Talking Dateline: Book of Lies

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1:06Hi, everyone. I'm Blaine Alexander, and today we are talking Dateline. I'm so excited to have Andrea Canning here to talk about her episode, Book of Lies. Hi, Andrea. Hey, Blaine. I like to call you my Atlanta partner in crime, right? That's exactly it. Yes. Hello, partner in crime. Hello, my partner in crime. We've become a sort of dynamic duo here, haven't we? Yes, yes. Well, this episode is certainly a good one. If you haven't seen it, you can watch the episode on Peacock or listen to it in the Dateline podcast feed and then come right back here. And later we'll have an extra clip from Andrea's interview with a private investigator on the case.

1:42And then, of course, we will answer some of your viewer and listener questions from social media. All right, Andrea, let's talk Dateline. Let's do it. Okay. So, Andrea, before we dive into this conversation, and there is a lot to cover in this conversation. Oh, yes. I think it's fair to say. But just give us a quick rundown of what this episode is about. Yeah, this episode is about a mother, Cori Richens. She had three young boys. She's married to Eric Richens. Cori calls 911 in the middle of the night. She has found Eric cold to the touch. First responders come. She's on the phone with 911. They're telling her to do CPR.

2:21She's saying she doesn't know what's wrong. They come. They're trying to figure out what happened to Eric Richens. You know, he's healthy. He's young. He's 39 years old. He just dies suddenly. So fast forward, Corey, in her grief, writes a children's book about grief. Corey goes on TV, which is now, I guess you could call it an infamous TV appearance on Good Things Utah. She talks about her book. She talks about her husband dying. And then not too long after that, she is arrested for the murder of Eric Ritchens. They say that she poisoned him with fentanyl. Five times the lethal amount was found in his system.

3:01She had said that they were celebrating a New Deal. She was a home flipper. And they had a Moscow mule and a lemon drop shot. Prosecutors say that she poisoned those drinks with the fentanyl. Wow. And it took a long time, but Corey did go on trial for murder and she was convicted. Wow. That is quite a story. I think that, I mean, we talk about all sorts of different ways that, you know, kind of murder plots unravel, but going on a local lifestyle TV show, talking about the book that you wrote is certainly, I think, a first. And I think that's what, you know, well, we know that's why this case got so much attention was that book.

3:38You know, it was apparently she didn't write it herself. She had a ghostwriter, but she did publish it. And, you know, it's just people see it sort of as another layer of diabolical behavior that you would, you're accused of killing your husband, and then you write this children's book about grief that you're, you know, the victim, and, you know, this is so sad. And all the while, according to prosecutors, she had murdered her husband. This is something that when you look at her on the show, you kind of think, what was going on inside her head? So I want to ask you, what was it like interviewing that reporter who did that interview and who had that show?

4:18Yeah. I mean, the poor reporter or the anchor, right? Like co-host. She's called a co-host. But, you know, Dina, she was, you know, she's just trying to do a good thing. You know, she's having a local author, in quotes, come on her show. And it's such a sensitive topic and meant to help other families, you know, grieving and with children. And my goodness, you know, then she ends up in the middle of a murder mystery because an anonymous email comes into the station. Right. You know, with the subject line, like there were two, right? It was like one was like the name of the book and then, you know, she killed her husband.

4:56And it's just like, wait, what? This is a lifestyle show. We, you know, we deal with cooking and beauty segments, right? And, you know, the one time they have this more serious topic on, it leads to this. So, I mean, that's the kind of thing that I personally, though, as an on-air person would be fascinated to end up in a situation. like that. I know that sounds really awful, but I would be like, wait, what? What happened? You know, I would be all over it. It takes, I mean, yes, I think as reporters, we're kind of like, oh, that's crazy. But like, we're curious. Oh, what else can we find out about this?

5:31This is insane. Right. And listening to her story, it resonated with me because in my local news days, when I was here in Atlanta, I was the weekend morning anchor. And so you have an hour of news and it's like, you know, of course, the hard news at the top, but then there's like 20 minutes at the back end where you're talking about like, here are the pets that need to be adopted. Let me pet this puppy. And, you know, here's this community event. And so you just have kind of just an interesting shepherd's pie of whatever community events or local people. And that's something that easily would have been part of that, right?

