Kouri Richins, a 34-year-old Utah woman, is set to appear in court on Monday for a hearing that will determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial against her. Richins is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, 39, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. The alleged incident took place in their home located in a small mountain town near Park City. Prosecutors claim that she administered five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid in a Moscow mule cocktail that her husband consumed.
The hearing was initially postponed in May by Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik as prosecutors required three consecutive days to present their evidence. Further delays occurred when Richins’ private attorneys withdrew from the case. Judge Mrazik determined that Richins could no longer afford private representation and appointed public defenders Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester to handle her case.
In addition to the poisoning charges, Richins is also accused of an earlier attempt to murder her husband with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day. Despite the allegations, she has consistently maintained her innocence.
In the months leading up to her arrest in May 2023, Richins, a mother of three, self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” The book, which tells the story of a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away, could potentially be used by prosecutors to frame Eric Richins’ death as a premeditated murder with an elaborate cover-up attempt. Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins made covert financial arrangements and purchased the illegal drug as her husband began to suspect her.
Both the defense and prosecution are expected to call on witnesses and introduce evidence to support their respective narratives. Among the potential witnesses are relatives of the defendant and her late husband, a housekeeper who allegedly sold Kouri Richins the drugs, and friends of Eric Richins who recall phone conversations from the day prosecutors claim he was first poisoned by his wife.
Richins’ former lead defense attorney, Skye Lazaro, had argued that the housekeeper had a motive to lie to seek leniency in the face of drug charges. Lazaro also claimed that Eric Richins’ sisters were biased against her client due to a dispute over his estate and a concurrent assault case.
A petition filed by Eric Richins’ sister, Katie Richins, suggests that Kouri Richins had financial motives for killing her husband. Prosecutors allege that she had taken out life insurance policies worth nearly $2 million without his knowledge and mistakenly believed she would inherit his estate under the terms of their prenuptial agreement.
In May, Kouri Richins was found guilty on misdemeanor charges of assaulting her other sister-in-law shortly after her husband’s death. In addition to aggravated murder, assault, and drug charges, Kouri Richins has also been charged with mortgage fraud, forgery, and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death.