Kouri Richins, the Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband, was having an affair with a handyman, according to testimony heard Monday during her preliminary hearing at the Summit County court in Utah.
As previously reported, Richins, 34, was arrested in May 2023 for allegedly poisoning Eric Richins with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule at their home on Willow Court in Kamas in March 2022. Kouri later wrote and published a children's book about a father, depicted with angel wings, watching over his young son, following Eric's death.
Kouri Fell in Love with Handyman After He was Hired to Work on Homes She was Renovating
Digital forensic expert Chris Kotrodimos took the stand Monday and testified that Kouri Richins sent text messages to 41-year-old Robert Grossman, her alleged secret boyfriend, days before her husband died. Kouri and Grossman fell in love after he was hired to work on homes she was renovating.
One of the messages she sent him days before Eric's murder read, "love you," according to Kotrodimos, New York Post reports. Kouri Richins and Grossmann started exchanging messages in November 2021 and continued their communication even after Eric Richins' death, Kotrodimos added.
Kotrodimos additionally verified that on February 14, 2022, Kouri Richins kept Grossmann updated on her expected time of arrival while heading to meet up. It's a day that prosecutors claim she attempted to poison Eric Richins by giving him a sandwich laced with fentanyl.
"She said she was on her way to see him," Kotrodimos said. "He asked if she was about an hour away and she said yes and sent him a screenshot."
Kouri's Cell Phone Data Erased Between January and March 2022
Kotrodimos testified that a significant amount of data was then erased from Kouri Richins' cell phone between January and March 2022, including call logs, text messages, and internet search history.
Detective Jeff O'Driscoll also took the stand and testified about his interviews with Richins' housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, who is accused of supplying Richins with illicit substances, including fentanyl.
O'Driscoll stated that he believed Lauber was "downplaying her role" but after four interviews, investigators determined that she allegedly obtained prescription or non-prescription opiates for Richins, along with counterfeit fentanyl pills.
The detective testified that while each transaction likely involved "15 to 30 pills," investigators have not recovered any pills and could not test them, according to ABC4. O'Driscoll said he couldn't definitively state that Richins gave fentanyl to her husband.
In addition to charges of aggravated murder, assault, and drug-related offenses, Kouri Richins faces charges of mortgage fraud, forgery, and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and making fraudulent insurance claims.
On Tuesday, Park City Judge Richard Mrazik ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial next year. The trial is tentatively set to begin the last week of April 2025,