6:00So many of us would have done that. Yeah. And here's your alleged killer. Yeah, exactly. We'll throw that in with the puppies and the, you know, the baking and the community service. Exactly. Exactly. I'm curious, did you ever get a chance to read the book or see a copy of it? Yeah. Yes. I've seen the book. It's just a basic book and it's colorful and there's a picture of Eric. He's a guardian angel and it has a dedication to him. She even has their dog in there. But yeah, it's really about a father watching over his son. They do have three sons. But I believe it was supposed to be based on Eric being the angel.

6:44Okay. Okay. Well, one thing that I loved about this episode, Andrea, is going to the diner and meeting the owner of the diner there. Gabe. Gabe. Yes. Yes. So just, you know, seeing the type of people who come in, it just seemed to give a feel of, okay, I understand what this guy's like, what this kind of town is like. Yeah. And it's just like homey, like country, surrounded by mountains. and you get a lot of, you know, a lot of guys coming in there and women, you know, they like outdoorsy stuff. They're hunters. They snowmobile. They, you know, they do all those winter things because it's more of a, even though it's a mix actually, because it's the area park city and surrounding area.

7:29I mean, you have billionaires there, you have mansions, and then you also have the people who, who grew up there, you know, or move there and they just like the country and And they don't have, you know, gobs of money. But they're just good people. And they just, you know, they love the beauty of it. And they love the outdoors. And so it's kind of a mix. But the diner felt very folksy. And Gabe was really nice and was very surprised to learn that his diner was unfortunately at the center of this. Part of this whole thing. Exactly. Well, speaking of that, Andrea, I mean, in addition to locations, you actually got inside one of the homes that Corey was flipping.

8:08which, or that Corey had flipped, talked to the homeowner. I thought that was fascinating too, because I mean, it really kind of puts you inside something else that was at the center of all of this. That was an important piece. Yeah. And this woman, we didn't really get into her story too much, Molly Crosswhite, because there was so much other serious stuff to get to. But I mean, she bought the house and then, you know, all of a sudden she's contacted by a detective and he's not telling her why, right? He's not telling her what it's about. And she didn't know she was buying the house from Corey.

8:49It was a company. Like, so she, she bought it from like an LLC. So she starts doing her own detective work, you know, wait, why was this detective here asking these questions, wanting to look around? Cause he's not really sharing the details with her. And so she starts, you know, going through her papers and it's Corey Richens, who sold, who was behind that company, who sold the house. And she was, she was like floored, Molly, when she realized that now this house is where the prosecution alleges that Carmen, the housekeeper, left the drugs for Corey in the fire pit in the backyard. Right. So she couldn't believe it.

9:36She just was, I mean, when that happens, you just are, wow, like this house I bought is now in a murder investigation. It's crazy. This story is just full of so many people who were unwittingly in some way tied to this, right? Like the co-host of the show, the owner of the diner. I mean, all of these people who in some way have found themselves to be, you know, intersecting with this murder plot. Even Linda, who worked at Home Depot. Yes. You know, who introduced Eric and Corrie, or pushed, you know, pushed along the romance of Eric and Corrie because she loved Corrie and she thought Eric was like the best customer and he was so nice.

10:14And you saw her. She was in tears over this because she really believed in this couple. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I mean, speaking of her seeing just this beautiful couple, the first thing that made me say, oh, gosh, this is going to be wild was the tense nature, I guess, between Corey and Eric's family. I think that that was such a big tell. And it was very clear that obviously there was tension between the two of them and their marriage, but the tension between Corey and the family was wild. I mean, let's just kind of talk about that. I mean, just kind of going back, does it seem like there was strain on their relationship from the start?

10:53Like, when does this pick up? There's a spider on my computer. Just give me one second. Okay. Okay. Sorry. Oh, my God. It's running across the desk. Sorry for anyone. Okay. Who doesn't like having bugs killed? I just killed it. I'm sorry. It's all right. We're fine. Like big, big or like? No, it wasn't too big. I just don't like spiders. I don't blame you. Especially not on your computer in your house. Does anyone like spiders? No. Okay. I'm so sorry about that. I did hear your question. You killed it very fearlessly, though. That was very... Yes, with a container of pistachios. Okay. All right.

11:36Let's... Okay. I was going to get that a paperweight. What was that? Okay. It's just that container. We are getting back on track. So this relationship with Corey and the family, You know, it's a little murky because everyone has, like, different lenses, perspective on things. And so, like, I have heard that Corey got along with Eric's dad, but then you hear, like, she didn't get along maybe with the sisters. But then Linda was saying there was a baby shower and they all seemed to be getting along. So that's really for them to say, not me, you know, what that relationship was. But after Eric's death, certainly it was on full display that there was major, major tension.

