In this video, we explore the intriguing case of Richard Kirk, a Denver man who claims that his first experience with a legal marijuana edible led to a heated and devastating altercation with his wife. He insists that the edible was responsible for his violent behavior. But as the investigation unfolded, evidence emerged that challenge his version of events. What was the real motive behind Kirk's actions? Join us as we delve into the case of "the edible made me do it." Back in 2012, Colorado made history by becoming one of the first states in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This meant that adults over the age of 21 were free to possess and use small amounts of marijuana without fear of legal repercussions on the state level. The first legal recreational marijuana shops in the state opened in Denver on January 1st, 2014. This law brought about many changes in Denver, including an increase in tourism and state revenue and the creation of new job opportunities. However, it also raised concerns about public health and safety, particularly for young people. Unfortunately, just two months after marijuana shops opened, a 19-year-old exchange student named Levy Samba exhibited erratic speech and hostile behaviors hours after consuming six times the recommended amount of a marijuana cookie. He then leaped from a fourth floor balcony to his death. A spokesperson for the medical examiner's office said Thamba was not suicidal and since his death did not involve other intoxicating substances or an event such as an automobile accident, the medical examiner determined that his death was linked to edible consumption. This tragic incident made national headlines and was still on the minds of Denver citizens when the events we are about to discuss unfolded. Kristine Ann Kirk was a true gem in her community. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, she was a proud supporter of the Michigan Wolverines and always waved their maize and blue flag on football Saturdays. Kris, as she preferred to be called, later moved to Texas for college, where she met the love of her life, Richard Kirk, and joined the Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority. Her many talents and devotion to her three boys made her an inspiration to those around her. Her sister once said, "Kris was simply amazing at everything. A loving daughter, sister, cousin and friend. But being a mother was her favorite role." Kris loved nothing more than jumping on the trampoline with her boys - a cherished memory of the happy times she once shared with her family. Richard Kirk was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was known for his devout religious beliefs. He left his hometown in the early nineties to attend college in Texas. His acquaintances found him friendly and humble while his close friends had mixed opinions. There is little background information on Richard's upbringing and education. Court documents show Richard was involved in an incident in 1994 in which he was charged with felony assault. That charge was reduced and eventually dropped. The victim's identity remains unknown. Richard and Kris's love story started in the early nineties when they first met in Texas. They hit it off and began a romantic relationship, eventually tying the knot around 1998 or 1999. The couple moved to Denver, Colorado, to build a new life together. Unfortunately, in 2000, Richard was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. However, he was able to bounce back from that and did not have any further police encounters on record. The couple continued to pursue their dreams in Denver, and initially things were going well. In 2005, Richard and Kris purchased a home in the charming Observatory Park neighborhood of Denver. The couple settled in and had three young boys who were often seen by neighbors running and playing around the house. The Kirks were considered friendly folks who always made an effort to acknowledge others with a wave or a warm greeting. Yet those who knew the couple privately were aware of ongoing marital tensions, particularly Richard's temperament. Richard was said to have a mean streak and to be impulsive, especially when driving. One family member stated he would not ride in the front seat with Richard due to his road rage issues. If Richard felt disrespected by another driver, it was not uncommon for him to speed up and tailgate them. Additionally, family members reported that they wouldn't be surprised to learn he had shot someone as he was unwilling to let things go and was constantly on the verge of losing control. Richard had been suffering from chronic back pain for many years and his doctor had prescribed him hydrocodone as a pain reliever. Over time, Richard's use of the medication escalated into a full-blown addiction. As his ability to work and earn money decreased the family's credit card debt began to pile up. This put significant financial pressure on the family and combined with Richard's questionable decision making, caused a significant rift in the marriage, according to family members. For example, there was an incident where one of Richard's Jeeps was stolen from the family's driveway during an unrelated investigation. Years later, a family member told police they had reason to suspect Richard arranged the theft for insurance money as the key had been left inside the vehicle. In another instance, Richard used the couple's tax refund to buy an expensive motorcycle without consulting Kris, leading to a huge argument between them. In return, Kris felt she had no choice but to place a hard cap on Richard's spending. When asked by investigators if Richard's spending limit caused resentment between the couple, the family member didn't know. Religion was another source of anxiety between Richard and Chris. He was a devout Mormon and often asserted that it was the "right religion," even telling his sons that he disapproved of Kris taking them to a Catholic church. Kris appeared to be at her wit's end, confessing to a colleague that she had been waiting for the perfect moment to tell Richard that she no longer loved him. It's clear that the domestic situation was becoming increasingly challenging, but what happened next would prove to shock even those who knew the Kirks best. It was mostly sunny and 55 degrees in the Observatory Park neighborhood on Monday, April 14, 2014. Richard was in a bind. He had run out of pain medication and was between prescriptions. By his own account as he drove home in the afternoon from running errands he noticed a legal marijuana dispensary and a thought occurred. He would stop in and see if they had anything to help with his pain. This part of his story checks out. Richard can be seen on store security footage in an orange jacket, chatting with an employee for roughly 19 minutes. He purchased a pouch of orange ginger gummy candy with a concentration of 100 milligrams of THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana. For context, according to a WebMD article, experts currently recommend starting off with two and a half milligrams of THC, which is one-half of the research standard. They suggest not exceeding 40 milligrams of THC per day. Richard claims later in the evening he took a bite of the edible and when he felt nothing after an hour, he took some more. Almost instantly, he states, he felt confused and strange. Next