Behind Closed Doors in Utah: The Chilling Trial of Kouri Richins — A Mother Accused of Murder After Writing a Children’s Grief Book
PARK CITY, Utah — On a quiet snowy morning in a picturesque mountain town just outside Park City, a dramatic and deeply unsettling trial is unfolding that has gripped the nation. Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old mother of three and once-celebrated children’s book author, has stood before a jury as her murder trial began, accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. The case — a mix of alleged betrayal, shocking twists and bitter family divisions — has kept communities and true-crime followers riveted.
This is more than a legal battle; it’s a story about love and loss, money and motive, and the heartbreaking human cost that arises when a family’s tragedy becomes a courtroom drama.
The Facts of the Case
In March 2022, Eric Richins — a 39-year-old father and businessman — was found unresponsive at the foot of his bed in the couple’s home in Kamas, Utah. His wife, Kouri Richins, told investigators she had gone to sleep in their children’s room earlier that night after making him a cocktail to celebrate a real estate closing. She said she returned hours later and found him “cold to the touch.”
A medical examiner determined that Eric died from a fentanyl overdose, with roughly five times the lethal dose in his system. Detectives later found that Kouri’s phone showed activity in the critical minutes before she reported the emergency — including multiple unlocks and web searches about poisoning, death certificates and prisons. Prosecutors argue this digital trail shows a conscious and calculated response rather than confusion or panic.
Just over a year after his death, Kouri self-published a children’s book titled Are You With Me?, about a father who watches over his grieving children from beyond — a narrative her son said was meant to help his own boys cope. The book’s reception shifted dramatically as charges followed, turning a once touching message into powerful evidence prosecutors use to paint a chillingly different portrait.
Charges and Prosecution Strategy
Richins is facing nearly three dozen counts — from aggravated murder and attempted murder to forgery, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud. Prosecutors allege Richins poisoned her husband for financial benefit, including life insurance payouts worth more than $2 million and to relieve mounting personal debt tied to her real estate business.
Court documents also assert Richins made suspicious financial decisions in the months before Eric’s death — including attempts to shift beneficial interest in life insurance policies and large insurance applications under his name without his knowledge.
Prosecutors say the couple’s finances were “spiraling toward total collapse.” Eric had taken steps to protect himself and his children: he changed his own estate plan to remove Kouri as a beneficiary of one life insurance policy and consulted attorneys about divorce — only weeks before his untimely death.
One of the prosecution’s key witnesses is a housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, who told police she sold fentanyl pills to Richins shortly before the poisoning. Lauber was granted immunity, which the prosecution says makes her testimony credible and crucial to proving the state’s case.
Defense Claims
Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty, and her defense team argues that the public has been misled and that the evidence doesn’t support the prosecution’s claims. Defense lawyers have questioned the credibility of critical testimony, including the housekeeper’s account — noting that no fentanyl was ever recovered in the Richins’ home and that the alleged dealer later insisted he sold a different drug, not fentanyl.
Her attorneys have also emphasized her role as a loving mother who wants nothing more than to return to her children, asserting that the narrative crafted by prosecutors does not reflect the actual facts that will be presented in court.
At various times in the case, the defense has pursued motions to move the trial location due to intense local media coverage, and has navigated withdrawals of defense attorneys as well as disputes over witness access and financial records from the family trust.
The Trial and Community Reaction
The trial began with jury selection and opening statements, and is expected to run for several weeks, concluding with a jury verdict that will determine Richins’ future — possibly for life. Defense and prosecution are calling a parade of witnesses, including family members, friends, and people familiar with the couple’s finances and personal dynamics.
In the mountain town where the case erupted into headlines, reactions have been emotional and divided. Many residents have expressed shock and grief at the allegations, struggling to reconcile the image of a doting mother writing a book about loss with the darker narrative painted by prosecutors. Others have stressed the importance of a fair trial, noting that charges are accusations, not convictions.
Family members of Eric Richins have been vocal in court, with his sister and father expressing sorrow and urging the judge to keep Kouri in detention — highlighting a deep family rift and the fear they felt in the days, weeks and years after Eric’s death.
A Story with Many Layers
The Richins trial captures multiple themes that resonate far beyond Utah’s mountain valleys. At its heart is a family torn apart — three young boys growing up without a father, a woman fighting for her freedom and a community struggling to make sense of it all.
It’s also a story about trust and betrayal, perception and reality, and the ways tragedy and media narratives can intertwine to shape public opinion long before a jury delivers a verdict.
The outcome of this trial will be closely watched not only for its legal consequences but for what it says about justice in deeply complicated and emotionally charged cases — where love, loss and suspicion collide under the bright lights of a courtroom.
