Jury Begins Deliberations in Kouri Richins Trial

A Summit County jury began deliberations Monday after prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered closing arguments in the trial of Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent from Kamas, Utah, accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl at their home near Park City in March 2022.

The eight-person jury must decide whether Richins is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on five felony charges: aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, both first-degree felonies carrying penalties of 25 years to life in prison; two counts of insurance fraud, second-degree felonies; and one count of forgery, a third-degree felony. Richins has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege she intentionally spiked a Moscow Mule cocktail with five times a lethal dose of fentanyl on March 3, 2022, leading to Eric's death the following morning. They also claim she attempted to kill him weeks earlier on Valentine's Day by lacing a sandwich with the drug, causing him to lose consciousness.

Summit County Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth argued that Richins, who was approximately 4.5 million dollars in debt from her house-flipping business, had strong financial motives. He...