Kouri Richins faces murder trial in husband’s fatal overdose; kouri richins accused of poisoning to get his money
On February 23, 2026 / 2: 04 PM EST prosecutors opened the first day of the murder trial of kouri richins, a 35-year-old Utah mother and children's book author who is accused of fatally poisoning her husband. The case centers on allegations that the death was deliberate and motivated by money, a claim the defense rejects.
Kouri Richins portrayed as "money-hungry" by prosecutor Brad Bloodworth
Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors that Richins was $4. 5 million in debt and that she falsely believed she would inherit an estate worth more than $4 million if her husband died. Bloodworth also said prosecutors believe she was planning a future with another man she was seeing on the side, and argued the killing was done to obtain his money.
"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. "
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester plays 911 call and urges caution
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester opened by playing the recording of Richins' 911 call from the night of her husband's death. In the recording, Richins was sobbing hysterically and seemed barely able to answer the dispatcher's questions; she was heard crying that she didn't know what happened and that she did not know how to do CPR, but was willing to try.
Nester said, "Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow. " She told jurors that Eric Richins had Lyme disease and was addicted to painkillers, and suggested that he may have overdosed.
Allegations of two poisoning attempts and details of the March 2022 death
Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail that Eric Richins drank in March 2022 at their home just outside the ski town of Park City, causing his death. They also say she tried to poison him a month earlier on Valentine's Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out, court documents.
The prosecution has flagged at least two potential witnesses tied to those allegations: a housekeeper who claims to have sold fentanyl to Richins on three occasions, and the man with whom Richins was allegedly having an affair.
Charges, potential penalties and trial logistics
Richins faces nearly three dozen counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. The murder charge alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. In the months before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the illustrated children's book "Are You with Me?"
The book, about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away, has been presented by prosecutors as possible evidence in their claim that Eric Richins' death was a calculated killing followed by an elaborate cover-up attempt; Bloodworth told jurors about how Richins promoted the book on local television and radio.
The trial is slated to run through March 26. A few dozen people hoping to watch camped outside the courthouse in lawn chairs starting at 4 a. m., four and a half hours before the trial began.
Personal context presented in court: marriage struggles, counseling and the night of the closing
In court, the defense described a couple that had gone through a tough year, with both partners at times contemplating divorce before attending marriage counseling and deciding to stay together. Nester said they were happy and celebrating closing on a property deal the night of Eric Richins' death.
During opening statements, Kouri Richins sat next to her defense team, taking notes on a legal pad and wearing a black blazer and white blouse.
