Kouri Richins, a 33-year-old woman from Utah, is facing felony charges for allegedly poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. Prosecutors claim she spiked a Moscow mule cocktail with five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid, which resulted in the death of her 39-year-old husband, Eric Richins. Prior to this incident, she allegedly attempted to kill him with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day. Her arrest in May 2023 came after she self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” about coping with grief, featuring a father with angel wings watching over his son after passing away.
The upcoming court hearing will determine if state prosecutors have enough evidence against Kouri Richins to proceed with a trial. Both the defense and prosecution plan to present witnesses and evidence to support their narratives in the case. Among the potential witnesses are family members, a housekeeper who claims to have sold drugs to Kouri Richins, and friends of Eric Richins who have provided information about the day he was allegedly poisoned by his wife. Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik is expected to evaluate the evidence presented and make a decision on whether a trial should move forward.
Defense attorney Skye Lazaro has argued that the evidence against Kouri Richins is speculative and circumstantial. Lazaro has suggested that the housekeeper may have had ulterior motives for lying as she faced drug charges, and that Eric Richins’ sisters were biased against Kouri Richins due to disputes over his estate and an assault case. One of his sisters, Katie Richins, filed a petition alleging that Kouri Richins had financial incentives for killing her husband, including opening life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million without his knowledge and believing she would inherit his estate under their prenuptial agreement.
In a separate incident, Kouri Richins was found guilty on misdemeanor charges of assaulting her sister-in-law shortly after her husband’s death. Amy Richins testified that Kouri Richins had punched her during an argument over access to her brother’s safe. These additional charges may impact the overall case and provide further context for the prosecution’s argument against Kouri Richins. The hearing will ultimately determine the strength of the evidence presented by both sides and whether there is enough to proceed with a trial for the alleged murder of Eric Richins by his wife.
