FYI: Timeline of Kouri Richins Utah Murder Trial

A judge has denied Kouri Richins’ request for bail while dropping two of the 11 charges involved in the case dating back to 2022. 

Richins is accused of killing her husband by poisoning him with fentanyl. She then wrote a children’s book about grief shortly after. 

Our news partners with ABC4 Utah have more details in their full article on the subject, but here’s a quick summary of some of the key points. 

Aubree B. Jennings from ABC4 Utah wrote, “Kouri Richins, the Kamas woman accused of poisoning her husband and later writing a children’s book on grief, was denied bail for the second time after the judge ruled she was a flight risk and a potential danger to herself or others. The court also granted the state’s motion to dismiss both drug distribution charges.” 

While the judge dropped two charges related to drug distribution, he denied the defense’s request to separate the case into two trials. 

Jennings wrote, “Richins’ attorneys then discussed their request to sever the aggravated murder and attempted criminal homicide charges, arguing that they should be tried in separate trials to avoid jury prejudice. They also argued that the mortgage fraud and forgery charges were “wholly unrelated” to the death of Eric Richins.” 

The judge said Richins' request for bail was denied since she could flee from the authorities. 

Jennings wrote, “While the death penalty is not on the table, Mrazik [the judge] said potentially dying in prison from old age is still a strong incentive to harm others or flee.”

One of the most intriguing cases in the past two years has to go to the Kouri Richins’ murder trial. It’s something that you wouldn’t believe was real, like something you would find on an episode of Scooby Doo.

While the premise seems quite melodramatic, it’s nothing but a sad reality involving the loss of life.

Kouri Richins is a Utah mother who’s been accused of murdering her late husband, Eric Richins, on March 4, 2022, by reportedly poisoning the man with an overdose of fentanyl. After the deed, Richins wrote a children’s book about grief titled “Are You With Me?”

After Richins’ arrest, evidence began to pile up against her with some rather unusual implications.

One piece of evidence against Richins came from her internet search history of all things.

Some of the search terms brought up against her in the ongoing trial include “luxury prisons for the rich in America,” “What is considered a non-natural manner of death,” and “is naloxone similar to heroin.”

There are two that really stand out however, “what is a lethal dose of fentanyl,” and “can cops force you to do a lie detector test?”

These search terms have cast an even greater amount of suspicion on Richins, but I’d be lying if I said that was the end of it.

The most recent development on the case involves a six-page handwritten letter that was found in Richins’ cell at the Summit County Jail.

The letter was reportedly meant for Richins’ mother and brother. Prosecutors of the case believe the letter was coaxing the mother and brother into giving false testimony.

A section of the letter said, “This comes down to jealousy, money and Eric’s partying that they don’t want to acknowledge, and sadly an accidental overdose.”

The prosecutors have asked the judge presiding over the trial to restrict Richins’ contact with her family to stop her from “further engaging in witness tampering.”

This case continues to develop in unexpected ways, but rest assured we’ll be here to report on any further developments regarding this unusual case.