Utah grief author Kouri Richins set to stand trial in husband's poisoning death

A Utah judge cleared the way Tuesday for prosecutors to try Kouri Richins, the Utah woman who authored a children’s book about grief after allegedly killing her husband, on charges of murder, attempted murder and other crimes.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik ruled that prosecutors with the Summit County Attorney had shown probable cause to try Richins, 34, for alleged financial crimes and the murder charges in the death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, on March 4, 2022.

The judge scheduled a four-week trial to begin the last week of April. 

Prosecutors have accused Kouri Richins of drugging her husband’s Valentine’s Day sandwich in February 2022 in an alleged murder attempt that he survived. He died 17 days later, after prosecutors said Kouri Richins spiked his cocktail with a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Kouri Richins pleaded not guilty Tuesday. She has previously claimed innocence, telling “Dateline” earlier this year that she had been taken away from her “babies.” 

“This means war,” the mother of three said.

Richins’ previous defense team withdrew from the case in May after alleging in a court filing that the Summit County Attorney’s office had committed “severe violations” by recording and listening to jail calls between the defendant and her attorneys without her consent. 

The defense team had asked Mrazrik to disqualify prosecutors over the allegations.

Prosecutors denied the allegations, saying they were “speculative at best and bad faith” at worst, according to NBC affiliate KSL of Salt Lake City. Mrazik denied the motion earlier this month.

The county attorney’s office has alleged that Richins was in debt when she fraudulently obtained a $2 million life insurance policy on her husband before his death. She was charged with multiple counts of fraud and forgery in connection with the allegations.

One year after Eric Richins’ death in March 2022, Kouri Richins published a children’s book, “Are You With Me?” which sought to help children struggling with the death of a loved one.