After deliberating for just over three hours, jurors found Kuri Darden Richins guilty of first-degree aggravated murder of her husband, Eric Richins.
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
A Utah jury has convicted a mother of three of poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail, a crime that gained national attention after the woman wrote a children’s book about grief and the loss of a loved one.
After deliberating for just over three hours on Monday, March 16, jurors found Khouri Darden Richens guilty of first-degree aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and insurance fraud in the death of her husband. Eric Richens, 39, died of a fentanyl overdose on March 4, 2022, at the couple’s home in Camas, Utah, a small mountain town about 40 miles east of Salt Lake City.
Just before the jury entered, Richins, 35, was visibly shaken and was taking deep breaths. Richins bowed his head but showed little emotion as the judge read the murder verdict.
“We, the jury, unanimously agree that the prosecution has proven the following circumstances…beyond a reasonable doubt, the murder was committed for financial gain, and the murder was committed by the administration of a substance administered in any quantity, quantity, or amount that was lethal,” read aloud by Judge Richard Mrajczyk on behalf of the jury.
Eric Richins’ family members in the courtroom wiped away tears and clasped hands.
“Honestly, I feel like we’re all in shock,” Eric Richins’ sister, Amy Richins, told The Associated Press. “It’s been a while.”
She told The Associated Press that her family can now focus on honoring her brother and supporting their three sons. “I’m so happy that justice has been served for my brother.”
In his closing statement to jurors, lead prosecutor Brad Bloodworth described Cori Richens as a “very ambitious” woman who built a semblance of success even as her business was in a “downward financial death spiral.” She wanted to break up with Eric Richens, but the couple’s prenuptial agreement meant she would receive little money in the divorce, Bloodworth said.
Bloodworth said Cori Richens forged Eric Richens’ signature on life insurance documents and collected benefits. And on the day of his death, he said, she began building an alibi while calling 911.
“The first moment is not the sound of a wife becoming a widow,” he says. “That’s the sound of a wife becoming a black widow.”
Defense attorney Wendy Lewis argued that prosecutors had little evidence that Kuri Richens killed her husband. She claimed Eric Richins was in pain and may have brought back illegal drugs after a recent trip to Mexico.
Mr Lewis acknowledged that Kuri Richens’ business was struggling. But given her husband’s six-figure income, Lewis said, “He is worth far more to Khouri alive than dead.”
Here’s what else you need to know about this case, including when Cori Richins will be sentenced and what punishment she faces.
Prosecutors say ‘black widow’ poisoned her husband twice
Lead prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors that Khouri Richens asked a house cleaner to buy “illegal street drugs” and left a poisoned sandwich in an attempt to kill her husband for money on Valentine’s Day 2022.
When that didn’t work, within a month Cori Richens gave her husband a poisoned celebratory drink, Bloodworth said. It killed him within hours.
When Cori Richens learned that police were investigating him, he deflected suspicion by asking him to write a children’s book, Are You With Me? – will be written, Bloodworth said.
Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses during the trial, including Khouri Richins’ former house cleaner, who told jurors that he had bought drugs for the widow on multiple occasions, but the dealer claimed she had bought them from the disputed section on the stand.
“Please tell me these drugs weren’t meant for him,” house cleaner Carmen Lauber reportedly told Kuri Richens after learning Eric Richins had died.
“No, that’s not true. Eric died of a brain aneurysm,” Cori Richins replied, Lauber said.
Defense lawyer denies grieving widow killed husband for money
Defense attorney Wendy Lewis argued that what happened to Eric Richens on Valentine’s Day 2022 was an allergic reaction, not attempted murder, and there was no evidence to show how he ingested the fatal dose of fentanyl.
Mr. Lewis also attacked the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, noting that two of them, private investigator Todd Gabler and forensic accountant Brooke Carrington, were initially hired by Eric Richens’ family to investigate related civil cases. She said Carmen Lauber was an unreliable witness who told a false story given to her on the stand by police to avoid serving time in prison.
She said infidelity may have been one of the reasons Cori Richens deleted incriminating text messages from his phone, but it was not a motive for the murder. The state also failed to prove that Kuri Richins signed her husband’s life insurance documents or did not have his permission to do so, she said.
“They have no evidence that Kuri Richens murdered her husband,” she said. “Instead, they tried to present as much evidence as possible to convince you that she was that person.”
Witnesses speak of illegal drug purchases, financial gain and concealment
During the trial, a forensic accountant allowed jurors to review financial records, showing that Kuri Richins’ financial situation had “fallen apart” around the time of her husband’s death. She had borrowed millions of dollars to support her real estate business before his death. She then spent $1.3 million on life insurance payments in just three months.
A man who said he was in a relationship with Kuri Richens at the time told prosecutors that she asked him if he had ever killed someone and what it felt like.
The lead detective on the case testified that Cori Richens hired a ghostwriting company during the investigation to write a children’s book about grief and appeared on television to promote it about a year after her husband’s death. Prosecutors also presented a trove of evidence, including cell phone data showing hundreds of deleted text messages and that Kuri Richins’ phone was searched for information about whether police could recover the messages.
Search history also revealed queries about life insurance payments and a women’s prison in Utah. “If someone is poisoned, what does it say on the death certificate?” one searcher asked.
The defense tried to poke holes in the prosecution’s case by cross-examining witnesses, but on March 12, the case was called off without calling any witnesses of its own. Cory Richens spoke briefly in court and declined to testify.
When will Cory Richens be sentenced?
Sentencing for Kouri Richins is scheduled for May 13th. She faces a possible 25 years to life in prison.
Eric Richins’ birthday is May 13th, and he would have turned 44 this year if he hadn’t been killed.
