Trial set to begin for Kouri Richins, accused of fatally poisoning husband

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a court hearing on Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. Photo: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File

PARK CITY, Utah — Opening statements are scheduled Monday in the murder trial of Kouri Richins, a Park City woman accused of killing her husband with fentanyl and later writing a children’s book about grief.

Richins, 35, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide and multiple financial crimes, including insurance fraud and forgery, in connection with the March 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins. A 12-person jury was seated last week in Summit County ahead of what is expected to be a five-week trial running through late March.

Prosecutors allege Richins slipped a lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule she gave her husband at their home. A medical examiner later determined he had about five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system.

Authorities contend Richins was facing mounting debt and killed her husband for financial gain while planning a future with another man. She is also accused of taking out lines of credit on property the couple shared without his knowledge.

Charging documents allege the fatal poisoning was not the first attempt on Eric Richins’ life. On Valentine’s Day 2022, he told friends he broke out in hives and blacked out after eating a sandwich his wife had purchased for him. After using his son’s EpiPen and taking allergy medication, he later told a friend, “I think my wife tried to poison me,” according to court filings.

Prosecutors say Richins obtained fentanyl pills from the family’s housekeeper, who has told investigators she purchased the drugs from a dealer and provided them to Richins. The housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, has been granted immunity and is expected to be a key witness. Defense attorneys have argued in pretrial filings that Lauber’s account has changed and that she is motivated to lie for legal protection.

In the months after her husband’s death, Richins self-published a children’s book titled “Are You With Me?” about coping with grief. The couple shared three children.

In a statement released ahead of trial, defense attorneys Wendy Lewis, Kathy Nester and Alex Ramos said their client “has waited nearly three years for this moment” and welcomed the opportunity to present the case to a jury.

“Now the state must prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt,” the attorneys said. “What the public has been told bears little resemblance to the truth. We welcome the courtroom, where evidence is bound by rules, not sensational coverage.”

The case has drawn widespread national attention. Attorneys previously sought to move the trial, arguing that extensive media coverage could make it difficult to seat an impartial jury. A judge denied those requests.

If convicted of aggravated murder, Richins could face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.