Kuri Richens trial set to begin in case related to husband’s death
The widow of Utah author Cori Richens, who wrote grief books for children, is on trial for allegedly poisoning her husband with fentanyl.
Scripps News – KSTU Salt Lake City
Suspect of poisoned sandwich. The mistress became a witness for the prosecution. Conflicting testimony regarding illegal drug trafficking. A children’s book about grief written by a widow who was later accused of murdering her husband. And the judge won the hearts of the social media audience by battling with lawyers on both sides.
The murder trial of Khouri Darden Richens is the latest true crime case to shock the nation.
Richens, 35, is on trial for the murder of her husband, Eric Richens, who was found dead of a fentanyl overdose in the early hours of March 4, 2022, at their home in Camas, Utah, a small mountain town about 40 miles east of Salt Lake City. Kuri Richens was charged with first-degree aggravated murder, attempted criminal murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud in connection with her husband’s death, according to court records.
Prosecutors have so far presented a mountain of evidence, including cell phone data and financial documents, to prove that Kuri Richins owed millions of dollars and killed her husband for the money. Dozens of witnesses, including a private investigator hired by Eric Richens’ family and a man who claimed to have had an affair with Kuri Richens, all took the stand and gave sometimes emotional testimony.
Kuri Richins’ lawyers are currently preparing their defense.
Here’s what you need to know so far about this case.
What happened to Eric Richins?
Lead prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said in his opening statement that Cori Richens tried to kill her husband on Valentine’s Day and succeeded a short time later.
Cori Richens was asked to buy illegal drugs by her housecleaner, and a few days later, on February 14, 2022, she bought her husband a sandwich and left the house to meet her boyfriend an hour away, Bloodworth said. Meanwhile, Bloodworth said Eric Richens sent a message to his wife saying, “If things don’t get better, I’m going to lie down for a little bit. I’m going to go to the hospital.”
Bloodworth then said Cory Richens asked the house cleaners to buy him “something stronger,” and Eric Richens died of a fentanyl overdose a few days later. Bloodworth said Cori Richens had borrowed more than $4.5 million from more than 20 lenders on the day her husband died and “needed Eric Richens’ money to start her life anew.”
Ms Bloodworth said she published a children’s book about how to cope with the loss of a parent when she learned the police were investigating.
But defense attorney Kathryn Nester said what happened on Valentine’s Day was not an attempted murder but an allergic reaction. Nester said Cori Richens fell asleep next to his son on the night of March 3, 2022, and at some point Eric Richens ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl and “got into bed and fell asleep and died in his sleep.”
Nester said there was “zero evidence” of how the fentanyl got into his system, but told jurors that Eric Richins had recently traveled to Mexico before his death. “Where do you think fentanyl comes into this country? Mexico,” she said.
Nester and a spokesperson for the Summit County Attorney’s Office declined interview requests from USA TODAY.
Housekeeper says she bought drugs for Kuri Richins
Carmen Lauber, a former house cleaner who testified after receiving waivers from multiple law enforcement agencies, said Kuri Richins asked her to buy illegal drugs on four separate occasions.
After the first treatment, she said, Cory Richens asked for something stronger, like “the Michael Jackson thing.” Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication.
Lauber told Kouri Richins that she had a friend who had access to fentanyl pills, and that Kouri Richins told her to get them. Ms. Lauber said she had purchased drugs from Robert Crozier many times, but testified that she clearly remembers only one time when he met her and sold her oxycodone, not fentanyl. Mr. Crozier was also granted immunity prior to testifying.
Lauber became emotional as she described what happened when she learned Eric Richens had died.
“Please tell me these drugs weren’t meant for him,” Lauber said she told Khouri Richins.
“No, that’s not true. Eric died of a brain aneurysm,” Cori Richins replied, Lauber said.
What was found on Cory Richins’ cell phone?
Chris Kotrodimos, owner of a digital forensics company, said there was evidence that “hundreds” of text messages were deleted from Kuri Richins’ phone before and after her husband’s death.
Kotrodimos said he recovered three “ghost” or “orphan” images that appeared to be memes or GIFs and were thumbnails of deleted images that were accessed on Khouri Richens’ phone around 8:30 a.m. on March 4, 2022. That was the day her husband was found dead. Images displayed by prosecutors showed President Donald Trump with the caption “I’m really rich,” actor Kevin Spacey with the caption “Idiots. Idiots everywhere,” and someone shoving dollar bills in his face.
