After testimony from Kouri Richins' childhood friend, Ali Staking, the court recessed for the day.

Staking testified about a conversation after Valentine's Day and before Eric Richins' death in 2022 in which he joked about Kouri Richins trying to poison him with the sandwich. She also spoke about how Kouri Richins was "distraught" in the days after his death.

Prosecutors introduced as evidence a "life story" Kouri Richins wrote in the third person while at a retreat in Sedona, Arizona, with Staking in 2021.

Court recessed for the weekend and will resume Monday, March 9.

During Chelsea Barney's testimony, she spoke about moving into a house she thought she bought with Kouri Richins' help. But she was evicted after Richins' arrest after Richins allegedly gave the deed to a lender to avoid foreclosure.

Prosecutors are also playing phone calls between Barney, Richins and Richins' husband's friend.

Kouri Richins herself speaks at length in phone calls, which she taped after Eric Richins' death. She speaks with his friend about searches at her house and losing the house because of the trust.

After Becky Lloyd, an C&E Stone Masonry employee and family friend, testified, the owner of Mirror Lake Diner Gabe Morin took the stand.

Then prosecutors called Josh Kaze and Chelsea Barney.

Except for Morin, the witnesses have been recounting their side of conversations they had with Eric and Kouri Richins before Eric Richins fatally overdosed.

Especially in the case of Eric Richins, his friends are barred from repeating his statements as they remember them since they are inadmissible hearsay.

But Kaze remembered speaking with Eric Richins on the phone on Valentine's Day in 2022. He said his friend seemed uncharacteristically "somber" and "sincere." It was the day prosecutors believe Kouri Richins attempted to kill her husband with a poisoned breakfast sandwich from the diner.

The court is playing a call between Kouri Richins and her brother Ronney Darden from while she was in jail on Dec. 18, 2023.

The jury is not allowed to consider whether Kouri Richins is or has ever been in jail. She is still in the custody of the Summit County jail, and has been since her May 2023 arrest.

The next witness is Becky Lloyd, an employee at C&E Stone Masonry who said she was Kouri Richins' friend and neighbor.

During a scheduling discussion this morning, chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said the state's last witness will likely be Det. Jeff O'Driscoll. Bloodworth thinks they will call him late Monday or early Tuesday.

The witnesses expected to testify today include Cody Wright, Eric Richins' business partner.

Court began Thursday with testimony from Marie Bramwell, an attorney Kouri Richins met with in May of 2021. Bramwell says she practices law in the area of "domestic relations," which includes divorce.

The defense stressed Bramwell's practice includes more than just domestic relations.

Next, prosecutors want to play a phone call for the jury. The defense is objecting.

Robert Josh Grossmann's testimony continued with cross-examination from attorney Wendy Lewis. He said that Kouri Richins seemed to change after Eric Richins' March 2022 death.

He said yes when Lewis asked if Kouri Richins seeming "sad" or "grieving" afterward.

Grossmann says today is his first time seeing Kouri Richins since the day they broke up around the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023.

After Grossmann's testimony, the court recessed for the day.

Prosecutors continued to show Robert Josh Grossmann and the jury texts between him and Kouri Richins up to, including and after the day Eric Richins died.

Grossmann testified about driving into the Uinta Mountains with Kouri Richins one day after Eric Richins died and talking for hours. He said at one point she asked him if he'd ever killed anyone while serving in Iraq, and then about how it made him feel.

Eventually, the two broke off their relationship months after Eric Richins died. Grossmann said he and Kouri Richins had a falling out and that things weren't the same after Eric Richins' passing.

The defense will cross-examine Grossmann after a break.

Prosecutors are showing the jury text messages between Kouri Richins and Robert Josh Grossmann from Nov. 29, 2021; Dec. 18, 2021; Jan. 9, 2022; plus Valentine's Day 2022, the day of the alleged attempted murder, and the day after.

They contain declarations of love for one another. In January, Richins asked Grossmann if he'd ever done drugs besides marijuana. She wrote that the TV show "Dopesick" about the prescription opioid epidemic reminded her.

The jury continued reading texts from Feb. 19, 2022, and Grossmann was emotional. The judge had the jury break for the witness to stretch his legs.

"It ain't the legs," Grossmann said, adding that he's ready again. The jury will return shortly.

