Kouri Richins Murder Trial Underway for Husband’s Fentanyl Death

KAMAS, UTAH (Azat TV) – The high-profile murder trial of Utah mother Kouri Richins is officially underway in Summit County, drawing intense public scrutiny as opening statements concluded and emotional testimony began this week. Prosecutors allege Richins fatally poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022, driven by financial desperation and a desire to start a new life.

Kouri Richins, 35, faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and forgery. She has pleaded not guilty to all counts. If convicted of the most serious charge, she could face a life sentence in prison. The trial is expected to run through late March, with dozens of witnesses anticipated to testify.

Allegations of Fentanyl Poisoning and Financial Motive

Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth of the Summit County Attorney’s Office laid out the prosecution’s case, asserting that Kouri Richins murdered her husband for his money and to perpetuate a “facade of privileged affluence and success.” Bloodworth told jurors that an autopsy revealed Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, with approximately five times the lethal dose found in his blood, which he described as ‘intentional, not accidental.’

Prosecutors detailed Kouri Richins’ alleged attempts to acquire fentanyl, including asking a woman who cleaned her houses for the drug in early 2022. The housekeeper reportedly purchased over 15 pills believed to contain fentanyl on February 11, 2022, and provided them to Richins. Just days later, on Valentine’s Day, prosecutors allege Richins left her husband a sandwich before meeting a ‘paramour.’ Eric Richins later told two friends he felt like he was going to die after eating the sandwich, stating, ‘I think my wife is trying to poison me.’ He reportedly broke out in hives, injected himself with an EpiPen, and drank Benadryl. According to prosecutors, Richins then sought stronger fentanyl in late February, with her husband dying within a week.

A key motive, according to the prosecution, was financial gain. On the day of Eric Richins’ death, his estate was valued at roughly $4 million, while Kouri Richins allegedly owed more than $4.5 million to over 20 lenders. Eric Richins was insured for more than $2 million through several life insurance policies, one of which prosecutors claim his wife fraudulently applied for weeks before his death, as reported by CNN. She also allegedly texted another man about her dream of leaving her husband, gaining millions in a divorce, and marrying him.

Emotional Testimony and Defense Counterarguments

The trial’s initial days featured emotional testimony from Eric Richins’ family, who described Kouri Richins’ behavior in the aftermath of his sudden death. Katie Richins-Benson, Eric’s sister, testified through tears about arriving at her brother’s home and finding Kouri ‘wasn’t crying like I was, she wasn’t hysterical. Just stood there and shook her head ‘no’ at me.’ Richins-Benson recalled being ‘dumbfounded’ when Kouri discussed closing on a multi-million-dollar mansion and selling their family home on the very day Eric died, telling her, ‘He has nothing to do with it. The money’s already gone through. It’s all my business.’ Eugene Richins, Eric’s father, testified that Kouri later falsely claimed the medical examiner attributed Eric’s death to Covid-19 and a lung fungus.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester, in her opening statement, acknowledged her client is a ‘flawed person’ but insisted she is innocent. Nester began by playing Kouri Richins’ 911 call from the night of Eric’s death, where she appeared to be sobbing hysterically. Nester characterized the sounds as ‘a wife becoming a widow.’ The defense argued that Eric Richins had a history of back pain and used marijuana gummies and painkillers, suggesting he may have accidentally overdosed. Nester pointed to an empty bottle of expired pain pills found on Eric’s nightstand and noted that law enforcement never tested the cups from the Moscow mule cocktail he allegedly drank. She also stated that Eric’s family ‘needed someone or something to blame for losing someone they loved that wasn’t Eric himself.’

Post-Death Behavior and Digital Evidence in Kouri Richins Case

Prosecutors presented evidence of Kouri Richins’ alleged actions after her husband’s death. Bloodworth stated that Richins deleted cell phone messages and data from the months surrounding Eric’s death, suggesting a ‘guilty conscience.’ He also highlighted three GIFs accessed on her phone shortly after first responders left the scene: one captioned ‘Idiots. Idiots everywhere,’ another showing a woman wiping tears with dollar bills, and a third with the caption, ‘I’m really rich.’ Furthermore, after being informed of her husband’s cause of death, Richins’ internet history allegedly included searches for women’s prisons in Utah, life insurance payments, and how police recover deleted cell phone data, according to 1News.

About a year after Eric’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book titled “Are You With Me?” about helping children cope with grief, which she promoted on local news. Prosecutors suggest this book could be framed as part of an elaborate cover-up attempt. The defense has previously argued that Richins’ internet searches were merely a response to the ongoing investigation and not indicative of guilt. Court documents also show Eric Richins had consulted a divorce lawyer and an estate planning lawyer in 2020, and had transferred his business partnership interest to a trust, designating it, rather than his wife, as the beneficiary of a $500,000 life insurance policy.

The trial presents a stark contrast between the prosecution’s narrative of a calculated murder driven by financial gain and the defense’s portrayal of an accidental overdose and a grieving, albeit imperfect, widow. The outcome hinges on the jury’s interpretation of Kouri Richins’ actions, the forensic evidence, and the highly emotional testimony from those closest to the couple.