Kouri Richins murder trial scheduled for May 2025

Kouri Richins, the Kamas mother of three accused of administering a lethal dose of fentanyl to her husband, is scheduled to go on trial for his alleged murder in May 2025.

Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ruled Tuesday afternoon that Summit County prosecutors had presented enough evidence during the two-day preliminary hearing to establish a probable cause of action, allowing the trial to proceed next year.

The judge's decision was based on information from the court file, witness statements and expert testimony presented on Monday, the first day of the hearing. Mrazik acknowledged that the hurdle to prove reasonable suspicion and bring someone to trial is relatively low.

“Taken together, these facts would justify the issuance of a search warrant to investigate whether Ms. Richins attempted to cause her husband's death. They would justify the issuance of an arrest warrant,” Mrazik stated.

Kouri pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges against her, including murder, attempted murder, trafficking in controlled substances, mortgage and insurance fraud, and forgery.

“We recognize that the preliminary hearing favors the prosecution to an extraordinary degree and respect the court's decision. We firmly believe that the charges against Kouri do not stand up to thorough scrutiny and are confident that the jury will find the same,” Nester Lewis said in a statement.

Much of the discussion on Tuesday revolved around clarifying the charges and showing how the evidence supports each alleged crime.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth explained how the charges were linked and stressed that the case must be viewed from a domestic violence perspective. He said evidence of the attempted murder on Valentine's Day 2022 arose from Eric's death 17 days later, as well as Kouri's conduct before and after the event.

Bloodworth said prosecutors proved that Kouri obtained fentanyl in early February and asked her source, a housekeeper she employed, for something stronger after the alleged poisoning failed to work.

Prosecutors allege Kouri purchased fentanyl days before picking up a sandwich that she allegedly laced with the drug and gave to her husband. Later that morning, Kouri sent her lover a screenshot of a navigation app indicating she was on her way to see him.

While Kouri was gone, Eric had a medical incident. He texted his wife that he was not feeling well and was considering going to the hospital. He then took a two-hour nap. Prosecutors have a statement from a toxicologist who confirms that Eric's symptoms are consistent with taking fentanyl.

Kouri later lamented to her lover that she wished Eric would “just disappear.” Two weeks after Valentine's Day, she told him life would be different. Eric died a few days later.

“She learned that this is not the right way to administer a lethal dose,” Bloodworth said of the Feb. 14 incident, linking the attempt and murder based on motive and removal.

Wendy Lewis and Kathryn Nester, Kouri's defense attorneys, made a different argument, urging Mrazik to drop the attempted murder charge.

Nester said there was no evidence to support the charge based on the schedule of the day. She argued that the couple had eaten breakfast together rather than separately that morning because the sandwich in question contained eggs.

Eric didn't text Kouri until two hours after she left the house to tell him he was feeling ill, which Nester says doesn't suggest fentanyl poisoning. However, it was unclear whether Eric told Kouri he wasn't feeling well before they left.

The defense attorney noted that Eric had completed several chores and errands throughout the day before and after his nap. She said there was no indication that Eric felt his life was in danger after eating the sandwich and that there was an “innocent explanation” for everything that happened on Valentine's Day.

Lewis added that it is not possible to know for sure whether the housekeeper, Kouri, actually sold fentanyl because the pills were never found or tested.

Mrazik countered that the housekeeper, who participates in drug court, probably knew the difference.

Kouri's defense said her text messages demanding Eric leave may have been a reference to divorce – not murder.

“They weren't a perfect couple. They didn't have a perfect relationship,” Nester said.

Mrazik was not convinced. He noticed additional text messages between Kouri and her best friend in which Kouri lied about her whereabouts and activities that day, possibly indicating guilt.

The judge also requested additional information regarding the financial allegations against Kouri.

Bloodworth described Kouri's alleged plan to profit from Eric's death. She filed an application in January 2022 to obtain a $100,000 life insurance policy on her husband that was to take effect 10 days before the alleged murder attempt. The application listed Kouri's business address and email address, as well as Eric's false phone number, making it impossible to contact him.

The Attorney General confirmed that there was sufficient evidence to establish a reasonable suspicion, and Mrazik eventually agreed. He said all the allegations were well founded and stressed that Kouri was presumed innocent.

“Our focus now is to ensure justice is done through a fair trial. We are determined to defend Kouri against these charges and firmly believe the truth will come out. The last 15 months have taken a toll on Kouri and her three children. It is time to end this ordeal, restore her life and allow her and her family to move on,” Kouri's defense team said.

Nester and Lewis expected the trial to last four weeks, with a week of jury selection scheduled for late April and the trial scheduled for May. Mrazik scheduled a preliminary hearing for Sept. 23 to discuss further details of the case, including filing deadlines and jury selection.

The trial is expected to be challenging given the media attention the case has attracted. Nester noted that the defense will claim extraordinary circumstances for jury selection because the Third Circuit court relies on a virtual selection process.

Mrazik encouraged both sides to start planning now.