12:17Yes. I mean, I think just the fact even going before, just the fact that he quietly made changes to his will and made his wife not in charge of his affairs and kind of said, hey, if something happens, you know, might want to look this way. That's a – I mean, that's wild to think of somebody being that concerned about the state of their marriage. That they would do something like that ahead of time. Like, that's unbelievable. And, well, it actually started even at the house the morning of Eric's death because the sister made a comment to someone from law enforcement, like, you need to look at Corey.

12:57And that tells you right away that there was not a good relationship. I mean, if there was a good relationship, you're not going to be immediately pointing the finger at your brother's spouse that, you know, she killed Eric, right? So clearly things couldn't have been great. Sure. But another thing that was like a big red flag for that relationship, at least from, this is from my own feelings, was having her sign a prenup five minutes before she's walking down the aisle. In her wedding dress. In her wedding dress. Yeah. I mean. Yeah. I just feel like, why is that happening? Regardless of whose side you're on, how you feel about who, that just doesn't feel right.

13:41Right? Agree. Agree. Figure that out before. You see, I have to, this is hilarious and certainly not the point. It's very much an aside, but I know that we're both Real Housewives fans. Oh, yes. And it made me think about one of the weddings that's featured in the show where there's a huge argument. over a prenup before. Which one? This was Atlanta. It was Todd and Candy. There was episodes that were sitting around whether or not to sign a prenup and that was just a huge deal. Candy's the moneymaker, honey. She's the one who, right? Candy, I mean, I think Todd was a producer, no offense to producers, but I think Candy's businesses and her music was bringing in a lot more money.

14:22There was a lot of drama around that, right? And so anytime, you know, you hear a prenup coming up. I mean, people could say there's no good way. There's no right way. There's no better way to do it. But certainly when someone's in their wedding dress five minutes before they're getting ready to walk down the aisle, that is not the way that you do it. That's not fair to anybody. Yeah. I don't think that was right. But yeah, I mean, no one's disputed that it happened. So, I mean, we've kind of heard it a number of times at this point. When we get back, Andrea is going to share an extra clip from her interview with the private investigator on this case.

15:27We'll see you next time.

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17:03Well, let's talk about the private investigator here. I mean, a unique aspect of this case was there was a private investigator hired by the Richens family. And I know that that is often a feature in many of our Dateline stories. There's a private investigator who comes in because the family just thinks, OK, the police aren't digging deep enough or no one's listening or whatever it is. And we see that private investigator really become a factor in getting to the bottom of what happened here. Yeah, he was very effective in this case. And we should say, Blaine, also that his name is Todd Gabler, the private investigator.

17:40The Richens family brought him on in part because Corey was suing the estate, you know, because of the trust and all that. So, you know, they needed him to look into that. And they felt that Corey was, you know, squandering Eric's money potentially and, you know, that there were financial issues. And then also they had this hunch that she may have killed him, they believed. So the private investigator was brought in for that. And he also, he in turn hired a forensic accountant to help out. So they kind of had a big team on this, like a powerful team looking into everything. And the private investigator was giving information to law enforcement of what he was uncovered.

18:27He uncovered a lot. Yeah, yeah. I mean, when you talk to a private investigator, obviously they're brought in by one side or another. They have a very specific point of view. Talk about how you kind of walk through that when you do an interview and how you handle that and treat that in a story like this. Well, yeah, in this case, he was very important because we don't have law enforcement doing interviews. So he, you know, sometimes the private investigator kind of takes on that voice, right? And the private investigator knows so much about the case. And in this case, he really did. So it was really just like, what impact did he have on the case?

19:04And what steps did he take? And what did he learn? And you kind of just go from the beginning. Like, how did you get the case? You know, and then you, what did you do next? Oh, where did that lead you? Oh, wow. And, you know, you just kind of let it unfold the way it unfolded for him. And he said something interesting. I said to him, I said, wow, you really went down a rabbit hole. And he corrected me. And he said, I think the difference between a professional investigator and an amateur investigators that a professional avoids falling down the rabbit hole. The amateur goes heading into those holes without a notion about what is objectively appropriate.

