PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Detectives on Monday described in court how they zeroed in on a Utah mother known for penning a children’s book about grief as the main suspect in her husband’s fatal poisoning. The multiday hearing will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence against her to proceed with a trial.
Kouri Richins, 34, faces several felony charges for allegedly killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022 at their home in a small mountain town near Park City. Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow mule cocktail that Eric Richins, 39, drank.
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Kouri Richins, left, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, speaks to her attorney, Kathy Nester, during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Detectives on Monday described in court how they zeroed in on a Utah mother known for penning a children’s book about grief as the main suspect in her husband’s fatal poisoning. The multiday hearing will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence against her to proceed with a trial.
Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth speaks during a hearing for Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Detective Jeff O'Driscoll testifies during a hearing for Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, left, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, speaks to her attorney, Kathy Nester, during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
FILE - Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three, who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing, May 15, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool, File)
Additional charges filed in March accuse her of an earlier attempt to kill her husband with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day. She has been adamant in maintaining she is innocent.
Detective Jeff O’Driscoll with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office was called to the stand Monday to describe his interactions with the state's key witness, a housekeeper who claims to have sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins on three occasions. He said police first linked housekeeper Carmen Lauber to Kouri Richins through a series of text messages and later arrested Lauber, saying drugs and other illegal items were found at her home.
Lauber, 52, originally denied any knowledge of how Eric Richins died, but she later opened up in an interview with O'Driscoll after he told her the drug charges against her might be reduced or eliminated in exchange for helpful information, the detective said. The housekeeper “went back and forth on what happened, what didn’t happen and in what order things happened,” O’Driscoll explained in court.
He said Lauber told him she had sold Kouri Richins up to 90 blue-green fentanyl pills, and her supplier later confirmed to detectives that he had sold her the fentanyl she requested. Officers did not find any fentanyl pills in the Richins home, the detective said.
Lauber has received a letter of immunity from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and is not currently in custody, O'Driscoll said. She is among the witnesses who could be called to testify later in the hearing or during a possible trial.
Other witnesses may include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.
In the months before her arrest in May 2023, the Utah mother of three self-published the children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book could eventually play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richins’ death as a calculated killing with an elaborate cover-up attempt. Prosecutors have accused Kouri Richins of making secret financial arrangements and buying the illegal drug as her husband began to harbor suspicions about her.
Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik is expected to decide as early as Tuesday whether the state has presented sufficient evidence to go forward with a trial.
Mrazik had delayed the hearing in May after prosecutors said they would need three consecutive days to present their evidence. The case was further slowed when Kouri Richins' team of private attorneys withdrew from representing her. The judge determined she was unable to continue paying for private representation, and he appointed public defenders Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester to take over her case.
The two attorneys used the first day of the hearing to build upon arguments presented by Kouri Richins' former lead attorney, Skye Lazaro. They insinuated that the housekeeper Lauber had motivation to lie as she sought leniency in the face of drug charges.
Lazaro also argued that Eric Richins’ sisters had a clear bias against her former client amid a battle over his estate and a concurrent assault case. Similar arguments could arise if family members are called to the stand.
A petition filed by the victim's sister, Katie Richins, alleges Kouri Richins had financial motives for killing her husband as prosecutors say she had opened life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million without his knowledge and mistakenly believed she would inherit his estate under terms of their prenuptial agreement.
Court records indicate Eric Richins had consulted an attorney in October 2020 to discuss the possibility of filing for divorce and to quietly cut his wife out of his will. Forensic accountant Brooke Karrington said transcripts from that meeting indicate Eric Richins knew his wife was making major financial decisions without consulting him, but he never went through with ending the marriage.
In May, Kouri Richins was found guilty on misdemeanor charges of assaulting her other sister-in-law shortly after her husband’s death. Amy Richins told the judge that Kouri Richins had punched her in the face during an argument over access to her brother’s safe.
In addition to aggravated murder, assault and drug charges, Kouri Richins has been charged with mortgage fraud, forgery and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death.
