State Rests… Then the Defense Does the UNTHINKABLE | Kouri Richins Trial Day 13

Hidden True Crime

News Commentary, Documentary, True Crime, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2026

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Day 13 of the Kouri Richins trial brought a major turning point: after a morning of tense legal arguments, cross-examination of lead detective Jeff O’Driscoll, and a failed defense motion to dismiss the case, both sides rested — and the defense did so without calling a single witness. In this episode, we break down the final day of testimony, including the fight over the so-called suspicious GIFs, the defense’s attempt to introduce evidence suggesting Eric once asked for fentanyl, and the prosecution’s effort to reinforce the strength of its investigation. We also unpack what O’Driscoll admitted investigators still don’t know — including exactly how, when, or in what dose Eric ingested fentanyl — and why the missing hydrocodone bottle remains such a frustrating loose end. But the biggest shock came at the end: after weeks of hinting at alternate explanations, experts, and unanswered questions, Kouri’s defense rested without presenting any evidence at all. Now, with no defense witnesses and no testimony from Kouri herself, the case heads straight into closing arguments. Sponsors: First Day Life Inc.: Our listeners get up to 57% Off AND a Free Gift with code hidden at ⁠https://FirstDay.com ⁠ Jones Road Beauty: Use code HIDDEN at ⁠https://jonesroadbeauty.com⁠ to get a Free Shimmer Face Oil with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty About Hidden True Crime What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Hidden Gems. Day 13 of the Corey Richens trial started with the jury out of the courtroom.
0:08.7	Surprise. Same way it always starts, but don't be mistaken, today was a very, very big day.
0:18.5	Very. The trial essentially went from zero to 60 today. But before we get into what happened in
0:25.6	court, it is worth talking briefly about where things left off yesterday because the end of the
0:32.7	state's case had a pretty big moment, right? Throughout this trial, a lot of text messages have been shown
0:40.9	on screen for the jury. Same with journal entries and other documents. But none of them have really
0:49.4	been read out loud in court, right? Well, we've read them here.
0:54.1	The jurors can see them, and they'll likely have access to them during deliberations.
0:58.9	But for the most part, they haven't been verbally presented at all.
1:03.4	It's up for the jurors to read them.
1:05.5	Well, that changed yesterday.
1:08.3	Detective O'Driscoll was asked to read the walk the dog letter out loud in
1:14.6	court. And honestly, that felt very strategic by the prosecution. If you've watched the trial or
1:21.9	have been following our recaps, you know that almost nothing has been read aloud until that
1:27.0	moment. So when the state suddenly
1:28.9	had their final witness read that letter, word for word, it definitely made it stand out more. It's like
1:37.0	they wanted the jury to really hear it and remember it. That letter is one of the pieces of evidence. The prosecution clearly puts a lot of weight on.
1:50.1	It also came from the state's final witness, which made it feel like they were saving one of their strongest pieces of evidence for last.
1:58.2	And now the defense didn't offer anything to support their idea that the letter came from some sort of longer manuscript for a fictional book that Corey was allegedly writing.
2:10.6	Yeah, the defense knew better than to go there.
2:13.5	Corey didn't, but the defense did during court.
2:16.4	So that argument really didn't get built out.
	...

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