A Utah woman who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband and then published a children’s book about dealing with her grief has not been cleared by state prosecutors for enough evidence against her to proceed with the trial. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a hearing to determine whether he has any proof.
Kuri Richens, 33, faces multiple felony charges for allegedly killing her husband with a fatal dose of fentanyl in their home in a small mountain town near Park City in March 2022.
Prosecutors allege that she slipped five times the lethal dose of synthetic opioids into the Moscow Mule cocktail that Eric Richins, 39, drank.
She previously claimed in documents that she tried to kill him with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
In the months leading up to her arrest in May 2023, the mother of three self-published a children’s book, Are You with Me? The story of her angel-winged father watching over her after the loss of her young son.
This book could play an important role in helping prosecutors frame this crime as a premeditated murder with an elaborate cover-up.
Both the defense and prosecution plan to call witnesses and present evidence that will help shape the course of the case.
After the hearing, Utah Judge Richard Mrajczyk will decide whether the state has presented enough evidence to move forward.
Witnesses include other family members, the housekeeper who allegedly sold drugs to Kuri Richens, and Eric Richens, who recounts phone conversations from the day prosecutors say his wife of nine years first poisoned him. This may include friends of Richins.
Defense attorney Skye Lazzaro argued that the evidence against her client was questionable and the circumstances were insufficient.
Lazaro said the housekeeper had a motive to lie to get leniency on drug charges, and that Eric Richins’ sisters were in the middle of a dispute over property and a spate of assaults. , suggesting that he harbored clear prejudice against his client.
The petition filed by her sister Katie Richins alleges that Cori Richins took out nearly $2 million in life insurance policies without her husband’s knowledge and falsely assumed she would inherit his assets under the terms of a prenuptial agreement. Prosecutors allege Kuri Richins had a financial motive for killing her husband, as prosecutors allege that she believed that her husband was being killed. .
Kuri Richens was found guilty Monday of a misdemeanor charge for assaulting her other sister-in-law shortly after her husband’s death.
Amy Richins told the judge that Cory Richins punched her in the face during an argument over access to her brother’s safe.
In addition to aggravated murder, assault and drug charges, Kuri Richens is also charged with mortgage fraud, forgery and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death. There is.