Prosecutors have called Robert Josh Grossmann to testify.

The next two witnesses were Christina Miller and Kristal Bowman-Carter. Miller was the divorce attorney Eric Richins consulted in 2020, who referred him to Bowman-Carter to plan his estate and set up a trust.

The estate planning essentially ensured Eric Richins' assets would go to his sister and not Kouri Richins upon his death.

After a quick recess, defense attorney Wendy Lewis told the judge her colleague Kathy Nester received a text message this morning from the prosecution disclosing information that witness Carmen Lauber had violated drug court rules after beginning to cooperate in the investigation.

That, and texts between Lauber and Summit County Det. Eric Mainord, are "Giglio material" that should've been provided to the defense earlier, according to Lewis. She motioned for a mistrial.

Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth says he doesn't know what message Nester received this morning since he didn't send it.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik told the parties to submit their arguments on the matter in writing and declined to rule immediately.

After that, Nester also mentioned that the prosecution has been "making faces" at the jury. She says people watching the trial's livestream have informed the defense about the issue, and she asked Mrazik to admonish the prosecution not to make faces.

Mrazik says he has a better view of things than the camera does, and he does not believe the prosecution is making faces. The only "faces" he said he sees are being made at him personally.

After the back-and-forth, Summit County prosecutors called Anne Coates from TruStage life insurance to testify.

The state called Lashawnda Rodgers to testify to begin the eighth day of the trial. She works in the call center for New York Life Insurance.

She's testifying about how a the beneficiary on a New York life policy on Cody Wright's life changed in January 2022. On the same day, the beneficiary changed from Eric Richins to Kouri Richins and back to Eric Richins, all done at the same IP address.

Kouri Richins' email was listed as making changes to the policy in New York Life's system. Defense attorney Alexander Ramos clarified during cross-examination that doesn't mean Richins herself was behind the screen making policy changes.

Next on the witness stand is Brian Freckleton, of Freckleton Financial Group.

After 1.5 hours of cross-examination and further questions, Brooke Karrington has been released from her subpoena and likely won't testify for the remainder of the trial.

Court will recess for the day.

Brooke Karrington answered questions from chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth for around five hours Tuesday. She says her opinion is that Kouri Richins was "in financial distress" around the time of Eric Richins death, and that her "financial enterprise" was "collapsing."

She says Kouri Richins did receive $1.4 million in life insurance money upon her husband's death. A little less than half paid off debts. Some $25,000 of it Kouri Richins paid to her alleged boyfriend.

Karrington also provided more information about the state of disrepair of the Midway mansion Kouri Richins closed on the day after her husband died for $2.9 million.

The defense will cross-examine Karrington after a short break.

CourtTV pool feed

Prosecutors and witness Brooke Karrington are walking the jury through Kouri Richins' bank statements, accounts, balances, loans and real estate transactions in 2021 and leading up to March 2022.

Overall, Karrington is painting a picture of a business that was both growing quickly and mismanaged. She says Kouri Richins' accounts were in the red and in decline shortly before Eric Richins died.

The jury has entered the courtroom and Brooke Karrington's testimony is starting.

CourtTV pool feed

Prosecutors told 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik they'll call forensic accountant Brooke Karrington to the stand today. Defense attorney Kathy Nester expects Karrington to testify to a "vast" array of topics.

Part of her testimony will be about Kouri Richins' alleged motive for murder and attempted murder, and other parts will directly conern the fraud and insurance charges Richins is also on trial for.

Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth expects Karrington's testimony to take most or all of the day. The parties are discussing how to lodge objections during Karrington's testimony, as Mrazik put it, "to not unnecessarily slow down the presentation of evidence."

Defense attorney Alexander Ramos cross-examined Chris Kotrodimos before Judge Richard Mrazik excused the jury, attorneys and spectators.

Chris Kotrodimos also discussed texts that Summit County prosecutors admitted between Kouri Richins and Eric Richins, as well as the logs of messages between Carmen Lauber and Kouri Richins.

Chris Kotrodimos is testifying about cell data he reviewed for the state and explaining it to the jury.

He's showing how Carmen Lauber and Robert Crozier's phones traveled on Feb. 11, 2022. It's during one of the alleged drug buys ahead of the alleged attempted murder on Valentine's Day.

