around a bit during the breaks. You go back in and you kind of got shifted around but um that's where I was today. There was a long man there was a long man. There was a man sitting sort of behind the defense with a long gray hair and beer beard. Do you know who he was? Yes. He's one of Eric's good friends and he's not a celebrity. So many people thought shoot what's his name? I'm going to ask Jordan that there was um there's a celebrity that many of you thought the guy was and I checked with the family and it's not him.

[01:30:41]>> Hey Jordan, the friend of Eric that a lot of people thought he was a famous person. Who was that famous person?

[01:30:48]>> Um the guy with the long hair.

[01:30:50]>> Yeah.

[01:30:52]>> Uh Rob Zombie.

[01:30:53]>> Rob Zombie. Everybody, we're on live right now. I forgot the guy's name.

[01:30:57]Anything you want to say? Uh, hey everybody. Thank you for watching.

[01:31:01]>> Are you at the skateboard park?

[01:31:03]>> I am actually just leaving it right now.

[01:31:06]>> Oh wow. Jordan's at the fingerboard. Or did you go to the real skateboard park?

[01:31:10]>> Oh, no. I went to the fingerboard park.

[01:31:12]I didn't look at skateboards the other day, but they've gotten really expensive.

[01:31:16]>> Yes, as has everything, it seems. All right. Thank you, Rob Zombie. Uh, we'll see you soon.

[01:31:22]>> Sounds good.

[01:31:23]>> Right. Rob Zombie. That guy is not Rob Zombie. He's a friend of Eric. I went up I spoke to him briefly today and I said, "Yeah, some people think you're Rob Zombie." He goes, "Other people have said Jesus. Few people said Brian David Mitchell, the guy that kidnapped Elizabeth Smart. You don't want to be associated with him." Um, but anyway, that that's who he was. And I have one more question here, except that I lost my memo, my page. I'm confused on the repayment to the insurance company. I thought I heard the judge him say she had to repay.

[01:31:53]I don't know. Let me I I'd have to check on that. Um I I'm sorry. My brain my brain is a little full. Something I forget what he said on the repayment. I don't think she has to pay the county back or a fine, but she does have to repay some things. Um anyway, everybody, here's where I'm at. Not there. Well, there there's our courtroom insider website or our face our YouTube channel.

[01:32:15]Here's where I'm at. I'm on Facebook, Nate Eaton Reporter. I'm on XNate News Now. You can join me on Instagram, N.aten, and here on YouTube. If you have not subscribed, no matter where you're watching this, a subscribe really helps us uh because we get more followers and by getting more followers, we're able to go to more trials because that helps sustain us financially. We don't we don't have a uh payw wall. We are 100% self um well funded with our advertisers and with people like you for watching.

[01:32:44]So, thank you. Here's what's happening tomorrow. I'm staying in Park City. I'm going to be here tomorrow and Friday. I have hopefully a few interviews that might be happening with people close to the case and I will bring you those tomorrow night assuming they happen. I don't know. Uh and Friday night too. Um and then next week we'll have some more courtroom insiders. So really appreciate you all being here with me. Uh thank you for trusting us with your coverage.

[01:33:08]Thank you for watching. And tonight on his 44th birthday, we remember Eric Richens as he is no longer with us and most of us never met him, but he was someone that I probably would have liked to know. And so we remember him tonight as his wife has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She will never walk free again.

[01:33:32]Thanks for watching everybody. Have a good night. We'll be back tomorrow.

[01:33:47]Heat. Hey, Heat.