UPDATE: 3/16/26 at 9:38 p.m.: Utah jurors discovered kids’s e book creator and mother-of-three Kouri Richins responsible of fatally poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail, returning their verdict after deliberating for less than three hours on Monday, March 16.
Richins was declared responsible of first-degree aggravated homicide, tried aggravated homicide, forgery and insurance coverage fraud within the overdose loss of life of her husband, Eric Richins39, on March 4, 2022, on the couple’s house in Kamas, Utah.
Richins, 35, bowed her head as the primary responsible verdict was learn, exhibiting nearly no emotion.
At trial, prosecutors argued Richins poisoned her husband for monetary achieve.
Unique story:
Protection attorneys for kids’s e book creator Kouri Richins — who has been accused of murdering her husband — claimed that state investigators have harassed and intimidated potential witnesses.
Richins’ attorneys filed a movement on Sunday, January 25, requesting the disclosure of all texts and communications exchanged between the prosecution crew and any witnesses within the case, in response to TO TV.
“Final week, the protection crew obtained discover from one of many State’s witnesses … that she was being harassed by an investigator working with the prosecution and inquiring whether or not there was something we might do to guard her from them,” the doc said, in response to the outlet.
Attorneys claimed that the witness shared textual content messages she exchanged with lead detective Jeff O’Driscollwherein the cop threatened to serve her with a warrant for her arrest.
“Make your life simpler and reply our calls so we will prep you on what you may be requested. In any other case, the following time I knock in your door, I’ll have a warrant and a catch pole for the canine,” O’Driscoll allegedly stated within the texts, in response to the paperwork.
Protection attorneys argued that the dialog was “blatant witness intimidation.” Moreover, prosecutors allegedly stated they didn’t suppose O’Driscoll acted improperly within the alternate.
A second witness additionally claimed to the protection that they had been harassed by investigator Travis Hopper.
Based on textual content messages allegedly exchanged with Hopper, the investigator requested the witness to cooperate. After the witness referred him again to his unique assertion, the witness instructed Hopper that he might ship any further questions in writing.
“Investigator Hopper then threatened to withdraw earlier immunity granted to this witness and submit him to prosecution if he doesn’t agree to come back in to debate his testimony in particular person with the prosecution crew,” the protection claimed.
The protection attorneys went on to assert that Utah Code prohibits threatening witnesses with hurt, which incorporates “bodily, emotional or financial damage or injury.” They added that threatening to arrest somebody for not offering testimony forward of trial would “suffice as ‘hurt.’”
Moreover, the attorneys stated that the prosecutors violated the Sufferer and Witness Rights with the best way they performed the questioning.
“The protection is hereby requesting the Courtroom to compel the prosecution to reveal any and all textual content messages, voice mails, recorded calls emails, or some other digital messaging with witnesses,” their request said.
The prosecutors haven’t publicly responded to the submitting and instructed KUTV that they are going to be coping with the problem privately with the court docket. “We will likely be responding non-publicly with the Courtroom, as is suitable this near jury choice,” Lawyer Margaret Olson stated, per the outlet.
Richins, 35, has been accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, by spiking his drink with fentanyl in March 2022. Moreover, she is going through a number of counts of forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance coverage fraud for alleged actions she took earlier than and after her husband’s loss of life.
She turned an area movie star when she printed a kids’s e book known as Are You With Me?which detailed her grieving course of following her husband’s loss of life.
Richins’ trial is scheduled to start out in February. She has pleaded not responsible to the entire costs, in response to ABC Information.