Court TV

Lauber's device travels to Draper from the Heber area, while Crozier travels south from the Davis County area.

Kouri Richins's phone is messaging Lauber's throughout that time.

Det. Jeff O'Driscoll, the chief investigator in the case at the Summit County Sheriff's Office, has taken the stand.

He spoke to the chain of custody of cell phones the state would like to admit into evidence then stepped down.

O'Driscoll has been in the courtroom for the entire trial so far, opposite the defense's investigator Chris Bertram.

The next witness is Chris Kotrodimos, a digital forensics expert. He reviewed phone data and phone records in the case for the state.

Investigators have seized and extracted data from phones owned by people such as Kouri Richins, Eric Richins, Robret Crozier and others.

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis asked the judge to dismiss a juror who said today that they recognized the state's witness Molly Crosswhite.

The juror said they had done a business transaction which involved Crosswhite in the past.

The prosecution does not think there's grounds to dismiss the juror mid-trial, but the defense believes the juror would not have gotten through jury selection if they'd realized the knew Crosswhite. Crosswhite apparently used to go by a different name.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik says he will consider legal standards and precedent and make a ruling on the issue later.

Shortly before lunch, Judge Richard Mrazik disclosed more information and the motion for a mistrial filed by the defense.

It was in response to lead crime scene technician Chelsea Gipson's testimony in which she briefly asked for clarification about phone calls, asking if they were jail calls.

The defense objected at that time, and Mrazik instructed the jury not to base any of their verdict on and to disregard whether Kouri Richins is currently in custody. She has been at the Summit County jail for almost three years, having been denied bail three times.

During a sidebar, the defense had asked for a mistrial based on the jail calls comment. Mrazik said he denied it.

The judge said after lunch that the comment was "improper" but "relatively innocuous," "in passing" and "inadvertent." He says the instruction he gave to the jury helps avoid a mistrial.

Allison Wright took the stand after Molly Crosswhite, a real estate professional who purchased the small Midway home from Kouri Richins. Prosecutors say the small home is where Richins and her housekeeper had a dead drop for the money and pills.

Wright testified about a February 2019 she and Richins had about Richins' marriage. Wright says Kouri Richins "felt trapped" since she was having trouble at home but, if she divorced, she wouldn't get any money under a prenuptial agreement.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Kathy Nester pressed Wright about Eric Richins' alleged affair during that time. Wright said she was aware that he may have had intimate feelings for a woman coworker around 2019, which Nester indicated was a reason Kouri Richins would be having trouble in the marriage.

The prosecutors are playing Summit County sheriff's body camera video from May 4, 2023. In it, detectives are interviewing Robert Crozier, who allegedly sold drugs to Carmen Lauber who passed them on to Kouri Richins.

Crozier testified Friday he sold Lauber oxycodone. He also testified he did not remember the May 4, 2023, interview even after he was provided with the transcript of it.

But in the video of the interview, Crozier says he sold Lauber fentanyl pills and that "she knew what she was buying."

Jurors are only allowed to consider Crozier's side of the conversation, not law enforcement's, when it comes to eventually rendering a verdict.

Kouri Richins was arrested May 8, 2023, and charged with murder. Prosecutors think she used the pills she got from Lauber to poison her late husband Eric Richins.

Prosecutors played a call Kouri Richins placed to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. In it, she asks many of the questions prosecutors have asked Dr. Erik Christensen about the gastric contents of Eric Richins' stomach.

Christensen also asked Kouri Richins if her husband appeared to be abusing fentanyl prior to his death. She said no.

The state has called Dr. Erik Christensen to testify, and court is underway.

Court began with a false start Monday. As the state prepared to call its first witness, the defense objected that it had been unable to consult with the witness beforehand, violating court rules.

The court is currently in recess to allow defense attorney Alexander Ramos to consult with the state's witness before his testimony. It's unclear when it will resume.

The other attorneys also discussed more evidence to be presented this week. That includes a May 2023 interview Robert Crozier had with investigators. Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth says it rebuts much of Crozier's testimony from last Friday.

