A mother of three from Utah, Kouri Richins, who authored a children’s book on grief following her husband’s passing and was accused of fatally poisoning him, has been ordered to stand trial by a Utah state judge, Richard Mrazik. The decision came on the second day of her preliminary hearing, where it was determined that the prosecution had adequate evidence to proceed to a jury trial.
Kouri Richins faces multiple felony charges for allegedly using a deadly dose of fentanyl to poison her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022 at their residence near Park City. Prosecutors claim that she spiked a Moscow mule cocktail with five times the lethal amount of fentanyl, which Eric Richins consumed.
Remaining composed as the judge announced the trial proceedings, Kouri Richins continued to assert her innocence and pleaded “not guilty” to all 11 charges. The preliminary hearing later focused on an additional attempted murder charge, alleging that she had also laced her husband’s sandwich with fentanyl on Valentine’s Day, causing a severe but non-fatal reaction.
Witnesses and recovered text messages suggested that on Valentine’s Day, Eric Richins suffered an adverse reaction after eating a sandwich given to him by his wife, leading to suspicions of poisoning. Subsequently, Kouri Richins allegedly sought to acquire stronger fentanyl from their housekeeper after the failed attempt, as per testimonies shared during the court hearings.
Detective Jeff O’Driscoll mentioned that Kouri Richins reportedly learned from the initial poisoning attempt, realizing the need for a significant amount of the drug to be effective. The prosecution argued that Kouri Richins had planned the poisoning meticulously, including purchasing fentanyl and engaging in an extramarital affair.
Following Eric Richins’ death and the discovery of a fatal dose of fentanyl in his system, Kouri Richins was subsequently arrested in May 2023. Defense attorneys for Kouri Richins questioned the lack of physical evidence linking the fentanyl in her possession to the one found in Eric Richins’ system.
The court appointed attorneys Kathy Nester and Wendy Lewis to represent Kouri Richins after her financial constraints. The prosecution highlighted alleged motives, including Kouri Richins’ belief that she would inherit her husband’s estate and her undisclosed life insurance policies on him valued at nearly $2 million.
Moreover, Kouri Richins had self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” prior to her arrest, depicting a story of a father guiding his son from beyond. Prosecutors suggest this could play a significant role in portraying Eric Richins’ death as a premeditated act with an elaborate cover-up.
The judge scheduled a pretrial conference on September 23 for discussions between the prosecution and defense regarding jury selection, with no trial date set as of yet.
