Following two years of motions, a trial date has been set for Kouri Richins, a Utah woman accused of poisoning her husband.
The murder trial for Kouri Richins is set to begin on February 23, 2026, with jury selection commencing on February 10, as per ABC 4. The trial is expected to span approximately five weeks.
Richins is facing felony murder charges for the death of her husband, Eric Richins in 2022. He passed away due to a lethal dose of fentanyl. Authorities claim that she tampered with his Moscow Mule drink by adding the drug with the intention of killing him for his life insurance.
She also faces financial charges, including mortgage and insurance fraud.
Richins’ lawyers, Kathy Nester and Wendy Lewis, expressed their relief at finally having a trial date after two years in custody. They stated to Court TV, “She is prepared for the truth to emerge and for the misconceptions surrounding this case to be addressed in a legal setting. We strongly believe that once all the evidence is presented, it will be evident to everyone that Kouri is innocent.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, prosecutors said Kouri Richins mixed five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that Eric consumed.
She later self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” about a father, depicted with angel wings, watching over his young son after his death.
Additional charges filed last year accused her of a previous attempt to kill him by spiking a sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
“After one bite, Eric broke into hives and couldn’t breathe,” an arrest affidavit read. “He used his son’s EpiPen and Benadryl “before passing out for several hours.”
Prosecutors also accused Kouri Richins of making secret financial arrangements and purchasing illegal drugs as her husband began to suspect her actions.
A few years before his death, Eric took a trip to Greece with the defendant, where he “became violently ill” after his wife served him a drink, an arrest affidavit stated. He survived that particular incident and told his sister about it.
Two months before his death, Kouri Richins allegedly logged into Eric’s life insurance policy and changed the beneficiary from his business partner to herself. She also changed the business partner’s policy, removing Eric Richins as beneficiary and changing it to herself.
The insurance company reversed the changes after contacting the two men and inquiring about the switch.
Richins, a mother of three children, has maintained her innocence.
Check back for updates.
Listen to a previous episode on the case:
[Feature Photo: Kouri and Eric Richins/Facebook]