In that testimony, Crozier recanted his story that he had sold Carmen Lauber fentanyl. He said he was out of it and in withdrawal when investigators initially spoke with him. Bloodworth also wants to show that Crozier wasn't pressured to say certain things by the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The court recessed for the day just after 4 p.m. after testimony from Sgt. Eric Haskell of the Salt Lake City Police Department and Marcos Garaycochea from the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Judge Richard Mrazik briefly mentioned there was a motion for a mistrial some time during the first week. It's unclear who filed it, but he denied it. Mrazik indicated he may say more about the motion and his ruling next week.

Court resumes at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Robert Crozier says that he, like Carmen Lauber, has immunity in exchange for true and complete testimony during the trial.

He says a friend of a friend, whose name he doesn't remember, asked him for "Roxy," meaning oxycodone. He met her at a Maverik in Draper to sell her pills. It appears he's speaking about Kouri Richins' housekeeper Carmen Lauber.

He signed a sworn statement about selling Lauber drugs that he later amended. He now maintains he sold not fentanyl but oxycodone to her. He says he sold M30s and "blues," which he understood in early 2022 to be oxycodone.

According to Crozier, he didn't write the statement himself but it was read to him.

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis is rising to cross-examine Crozier.

After Carmen Lauber, Anna Isbell took the stand. She was Kouri Richins' late handyman's romantic partner. The handyman Hayden Jeffs died in a motorcycle accident between the time of Eric Richins' death and the trial.

Now prosecutors have called Robert Crozier to the stand.

Lauber said she sold him fentanyl, which she provided to Kouri Richins.

Summit County prosecutors are seeking to admit the transcripts that the defense used to cross-examine housekeeper Carmen Lauber into evidence.

Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth says the defense cherry-picked statements Lauber made. He acknowledges she might be confused but that doesn't mean she isn't credible or truthful at trial. He thinks the full transcripts will show she is in fact credible.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik questioned whether he can admit the interviews into evidence in their entirety, since they might contain inadmissible hearsay, be inconsistent or be unrelated to the trial.

He ruled against prosecutors. Lauber was dismissed from the witness stand but may be called to testify later in trial, set to last four more weeks after this.

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis' cross-examination of Carmen Lauber, Kouri Richins' alleged drug dealer, continues.

They're speaking about investigators' interviews with Lauber in May 2023, shortly before Kouri Richins' arrest on suspicion of her husband's murder.

Just before the court recessed for the day, 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik read a note from one of the jurors in the case. They were concerned about whether a member of the audience was sketching jurors and if that was allowed.

The court staff confirmed someone was sketching jurors and removed them from the court from the remainder of the trial earlier in the day.

Mrazik then dismissed court until Friday, when it will resume with testimony from Carmen Lauber, Kouri Richins' housekeeper.

To close the day of testimony, defense attorney Wendy Lewis is cross-examining Carmen Lauber.

Lewis is focusing on the housekeeper’s past drug use and offenses, including failing to meet the requirements of Wasatch County drug court in the past.

She tried to portray Lauber’s cooperation with investigators as self-serving. And Lewis combed through her prior interviews with investigators to point out inconsistencies with her testimony today.

Lauber does indeed have immunity in exchange for her testimony, which she maintains is the truth. She says she's been sober for years.

Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth has been slowly walking through the four drug deals she says she made to procure opiates for Kouri Richins.

She says Kouri Richins gave her the cash to buy the drugs, which in the second and third instance she believed to be fentanyl. The jury will hear about the fourth deal, which allegedly happened after Eric Richins' March 4, 2022, death, after a break.

The attorneys are currently discussing some of the text message and cell phone evidence supporting some of Lauber's account.

Carmen Lauber is emotional recounting how she found out that Eric Richins had died of an overdose from investigators.

She says she wanted to take "accountability" for her "part" in what happened and hoped that cooperating would lead to immunity.

She spoke to them prior to being granted immunity, but now has written promises of immunity from Summit County, Salt Lake County and the federal government.

Lauber testified she would clean Kouri Richins' home and properities, and she worked for her aunt Doreen Kouri. She also said she knew Eric Richins from seeing him at the family home in Francis.

She just testified she bought drugs for Kouri Richins, at her request, four times.

The prosecution has just called Carmen Lauber to the stand. She is the housekeeper the prosecutors believe sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins.

After the toxicologist, the jury heard from Summit County sheriff's Det. Frank Root and FBI forensic data scientist Cheney Eng-Tow about cell phones seized as evidence during the case.

