A Utah woman is set to appear in court for a multiday hearing to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed with a trial in the case of her husband's death. Kouri Richins, 34, faces felony charges for allegedly poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. Prosecutors claim she spiked her husband's drink with five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid. Additional charges allege an earlier attempt to kill him with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
The hearing was delayed in May to allow prosecutors three consecutive days to present evidence. Richins' private attorneys withdrew, and public defenders were appointed to take over her case. Richins, a mother of three, self-published a children’s book about coping with grief before her arrest in May 2023. Prosecutors suggest the book may play a role in framing the death as a calculated killing with a cover-up.
Witnesses expected to testify include relatives, a housekeeper who sold Richins the drugs, and friends of the deceased. Allegations of financial motives for the killing have been raised, including claims of life insurance policies opened without the husband's knowledge. Richins was found guilty of assaulting her sister-in-law after her husband's death.
In addition to murder and assault charges, Richins faces mortgage fraud, forgery, and insurance fraud charges for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband's death.
