WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:10.880 In twenty twenty two, a woman in Utah lost her 2 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.039 husband suddenly, leaving her to try and find a way 3 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:17.800 to explain that kind of loss to her three young sons. 4 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.280 In the months that followed, she spoke openly about grief 5 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.519 and the difficulty of helping her children try and understand 6 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.719 what happened. About a year later, she went on to 7 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.479 write a children's book centered around loss and grief, something 8 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:36.719 she hoped would bring them comfort. But as investigators began 9 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:39.640 to take a closer look at her husband's death, a 10 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:43.560 very different story started to emerge, one that would turn 11 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:48.799 a story about grief into a case of murder. This 12 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.280 is the story of Corey Richins. 13 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:56.280 My name's Ben, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked 14 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.240 and Grim, a true crime podcast. 15 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.799 Following podcast material intended audience. 16 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:30.319 Listener discretion, Happy birthday, Thank you, thank It was yesterday, 17 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:33.079 But it was yesterday but pretty much today. 18 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:35.319 You know, which is why this episode isn't getting posted 19 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:39.680 like first thing today when it normally does. It's uh, yeah, 20 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.480 just had some birthday celebrations that put work off a 21 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:42.879 little bit. 22 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:43.120 You know. 23 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.560 Yeah, we didn't work yesterday. We're living our life. 24 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:46.680 Yeah, it was a good day. 25 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:47.920 We did a lot of things. 26 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:50.280 We ate some good food, drink some good drinks, and 27 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:53.079 when we're driving range for some some golf stuff. It 28 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:54.120 was fun watched. 29 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.319 I think we probably watched it about four or five 30 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:57.879 hours of hockey in the evening too. 31 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:01.159 Yep, we did watch our local w n WHL team 32 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:05.439 and our NHL team and yeah, they. 33 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:09.360 Both lost, so that I guess. Wasn't the icing on 34 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:10.479 the cake for the day, was it? 35 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.520 No? Definitely not. And did you mean the icing joke 36 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:15.039 because hockey icing? 37 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:15.599 Oh? 38 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:16.520 Did you mean that? Pun? 39 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:21.240 I meant like icing, No on the cake, but not 40 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:22.479 the icing with the hockey. 41 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:24.520 That's perfect. There's like a double entendre there. I was 42 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:26.159 wondering if you meant that or no. Damn. 43 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.080 I'd like to say I did, but I didn't. 44 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:30.639 Well, just okay, I'll ask you again, pretend that you did, 45 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:32.560 and we'll go with that. Okay. Did you mean to 46 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:33.639 do that joke with the icing? 47 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:34.599 Absolutely? 48 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:36.439 Yeah, Okay. I figured that was a good one. Good, 49 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.520 well done, well done. I five. Yeah. I got an 50 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.520 interesting case today. It's a very recent one in fact, yes, 51 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.360 very recent, and in the news the conclusion was only 52 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:50.599 a couple of weeks ago. It's that recent. 53 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:51.400 That's wild. 54 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:54.159 Yeah, and it's it's one that's kind of been blowing 55 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.280 up on the internet. And I would imagine so in 56 00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:57.759 the months to come, you're going to see a lot 57 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:03.039 more people discussing this case because who there's some stuff 58 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:04.319 there to unpack. 59 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:09.439 It seems. So. I, honestly though, haven't really dove into 60 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.639 it because I knew you were going to. Yeah, I 61 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:14.800 am intrigued and I guess you could say excited to 62 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:15.439 hear about it. 63 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:17.840 Well you should be, because it's a good one. There's 64 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.680 a special on the ABC twenty twenty you know that 65 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:25.479 they covered it. Yeah, Unfortunately those are never available in Canada. However, 66 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:27.919 someone out there posted it on YouTube, so I managed 67 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:31.080 to watch it on YouTube perfect. Yeah, so I was 68 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:33.520 super happy. So thank you to whoever that that soul was, 69 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:36.159 who's probably gonna, you know, get a copyright infringement on 70 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:38.759 their account very soon, but thank you you allowed me 71 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:40.719 to watch it. I appreciate it. I should probably get 72 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:44.360 a VPN specifically to change our area here soon so 73 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.199 we can be like, hey, you know, we actually are 74 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:49.000 in the States, let us watch this stuff. 