Then Bryan Holden from the Utah state crime lab took the stand. He was directed to look for fentanyl on items sent into the lab by the Summit County Sheriff's Office. He says he never detected the drug on 19 items he received.

He's being cross-examined by Kathy Nester from the defense.

Toxicologist Dr. Brianna Peterson explained what was found in Eric Richins' gastric fluid, from his stomach.

There were various amounts of ethanol, quetiapine, fentanyl, norfentanyl and acetylfentanyl. Peterson says acetylfentanyl can indicate that a person ingested fentanyl that was illicit, not medical, since it's not present in hospital samples.

Peterson also explained, based on the volume of gastric fluid, exactly how much ethanol there would have been. According to Peterson, Eric Richins probably had 1,900 mg of ethanol in his stomach. But she says an average drink would contain 14,000 mg of ethanol.

There was about 11 mg of quetiapine. Now, defense attorney Wendy Lewis is going to cross-examine Peterson.

After the crime scene technician, the state called Dr. Brianna Peterson to the stand.

Peterson is a toxicologist who reviewed test data from blood and other fluid samples that the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner took from Eric Richins after his death.

She explained standard operating procedures at her lab to the jury and how she produced a report based on the test results.

Peterson attested that tests only showed fentanyl and its metabolite, norfentanyl, in Eric Richins' system. She says tests came back negative for hydrocodone; no other opioids were found.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester has resumed cross-examining lead crime scene technician Chelsea Gipson after the unexpectedly abbreviated day three.

It's still unclear why Judge Richard Mrazik dismissed court yesterday. The Summit County Attorney's Office later issued a statement saying it was unaware of the reason.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik dismissed court early after just an hour of testimony and hour break. He says an unexpected, urgent circumstance arose on his own schedule.

Lead crime scene technician for the Summit County Sheriff's Office, Chelsea Gipson, is back on the stand as court resumes.

Kouri Richins' attorney Kathy Nester is cross-examining Gipson and seeking to admit the 911 call Richins made March 4, 2022, in its entirety.

Court broke for the day just after 4:30 p.m. after more testimony from Chelsea Gipson, the lead crime scene technician at the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

After showing the jury a 3D rendering of the Richins home, prosecutors went room to room as Gipson described where certain items and evidence had been found and taken during searches.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik admitted various pieces of evidence to be used in the murder trial during the whirlwind tour. That includes four cell phones, various THC edibles, prescription medications and tweezers.

Summit County sheriff's crime scene technician Chelsea Gipson has taken the stand.

Prosecutors are showing the jury a 3D, virtual reality scan of Eric and Kouri Richins' Francis home that Gipson's division created using software called Matterport.

The jury is watching the home on a video screen, moving through it similar to an indoor version of Google Maps Street View.

Gipson also took photographs of the master bedroom and bathroom where Eric Richins died, which were shown to the jury.

Gipson is answering prosecutor Lindsay Chervenak's questions about how crime scene technicians and investigators processed the crime scene March 4 and later searched the home with various warrants.

For the remainder of the morning and early afternoon, prosecutors called members of the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner to testify, including Maggie Mobley, Dr. Pam Ulmer and Allyson Christensen.

They were involved at various steps of the process to receive and perform an autopsy on Eric Richins' body after his death. Ulmer testified her autopsy did reveal the presence of fentanyl in his system. There was also ethanol and quetiapine in his stomach contents.

The ethanol could indicate he drank alcohol, or it could mean there was decomposition of the stomach contents.

Deputy Vincent Nguyen, one of the sheriff's deputies who first responded to Eric Richins' death, finished testifying.

Then, the prosecutors called evidence and medical technician Camrynn Larson, Deputy David Pimentel, AEMT Margaret Offret and Sgt. Andrew Crnich to describe the crime scene, especially the Richins' bedroom, as they arrived in March 2022.

Attorneys asked numerous questions about how first responders affected the scene, including their search for medications prescribed to Eric Richins. Crnich was the one who found the bottle of hydrocodone dated 2016 in Eric Richins' nightstand.

Pimentel had looked for medications in the bathroom, including in a cupboard above the toilet. THC gummies were later found out of sight atop that cupboard, but he testified it was not his role, nor did he have a warrant or probable cause, to look for narcotics.

