Kouri Richins, a woman from Utah, is standing trial on the accusation of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, by administering a lethal dose of the opioid drug, fentanyl. Moreover, she is also alleged to have crafted a letter directing her brother to give false testimony. Richins, however, refutes these allegations and claims the letter was merely a section of a fictional narrative she was penning.
In this contentious correspondence, investigators believe Richins encouraged her brother to offer a false sequence of events hinting that her husband had traveled to Mexico to buy pain medication and fentanyl. However, Richins insists that the content of the letter is purely speculative, and relates to a fictional character who, accompanied by her father, goes on a drug-seeking expedition to Mexico.
Richins justified her action during a phone conversation with her mother, asserting, “When I first got here I was telling you I was writing a book … those letters were not a paper to you guys, they were a part of my book.” Further, the letter allegedly guided Lisa Darden, Richins’ mother, to direct her son to falsely claim Eric Richins had sourced pills and fentanyl from Mexico.
The defense asserts that the letter content was inappropriately disclosed by the state, which they argue contravenes a court-imposed gag order in the case and could potentially prejudice future jury members. Moreover, the defense alleges that the discovery of the letter could be the result of an illegal search.
Contrarily, the prosecution refutes this claim, maintaining that the letter was discovered legally within Richin’s Grade Law School Admission Test (LSAT) preparation book during a search of her prison cell.
Richins remains in incarceration as of a June ruling, with the court citing “substantial evidence” against her. Eric Richins, her 39-year-old husband, was discovered deceased at the foot of their bed. Postmortem reports indicate that he had ingested approximately five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl. The defendant recounted that she had brought her husband a cocktail in their Kamas, Utah, residence, after which she discovered his lifeless body.
A year subsequent to the event, Richin authored a children’s book targeted at guiding young readers through the grieving process after losing a loved one. The prosecution team points to internet search history from Richin’s phone, including “What is a lethal dose of fentanyl” and “death certificate says pending, will life insurance still pay?” as incriminating evidence.
Authorities also outline a pattern of illicit fentanyl purchases made by Richins in the months leading up to her husband’s demise. Added to this, she is alleged to have recklessly withdrawn money from their shared bank accounts and attempted to modify a life insurance policy to make herself the sole beneficiary.
The defense, however, counter-argues these claims, asserting there is no concrete evidence to support allegations that Richins purchased fentanyl or gave it to her husband. They further contend that Richins was within her rights to withdraw money from joint bank accounts and that there is no technological evidence to confirm the device used when the attempt to change their life insurance policy was made.