75 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:50.240 Is that illegal? Though? 76 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:51.120 I don't know. 77 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:52.080 I have no idea. 78 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:54.000 I mean, like VPN covered just one thing and everything, 79 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:55.960 but like we should actually change it up. So it's 80 00:03:55.960 --> 00:03:57.719 over to the States and see if we can. I 81 00:03:57.759 --> 00:03:59.280 don't know. People do it all the time, that's all 82 00:03:59.319 --> 00:03:59.479 I know. 83 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.280 I think it might not be legal, but I'm okay, we. 84 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:04.240 Will have to look into the legality of actually changing 85 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:04.800 you know, we. 86 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:05.719 Won't read doing that. 87 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:09.719 Side note side We're definitely not going to do that. 88 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.159 Don't do that. Don't do it. 89 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:15.840 Okay, let's dive into okuess. 90 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.399 Let's talk about this case. So in the early hours 91 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:22.000 of March fourth in twenty twenty two, while most people 92 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.160 were still asleep, a call came into emergency services from 93 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:28.439 a home in Commas, Utah. I think you might have 94 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.879 said that weird, it's Commas. Anyways, it's in the USA, 95 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:34.759 and it was just after three twenty am in the morning. 96 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:36.759 On the other end of the line was a woman 97 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:40.519 named Corey Richins. She sounded urgent and told the dispatcher 98 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:43.360 that her husband wasn't breathing and that she just found 99 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.079 him there in bed. She explained that she had fallen 100 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:48.959 asleep in one of their children's room earlier that night see, 101 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:51.040 one of their sons had been dealing with night terrors, 102 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:53.040 and she said she stayed with him until she ended 103 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:55.920 up drifting off herself. Then at some point in the 104 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:58.519 early morning hours, she woke up and returned to their 105 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:01.680 master bedroom, crawled back into bed, and when she did so, 106 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:04.879 she reached over towards her husband and immediately knew something 107 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:08.160 wasn't right. He wasn't just unresponsive. In fact, his skin 108 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:12.199 felt cold to the touch. Now later she even described 109 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:14.279 that moment as if she were putting her arm over 110 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:20.519 a cement brick. There was no warmth, there was no movement. Now. 111 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:23.399 During this nine to one one call, the dispatcher tried 112 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:25.920 to guide her through CPR, but there was a bit 113 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:28.079 of a delay. She seemed to panic and tried to 114 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:30.360 deal with the situation in the in the sense of 115 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.319 what everything was going on, and several minutes actually passed 116 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:37.120 before compressions began, and the dispatcher soon counted out over 117 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:41.079 the phone, keeping her in rhythm one two three four 118 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:45.519 one two three four going through the compressions of CPR. 119 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.240 As emergency responders made their way to the home, Corey 120 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.360 was still on the phone trying to follow these instructions 121 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:54.600 and trying to explain what she was seeing and what 122 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:58.079 was happening. But all anyone knew at that moment was 123 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:01.639 that thirty nine year old man was lying unresponsive in 124 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:05.120 his bed and his wife was a wreck while trying 125 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:07.519 to ask for help and save the situation. 126 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:10.800 He's only thirty nine, that is young. 127 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:14.439 Now, as emergency responders got to the scene and took 128 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:18.519 over inside this bedroom of their home, they found Eric Richins, 129 00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:21.600 that's his name, lying in bed, exactly where Corey said 130 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.480 he would be. But the moment made contact with him, 131 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.759 it became clear this wasn't a typical medical emergency. His body, 132 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:33.959 as Corey had said, was already stone cold. Now it's 133 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:36.360 just not like it's slightly cool. I want to make 134 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:38.360 that clear, cold in a way that suggests he had 135 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:42.480 been gone for like some time. There was even stiffness 136 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:46.360 in him, as rigamortis had clearly already begun to set in. 137 00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:49.279 Okay, so the CPR wasn't going to be doing anything. 138 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:54.360 No, definitely, not officially. He's not dead, but he very 139 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:57.160 much so was already. Yes, it was like the kind 140 00:06:57.160 --> 00:07:00.720 of physical state that he hadn't just stopped breathing, moments earlier. 