Judge: Mourning author Kouri Richins must stand trial for murder of her husband

The funeral author Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a cocktail laced with fentanyl, must stand trial next year, a judge in the US state of Utah decided on Tuesday.

Salt Lake City Judge Richard Mrazik said prosecutors had presented enough evidence to move forward with 11 counts of indictment against Richins, 34, who is accused of killing her husband, Eric Richins, by mixing five times the lethal amount of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow Mule cocktail.

Richins, a mother of three from Kamas, Utah, pleaded not guilty. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison. Her trial is expected to begin in the last week of April 2025, KPCW reported.

Mrazik's verdict came after a day-long hearing Monday in which prosecutors called witnesses, including a Summit County detective who worked on Richins' case, a forensic digital expert who testified about Kouri's phone records and a forensic accountant who testified about the couple's financial records.

In the Beehive State, judges – not juries – decide whether a criminal case can proceed in court.

Prosecutors argued that Kouri had both financial and romantic motives for the murder of Eric (39), as she allegedly had an affair with her handyman Robert Grossmann and had mounting debts that she hoped to pay off with the money she mistakenly believed she would have when Eric died.

Kouri is charged with aggravated murder and related charges for allegedly first attempting to kill Eric on February 14, 2022, by lacing his breakfast sandwich with fentanyl, which she succeeded in doing weeks later on March 4, 2022, when she fatally poisoned his drink.

“The best evidence of attempted murder is the actual murder,” argued Senior District Attorney Brad Bloodworth on Tuesday. “The defendant learned from the attempt and applied it to the actual murder.”

“She found that what she had used on Valentine's Day was not strong enough, so she went back and asked for something stronger,” Bloodworth added.

Bloodworth claimed that Kouri's text messages to Grossman and her drug dealer provided strong evidence of her deadly plan.

On February 15, 2022, Kouri “lamented” her lover over her failed murder attempt, writing: “If [Eric] could just disappear… life would be perfect.”

“Then, two weeks later, [Kouri] assured her lover: “Life will be different, I promise. Hold on until Friday,” said Bloodworth, apparently reading from a text message. “On Friday, Eric Richins is dead.”

But Kouri's attorney, Kathy Nester, told the judge that the charges against her client were heavily circumstantial – particularly the attempted murder charge.

Prosecutors and Eric's sister alleged that Kouri tried to profit from Eric's death in a variety of ways, including by publishing a self-published children's book about coping with grief called “Are You With Me?”

She is also said to have taken out several life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million without Eric's knowledge. However, Eric eventually found out, removed her from his will, and changed the life insurance policies.

“There are harmless explanations for everything that happened on the 14th. [of February]”, argued Nester.

Nester also claimed that the seemingly incriminating text messages Kouri sent were merely proof that she and Eric were not the “perfect couple,” rather than evidence of a nefarious plan.

Kouri is due back in court on September 23 so the parties can set a date for jury selection.

With post wires