Opening statements began Monday in the murder trial of Utah mother and children’s book author Kouri Richins. Prosecutors accuse her of killing her husband, Eric Richins, by slipping a lethal dose of fentanyl into a drink in March 2022.
Richins has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and nearly three dozen related charges. A conviction would carry 25 years to life.
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State says money drove the killing
Summit County Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors Richins was buried in debt and believed her husband’s death would unlock millions.
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As little as 2 mg of fentanyl — the amount of a few grains of salt — can be fatal, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“The evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life,” Bloodworth said. “More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence and success.”
Prosecutors say Eric Richins had roughly five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system. They allege his wife brought him a Moscow mule that night and left him in the bedroom.
The state also alleges she tried weeks earlier to poison him with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day. It was an incident that sent him into an allergic reaction.
Jurors were shown life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million, along with evidence that Richins owed more than $4 million to lenders. Prosecutors referenced text messages with another man and internet searches from her phone, including inquiries about luxury prisons and lie detector tests.
Defense says there is no proof
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester told jurors the state cannot answer a basic question: how fentanyl entered Eric Richins’ body.
“You know what you’re never going to hear,” she said, “is how that fentanyl got inside of him because there is zero evidence of that.”
The defense played the 911 call from the night of his death. They argued Eric Richins struggled with pain medication and may have overdosed. Nester also attacked the credibility of a housekeeper who claims she supplied fentanyl pills. The woman received immunity.
Book becomes part of the case
After her husband’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book, “Are You With Me?” about a father watching over his son from heaven. Prosecutors told jurors they will argue the book was part of a broader effort to shape the narrative around his death.
The trial is scheduled to run through late March. Testimony begins Tuesday.