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth speaks during a hearing for Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Detective Jeff O'Driscoll testifies during a hearing for Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, left, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, speaks to her attorney, Kathy Nester, during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
FILE - Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three, who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing, May 15, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool, File)
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AP POLL-MEDIA FATIGUE — A new AP-NORC/USAFacts poll finds that about 6 in 10 Americans need to limit how much political news they get to avoid feeling information overload. Between political websites, social media and TV news channels dominated by political talk, it’s often hard to avoid — particularly in election season. By David Bauder and Linley Sanders. SENT: 640 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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BOEING-LABOR-CONTRACT — Boeing factory workers have walked off the job after voting to reject a contract offer and go on strike. It's another setback for the giant aircraft maker whose reputation and finances have been battered and now faces a shutdown in production of its best-selling airline planes. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers says its members on Thursday rejected a contract that would have raised pay 25% over four years, then voted to strike. A two-thirds vote among 33,000 workers was needed to strike. By David Koenig and Manuel Valdes. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, video. With BOEING-TURBULENT-TIMES — A strike would add to turbulent times at Boeing (sent).
ELECTION 2024 — Donald Trump will be campaigning in Western states as his opponent, Kamala Harris, keeps her focus on one of the biggest battleground prizes, Pennsylvania. By Michelle L. Price and Colleen Long. SENT: 760 words, photos, video. First Trump event at noon; first Harris event at 2 p.m.
ELECTION 2024-ENERGY — Kamala Harris says the Biden-Harris administration has overseen “the largest increase in domestic oil production in history″ and warns the U.S. “cannot over rely on foreign oil.” The comments are at odds with Harris’ frequent boasts that she and President Joe Biden are champions in the fight to slow global warming. By Matthew Daly. SENT: 870 words, photos.
See more on Election 2024 here.
UNITED STATES-BRITAIN — U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet amid an intensified push by Ukraine to loosen restrictions on using weapons provided by the two nations to strike deeper inside Russia. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 780 words, photos. Meeting at 4:30 p.m. WITH: RUSSIA-UK — Russia’s Federal Security Service on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said a decision has been made to withdraw their accreditation. Russian state TV quoted an official from the security service known as the FSB as saying that they will be expelled. SENT: 250 words, photos.
KOREAS TENSIONS — North Korea offered a rare glimpse into a secretive facility to produce weapons-grade uranium as state media reported Friday that leader Kim Jong Un visited the area and called for stronger efforts to increase the number of nuclear weapons. It was unclear if the site is at the main Yongbyon nuclear complex, but it’s the first disclosure of a uranium-enrichment facility since North Korea showed one at Yongbyon in 2010. By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 920 words, photos, audio.
ASIA POPE — Pope Francis wrapped up his visit to Singapore on Friday by praising its tradition of interfaith harmony, closing out his four-nation trip through Asia with the same message of tolerance that he delivered at the start. Francis presided over a gathering of young people Friday from some of the religious traditions that are present in Singapore. It was his final event in an 11-day journey that took him also to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. It’s the longest and farthest of his pontificate, and one of the longest ever for popes. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 450 words, photos. WITH: ASIA-POPE-PHOTO-GALLERY (sent.)
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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BRAZIL-INDIGENOUS-SACRED-CLOAK — Indigenous chants and the rattle of maracas are resounding in a Rio de Janeiro park, where Brazil’s Tupinambá people gathered to celebrate the homecoming of a sacred cloak absent for some 380 years. Made of feathers from the scarlet ibis, the artifact from northeastern Brazil resided in Copenhagen until the Danish National Museum donated the cloak to its Brazilian counterpart. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indigenous Peoples Minister Sonia Guajajara attended a ceremony at Brazil’s National Museum atop a hill in the Boa Vista Park. Celebrations to welcome the cloak have been underway since last week. By Eleonore Hughes. SENT: 840 words, photos, video.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-CHINA — Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Russia next month for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed Thursday, a move that comes as Moscow and Beijing seek to counter the West’s global influence. Xi’s visit to Russia will be his second since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. SENT: 420 words, photo, video, audio.
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SOUTH-AFRICA-OBIT-GORDHAN — Pravin Gordhan, who was a South African government minister for many years after beginning his political career opposing apartheid, died Friday. He was 75 and had cancer. SENT: 300 words, photos.
FAINT-AURORAS — People in Canada and northern U.S. cities may see faint auroras due to moderate solar storms. Experts say the current forecast hints at faint colorful displays Thursday night and into Friday morning. SENT: 240 words, photos.
BRITAIN-BEARSKIN-CAPS — An animal rights group trying to get real fur out of the bearskin caps worn by King’s Guards at Buckingham Palace took aim Thursday at the price of the caps, which soared 30% in a year to more than 2,000 pounds ($2,600) apiece for the hats made of black bear fur. SENT: 480 words, photos.
