Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three boys, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022. She is on trial in Summit County, Utah, on charges of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery.
Today is the seventh day of the trial. It is scheduled to begin today at 9:30 a.m. East Idaho News will be posting live written updates all day. Please excuse typos. You can watch the livestream here. The most recent updates are at the top of this page.
12:06 p.m. Lewis has no further questions. The witness is released. We are in lunch until 12:50 p.m.
12:05 p.m. Miller explains divorce as two wet noodles dropped on a plate. One is the emotional side, the other is the legal. Her job is to keep the noodles straight and work through the process. The divorce process is different than the estate planning process. People going through divorce don’t often think about their estate plan – they are thinking about getting through the divorce.
12:01 p.m. Lewis asks about Miller referring Eric to an estate planner. Miller has not done that very many times. At the end of every divorce case, Miller gives every client a list recommending every client see an estate planning attorney.
11:53 a.m. Lewis asks if Eric’s child support would have been high. Miller says it depends. For some, yes. Lewis asks if Miller was aware Eric owned businesses. She became aware of it. Miller did not receive any tax returns or business documents from Eric.
11:51 a.m. Lewis asks about the children’s bill of rights. It’s not an official thing in Utah, but Miller gives it out to her clients that their kids are the sun and everything revolves around them. Finances are a concern, which is one reason a child support form is filled out. Miller filled out a form with Eric about child support. Eric reported his monthly income was around $33,000.
11:49 a.m. Lewis asks if anyone attended the meeting with Miller and Eric. Miller says Eric contacted the paralegal and then the meeting she had with her was just Miller and Eric. Eric did not want Miller to have any contact with him through phone or email. He asked that everything go through Clint Benson, Eric’s brother-in-law. One reason a client might ask for that is because they weren’t ready to let the spouse know they wanted a divorce.
11:47 a.m. Eric never filed a divorce through Miller. Miller says all of her clients have different timelines. Chervenak has nothing further. Wendy Lewis will now ask questions for the defense. Lewis begins by saying that Eric didn’t reach out to meet with her originally, it was the brother-in-law.
11:42 a.m. Miller says there was no further discussion about custody with Eric. Normally she discusses holidays, a year schedule, etc. Miller says it was unusual that Eric didn’t have more questions about custody. Miller gave Eric a to-do list.
11:37 a.m. Miller says she met with Eric for 2.5 hours. She gave him the packet of information that he did not take. Chervenak asks about child custody arrangements in divorces. She explains the old way of thinking was weekends and summers, but things have changed. When Miller met with Eric, she talked with him about “fat weekends” – which was more of a joint physical custody situation.
11:34 a.m. Miller says when someone comes in to meet with her, she gives them a thick packet. It explains divorce, children’s bill of rights, assets, debts, ongoing issues, the path forward, how to prepare, etc. Prosecutor Lindsay Chervenak is questioning Miller. She asks how Miller knew Eric Richins. Eric’s brother-in-law asked Miller if she could meet with Eric. Miller said Eric needed to contact Leslie, the paralegal, and Miller ended up meeting with Eric in October 2020.
11:31 a.m. After the initial meeting, Miller says almost every single one of her clients advances through the process and gets a divorce. Miller says she has been meeting with some people for ten years who have yet to file and move forward with divorce, but that’s rare. The top reasons people don’t move forward with divorce are they are concerned about their children, their religion and health reasons (insurance).
11:28 a.m. Miller says she and her paralegal have a very strict process with their clients. They have forms they use in every case and in 2008, they started to streamline meetings with their clients. New clients would first meet with the paralegal on the phone. The paralegal vets all the clients. If the client gets past the paralegal, they then meet with Miller. The meeting can be anywhere between 2-4 hours depending on the complexity of their case.
11:26 a.m. Next witness is Christina Miller. Miller is a divorce attorney and has been practicing for 30 years. She has extensive experience with custody arrangements. She has been part of over 2,000 divorces. Most of her clients come from word of mouth.
11:24 a.m. The insurance company asked for Eric’s prior medical records. Marijuana use did come back. Ramos has nothing further. Burmester asks about the frequency of marijuana use. Eric said once or twice a year. Witness is released.
11:20 a.m. Ramos asks Coates how they received word that Eric had died. After the company runs their clients’ Social Security files, they use Lexis Nexus to check for obituaries. Ramos asks if there are handwriting comparisons or expert analysis when the applications are received. An employee puts the applications into a computer and the system approves or denies the life insurance applications.
