ERIC RICHINS: Utah vs. Kouri Richins - Murder via fentanyl poisoning

Utah mom accused of killing husband with fentanyl in drink tried to poison him multiple times before, family says

Despite the suspicions, Eric Richins stayed in the marriage with Kouri Richins because of his children, his family's spokesperson said.

www.nbcnews.com

May 10, 2023, 6:16 PM EDT / Updated May 11, 2023, 9:18 AM EDT
By Minyvonne Burke, Antonio Planas and Andrew Blankstein

A Utah man who died after his wife allegedly spiked his drink with fentanyl — and then wrote a children's book about grief — had suspected she tried to poison him multiple times and said “she was to blame” if anything happened to him, according to court records.

Despite the suspicions, a family spokesperson told NBC News on Wednesday that Eric Richins stayed in the marriage with Kouri Richins because of his children.


Eric Richins, 39, died March 4, 2022, at his home in Kamas, about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, after he was found unresponsive in his bedroom. Kouri Richins, 33, was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

An attorney for Kouri Richins, Skye Lazaro, declined to comment Wednesday.

According to affidavits for search warrants obtained Wednesday from the Summit County Sheriff's Office, relatives of Eric Richins told investigators to look into his wife's involvement.

"They advised he warned them that if anything happened to him she was to blame," the records said. Eric Richins, according to the records, suspected his wife had tried to poison him on multiple occasions.

"According to a sister, Eric and his wife went to Greece a few years ago and after his wife gave him a drink he became violently ill and called his sister saying he believed his wife had tried to kill him," the records said.

"On Valentine’s Day of 2022, his wife brought him a sandwich, which after one bite Eric broke into hives and couldn’t breathe. He used his son’s epi-pen as well as Benadryl before passing out for several hours," according to the records.

He was looking into a divorce and had changed his power of attorney, his will and the beneficiary of his life insurance policy from his wife to his sister, the records said.

Two family members said Eric Richins told them he was worried “Kouri would kill him for money and he wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of financially,” the records said.

<snip>

The medical examiner said that he had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system and that it was "illicit" fentanyl, not medical-grade. It is also believed he ingested the drugs orally, according to the statement.

It appears she never performed CPR on him as she claimed, the search warrant records said, because of the large amount of blood that came from his mouth.

His family said that Eric Richins never told his wife he had “cut her out of the will” and that the couple were also arguing over buying a $2 million home that she wanted to flip, according to the records.

The family said he was planning to tell her he wasn’t going to sign the papers, but the day after his death, she signed the closing papers on the home, the records said.

After she closed on the home, she invited her friends over for a large party at her home where she was drinking and celebrating, an affidavit for a search warrant said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.abc4.com/richins/kouri-richins-case-charges-dismiss-motion/

Judge to consider bail, motion to dismiss, and sever charges in Kouri Richins murder trial​

Just weeks after Kouri Richins appealed to the court to reconsider her release from custody, state prosecutors have moved to drop two of the 11 charges she faces while defense attorneys seek to separate charges.


She was formally charged with felony aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, two counts of mortgage fraud, two counts of fraudulent insurance claim, and three counts of forgery. Richins pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Late last week, the State of Utah moved to dismiss the two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.

The motion to dismiss the two counts comes as attorneys for Kouri Richins appeal to Judge Richard Mrazik to separate the charges of attempted criminal homicide, one count of distribution, the two counts of mortgage fraud, and two counts of forgery from the other charges.

The defense argues the alleged attempt to poison Eric Richins on Feb. 14 and the day of his death on March 3 did not meet the definition of a “single criminal episode.” Kouri Richins’ attorneys say the charges related to separate events should be tried respectively.

If successful, Richins could be tried on the charges in a separate trial.

“The prejudice that Mrs. Richins will face if the jurors are allowed to consider two separate alleged acts involving an alleged intent to cause death cannot be overstated,” Richins’ attorneys argued. “The fact that the allegations connected to Feb. 14 are wholly speculative and circumstantial makes the prejudice to Mrs. Richins even more profound.”

