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

[iluvmua]

If I were Kouri, I would pledge guilty now but I know her ego won't let her. Jmo

 

[JoeFromLB]

@NateNewsNow


NEW PM THREAD: We are back from lunch. Bloodworth argues that they did not know the defense planned to call Katie as a witness. The state called her early so she could be in the courtroom and watch the trial. Prosecution wants to designate Katie as a family representative. Defense objects. Judge says law allows to have more than one representative. Nester continues to object and says it will mess up her cross examination. Judge says she can cross. Nester says if she is allows to sit through the trial, it affect the defense's sixth amendment right.


2:53 PM · Feb 23, 2026

Desperate early move to set up a mistrial or verdict overturned. It shows a lack of confidence in her case.

 

[Justice101]

If I were Kouri, I would pledge guilty now but I know her ego won't let her. Jmo

Remember, she has been waiting patiently for the chance to prove herself innocent...

 

[tlcya]

clip being admitted as defense exhibit - body cam shows Khouri, wearing matching sweat set or PJs and a bun atop her head,getting on her knees to hug Eric's sister and comfort her. They are trying to show that Khouri wasn't "put together"

now asking about her conversation out side of the home with a detective that morning. Det. Woody was not told that sister thought Khouri killed Eric, just that Khouri had stolen money from Eric in the past and that there was tension between the couple

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Jury is back in the courtroom. Nester picks up by asking Katie about her testimony that Kouri was wearing pajamas and had her hair tied up. Katie says that's right. Nester asks to admit some police body camera footage. We see the footage. Kouri bends down to hug Katie in the video.


2:59 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester says, "Your memory was wrong." Katie says, "To be fair, it was four years ago." Nester replies that everything she is testifying about was four years ago. Nester asks about Katie speaking to an officer outside the home on the morning Eric died. Katie spoke with Officer Woody, a female officer. Nester asks Katie if she told the officer that she believed Kouri was involved in her brother's death. Katie says no. Nester asks about Katie mentioning Kouri taking money from her brother to the officer. Katie did. Judge asks for a quick sidebar with counsel.


3:02 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[Megnut]

Trying hard to impeach the witness, but it's clear she doesn't remember exactly what she said.

That whole table is growing in dislikability.

JMO

 

[arielilane]

Prosecutors portrayed a Utah mother and children's book author as a money-hungry killer Monday on the first day of a murder trial in her husband's death, while her defense team urged jurors not to make judgments before hearing her side.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026019231519608989

Kouri Richins, Utah mom who wrote book about grief, fatally poisoned husband to get his money, prosecutors say

Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail that her husband drank, prosecutors say.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Sidebar over. Nester asks why Katie told the officer about the financial issues between Kouri and Eric. "I had an overwhelming feeling that I should let someone know." Nester asks why. Katie says she doesn't know why - she just had an overwhelming feeling to tell someone. "Because you thought Kouri was behind it?" Katie responds, "I did not say that." Nester asks if Katie told the officer about her being a trustee of the trust. Katie doesn't recall.


3:06 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[Megnut]

Trying hard to reframed Kouri's actions as somehow noble.

It's not working.

JMO

 

[arielilane]

Post lunch-break, I'm in the media work room for a big so we can get some stuff figured out. They're examining the body camera video that was being discussed before the break. Katie identifies herself in the body camera clip and Kathy Nester goes after Katie's memory of how Kouri was dressed, etc.Now that I'm in the media room I can share some of these exhibits with you off the live stream.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026025367581127002

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester asks about the Apple Watch and if Kouri had not swiped it, would her son be able to see everything on the Apple Watch. Katie isn't sure - says not everything on the iPhone might not go to the Apple Watch. Nester asks if there might be a lot of reasons why a widow might not want to live in the home where her husband died. Katie says she could see some people wanting to stay and some people not wanting to stay.


3:09 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester asks about Katie's testimony that she only saw his brother use Advil. She asks if Katie is aware that Eric used other substances. Katie says after he died, she became aware that he used THC occasionally. Nester asks about her family being against drug use. Katie says their mom was not against marijuana use. Nester asks Katie if she knew her brother drank alcohol. Katie says he socially drank, but not in front of her. Nester asks if her brother spoke about his sex life and the fact he was taking testosterone. Katie says he did share about his sex life and she knew he was taking testosterone.


3:11 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester asks if once they removed Eric's body, was Katie allowed to go anywhere in the house? Katie says yes. Nester asks if Katie saw the police searching the kitchen. She saw them searching the garbage. Nester asks if Katie heard the police interviewing Kouri. Katie did not. Nester asks if Eric shared that he used hydrocodone. Katie says yes. The pill bottle shown earlier was from 2016 because Eric had a procedure. Eric and Katie had several conversations about hydrocodone, and she set him up with an acupuncturist to help with pain. "He did not like to, but it was extreme he would" use hydrocodone.


3:14 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[Justice101]

This first part seems more like drama because it is not so much fact based (like forged documents, drug purchases, etc.)

The prosecution will get to the meat of their case when they start bringing in the material witnesses actually allegedly involved... not just what questions and demeanor early was this person or that person.

We all know the prosecution will try to stack all of the evidence on top of each other to show the only conclusion was that Kouri killed her husband for money..

1) Death by fentanyl.
2) Kouri purchased fentanyl 2 times.
3) Eric suspected she was trying to kill him and acted accordingly (changing $500K life insurance beneficiary and also telling someone)
4) Kouri was deeply in (secret) debt which she was hiding from him.
5) Trying to tamper with witnesses with Walk the Dog letter.

What else is coming?

 

[AnyNameIWish]

Do we know what Eric's death certificate actually says? I don't remember seeing it. Defense said that it doesn't mention fentanyl overdose in its opening statement?

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester asks if Katie was aware that, as part of the pre-nuptial agreement, Kouri was surrendering any claim to Eric's business. Katie says only if they divorced. If he died, Kouri would get the business. Nester asks if it would actually go to the trust with Katie as the trustee. Katie says it was a business trust. Nester asks if after Eric died, did Katie check his truck. Katie says she went to his truck with Kouri's mom. Nester asks if Amy, Eric's other sister, was in the truck. Katie doesn't believe so.


3:18 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Nester asks if Katie was part of the conversation if there would be an autopsy. Katie says yes - they all knew he would get an autopsy. Nester asks when the conversation was held. It was the day after Eric was removed from the house. Nester asks where Eric's body was. Katie says it would have been at the medical examiner's office or the mortuary. Nester asks if whether he was cremated or buried, the autopsy would have already happened. Katie doesn't know the exact timeline.


3:21 PM · Feb 23, 2026

 

[arielilane]

(Courtesy Greg Skordas) Eric Richins, who died March 4, 2022, of a fentanyl overdose, is shown in this undated photo.

 

[arielilane]

@NateNewsNow


Eric was buried, not cremated. Nester asks about the handwriting samples and if Katie coordinated an effort to gather his signature from a bunch of different places. Katie says yes, it was for the civil lawsuit. Nester asks if Katie sent the information to the prosecutor. She says she did not. Nester asks if she hired an expert to look into the handwriting samples. She did. The expert was paid by Katie's law firm, she says.


3:23 PM · Feb 23, 2026