Utah judge to decide whether author of children's book about grief will face trial over death of her husband

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A Utah woman who authorities say poisoned her husband and then published a children's book about coping with grief is due in court Monday for a multi-day hearing to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence against her to proceed with the case.

Kouri Richins34, is charged with several serious crimes for allegedly killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in their home in a small mountain town near Park City in March 2022. Prosecutors say she mixed five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow Mule cocktail that 39-year-old Eric Richins drank.

In March, further charges were brought against her relating to a previous attempt to kill him with a shot sandwich on Valentine's Day. She stubbornly insists on her innocence.

Utah State Judge Richard Mrazik had the hearing delayed in May after prosecutors said they would need three consecutive days to present their evidence. The case was further delayed when Kouri Richins' team of private lawyers withdrew from representationMrazik concluded that she could no longer afford the costs of her private representation and hired public defenders Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester to take on her case.

In the months before her arrest in May 2023, the mother of three self-published the children's book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings who watches over his young son after his death. The book could play a key role in prosecutors' attempts to portray Eric Richins' death as a calculated murder with an elaborate cover-up. Prosecutors accuse Kouri Richins of making secret financial arrangements and purchasing the illegal drug when her husband began to suspect her.

Both the defense and prosecution plan to call witnesses and present evidence to support their accounts in the case. Mrazik is expected to rule after the hearing whether the state has presented enough evidence to proceed with a trial.

Witnesses who could be called include relatives of the defendants and her late husband, a housekeeper who claims to have sold Kouri Richins the drugs, and friends of Eric Richins who reported phone conversations from the day he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years, according to prosecutors.

Skye Lazaro, Kouri Richins' former defense attorney, had argued that the housekeeper had a motive to lie when she asked for a reduced drug charge and that Eric Richins' sisters were clearly biased against their client in the face of a dispute over his estate and a simultaneous assault case.

A lawsuit filed by his sister, Katie Richins, alleges that Kouri Richins had financial motives for her husband's murder. Prosecutors say she took out life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate under the prenuptial agreement.

In May, Kouri Richins was found guilty of attacking her other sister-in-law shortly after her husband's death. Amy Richins told the judge that Kouri Richins punched her in the face during an argument over access to her brother's safe.

In addition to the murder, assault and drug charges, Kouri Richins has been charged with mortgage fraud, forgery and insurance fraud. She is accused of falsifying loan applications and fraudulently obtaining insurance benefits after her husband's death.