Kotrodimos said it was unclear whether Kuri Richins sent or received the image because it has been deleted.
Prosecutors also displayed the search queries Kotrodimos said were made on Khouri Richens’ phone, asking for information such as whether deleted text messages could be recovered, whether life insurance benefits could be paid if a death certificate was still pending, and whether wealthy people would go to prison.
Wife was in “financial hardship” before receiving her husband’s life insurance proceeds
Forensic accountant Brooke Carrington said Kuri Richins’ financial situation was “falling apart” around the time her husband died.
Carrington said Khouri Richens borrowed heavily to support her real estate business, including $3.2 million to buy a mansion. She said the purchase agreement for the mansion, which reportedly needed another $3 million worth of repairs, was scheduled to close on the day Eric Richins’ body was discovered.
Cullington said Kuri Richens put the house under contract and tried to sell it about a week later. But Mr Carrington said all potential deals fell through and Mr Kuri Richens did not have enough money to pay for renovations and debts.
“Kuri Richins was in financial trouble and her financial business was collapsing,” Carrington said. “And without a significant injection of cash and capital, the collapse would have continued.”
Carrington said Khouri Richens did receive a large amount of cash, about $1.3 million, in life insurance proceeds after her husband’s death. Carrington said she spent all her money within three months, including sending $25,000 to her boyfriend.
Boyfriend says he asked Cory Richens if he had ever killed anyone
Around the time the deal was supposed to close on the mansion, Robert Josh Grossman told Cori Richins he wanted to celebrate with him, according to text messages displayed by prosecutors. Then she told him that her husband was dead.
“They think it’s an aneurysm,” Khouri Richens allegedly wrote, according to the message.
Grossman, who said he began a romantic relationship with Kuri Richens in 2020, hung his head and appeared emotional as prosecutors showed loving messages between the two. He said this trial was the first time he and Kuri Richens had met since breaking up.
Grossman said their relationship changed after Eric Richens’ death, and they met a few weeks later in the mountains to talk. Grossman said that during a wide-ranging conversation, Kuri Richens asked if he had ever killed anyone while serving in Iraq and what it felt like.
He testified that she eventually ended the relationship with him and went some time without speaking. He said he contacted her family and their private investigator after hearing Eric Richens interview her about her book and learning she had been arrested.
“After I found out, I was overwhelmed with the guilt, the sadness, the fact that you knew about my cheating, and you knew about the affair,” Grossman said.
The defense turned to private investigator Todd Gabler to determine whether Eric Richens had been unfaithful. Mr. Nester repeatedly asked Mr. Gabler whether he had found any evidence that Eric Richens was “sexting” with another man.
Gabler said he didn’t remember, but when he looked at the messages posted on the stands, he said they appeared to be a joke. He read out one of the messages, believed to be from Eric Richins. “Kori and I are starting an open relationship tonight, so I told her I would take her home.”
“I don’t understand that this is sexting. I think you’re wrong about that. I resist your characterization,” Gabler told Nestor.
Courtroom drama erupts between lawyers, judge and spectators
In addition to dramatic testimony, the case also featured drama among lawyers. At one point early in the trial, prosecutors objected to Nestor’s choice of words. She said it’s a Southern thing, but said she’s trying to stop using “you guys” in questions.
Later, Mr Nestor told Judge Richard Mrazik that people watching the trial on television reported that members of the prosecution team were “facing the jurors during cross-examination”. Mradzik interrupted her by saying, “With all due respect, I know this situation better than any camera. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
After the prosecution took issue with the defense asking hypothetical questions of certain witnesses, Mradzik asked that only one lawyer from each side speak in a sidebar conversation, calling it the “one horse, one rider” rule.
That afternoon brought another surprising development. Mradzik read handwritten notes from jurors and asked if anyone in the audience had sketched the jurors. He said court officials acknowledged the incident, the person was permanently barred from the courtroom and the sketch was “deleted” from the sketchbook.
“You can’t make someone do anything to identify a juror in any way,” he said.
contribution: natalie nesa alland