IG-NOBELS — A study exploring the feasibility of using pigeons to guide missiles and one looking at the swimming abilities of dead fish were among the winners of this year’s Ig Nobels, the prize for comical scientific achievement. Held before the actual Nobel Prizes are announced, Thursday’s ceremony was organized by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine’s website. SENT: 520 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-CHINA-BIOTECH — A San Jose-based biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China. It underscores the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing’s clout. SENT: 840 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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US-WILDFIRES — Firefighters battling three major wildfires in the mountains east of Los Angeles are taking advantage of cooler weather. They are slowly gaining the upper hand against blazes that have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. The worst danger appeared to have passed Thursday near Reno, Nevada. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video, audio.
TROPICAL-WEATHER — Gulf Coast residents on Thursday were cleaning up the mess left by Hurricane Francine, which struck Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane. The system knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, sent storm surge rushing into coastal communities and raised flooding fears in New Orleans and beyond. SENT: 850 words, photos, video, audio.
MEXICO-SINALOA-CARTEL — The longtime head of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is set to be arraigned Friday in New York on a 17-count indictment accusing him of narcotics trafficking and murder. SENT: 390 words, photos.
UVALDE-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — A federal report released Thursday says U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, were insufficiently trained and failed to establish command at the scene, but they violated no rules. SENT: 830 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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VIETNAM FLOODS — The death toll in the aftermath of a typhoon in Vietnam climbed to 233 on Friday as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods. Flood waters from the swollen Red River in the capital, Hanoi, were beginning to recede, but many neighborhoods remained inundated and farther north experts predicted it could be days before relief was in sight. Typhoon Yagi made landfall Saturday, starting a week of heavy rains that have triggered flash floods and landslides. More than 100 people were listed as missing. SENT: 530 words, photos.
MIGRATION-NUMBERS — Despite a summer of heated anti-immigration debates across the European Union, unauthorized migration to EU countries dropped significantly overall in the first eight months of this year. SENT: 960 words, photos.
JAPAN-POLITICS-CANDIDATES — Japan will have a new leader after outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party holds a vote on Sept. 27 to choose his replacement. The main contenders include a former defense minister and the son of a former premier. SENT: 930 words, photos.
SRI-LANKA-ELECTION-RAJAPAKSA-DYNASTY — Namal Rajapaksa, considered the heir apparent to the powerful Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka, will contest the presidential election next week in a bid seen by many as an attempt by the controversial political dynasty to regain power over Sri Lanka. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, video.
PHILIPPINES-ARRESTED PREACHER — A Philippine televangelist who calls himself the “anointed son of God” and once claimed to have stopped an earthquake pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking. SENT: 620 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ TECH
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INDONESIA-VIETNAM-ENERGY-DEALS — Indonesia and Vietnam signed multibillion-dollar energy transition deals in 2022 heralded as drastic shifts in financing that would enable the coal-dependent countries to pivot to cleaner energy. But nearly two years later, critics say little progress has been made. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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JUSTIN-TIMBERLAKE-ARREST — Justin Timberlake is expected to plead guilty following his June arrest in the Hamptons for drunken driving. Prosecutors say the pop star will appear in court in Sag Harbor, New York, on Friday to enter the new plea. SENT: 540 words, photos, audio.
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SPORTS
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BILLS-DOLPHINS — James Cook caught a touchdown pass and ran for two scores and the Buffalo Bills routed Miami 31-10 on Thursday night, with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leaving early because of a concussion. SENT: 550 words, photos.
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) runs with the football during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
FILE - Justin Timberlake appears at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa arrives for a meeting along with his supporters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, second left, a candidate of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, speaks during a joint news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP)
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Flares of northern lights color the sky over the White Mountains just after midnight, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, as viewed from a mountaintop in Chatham, N.H. Lights on the summit of Mount Washington can be seen on the ridgeline at left. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer works on the plane as he flies to Washington DC, for talks with President Joe Biden on resolving the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)
An Indigenous person attends a ceremony celebrating the return of the Tupinamba Indigenous people's sacred cloak to Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. The garment, made from bird feathers and plant fibers, was repatriated to Brazil after having spent more than 300 years in the National Museum of Denmark. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Pope Francis, left, attends a traditional dance performed by the Caritas Technical Secondary School pupils in Port Moresby, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
In this undated photo provided on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center right, inspects what they say is test-firing from their new launch vehicle of 600mm multiple rockets at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
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International Aerospace Machinists member Clint Moore, center, builds burn barrels with fellow union members in preparation for strike if members recject a contract offer by airplane maker Boeing, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
