Richie's monologue in episode 2 foreshadows how he will react when he himself contracts the virus - through denial. It is also how his mother reacts upon hearing the news.
We don't see Richie's death, or even his last moments alive, we hear about his death at the same time as Jill, the audience is robbed of our chance to say goodbye to the character just as Jill was and just as so many loved ones were in real life.
Fridge Horror
How close Richie came to infecting Ash, if he had been feeling a little bit more amorous or a little bit more selfish that night we would have another casualty among out main cast.