141 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:03.920 He'd stop breathing a long time ago. Still, though they 142 00:07:03.959 --> 00:07:07.000 moved quickly. CPR was taken over from Corey and they 143 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.079 followed that standard life saving procedure. You know, you do 144 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:14.199 the CPR even if it's a grim situation. Now, even 145 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:17.360 if survival is unlikely. The thing is, you don't stop. 146 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:20.480 But as the clock ticked away in the minutes past, 147 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.639 the first responders were getting no response. There was no 148 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:27.040 sign of recovery. There was nothing. And it's very important 149 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:30.360 to note that first responders also look for something called 150 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:34.240 mechanism of injury, which is it essentially means how their 151 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:37.560 patient got injured or came into the state that they 152 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:41.199 are in. For example, if there are lacerations or an 153 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.920 indication of physical harm, did they get hit by a car, 154 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.439 or they're empty bottles of pills next to them on 155 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.160 the nightstand, potentially things that indicate what happened, so they can, 156 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.920 you know, treat accordingly. However, in this case, there was 157 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:58.439 no visible trauma. There was no immediate indication of what 158 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:01.639 had caused this. There was no overturned furniture, no signs 159 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.199 of a struggle, no drugs nearby, no nothing obvious in 160 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:07.360 the room. That explained why a healthy thirty nine year 161 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.519 old man wouldn't suddenly be unresponsive in his own bed 162 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:14.199 in the middle of the night. Now, because of this, 163 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:19.160 the possibility of a natural cause was considered. It must 164 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:22.839 have been something sudden and internal, and even first responders 165 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:26.720 mentioned a suspected aneurysm as there was some blood coming 166 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:28.759 out of his mouth and nose as they began their 167 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:32.679 CPR compressions. This would have explained the lack of external 168 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:36.840 signs a sudden collapse maybe, and confusions around the situation, 169 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:41.840 but even that didn't fully account for what they were seeing. Still, though, 170 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:46.399 despite their efforts, despite their initial preliminary investigation for this 171 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:50.320 mechanism of injury, Eric was officially pronounced dead at three 172 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:51.639 point fifty eight. AM. 173 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.519 Okay, Well, he could have been in there alone for 174 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:56.200 five or so hours. 175 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.200 Really, it could have been a long while. 176 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:02.000 Yees, So it makes sense. I guess that he could 177 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:02.840 be that cold. 178 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:05.240 I suppose. I don't know how sure. 179 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:07.559 How quickly everything sets in, but well. 180 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.000 It does set in relatively fast, and we don't know 181 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:13.000 exactly how long he was sitting there for, but clearly 182 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:17.759 it was an extended period. Now, before all of this happened. 183 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:20.799 Eric Richards was just a man living his life like 184 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:25.080 anybody else. He was born on May thirteenth, nineteen eighty two, 185 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:28.320 and he was raised in Utah. He grew up around 186 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:31.919 hard work, and his background wasn't flashy or complicated. Instead, 187 00:09:31.960 --> 00:09:35.399 it was steady, the kind of upbringing where responsibilities come 188 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.879 early and they stick. Eric was also raised as a 189 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:42.799 religious individual in a religious household, specifically within the Church 190 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:45.480 of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, and at one 191 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:48.039 point he spent time on a mission in Mexico, which 192 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.600 left him fluent in Spanish and shaped a lot of 193 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:54.679 how people later described him. All around. He was very disciplined. 194 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:58.519 He was grounded, dependable, not someone who chased any sort 195 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.240 of chaos or lived reckless. Now, this sort of character 196 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:04.879 that he had did well for him as an adult. 