thing he knew, he was standing outside his front door, staring at his home address sign. He stated that when he eventually entered the home and saw his wife, he did not recognize her. Moments later, an altercation broke out. At approximately 9:30 p.m., Kris called 911. She told the dispatcher that her husband had taken a marijuana edible and possibly some prescription medicine for back pain. Her voice trembling, she begged the officers to hurry, describing how he was hallucinating, talking about the end of the world, and even asking her to shoot him. The situation was made all the more harrowing as her three young children were in the house and had locked themselves in a room. As the dispatcher took notes, Kris disclosed that there was a gun in the house locked away in a safe. The urgency of the situation was palpable. Approximately 2 minutes into the call, the dispatcher took a moment to alert officers. Officers had yet to arrive on the scene as the call continued for 13 minutes. It was now 9:43 p.m. when Kris frantically told the dispatcher that Richard had retrieved the gun from its safe and was pointing it directly at her. Kris could be heard screaming before [gunshot] ... and the line went silent. According to a detective's testimony, Richard walked into his seven-year old son's bedroom after the gunshot and instructed him to kill his father so that "Dad and Mom could be together with God." But fortunately, the gun malfunctioned after the initial shot. By 9:45 p.m. officers still had not arrived. Radio traffic captured details of the CAD messages between dispatch and officers. The first officer arrived on the scene at 9:47 p.m., at least 16 minutes after Chris made the 911 call. The officer communicated his findings to dispatch. Upon arrival, officers discovered Kris lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. She was later pronounced dead by paramedics. According to a probable cause affidavit, without being asked, Richard stated he killed his wife. He was taken into custody by police and transported for questioning. The three Kirk children were found physically unharmed and assigned to their aunt's custody. Later that evening, a detective sat across from Richard Kirk in the police station around 90 minutes from the time he fatally shot his wife while their children were home. The interview that followed was nothing short of bizarre. Some have accused Richard of doing his best to convince police he was impaired, while others believe he was genuinely lost in a haze of confusion and delusion. The stark contrast between Richard's state of mind during the interrogation and the shocking crime he had committed roughly 90 minutes earlier makes for a chilling and unnerving scene. Richard maintained that the marijuana-laced candy he consumed caused him to exhibit unusual, possibly psychotic behavior, which led him to fatally shoot his wife. Following a toxicology test, a small amount of THC was detected in Richard's system that night. No traces of other illicit substances, prescription drugs or alcohol were found. Richard was taken into custody and charged with first degree murder. Bond was denied. He entered a plea of not guilty and the trial was eventually scheduled for October 26, 2015. As the prosecutor's office prepared to present their case in court, the Denver Police Department announced the results of their investigation into the response time in the shooting death of Kris Kirk. Police determined the response time was standard. They also noted officers complained they didn't know what started as a routine domestic call had escalated and that a weapon was involved until it was too late. Denver police said the dispatcher was sending notes to officers on the CAD system, but failed to provide them with verbal updates as required. As the officers were driving to the scene, they were unable to read the notes. Incidentally, the closest police station to the Kirk household is 1.1 miles away. After the incident, the dispatcher was placed on administrative leave but resigned that same day As the in-depth investigation into the homicide of Kris Kirk unfolded, investigators believed evidence emerged that challenged Richard's version of events. According to court documents, Denver police learned from family and friends that arguments between Richard and Kris had escalated for several weeks before the shooting took place. One friend of Richard's told police that Richard had recently asked to stay at his house because he was having a difficult time with Kris. The friend refused. One of Kris's friends reported that six weeks before the shooting, Kris said Richard verbally abused her over the phone. In a transcript of the conversation between Kris and her sister, one month before the shooting, Kris revealed that she and Richard were not talking and that for unknown reasons, Richard was holding onto his bonus pay, causing additional financial stress. Investigators dug deeper into the couple's financial affairs and discovered that they had accrued more than $40,000 in credit card debt. In addition, they owed money to the IRS. Perhaps most intriguing was that in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Richard had changed his payroll direct deposit from the couple's joint checking account to his individual checking account. Further, officers learned Kris was covered by a $340,000 life insurance policy. But that was not all that was found. Investigators discovered that Richard had bought ammunition for his 9MM handgun just hours before consuming the marijuana candy that preceded the shooting. Prosecutors believe these details created a clear picture of the couple's mounting marital and financial problems and raised legitimate questions about the role these issues played in the shooting death of Kris. Five weeks before the start of the trial, Richard changed his plea to "not guilty by reason of insanity." However, facing the possibility of a life sentence if convicted and presented with the evidence obtained by the prosecution, Richard Kirk ultimately accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to a second degree murder charge in exchange for a 25 to 30 year prison sentence plus five years on parole to be determined by the judge. We may never know the truth about what motivated Richard Kirk to shoot his wife, Kris, in the head on April 14, 2014. We do know, however, that Richard and his defense team accepted a plea deal that they felt was in his best legal interests. As a result, the defense's theory that edible consumption caused Richard's actions was not tested in a court of law. To this day, Richard insists that the edible was to blame, stating that he had no idea how it would affect him. Unfortunately for Richard, the judge was not swayed by his argument and imposed the maximum sentence for the agreed upon range of 30 years in prison. While there is no closure regarding the cause of the tragedy, Richard's guilty plea did spare his children from possibly testifying in a long and emotionally charged trial. At the very least, we hope this outcome provides some measure of solace and healing for all those affected by this tragedy. What are your thoughts on this case? Do you believe that Richard's misuse of edibles was the main factor that led him to shoot his wife? Or do you suspect there might have been something more sinister at play? As usual? Feel free to share thoughts below.