Judge orders Kouri Richins to stand trial for murder, attempted murder of her husband

Emily Ashcraft, KSL.com

PARK CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — A Kamas mother, realtor and writer accused of fatally poisoning her hubby was ordered to guidelines proceedings for aggravated execution and attempted homicide connected Tuesday by 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik.

Mrazik specified that Kouri Richins retains nan presumption of innocence and said astatine this shape inferences must beryllium made successful favour of nan prosecutors.

“We are not determining, successful immoderate degree, guilt astatine all. … Nothing nan tribunal says coming affects her presumption of innocence successful immoderate way,” he said.

Kouri Richins, 34, was ordered to guidelines proceedings for aggravated execution and attempted criminal homicide, some first-degree felonies; 2 counts of distributing a controlled substance, 2 counts of security fraud and 2 counts of filing a fraudulent security claim, each second-degree felonies; and 3 counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.

Following nan judge’s decision, Kouri Richins entered not blameworthy pleas for each complaint and attorneys scheduled a four-week proceedings opening April 28, 2025.

Evidence pointing to attempted murder

Brad Bloodworth, lawman Summit County attorney, said nan tribunal already recovered important grounds astatine a erstwhile proceeding for nan aggravated homicide complaint and focused his comments successful this proceeding connected nan attempted homicide charge. That alleged crime, he said, occurred connected Feb. 14, 2022, soon earlier Eric Richins’ decease connected March 4, 2022. He said overmuch of nan grounds connects to some charges.

“The supplier is nan same, nan supplier trader is nan same, nan timing is nan aforesaid — but she learned. She (Kouri Richins) learned she needed thing stronger; she besides learned really to administer it,” Bloodworth said.

Bloodworth said putting nan narcotics successful a sandwich wherever Eric Richins could put it down portion measurement done depletion was changed to a shot, successful which he would return it each astatine once. The charismatic said successful a diary note, Kouri Richins said she learned it would return “a truckload” to termination someone, which is why Eric Richins’ toxicology study showed 5 times nan lethal dose successful his humor and much successful his gastric fluid.

He cited aggregate texts arsenic grounds successful nan case. One was a matter to a friend, sent months aft her hubby died, successful which Kouri Richins said she had been moving from location pinch her hubby connected Valentine’s Day, nan time prosecutors declare she attempted to execution Eric Richins. But Bloodworth said prosecutors cognize she was not moving from location that day, but was alternatively pinch her boyfriend.

Another matter he relied connected was sent from Kouri Richins to her fellow successful nan week earlier her husband’s death. She said: “Life is going to beryllium different, I promise. Hang successful location until Friday.”

“On Friday, Eric Richins was dead,” Bloodworth said.

Bloodworth said it was “chilling” that Richins told her hubby to return a nap connected Valentine’s Day successful 2022 erstwhile he told her via matter he was not emotion good and mightiness spell to nan hospital, and past did not scope retired again for 2 hours. The charismatic said location was a photograph sent from Eric Richins to Kouri Richins during nan speech that was removed from some phones.

“That is successful nan infinitesimal consciousness of guilt,” he said.

He talked astir Kouri Richins’ financial business and said she would use much from her husband’s decease than from a divorce.

“The motive is ace strong,” Bloodworth said, for some nan aggravated execution complaint and nan attempted execution charge.

Richins’ attorneys formed doubt

Richins’ attorney, Kathryn Nester, said Bloodworth’s characterization of Kouri Richins’ texts pinch her hubby arsenic “chilling” was misleading, noting that she had asked if he wanted her to travel home.

She said location is nary matter successful which Eric Richins told his woman he was emotion sick, that nan texts cited by prosecutors make it sound for illustration they had already talked astir it. Nester besides said telephone records show Eric Richins ran aggregate errands, made business calls during that day, brought his sons to a shot crippled and purchased meal for nan boys, leaving meal successful his motortruck for his wife.

“That’s nan time that they are now saying … that you tin infer she tried to execution her husband,” Nester said.

She said nan grounds that shows Kouri Richins had ordered an ovum sandwich, nan sandwich prosecutors declare she utilized to poison her hubby connected Valentine’s Day, is important.

“I don’t cognize astir you, but I’m not eating an ovum sandwich 2 to 3 hours aft it’s brought to me. You eat it speedy aliases you don’t eat it,” Nester said.

She said it is “perfectly possible” that they ate sandwiches together earlier Kouri Richins near nan location earlier 10 a.m. and said it would beryllium difficult to poison personification while eating together.

The defense lawyer said if you look astatine nan attempted execution complaint by itself, not considering Eric Richins’ decease weeks later, location is nary grounds of opportunity aliases that Eric Richins took immoderate drugs.

While Bloodworth discussed nan attempted execution complaint successful his opening arguments, Mrazik expressed immoderate interest astir nan magnitude of evidence.

“This turns conscionable astir each possession complaint into an attempted execution complaint if nan spouse has immoderate aesculapian arena astir nan aforesaid time,” nan judge said.

Bloodworth said this lawsuit is different because Eric Richins died nether akin circumstances conscionable 17 days later.

In consequence to nan drug-related charges, Wendy Lewis, different of Kouri Richins’ attorneys, said nary 1 has been capable to verify that nan supplier Kouri Richins obtained was fentanyl.

“None of these group manufactured it, nary of these group tested it,” Lewis said.

The adjacent proceeding for Kouri Richins will beryllium connected Sept. 23 to talk preparations for nan trial.