197 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.960 As soon as he built a stonemasonry business from the 198 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.320 ground up, it did immediately well. I mean, it was 199 00:10:12.360 --> 00:10:14.519 physical work, it was constant work, and to top it 200 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:17.279 all off, though he was good at it, he was 201 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.600 a man who showed up, who handled what needed to 202 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:23.240 be done. And that same steadiness carried into his personal 203 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:26.519 life too, not just his career he was a husband 204 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.960 and more importantly, a father to three young boys. People 205 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:33.759 close to him described him as someone who took that 206 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.720 role very seriously. He was involved and focused on providing 207 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:41.879 a stable life for him and his family. But most 208 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:45.399 importantly for this story, there's something else that stands out 209 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:47.879 when you look at Eric and who he was, especially 210 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:51.639 in the context of what would later happen to him. See, 211 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:55.519 he had no history of drug use. There was no 212 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:58.679 pattern of any sort of risky behavior at all, no 213 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.240 indication that he was experimenting with substances or living in 214 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:04.200 a way that would lead to a path like that. 215 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.799 For all intents and purposes, he was living a life 216 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:11.039 that was, as you might say, straight as an arrow. Now, 217 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:14.120 Corey Richins was someone who seemed to have built a 218 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:18.200 pretty full life too. She worked in real estate, specifically 219 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:21.159 flipping houses. There were a lot of big properties that 220 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:24.320 she dealt with, ones that had fast turnarounds, large dollar 221 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:27.279 figures being thrown around, all that sort of thing, and 222 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:29.679 she and Eric had been married for years at this point, 223 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:33.919 raising their three young boys. By all accounts, it was 224 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:37.480 a very busy, stable life, work, kids, projects, the kind 225 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:41.720 of day to day routine most families do fall into Now, 226 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:46.080 after Eric's death, that image only seemed to solidify around Corey. 227 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:50.120 But in the beginning of their life together, life was 228 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.879 a bit tougher, and neither of them were working the 229 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.639 multi million dollar businesses that they would eventually look after. 230 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:00.679 They instead had a bit more regular of jobs. And 231 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:02.639 when Corey and Eric met, she was working as a 232 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:05.519 cashier at home Depot and Eric came through the till 233 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:08.519 line purchasing some supplies for his company that had just 234 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:12.399 been in its infancy stage. Now, Eric wasn't someone who 235 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:15.600 put himself out there very easily. It actually took a 236 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:18.000 bit of encouraging from people around him to go back 237 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.480 to Home Depot and talk to that pretty girl at 238 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:24.919 the checkout till. But when he did, well, things took 239 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:26.600 off from there and they moved quickly. 240 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:29.559 Oh my goodness, that is just the cutest way ever 241 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.320 of meetings, isn't it. 242 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:36.320 It's adorable. Yes, So they connected, They started spending time together, 243 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:39.519 and before long they were dating and building that life 244 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:43.519 side by side. Eventually, they got married on June fifteenth, 245 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:47.360 in twenty thirteen, in a backyard ceremony in Utah, and 246 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:50.679 by that point they had already started their family. One 247 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.120 of their sons had been born before the wedding, and 248 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.200 over the next few years they would go on to 249 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:58.279 have two more boys. They had their home, they had 250 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:01.919 their three kids. Eric had his business that was growing significantly, 251 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:04.879 and Corey now had her work that she started in 252 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:08.360 real estate. Now, before they got married, Corey and Eric 253 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:12.039 put up a prenuptial agreement, so on paper it was 254 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.200 fairly straightforward. Both of them agreed that what they brought 255 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.120 into the marriage and what they had built individually would 256 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:22.399 remain separate. There wouldn't be any shared ownership of each 257 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:26.759 other's income, property, or assets. This was extremely important, primarily 258 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:30.000 for Eric because his company was taking off due to 259 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:32.240 all that hard work that he had poured into it. 260 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:36.759 Now there was one exception on paper, though, if either 261 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.480 of them died while they were still married, the situation changed. 262 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:43.279 So if Eric had passed away, his business and assets 263 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:47.519 would transfer to Corey. The agreement essentially shifted from separation 264 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:51.080 to full access under that one specific condition. 265 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.559 Oh okay, so if they had gotten a divorce or something, 266 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:56.759 it would be much different than if one of. 267 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:01.039 Them passed Yeah, exactly, So like that way, you can't 268 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.000 just divorce me and take half my business that I've 269 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:04.080 been building for years. 