11:17 a.m. Ramos asks when Eric obtained his policies. One was taken out on May 12, 2017, with an application from Eric Richins. The most recent became effective Feb. 4, 2022. That was obtained after the Richins received a mailer from the insurance company. Ramos shows the application on the screen.
11:13 a.m. Burmester asks questions about Kouri being paid out for on the insurance claims. Kouri provided voided checks for the funds to be deposited. Burmester has nothing further. Alex Ramos will cross-examine. He asks her to explain how her company sends out applications. They are sent out to credit union members and others. If they get one in the mail, they can fill it out and send it back in.
11:07 a.m. Burmester shows some notes on Eric’s policy. Kouri called the life insurance company in April asking for the status of the claims on her husband’s account. She was told the insurance company received a pending death certificate, but they needed the final death certificate. The insurance received the final death certificate that said drug intoxication – fentanyl. The life insurance company called Kouri and asked if fentanyl was prescribed to Eric. There was an extra $50,000 policy that would be paid out if he died because of a prescription provided by a doctor. Kouri said it was not provided by a doctor, and she did not know how Eric got the fentanyl. Kouri called back the next day to say the drug was not prescribed and she didn’t know where it came from. Kouri called again in June and was told the $250,000 claim was paid but the $100,000 claim was still being reviewed. Coates said the $100,000 policy was still being reviewed because it was a new policy. If a death is within two years of a new policy, it becomes a questionable claim. An investigation needed to be done.
11:04 a.m. A check was sent out June 17, 2022, to Kouri Richins in the amount of $251,558.82 to pay for the policy and interest. When customers call the insurance company, reports are kept with notes about the conversations and calls are recorded.
10:58 a.m. The first deduction for the life insurance policy was scheduled for Feb. 14, 2022. Eric had other policies with the company. Another form shows Eric had a $250,000 term life insurance policy. Coates says policies are run twice a year against a Social Security master database to see if people with policies have died. That’s how they learned Eric had passed away in March 2022.
10:52 a.m. Next witness is Anne Coates. She is a senior manager of claims at CMFG Life Insurance. Burmester shows a life insurance policy application for $100,000 on Eric Richins. The beneficiary was Kouri Richins. It was received on Feb. 3, 2022. A billing statement was sent to Eric that there would be an automatic withdrawal for the premiums and a welcome letter with the contract.
10:48 a.m. Nester says she has received reports from people that the prosecution is making faces at the jury while the defense is questioning witnesses. Judge says he has a better view than the cameras and he hasn’t seen any faces. Nester says she is going to check timestamps on the livestream.
10:45 a.m. We are back in the courtroom. Jury is not. Wendy Lewis says this morning, Nester received a text message from the state that Carmen Lauber violated drug court. The defense did not know about this. Lewis asks for a mistrial. Bloodworth says he’s not aware of a text message sent this morning. Bloodworth says about ten days ago, the defense submitted a GRAMA request to the sheriff’s office asking for information about Carmen Lauber. Judge says he needs a written motion and the state can respond. Trial will proceed.
10:33 a.m. Bloodworth asks for a morning recess because he needs to use the restroom. We are in recess until 10:45 a.m.
10:28 a.m. Ramos asks Freckleton about obtaining information from New York Life about changes made on the account. No further questions from Ramos. Burmester has one clarifying follow-up question. Witness is released, but he may be recalled as a witness by the defense.
10:25 a.m. Freckleton says Kouri’s email address was the email associated with Eric’s life insurance account. Ramos asks Freckleton if he is familiar with Cody or Eric’s client ID numbers. Freckleton says he knows they have them, but he has no idea what they are.
10:21 a.m. Cody and Eric called him back. Freckleton contacted New York Life in June and spoke with Rodgers. No further questions from the state. Ramos will now ask some questions. He asks Freckleton when he set up Eric’s life insurance policy. A $500,000 term life insurance policy was set up on Eric in 2007.
10:16 a.m. Some jurors are taking notes. Kouri is chatting with Ramos. Freckleton set up some other life insurance policies with Eric. Freckleton says there is a portal system with New York Life that alerts him if changes are made to his client’s policies. On Jan. 1, 2022, Freckleton received an alert. “It was an alert that the policies on Eric and Cody – the beneficiary had been attempted to be changed,” he says. Freckleton says the beneficiary had been changed from Eric to Kouri Richins on Cody’s policy. Freckleton called Cody and Eric. Both of the calls went to voicemail.
