Kouri Richins on Trial in Husband’s Death as Prosecutors Say She 'Wanted His Money'

kouri richins is standing trial nearly four years after her husband, Eric Richins, was found dead in their Utah home. Prosecutors say the case shows she slipped a fatal dose of fentanyl into his drink and sought his money.

Prosecutors outline motive and financial picture

Chief prosecutor Bradley Bloodworth told jurors the evidence will show Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a “fresh start at life. ” Bloodworth said Kouri was in debt at the time of Eric’s death, that Eric’s estate was worth $4 million, and that she believed she would inherit it all. He also said court documents allege Kouri fraudulently took out life insurance policies on her husband and attempted to poison him multiple times.

Bloodworth told the jury that before Eric’s death, Kouri’s boyfriend had texted her an image of two people kissing; she replied, “Love you, ” and then made her husband a drink, Bloodworth said. “She needed Eric Richins' money to have her fresh start at life, ” he said.

Defense plays 911 call and challenges the evidence

Kouri Richins’ attorney, Kathryn Nester, opened by playing a 911 call in which Kouri told a dispatcher that Eric wasn’t breathing; prosecutors said Kouri sounded like she was crying on the call. Nester told jurors, “Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow. ”

Nester said the couple had a “celebratory shot” and that Kouri made a Moscow mule the night Eric died. She told the jury the drinks were not finished and that law enforcement never tested the cups for evidence. Nester pointed out an empty pill bottle with an expiration date of 2016 that was found by Eric’s body and argued the prosecution has no evidence showing how the fentanyl entered his system.

“Between 9 p. m. and 3 a. m., somewhere in that time, Eric Richins died, ” Nester said. “Somewhere in that time, he ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl. What you will never hear, after four years of investigation... is how that fentanyl got inside of him because there is zero evidence of that. ”

What Kouri Richins told investigators and the scene in the home

Kouri Richins told investigators she found Eric unresponsive in the couple’s bedroom on March 4, 2022, after they had celebratory drinks at their home to mark her recent sale of a property. Court documents state she made him a Moscow mule in the kitchen, brought it to the bedroom where he drank it, then went to sleep in a child’s bedroom.

She said she later woke, went to her room and found Eric cold to the touch. Emergency personnel found him at the foot of the bed, administered CPR, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Medical examiner: fentanyl at fatal levels, orally ingested

The medical examiner concluded Eric, 39, had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system and that the fentanyl was “illicit, ” not medical-grade. The examiner concluded the drug had been orally ingested, court documents state.

Kouri Richins published a children’s book and spoke publicly

The case drew national attention after Kouri Richins published a children’s book about grief following her husband’s death and later proclaimed her innocence on Dateline. Family and friends described the couple as having appeared to have a “perfect” marriage and seeming to have it all: Kouri ran a real estate company, Eric owned a stone masonry business, and the pair shared three children.

Court documents also allege Kouri had significant debt, fraudulently took out life insurance policies on her husband, and attempted to poison him multiple times.

She has pleaded not guilty to charges that include aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, a false or fraudulent insurance claim, and forgery, and the trial currently continues. The next scheduled court date is unclear in the provided context.