19:40And he said, he sat the family down basically and said, I am not here to deliver you the answer that you want. Like, if that's what you're looking for. Not accusing them of asking for that, but he said, I am here to get to the truth and whatever that is. Meaning if I discover that Eric died of an overdose, you know, that he somehow accidentally did this to himself, I am going to deliver that finding to you. That was not the finding, of course, that the conclusion he came to. But I really appreciated that about him, that, you know, he was there to, he says, just find the truth and deliver the family the information that he uncovered.

20:26It's fascinating to hear you say that because that sounds almost exactly like a private investigator I interviewed in a story that aired about a month ago. It was Malice. It was about the family of Jake Embert here in Georgia. And his family hired a private investigator because the scene was staged to look like a suicide. They said, there's no way. This isn't it. And he said the exact same thing. He said, listen, if I find that he did die by suicide, basically, you're going to have to accept that, right? Obviously, that's not what he found. But the exact same thing. And I think that's the mark of any good private investigator.

20:57I think so, too. You don't want someone just telling you what you think or what you want to hear. That's just not helpful to anybody. Exactly. And Andrew, we actually have some extra sound from the private investigator. He's talking about Josh Grossman, Corey's lover. Let's listen to that. You discover Corey Richens has a lover, a secret lover. I do. and in March of 2023, he calls me. And so as the defense brought out, I told him that Eric was under investigation, that Corey was under investigation for Eric's death, that she likely murdered him. I don't say that to try and influence a witness.

21:40I say that to see how it lands on that person. I want to know not about the truth of the matter. I want to know how he responds to that notion. And what Josh Grossman tells me next is very instructive. He says that he carries a wallet will so that if something should happen to him, people will know that he has written in this wallet will that Corrie was involved in the death of her husband. That's what that statement of mine elicits from him. Wow. Wow. Well, let's talk about I'm glad we had that clip from the interview. I mean, let's talk about Josh Grossman. I mean, there was in terms of lines that I will remember from Dateline episodes when he walked up and was getting sworn in and they give him the normal, you know, the normal spiel.

22:35and he goes, oh wait, what do you mean by the whole truth? I mean, I was watching this with Jay. We were watching it together last night and we both just like looked at each other like, who says this? Okay, this is what I mean by the whole truth. What? You tell the truth. Tell the truth. You can't handle the truth. No, that's like from the movie, right? What's that movie that really with Jack Nicholson? Oh, A Few Good Men. A Few Good Men, there you go. Is Grossman A Few Good Men? I don't know. But as many TV shows and everything – oh, as many TV shows and movies that have people just swearing in the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

23:12Nothing but the truth. Okay, wait, wait, wait. What do you mean by the whole truth was wild. Like part of it or all of it or what? And also that's just putting a flag saying, hey, I'm not going to tell the whole truth, right? Like if you have to question like, is what I'm about to say the truth or not? So then the judge tells all the – or tells everyone to leave the courtroom. He's like, let me have a little chat. With this young man. What in the world? I mean, doesn't that just isn't that just kind of an immediate shot to his credibility when he gets on the stand? I mean, it's odd. I don't I don't know in what world you don't understand that direction.

23:50It's never heard that one before. After that, I mean, did that do you think the prosecution then had kind of like some rebuilding to do? I mean, yes, the jury was excused, but they did hear it. I mean, immediately if I were on the jury, I think, oh, well, let me watch. What is this guy saying? Blaine, we did interview those two jurors, right, who said that they felt really bad for Josh and they believed him. And imagine if you're the lover of a woman on trial for murder and you got to get up in front of all those people. I mean, I still don't understand, like, why he said what he said. But, like, at the same time, you'd probably be a bit of a basket case, I would think.

24:28Yeah. I mean, and clearly he was. He was really having a hard time on the stand. I mean, very emotional. I'm curious, Andrea, what did you make of their relationship? Josh and Corey? Yeah. I mean, there was some evidence that she wanted a future with him based on, you know, some planning text messages. Like they would live in the carriage house at the mansion. They had booked at one point, I believe, a trip somewhere tropical together for after the murder. It seems like he definitely cared about her. Remember that one text message about like when she says if I got divorced and he said I would marry you like now.

25:06So I think he was in love with her. You know, was she in love with him is really the question that I do not have an answer to. Now, her official statement on it is that she loved her husband. And, you know, yes, she had an affair, but she loved Eric very much and was planning on being with him. you know, forever. Well, you mentioned the jurors. Let's talk about those jurors. You know, it was one thing that the jurors said, I think that was interesting is, of course, there's the evidence. They looked at the evidence, they considered it. But they said that something that was hard for them was convicting knowing that they would be taking a mother away from her sons.