10:12 a.m. Freckleton is familiar with C&E Masonry, Eric’s business. He also knows Kouri. Burmester asks about a buy-sell agreement that involved Cody Wright and Eric Richins. They felt the company was worth $4 million at the time, so they put $2 million in life insurance on each of them. Eric would own the policy on Cody and Cody would earn the policy on Eric. In the event of one of their deaths, the owner of the contract would also be the beneficiary, and that money could go to Cody if Eric died. The money would be tax-free, and then Cody would be obligated to buy the stock in the company. He has to come in with the $2 million and buy the stock from Eric’s trust.
10:09 a.m. Between each witness, the deputies in the courtroom fill up a fresh cup of water and put it on the witness stand. Next witness is Brian Freckleton. He owns a firm called Freckleton Financial Group and is involved in finances and life insurance. Burmester asks Freckleton how he knows Cody Wright and Eric Richins. Eric’s family members were early clients of Freckleton and after Eric got married to Kouri, Eric reached out to Freckleton and bought insurance for himself and Kouri.
10:04 a.m. Ramos shows Rodgers a document that she does not recognize. Ramos asks if there is any information that confirms Kouri was the person behind the screen who logged into the life insurance account. Rodgers says the email address used to log in was Kouri’s. Ramos has nothing further. Neither does prosecution. Witness is dismissed.
10:01 a.m. Rodgers explains the login process – you put in an email address and then have to get the email verified. Customers cannot log in with any other credentials than what the life insurance company has on record. Ramos shows Rodgers a document. It has Kouri’s Hotmail email address that is associated with both Eric and Kouri’s life insurance policy login information.
9:58 a.m. Ramos moves to admit an exhibit showing insurance policy information of Cody Wright and Eric Richins. He is comparing the client ID numbers between Cody and Eric. Ramos asks if the client ID was used to change the beneficiary information. Rodgers says the client ID was not used to login when the changes were made.
9:50 a.m. Alex Ramos will now cross-examine Rodgers. Ramos asks about the client ID on the exhibit. It’s Eric’s. Ramos hands Rodgers some papers and asks about the client ID. There are two different policies being discussed – one for Cody Wright and one for Eric Richins.
9:46 a.m. Burmester admits an exhibit showing an email chain showing messages between Brian Freckleton and Rodgers. Rodgers found out that on Jan. 1, 2022, the beneficiary was changed from Kouri to Eric back to Kouri and then Eric again within a few minutes of each other. They were all from Eric Richins’ login and all from the same IP address. On June 9, Rodgers followed up with another email to Freckleton. Upon further investigation, they learned all interaction on the account was coming from Kouri Richins’ email address.
9:42 a.m. Beneficiary changes can be made online or by calling an agent, Rodgers says. Another agent named Brian Freckleton called Rodgers to ask about the changes to Wright’s policy. The beneficiary on Wright’s account changed from Eric Richins to Kouri Richins. The owner and anyone with the owner’s information can log online and change beneficiary information, Rodgers explains.
9:34 a.m. First witness today is Lashawna Rodgers. She works for New York Life Insurance. Burmester is questioning her. Rodgers recalls receiving a call from another agent asking about beneficiary changes made to a life insurance policy. Burmester displays a document on the screen that shows changes were made to Cody Wright’s life insurance policy on Jan. 2, 2022.
9:27 a.m. Public seats are full in the courtroom. Judge Richard Mrazik is on the bench. Kouri Richins is at the defense table with Kathryn Nester, Wendy Lewis and Alex Ramos, her attorney. Brad Bloodworth, Lindsay Chervenak and Fred Burmester are at the prosecution table.
9:15 a.m. It’s day 8 of the Kouri Richins trial. Eric Richins died four years ago today. He died in the early morning hours of March 4, 2022.
From his obituary:
– He lived to the fullest and with few regrets
– He loved his family, hunting, the family cattle ranch, and his insane drive as a successful entrepreneur
– He spent countless hours helping his dad work the ranch, hauling hay, feeding the animals, and mending fences
– He was an attentive and loving father to his three sons
– He loved all sports
– Eric was an avid outdoorsman and dedicated hunter
– There was never a dull moment when you were around Eric
– Eric loved to have fun and was always the life of the party
– He served a two-year mission in Mexico City where he learned to speak Spanish fluently.
– Eric loved fully, laughed loudly, and lived life with reckless abandon.
Updated at 12:08 pm, March 4, 2026
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three boys, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022. She is on trial in Summit County, Utah, on charges of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery. Today is the seventh day of the trial. It is...
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