SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — State prosecutors appear to be nearing the end of their case in the murder trial against Kouri Richins as the trial enters Day 11.
Richins, 35, faces an aggravated murder charge after she was accused of killing her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The third week of the five-week trial started on Monday with state prosecutors calling on a private investigator, a lead detective in the case, and Eric Richins’s former business partner and close friend.
On Monday, Eric Richins’s business partner, Cody Wright, testified that he had never seen Eric use illicit drugs, though he had heard that Eric had “popped pills” in the past.
Defense attorneys pushed to impeach Wright as a witness, claiming he had testified falsely and inconsistently, though Judge Richard Mrazik disagreed. After some back and forth, Mrazik ruled the defense lacked a foundation to impeach Wright.
Det Jayme Woody, who worked as a lead detective on the case before passing the case on to Det. Jeff O’Driscoll, took the stand, testifying about the early parts of the investigation. She said Eric Richins’s sister, Amy, had told her that Eric mentioned Kouri was trying to kill him.
Todd Gabler, a private investigator hired by Eric Richins’s family, closed out the day of testimony, saying he spent more than 930 hours working on the case. His work included going through the home with the permission of Eric Richins’s family after it was released by investigators in May 2023 – a year after Eric’s death.
He reportedly took inventory with one of Kouri Richins’s original attorneys, adding, “Any item that I considered to be evidence was removed by the Sheriff’s Office, not me.”
While defense attorney Kathryn Nester estimated Eric Richins’s family had paid the private investigator roughly $100,000 for his part in the investigation, Gabler said he conducted his investigation within the bounds of the law.
State prosecutors have indicated only one more witness – Det. O’Driscoll – remains on their list.
The trial will continue at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Park City. KUTV reporter Brian Schnee will be on location and live-tweeting events from inside the courthouse.
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