Richards from "The Story of an Hour"

In "The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard, a woman with "heart troubles," is told by her husband's friend, Richards, that there had been an accident, and that Mr. Mallard's name had been at the top of the list of those who died. She feels liberated by this information, and either becomes so joyful in this liberation–or so surprised when her husband walks in the door–that she dies. Clearly, since Richards states that "Brently Mallard's name" is  "leading the list of 'killed,'" he over-specifies this information, indicating that it may easily have been fabricated. Being a close friend, he would know that Mrs. Mallard has these heart difficulties, and therefore, he obviously plotted to indirectly kill Mrs. Mallard by (a) shocking her with her husband's death or (b) shocking her with the return of her supposedly dead husband. There was nothing to lose. If she was not adequately alarmed by his death, his return would prove equally shocking. If she did not die, Richards would not be implicated in any crime whatsoever save misinformation. Additionally, when Mr. Mallard walks in the door, Richards instinctively hides the view of dead Mrs. Mallard from him; something he would not do if he was not guilty. Though it is not known why Richards may have wished to murder Mrs. Mallard, speculations have been made around his relationship with Mr. Mallard; perhaps he wished to kill Mrs. Mallard and marry Mr. Mallard instead.
You can read the short story at http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/.