State prosecutors argued against severing the charges saying all the alleged charges are connected together as a “common scheme or plan” of criminal activity. They describe “an arc” that goes from alleged fraud involving property, alleged fraud implicating human life, to allegedly attempting to take a human life, to allegedly taking a life.

“The evidence supporting each of the offenses establishes a readily discernable, direct relationship between all nine offenses,” prosecutors countered. “Considering the offenses together, the Defendant’s parasitic behavior forms an arc of increasingly aggressive, risky, opportunistic, and bold actions required to perpetuate the Defendant’s facade of accomplishment and success.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kouri Richins, Utah mom accused of poisoning husband then writing book on grief, denied bail a second time

A judge denied bail for Kouri Richins a second time on Tuesday, ordering the Utah mom to remain in jail until she goes on trial for allegedly fatally poisoning her husband in 2022.

www.cbsnews.com

Kouri Richins, Utah mom accused of poisoning husband then writing book on grief, denied bail a second time​

A judge denied bail for Kouri Richins on Tuesday, ordering the Utah mom to remain in jail until she goes on trial for allegedly fatally poisoning her husband in 2022.

Defense attorneys recently filed a flurry of motions in the case. In addition to denying bail, the judge also denied the motion to sever attempted criminal homicide and aggravated murder charges, and to expand the number of jurors from 8 to 12.

The judge granted the defense the ability to expand the geographic area from which the jury could be selected, and also dropped two drug charges. The judge also agreed to separate a real estate case against Richins from her trial for murder, CBS affiliate KUTV reported.

"With two charges dismissed and four others severed, the defense stands more confident. The case against our client is rapidly narrowing, exposing deeper weaknesses with each step," said Kathy Nester, Richins' attorney.

The judge denied bail for Richins, a mother of three boys, for a second time. The judge said at the hearing he was in part denying the bail request because of the severity of the charges, plus the loss of her business and fraught relationship with her children could give her reason to flee, CBS affiliate KUTV reported.

"Structurally, she just doesn't have the same connections to the community that she had then," the judge said.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Suck it up Kouri. You aren't getting out on bond. And I wouldn't call the real estate case being severed a win or a weak case on all overall, it make sense it would be severed out of fairness. Etc. However most can see how it tied into this all, I can, but I can also see when being fair that play it safe for the D and appeals, but it still I would think can be mentioned her motives and reasons in the other trials. How that turned out is not necessarily related.

I also wouldn't call the drug charges being dropped a win. They unlike many Ps slammed her with all they could to begin with.

Can't blame her atty I guess for trying to spin it a bit. That's the way of the day...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kouri Richins asked second employee for fentanyl ahead of husband's death, warrant says

New search warrants were filed this month related to the case against a Kamas woman charged with murdering her husband, showing the investigation is ongoing.

www.ksl.com

Kouri Richins asked second employee for fentanyl ahead of husband's death, warrant says​

Investigators now say a woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband asked multiple people if they could procure fentanyl for her.


Prosecutors previously have said she acquired fentanyl through a woman who cleaned houses for her business both in the months before and shortly after her husband's death in March 2022. A search warrant granted earlier this month, however, indicates investigators believe the woman was not the only person Richins went to for fentanyl.

William Hayden Jeffs, a handyman who worked on multiple homes owned by Richins, was interviewed by police, according to the search warrant. He told police Kouri Richins had asked him if he could obtain fentanyl and propofol for her during the weeks leading up to Eric Richins' death.

The officer who authored the search warrant said Jeffs showed them text messages on his phone supporting his account and provided copies. The warrant did not say anything about what his response to her request was, but it did not claim Richins obtained any illicit drugs through him.

After Jeffs died in a traffic accident, a judge granted a search warrant for his phone for evidence in Richins' case.

The search warrant, filed on Nov. 6, did claim Richins had obtained fentanyl multiple times, shortly before and after her husband's death, through contacts of a woman who had cleaned houses for her business.