270 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.919 Yeah, prenups are so interesting to me. 271 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.759 They are interesting and like it's honestly, it's mostly a formality. 272 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:13.519 It's just a way to protect themselves, you know, in 273 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:17.159 case something goes wrong with you know, relationships. Maybe this 274 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:20.320 person might eventually leave me or who knows what. It's 275 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:22.840 just a matter of protecting things and keeping it clean. 276 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:26.879 It's very practical, and I understand some people not liking it, 277 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.759 but when it comes to businesses, it keeps a lot 278 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:30.519 of things clean. 279 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:32.840 I get them, but I also don't get them. It 280 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:35.120 seems like a touchy, kind of sticky subject. 281 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.159 Yeah, I think you're right. But either way, they had 282 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:40.879 this prenup and for years that document just sat there 283 00:14:40.919 --> 00:14:44.840 in the background, untouched and filed away. Now from there, 284 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:47.919 their married life and everything seemed to follow that steady, 285 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.840 everyday rhythm. Eric's work was consistent, the business was growing, 286 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:54.320 and it of course wasn't flashy work, and it required 287 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:57.720 long hours and physical effort, but it provided stability and 288 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:01.039 the kind of life they were after. Corey's work in 289 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:03.879 real estate was a bit different. She focused on flipping 290 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:09.399 those homes which looked very successful, especially when dealers deals sorry, 291 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.759 are moving between properties, with this property going out and 292 00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:15.679 this one being sold and this one being bought. It's 293 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.000 all this chaos basically going and that kind of business 294 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:23.279 depends heavily on borrowing, timing, and while a lot of 295 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:27.679 risk involved. So when things go well well, they can 296 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.120 be very profitable. But if they don't, financial pressure can 297 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:34.000 build quickly and that's where a lot of things go wrong. 298 00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:38.960 And for Corey, at some point that pressure started to 299 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:42.360 grow on her. Her business began taking on more and 300 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.639 more projects, and with that came more and more borrowing. 301 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:51.039 Loans were taken out to finance certain deals. Credit was 302 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:54.360 used to keep projects going, and overall the amount of 303 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:58.360 money that was tied up in these properties just kept increasing. 304 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:01.039 On its own, that might not have been in a 305 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:03.799 big issue, you know, someone just working in real estate. 306 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.000 It's not unusual for that sort of thing to occur, 307 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:08.039 but it was happening in a way that began to 308 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:10.399 create a lot of problems. And one of the most 309 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:14.320 significant issues involving a home was on an equity line 310 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:19.799 of credit taken out against Eric's property. Ooh, now, this 311 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:22.240 line of credit that was taken out against the property 312 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.639 was an amount of around two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 313 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:30.480 and it was something that Eric had not even knowingly approved, 314 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.559 and it was alleged later on that the document had 315 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:34.720 even been forged. 316 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.840 Holy okay, this is uh, this is setting up for 317 00:16:38.919 --> 00:16:40.080 some bad, bad news. 318 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:43.840 Yeah, definitely. Now, from that line of credit, large sums 319 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:46.639 of money were withdrawn, and at the same time, additional 320 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:49.720 credit cards were opened up and more debt was added 321 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:52.679 on top, and these transactions were already well into the 322 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:56.720 hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that still wasn't the 323 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.759 full price, because beyond that, there were other loans, on 324 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:03.799 going expenses tied to properties that hadn't been sold, and 325 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:07.680 financial commitments that continue to stack up one after the other. 326 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:11.319 And by the early time in twenty twenty two, estimates 327 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.319 of that total debt connected to Corey's real estate activity 328 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:16.960 reached into the millions. 329 00:17:17.160 --> 00:17:20.680 Oh my gosh, okay, this is just spiraling. 330 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.599 Spiraling for sure. Now here's the thing, you know, the 331 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:26.440 old saying you need to spend money to make money. Yes, 332 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:30.680 that's definitely the application for her business model. If you're 333 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.240 going to acquire a property, you're going to renovate it, 334 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:35.039 and you're wanting to flip it to sell it for 335 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:37.039 a profit. You need to invest. 