You will want clear facts fast: prosecutors say a Utah children’s book author allegedly laced her husband’s drink with fentanyl and pursued life insurance and other windfalls as part of a planned scheme. If the prosecution proves intent and financial gain, the case could show a calculated murder disguised as a tragic overdose.
Details about alleged searches, insurance policies, text messages and witness accounts have already surfaced, and those elements will shape questions about motive, opportunity and possible cover-ups. Follow the timeline and legal developments to see how investigators and attorneys build — or challenge — the narrative around a suspicious death.
Expect the next sections to map the alleged murder plot and timeline, examine the claimed financial motive and life insurance policies, and track courtroom fights over evidence and witness credibility.
Alleged Murder Plot and Timeline
Prosecutors say the case centers on a sequence of poisoning attempts, a fatal fentanyl dose, and testimony from household staff and acquaintances that tie actions to financial motives. Court filings and witness statements provide specific dates, items, and interactions that prosecutors emphasize.
Initial Poisoning Attempt on Valentine’s Day
Prosecutors allege Kouri Richins first tried to poison Eric Richins in February 2022 by slipping an illicit opioid into food. Court documents describe a February 14 incident where Eric ate a sandwich and soon developed hives and breathing difficulty, symptoms that prompted him to use an EpiPen and take Benadryl before sleeping for hours. Investigators later noted references to a delivered fentanyl supply in witness interviews and an empty pill bottle found in searches.
Family and friends told police Eric expressed fear after the episode, saying he thought his wife had tried to poison him. Prosecutors cite those reactions and the alleged sandwich episode as an attempted murder that preceded the fatal event.
Fatal Dose of Fentanyl and Night of Death
On the night of Eric’s death in March 2022, prosecutors allege Kouri served him a Moscow mule laced with fentanyl pills that produced a lethal concentration. The medical examiner reported a fentanyl level the prosecution describes as more than five times a lethal dose; gastric fluid also contained high levels of quetiapine. Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors the poisoning was deliberate and financially motivated, pointing to life-insurance changes and Kouri’s real-estate plans in charging documents.
Body-camera footage and timelines in Summit County Court filings place Kouri at the home that evening and show actions prosecutors say fit a calculated plot. She has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and related counts.
Involvement of Housekeeper and Key Witnesses
Prosecutors rely on testimony from a housekeeper, identified in filings as Carmen Lauber, and other witnesses who describe observing events and handling items tied to the case. The housekeeper reportedly discovered items and provided statements about what she saw in the home after Eric fell ill. Witnesses also told police about Kouri seeking fentanyl and about empty pill bottles and a THC gummy or marijuana gummies found during searches.
Court documents reference messages and interactions that prosecutors use to reconstruct who obtained pills, who prepared drinks, and who had motive. Those witness accounts, combined with forensic evidence, form a core part of the prosecution’s timeline in Summit County.
Financial Motive, Legal Proceedings, and Cover-Up Claims
Prosecutors say large life insurance purchases, mounting debts, and sudden property moves formed the financial backbone of the case. Court filings and media reports detail alleged steps toward securing cash and changing beneficiaries in the months and years before Eric Richins’s death.
Life Insurance and Financial Distress
Prosecutors allege Kouri Richins took out multiple life insurance policies on Eric between 2015 and 2017, with total face values reported around $2 million. Investigators say some policies were obtained without Eric’s knowledge and that Kouri attempted to alter a business-related $2 million beneficiary designation in early 2022.
Court documents also describe Kouri’s significant debts — to lenders, the IRS, and to Eric personally — and transactions prosecutors highlight as suspicious, including withdrawing funds from Eric’s accounts and closing on a Wasatch County property the day after his death. Those details underpin charges that financial gain, including possible insurance proceeds and real-estate aims, motivated the alleged plot.
Children’s Book as Alleged Cover-Up
After Eric’s death, Kouri published a children’s book titled Are You With Me?, presented as a comfort for grieving kids. Prosecutors portray the book and public grieving as part of a calculated narrative intended to deflect suspicion and normalize the timing of her financial actions.
The book’s dedication to Eric and its sales received attention alongside allegations that she celebrated a home closing days after his death. Defense attorneys argue the book was genuine grief work. Prosecutors counter that the book, property closing, and quick access to assets fit a pattern consistent with covering up financial motive and premeditation.
Courtroom Drama and Defense Arguments
Summit County prosecutors have assembled forensic records, insurance records, and communications they say show planning and intent. They point to search warrants, alleged fentanyl purchases, and witness statements as part of their narrative in filings and hearings.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester (Kathy Nester) has filed motions challenging prosecutors’ use of certain evidence, including claims of improperly disclosed attorney-client material and requests to disqualify parts of the prosecution’s case. The defense also disputes interpretations of internet search history and medical claims such as Lyme disease, arguing those details don’t prove guilt. High-profile courtroom exchanges have focused on whether investigators linked motive to action or relied on circumstantial financial inferences like alleged insurance fraud and mortgage-related behavior.
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