Kouri Richins, a Utah woman, is facing several felony charges for allegedly poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. Prosecutors claim she put five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that her husband drank. She had also previously tried to kill him with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day. Richins, who self-published a children’s book called “Are You with Me?” about coping with grief, will appear in court for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.
The children’s book that Kouri Richins published could be a key factor for prosecutors in framing the crime as a calculated murder with an elaborate cover-up. Both the defense and prosecution plan to call on witnesses and introduce evidence during the hearing. Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik will decide after the hearing if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial. Witnesses could include family members, a housekeeper who sold Richins the drugs, and friends of the victim who have recounted phone conversations from the day he was allegedly poisoned.
Defense attorney Skye Lazaro has argued that the evidence against Kouri Richins is dubious and circumstantial. Lazaro has suggested that the housekeeper had a motive to lie as she faced drug charges, and that the victim’s sisters were biased against Richins due to a battle over his estate and a separate assault case. The victim’s sister, Katie Richins, filed a petition alleging financial motives for the murder, including life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million taken out by Richins without her husband’s knowledge.
Kouri Richins was found guilty of misdemeanor charges for assaulting another sister-in-law after her husband’s death. The sister-in-law claimed that Richins punched her in the face during an argument over access to her brother’s safe. In addition to the murder and assault charges, Richins faces additional charges including mortgage fraud, forgery, and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death. The case has sparked public attention due to the tragic and disturbing circumstances surrounding the death of Eric Richins.
