You're listening to continuing coverage from the trial of Corey Richards, from the Hidden Killers podcast and True Crime Today.

Now, back to the courtroom.

In the early morning hours of March 4th, 2022, the house was quiet.

Cory Richens fell asleep in her young son's room, like many parents do.

At some point in the night, she gets up and walks back down the hallway to her bedroom.

She slips back into bed beside her husband.

She settles in next to him.

She reaches over, and he feels cold.

Eric Richens, the father of her children, the man that she has built a life with.

Something feels wrong. She pulls the blanket up around him, but something still isn't right.

He feels heavy.

She turns on the light.

And when she looks at her husband, really looks at him, she realizes something is terribly wrong.

And in that instant, in that bedroom, in the quiet early of the morning,

Corey Richon's world collapsed.

Reasonable doubt.

It's not just a slogan, it's not just a suggestion.

It's a constitutional shield that protects the innocent and prevents the state from punishing without truth.

And it is the state that has that high burden, the highest burden under the law to prove each and every single element of each and every charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

The state stood up on day one and they told you they were going to prove that Corey Richens had the means,

the motive, and the opportunity to kill Eric Richens.

And we're going to talk about each of these, but first, I want to talk a little more about reasonable doubt.

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