336 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.279 Yeah, but this is getting to be a bit much. 337 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:40.359 I think it's too much. 338 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:43.720 That's the thing. It got too much. You too many properties, 339 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:46.519 too many ones, not going through, too many ones, not 340 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.240 selling too high of value, going into the flip and 341 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.640 not getting your return of investment is what you wanted. 342 00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:54.920 Quite like, it got messy. 343 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.599 Fast, growing at a rate that is not sustainable. 344 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:03.160 Definitely, of this debt was obvious. Their life still looked great. 345 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:05.640 It was intact, and they lived and ate very well. 346 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.960 Eric's successful company provided very comfortable lives at this point. 347 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.680 But inside the marriage the situation had already changed. This 348 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:17.880 wasn't just business risk anymore. It was money tied directly 349 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.799 to their home. That line of credit taken out against 350 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:23.559 the property. But I mean Eric didn't know that yet, 351 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:28.079 but there was involving their future and everything they'd built together. Now, 352 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:31.000 at some point the financial situation stopped being something they 353 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:34.160 could have just sit in the background, and Eric actually 354 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:38.319 became aware that something wasn't right. He found that money 355 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:40.480 had been taken out in ways he hadn't approved of. 356 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:44.279 That accounts existed that he had not ever agreed to, 357 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:47.160 and the scale of all of this was much larger 358 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:49.920 than something that could be explained in simple misunderstandings or 359 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:53.400 bad decisions. It was too much, and it was all 360 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:56.720 something that directly involved his name, his property, and his 361 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:01.799 financial standings, things he didn't sign for. In October of 362 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:05.079 twenty twenty, he took a step that made it clear 363 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:09.119 how serious he was viewing the situation. He met with 364 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:13.279 an estate planning attorney. During that meeting, he explained that 365 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:16.720 he had discovered what he believed was ongoing misuse of 366 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:20.440 his finances, not a one time issue, but something that 367 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:24.079 happened continuously over a period of time. And from there 368 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:28.039 he began to make some changes. He removed Corey as 369 00:19:28.039 --> 00:19:32.119 the beneficiary in his life insurance policy, he took control 370 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.720 of his assets and how they would be handled moving forward, 371 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:38.480 and most importantly, he created a trust, and that trust 372 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:43.039 placed his estate, including his business and everything that he owned, 373 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.960 under the control of his sister. 374 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:48.920 Okay, and I'm also assuming here that Corey is not 375 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:49.680 aware of this. 376 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:51.880 No, not as far as my understanding. 377 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.880 This is so interesting, how there's just so much going 378 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:58.960 on in behind the scenes of this marriage. 379 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.319 Really it's messy. 380 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:04.480 I literally can't hide a thing from you. So I'm 381 00:20:04.519 --> 00:20:07.960 having almost trouble them doing this sort of thing and 382 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:09.920 being able to relate. You know. 383 00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.640 Yeah, if I if I go and get a beer 384 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:15.119 with friends or something like that, You're like you're texting me. 385 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:16.720 You're like you're drinking beer right now, and I'm like, 386 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:18.960 oh shit, yes, I how do you know? Well, I 387 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:22.160 look at the bank statement. Damn it. We weren't supposed 388 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:24.319 to know I was going out for a beer. Yeah, 389 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.160 it's I don't know how people hide hundreds of thousands, 390 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:30.119 let alone millions of dollars and have all this complicated 391 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.160 stuff when I can't hide five bucks. Well yeah, not 392 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:34.599 that I want to hide five bucks, you know what 393 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:34.880 I mean? 394 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.759 Way on, It would weigh on a person so much too, 395 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:40.240 I just I can't. It would like eat you up. 396 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:43.759 I think, I think so. Now. The intention of what 397 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:46.519 Eric was doing, taking this trust and putting it under 398 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:49.000 the control of his sister was that if something were 399 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.440 to happen to him, the money and assets would then 400 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:53.599 be able to go directly to his children and not 401 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:56.519