Jurors in a Utah murder trial sat feet away from Kouri Richins — the mom accused of poisoning her husband with fentanyl and later writing a children’s book about grief — as she repeatedly flashed what looked like a smug, sarcastic smile while prosecutors spelled out their case.
Richins, 35, is accused of killing her husband, Eric Richins, 39, by slipping fentanyl into a Moscow Mule cocktail on March 4, 2022. Prosecutors told the jury it wasn’t a trace amount — they allege it was five times the fatal dose.
And as Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth delivered his closing argument Monday in a Park City courtroom, Richins’ behavior became its own sideshow. Prosecutors described her as appearing cold and unmoved, while observers in the room watched her grin, furrow her eyebrows, and lean in to whisper to her defense team again and again.
At one point, Richins appeared visibly annoyed and quietly spoke to her lawyers, prompting them to object mid-argument. Judge Richard Mrazik shut it down, overruling the objection and letting prosecutors keep going.
When Bloodworth finished, Richins’ attorney, Kathy Nester, swung for the fences with a mistrial request — claiming the prosecutor played dirty by calling attention to Richins’ courtroom demeanor and by referencing inflammatory language, including that a witness had compared her to a “black widow.” Nester also objected to Bloodworth describing one of Richins’ actions as “narcissistic.”
The judge refused to grant a mistrial, but cautioned jurors to base any impressions on what they personally saw in court — not the lawyers’ commentary.
Prosecutors say the alleged motive is as brutal as it is simple: money and escape. They claim Richins believed she’d cash in on Eric’s roughly $4 million estate and use it to wipe out about $4.5 million in debt she’d piled up in a real estate business that crashed and burned. They also allege she was planning to run off with a handyman lover.
Even more chilling, prosecutors say the cocktail wasn’t the first try. They allege Richins attempted to poison Eric about two weeks earlier by lacing his sandwich with fentanyl — and when that didn’t work, they say she tried again.
The defense has attacked the case as riddled with holes, calling the investigation “sloppy” and insisting the evidence leaves room for reasonable doubt.
Richins has pleaded not guilty. She’s facing aggravated murder and related charges, and could be sentenced to up to 25 years if convicted on the top count. Jurors began deliberating Monday afternoon, and a verdict could come at any moment.
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