UT - Kouri Richins, 33, Author, wife, mom, charged in husband’s unexpected death last year, May 2023 #3

[aamillaa]

@NateNewsNow


Prosecutor asks about a lethal dose of fentanyl. It could vary from person to person based on a person's history with the drug. You may need a higher concentration if you've experienced fentanyl in the past. Three nanograms is a lethal dose. In Eric's body, there were 15 nanograms.


11:51 AM · Feb 26, 2026

BBM

Defense needs to move on from then THC gummies are laced and focus more on the THC gummies for pain management. Seems like that would be a better argument - ER suffered from severe pain, tried THC gummies, they weren’t enough, went to other methods….. accidental overdose

I thought that’s where the cross was trying to go with Ulmer but they didn’t land it. MOO

 

[tlcya]

bacteria can convert glucose into ethanol in the gastric contents. This occurs postmortem. that process can continue even after sample has been collected.

 

[Skagirl]

9 a.m. A letter was found at the foot of the bed. Nester mentions several times where searches were done and there was never a letter at the foot of the bed. Gipson confirms. Then they found a letter at the foot of the bed in November. Nester asks how many times a private investigator was present when law enforcement searched the home. Gipson says once.

Do you think we're going to hear more about the contents of this letter at some point? I'm curious why it matters. Also weird that it would suddenly be found after several searches-as a juror I would be suspicious of this. I wouldn't find it suspicious to not find any fentanyl after that initial night tho. Like I'm sure if there was any left in the house that night, she got rid of it immediately. JMO

 

[tlcya]

9:51 a.m. Investigators asked Peterson to perform tests on the gastric fluid. Ethanol, fentanyl, norfentanyl and acetylfentanyl were detected. Acetylfentanyl is solely seen in illicitly manufactured fentanyl – not in prescription fentanyl.
LIVE UPDATES | Day 4 of Kouri Richins murder trial - East Idaho News

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Peterson asks about quetiapine in the system. Prosecutor has no further questions. Defense will now cross-examine.


12:00 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[tlcya]

here comes cross. Lewis will be performing the cross. Peterson's job doesn't include working with live patients. Just with forensics sample interpretation from deceased patients.

 

[arielilane]

First time we are hearing from this defense attorney.

 

[tlcya]

presence of fentanyl in gastric contents indicates ingestion.

 

[arielilane]

Dr. Peterson talks about the test results from Eric Richins.

Fentanyl and norfentanyl present.

No hydrocodone or other opioids were located in the test results.


"Yes, 15 is greater than 3," said Dr. Peterson in response to a question from the prosecution. The jury chuckled.

Dr. Peterson said that 3 nanograms/ml of fentanyl have been deadly. Eric Richins had 15 nanograms/ml of fentanyl present in his toxicology report.

"Often when you seen Acetyl fentanyl; the fentanly was illicit."

https://twitter.com/x/status/2027064328629997791

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Wendy Lewis is questioning. She asks about lethal doses of fentanyl and there being a large range of fatal doses of fentanyl. There is - depends on tolerance level of each person. "When someone takes fentanyl, is it fair to say that it would take about 30 minutes from the time fentanyl is ingested from it starts to show up in the bloodstream?" Depends on whether stomach is full, how it's ingested, but generally 15-30 minutes.


12:03 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[tlcya]

in someone who has never taken fentanyl it is possible that they could die before norfentanyl (a byproduct of fentanyl metabolizing in the system) is produced? Peterson does not agree that this is more likely than not.

Defense attorney trying to get forensic tox witness to agree that the presence of norfentanyl indicates ER had had previous exposure to fentanyl (this goes back to KR's insistence that ER was an addict and poisoned himself through purposeful drug abuse) Peterson does not agree with that suggestion.

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Lewis asks about norfentanyl. She asks if it's possible someone could die of a fentanyl overdose so quickly you would not see norfentanyl in the system. Peterson says that's correct. Lewis asks about post-mortem production of alcohol and if it's found in every body. Peterson says you would not see it in every body.


12:07 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Lewis asks about a long delay between the autopsy and time of death. Peterson says that's not something she does - autopsies. Lewis asks if testing was done for yeast in his system that could produce alcohol. No testing was done for yeast, Peterson says.


12:09 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Lewis asks if alcohol hits the bloodstream in 10-15 minutes. Peterson says if stomach is empty, it's possible. She's asked if fentanyl could be in the blood within 15-30 minutes. "If Mr. Richins had fentanyl in the blood but not alcohol, a possibility is that he ingested the fentanyl and then took a drink, give or take 30 minutes later, maybe less, 15-30 minutes after he took the fentanyl. Fair assumption?" Petersaon says she can't provide a timeline of when things were ingested.


12:12 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[aamillaa]

Defense is losing the jury on this cross, MOO. Too confusing.

 

[tlcya]

Peterson refuses to be drawn into speculation about whether ER had previously used drug (specifically fentanyl) or not prior to that night. She simply will not speculate as Lewis wants her to. Lewis is basically asking the same question over and over in a myriad of different ways. Lewis keeps saying "he took" more. to subtly suggest to jurors he was responsible for its presence in his gastric contents. I wish prosecution would have objected to that construction.

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Lewis asks further questions about the amount of fentanyl and fatal doses. She's trying to find out how much fentanyl was ingested in the body. Peterson says it's hard to know exactly based on the distribution in the system.


12:16 PM · Feb 26, 2026

 

[arielilane]

Defense is losing the jury on this cross, MOO. Too confusing.

Typical defense asking for something that cant be answered. lol

 

[aamillaa]

Typical defense asking for something that cant be answered. lol

Yep! I’m dying at all of the:
“Correct?”
“No.”

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Lewis asks about a therapeutic dose of fentanyl - what the difference would be if someone in the hospital took fentanyl versus someone who took it elsewhere. Lewis asks if it's possible that Eric ingested fentanyl and then took a drink of alcohol. Peterson says it is possible. Quetiapine is not naturally produced in the body, so he would have had to take it. It was a low dose and there was a small amount in the blood - but it was not above their threshold for reporting so the report indicates none was found in the blood. Quetiapine takes the same amount of time to hit the blood as fentanyl.


12:20 PM · Feb 26, 2026