The trial of Kouri Richins, a Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022, is currently underway. Prosecutors allege that she added fentanyl to his Moscow Mule cocktail, leading to his death.
At 35, Richins faces a series of charges in Summitt County. The case has drawn significant attention, with multiple layers to the allegations against her.
- Aggravated murder
- Attempted aggravated murder
- Insurance fraud
- Forgery
During Tuesday’s session, Dr. Pamela Ulmer, a retired forensic pathologist, took the stand. Her testimony, as reported by ABC 7, highlighted her experience from 2022 when she worked at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
According to the prosecution, Eric Richins died on March 4, 2022. Kouri claims she discovered him unresponsive in their home situated in Kamas, Utah.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester argued that Eric might have succumbed to an overdose from his dependency on painkillers. However, Dr. Ulmer firmly contradicted this theory.
Ulmer disagreed.
“The decedent did not have a history of any kind of illicit drug use or prescription medication abuse. So, the fentanyl level should have been zero,” Ulner said.
“There should not have been any fentanyl or more fentanyl preset. The fact that I have fentanyl present tells me that fentanyl was obviously ingested at some point.”
Ulmer, who performed an autopsy on Eric, stated that he showed no signs of natural causes of death. She also saw no “external evidence” that would have caused his death, The Park Record reports.
Toxicology results, however, indicated that he had a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system.
Carmen Lauber, the Richins’ housekeeper, has been accused of selling Kouri Richins fentanyl on several occasions.
Lauber, the state’s key witness, previously told investigators that she sold up to “90 blue-green fentanyl pills” after acquiring them from a dealer, CBS 11 reports.
The defense team argued Monday that Lauber lied to authorities for legal protection.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, in May 2023, Richins allegedly spiked Eric’s drink with “illicit” fentanyl, that had been over five times the legal limit.
Richins, a mother of three, later self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son.
Additional charges accused her of a previous attempt to kill Eric by spiking his sandwich on Valentine’s Day 2022.
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The defense argued that it’s unclear how Eric ingested the drug and that investigators did not thoroughly test the cup containing the Moscow Mule drink for evidence.
Richins has pleaded not guilty. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Kouri and Eric Richins/Facebook]