Another search warrant from that same day permitted officers to search Richins' home again for other documents and journals; it said the evidence they had already gathered from the home suggested there was more in the home and buildings outside of the home, including a detached office.

Since these search warrants were granted, a judge denied a repeated request for bail from Richins.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Flurry of filings expected as Kouri Richins murder trial timeline accelerates

Both sides agree they need more time to make their cases for and against the Kamas mother of three.

www.kpcw.org

Flurry of filings expected as Kouri Richins murder trial timeline accelerates​

Both sides agree they need more time to make their cases for and against the Kamas mother of three.​

The Summit County Attorney’s Office and attorneys for Kouri Richins both told that to a 3rd District Judge at a pretrial conference Thursday, Dec. 12.

Richins’ murder trial was originally scheduled for two weeks in May 2025. Third District Judge Richard Mrazik has now given both teams another week in court.

But he had to move up the trial to accommodate the extra time. Richins’ murder trial now begins April 28.

Richins is the Kamas real estate agent accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins with fentanyl. She later wrote a children’s book about grieving his death.

With the accelerated timeline, Mrazik also moved up jury selection to the week of April 21.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Utah Supreme Court asked to weigh in on jury selection for Kouri Richins trial - Park Record

The Summit County Attorney’s Office and defense team are asking the Utah Supreme Court to grant their request, which would effectively allow Mrazik to allow for in-person jury selection.

www.parkrecord.com

Utah Supreme Court asked to weigh in on jury selection for Kouri Richins trial​

Summit County prosecutors and Kouri Richins’ defense attorneys are asking the Utah Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that prevents them from drawing prospective jurors from Salt Lake County and conducting jury selection in person.

The 198-page joint petition was filed on Dec. 17 by the Summit County Attorney’s Office and lawyers representing the Kamas mother of three charged with fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins. The parties also filed for expedited review given the trial timeline.

Defense attorneys Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester informed Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik earlier this month that they planned to ask the state’s highest court to overrule Third District Court Presiding Judge Laura Scott’s decision. They argued the extreme media attention and publicity in the case warrants special circumstances, such as not holding jury selection online. Mrazik agreed.

However, Scott in November said the two sides failed to show there are “extraordinary circumstances” that would result in a “manifest of injustice” if jury selection is conducted in person. Her decision superseded Mrazik’s ruling.

The County Attorney’s Office and defense team are asking the Utah Supreme Court to grant their request, which would effectively allow Mrazik to allow for in-person jury selection.

“This ruling is an abuse of discretion, which significantly impairs the ability of the trial judge and the parties to seat a fair and unbiased jury that will conscientiously perform its duty,” the court filing said.

The lawyers also want the jury pool to be expanded to Salt Lake County in hopes of diversifying the pool. Mrazik said earlier this month he was unfamiliar with any other cases in Utah that have pulled jurors from two counties.

The appellant group representing Kouri Richins and attorneys for the state are asking for a decision to be made by February. Mrazik scheduled a four-week jury trial to begin in late April.

 

[GrandmaBear]

WTH. Doesn't even make any sense. And both sides agree? Online jury selection? Do they mean they simply don't come in in person and they question them on zoom or web ex or some such?
Or there's just like some thing they spin that selects them all.

Not sure I see anything wrong with jurors from two counties, doesn't that make for a wider and more varied jury pool...

What is going on here...

What is venire? Did they mean venue?

How does this make sense?

“Because of the challenging [sic] of clearing a court calendar for four weeks, and because Kouri has been incarcerated for 18 months, the parties do not want to move the trial,” a joint motion for expedited review stated. “However, the parties are concerned about their ability to empanel an impartial jury in a timely manner now that they are now allowed to hold in-person voir dire or to expand the venire to Salt Lake County.”

So they are or are NOT allowed to do voir dire in person? I thought most of the article said they are not allowed to do so. Still don't know what venire is.

I am being absolutely serious, and nothing else. I did read the link but perhaps missed something.

And both sides agree...

Sounds like the judge may need to go.

No idea...