Utah Mother Goes on Trial for Allegedly Poisoning Husband, Then Writing Grief Book

Kouri Richins, 35, stands accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl in 2022 before publishing a children's book about grief. Prosecutors claim she killed him for financial gain while planning a future with another man.

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Jury selection begins Monday in the murder case against a Utah mother who authorities say fatally poisoned her spouse before penning a children’s book about dealing with loss.

Kouri Richins, 35, stands trial on multiple felony counts stemming from allegations she murdered her husband Eric Richins by giving him a lethal fentanyl dose in March 2022 at their residence near the ski resort town of Park City. According to prosecutors, she mixed five times the deadly amount of the synthetic drug into a Moscow mule drink he consumed.

Authorities also claim she attempted to kill him one month prior on Valentine’s Day by putting fentanyl in a sandwich that caused him to develop hives and lose consciousness, court records show.

The prosecution contends Richins murdered her spouse for money while secretly planning to be with another romantic partner. Richins strongly disputes these accusations.

She’s charged with approximately three dozen offenses, including first-degree murder, attempted homicide, document forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder count alone could result in 25 years to life behind bars.

Her legal representatives, Wendy Lewis, Kathy Nester and Alex Ramos, expressed confidence that the 12 jurors will permit Richins to reunite with her children once they learn her version of events.

“Kouri has waited nearly three years for this moment: the opportunity to have the facts of this case heard by a jury, free from the prosecution’s narrative that has dominated headlines since her arrest,” her legal team said in a statement, adding, “What the public has been told bears little resemblance to the truth.”

During the period before her May 2023 arrest, Richins independently published the children’s title “Are You with Me?” depicting a deceased father with wings watching over his young son. The book, which she advertised on local television, may serve as crucial evidence for prosecutors attempting to portray Eric Richins’ death as a premeditated murder followed by an elaborate cover-up scheme.

According to prosecutors, Richins secretly obtained multiple life insurance policies on her husband years before his death, totaling nearly $2 million in benefits. Court filings reveal she had an overdrawn bank account, owed more than $1.8 million to lenders and faced a creditor lawsuit.

Potential witnesses during the proceedings include a housekeeper who allegedly provided fentanyl to Richins on multiple occasions and the man authorities say she was romantically involved with outside her marriage.

The prosecution’s primary witness, housekeeper Carmen Lauber, informed investigators she supplied Richins with up to 90 blue-green fentanyl tablets obtained from a drug dealer. Lauber faces no criminal charges related to this case, with detectives confirming at a previous hearing that she received immunity.

Defense lawyers plan to argue that Lauber never actually provided Richins with fentanyl and fabricated her story to secure legal protection. No drugs were discovered at her residence, and the dealer claimed he was incarcerated and undergoing drug detox when he initially told investigators in 2023 about selling fentanyl to Lauber. He subsequently stated in a sworn document that he only sold her the prescription painkiller OxyContin.

Additional witnesses may include family members of both the defendant and her deceased husband, along with Eric Richins’ friends who recalled phone calls from the day prosecutors allege his wife first attempted to poison him during their nine-year marriage.

One friend stated in written testimony that they detected fear in Eric Richins’ voice when he telephoned on Valentine’s Day and said, “I think my wife tried to poison me.”

The trial is scheduled to conclude by March 26.