Kouri Richins goes to trial in husband’s death

kouri richins is on trial nearly four years after her husband, Eric Richins, was found dead in their Utah bedroom. Prosecutors and defense attorneys opened competing accounts this week over how a fatal dose of fentanyl entered his system and whether money or evidence gaps will determine the case.

Prosecutor Bradley Bloodworth lays out alleged financial motive and messages

Chief prosecutor Bradley Bloodworth told jurors the evidence will show Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to start a new life. Bloodworth said that at the time of Eric’s death, Kouri was in debt and believed she would inherit Eric’s estate, which he said is worth $4 million.

Opening statements described a text exchange before Eric’s death in which Kouri’s boyfriend sent her an image of two people kissing; she allegedly replied, "Love you, " and then made a drink for her husband. Court documents cited in opening statements allege Kouri fraudulently took out life insurance policies on Eric and attempted to poison him multiple times.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester plays 911 call and questions how fentanyl entered system

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester began by playing the 911 call Kouri Richins made saying Eric wasn’t breathing; the defense said she could be heard crying on the call. Nester told jurors, "Those were the sounds of a wife becoming a widow. "

Nester also told the jury the couple had taken a "celebratory shot" and that Kouri made a Moscow mule; the pair did not finish the drinks, and Nester said law enforcement never tested the cups. An empty pill bottle with an expiration date of 2016 was found by Eric’s body, she added.

What Kouri Richins told investigators and the timeline on March 4, 2022

kouri richins told investigators she found her husband unresponsive in the couple’s bedroom on March 4, 2022 after celebratory drinks at home to mark her recent sale of a property. She said she had made Eric a Moscow mule in the kitchen, brought it to their bedroom, then slept in a child’s bedroom; when she later went to her room she found Eric cold to the touch.

Emergency personnel found Eric at the foot of the bed and administered CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Nester told jurors that "between 9 p. m. and 3 a. m., somewhere in that time, Eric Richins died, " and that somewhere in that span he ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Medical examiner’s findings and disputed origin of the fentanyl

Court documents cite a medical examiner who determined Eric, 39, had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system and that the fentanyl was illicit rather than medical grade. The medical examiner concluded the drug had been orally ingested, a point both sides highlighted in opening statements.

Defense counsel emphasized that after four years of investigation there is "zero evidence" in the record showing how the fentanyl entered Eric’s system, while prosecutors argue other evidence will connect the defendant to the ingestion.

Family life, businesses, children, book and formal charges

Family and friends described the couple as appearing to have a "perfect" marriage and to have seemed to have it all. Kouri Richins owned a real estate company and Eric owned a stone masonry business; the pair shared three children.

The case drew national attention after Kouri published a children’s book about grief following Eric’s death and later proclaimed her innocence on a national television program. Nearly four years after Eric died, she faces charges of aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, false or fraudulent insurance claim and forgery; she has pleaded not guilty. Court documents also allege Kouri had significant debt and had fraudulently taken out life insurance policies on her husband and attempted to poison him multiple times.