Mother accused of fatally poisoning her husband faces trial

Kouri Richinsa mother of three and children's book author from Utah, is on trial for poisoning her husband. Eric Richinswith a lethal dose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. The verdict was handed down by a Utah state judge Richard Mrazik on Tuesday (August 27) during the second day of Richins' preliminary hearing. The 34-year-old mother is accused of several serious crimes, including murder and trafficking in controlled substances.

According to the indictment, Richins mixed five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail that her husband drank in March 2022. She also allegedly tried to poison him on Valentine's Day earlier this year by spiking his favorite sandwich with fentanyl. This attempt resulted in a severe but not fatal reaction.

Prosecutors claim that Richins learned from the first failed attempt and carried out the fatal poisoning 17 days later. Richins maintains her innocence and pleads not guilty to all 11 charges.

In addition to the murder charge, Richins is also accused of multiple counts of forgery, insurance fraud and mortgage fraud. Prosecutors allege she forged her husband's signature on an insurance application weeks before his death. The insurance policy, which took effect 10 days before the alleged Valentine's Day poisoning, had a $100,000 death benefit.

Richins, who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after the death of her husband, was arrested last year after a lengthy investigation. She has been in prison since her arrest in May 2023.