Prosecutors are about to call their ninth witness of the trial.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik is about to invite the jury back into the courtroom. Defense attorney Alexander Ramos will resume cross-examining Deputy Vincent Nguyen from the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

Third District Court recessed for the day shortly before 5 p.m. during defense attorney Alexander Ramos' cross-examination of Deputy Vincent Nguyen.

After Katie Richins-Benson, her husband Clint Benson took the stand. He spoke about his role controlling access to the family home after Eric Richins' death, as well as his experience on the night of the incident.

Then the jury heard from Summit County sheriff's Deputy Vincent Nguyen. He was one of the first responders early March 4, 2022.

Prosecutors are playing Deputy Nguyen's body camera footage from the night of the incident. Kouri Richins is distraught and answers law enforcement's questions in the video. Medical personnel are heard unsuccessfully performing life-saving measures on her husband.

Lisa Darden, Katie Richins-Benson and later Eric Richins' father also arrive. The video mirrors some of the testimony that the family of Eric Richins shared about that night.

At that point, there had been no autopsy to determine the cause of death. Deputies wonder if it was an aneurysm, and Kouri Richins and her mother mention Eric Richins had an allergy shot the day before.

Kouri Richins also told deputies her husband may have taken a THC gummy that night.

The morning began with testimony from Eric Richins' father, Gene Richins, and his sister, Katie Richins-Benson.

They both spoke to Eric Richins' character, saying he was a good dad, son and uncle.

They also both spoke about the day he died, the night of March 3 and early March 4, 2022.

Richins-Benson said she was first family member to reach the house in Francis. She said Kouri Richins, her mother Lisa Darden, the children and first responders were already there.

She thought Richins seemed businesslike and put together despite the circumstances. After a lunch break, Richins-Benson is now being cross-examined by the defense.

They're showing a clip of body camera footage from the night of Eric Richins' death, in which the defense says Kouri Richins is squatting to console Richins-Benson.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester also probed Richins-Benson's understanding of the Eric Richins Living Trust. She's the trustee in charge of that fund, she has said is for the Richins children's college.

Kouri Richins has filed separate litigation to fight for control of the trust and its assets, which include the family home in Francis.

Witness testimony is expected to continue for the rest of the afternoon.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik swore jurors in again after a short recess following opening arguments.

The oath that the jury took earlier this morning was incorrect.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester indicated before the recess that it wouldn't pose an issue since opening arguments aren't evidence anyway.

Evidence includes exhibits and witness testimony, not what the attorneys say.

Prosecutors called their first of likely many witnesses, Gene Richins, Eric Richins' father shortly before 10:45 a.m.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester resumes opening arguments after Summit County prosecutors asked to approach 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik at the bench.

The parties were conferring after Nester began discussing Kouri Richins buying pain pills from her employee and housekeeper Carmen Lauber.

Lauber is expected to testify she sold Richins fentanyl, but Nester says that wasn't Lauber's original story. She says she changed her tune after facing the threat of jail time and the prospect of a deal with investigators for a reduced penalty.

Finally, Nester introduces the jury to an optical illusion to demonstrate how the same set of facts can point to different conclusions. If you can see both images in the illusion, Nester says, "that's reasonable doubt."

The state has to prove Richins is guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt," the highest legal standard.

The defense reminds the jury that their client is presumed innocent until then. Nester asks the jury to "be courageous."

Defense attorney Kathy Nester directed the jury to a photo taken by crime scene technicians at the Richins' family home in Francis.

It shows an empty pain pill bottle in Kouri and Eric Richins' bedroom. Nester says it's hydrocodone prescribed to Eric Richins, which expired in 2016.

Nester says Eric Richins had pain related to his work in masonry and outdoor recreation.

And she admits Kouri Richins bought pain pills from Carmen Lauber. The defense says she was seeking hydrocodone, not fentanyl.

But Nester says the state has never been able to determine how fentanyl made it into Eric Richins' system. Investigators searched the family home as recently as two weeks ago, she said.

Glassware was left in the sink during initial searches of the home, according to Nester, so that a nanny was allowed and able to put cups through the dishwasher after Eric Richins died.

People around Eric didn't know how he died at first, according to the defense. Some people talked about aneurysms. But Nester says Eric Richins' family immediately started telling police that Kouri Richins probably killed him, and they hired a private investigator who shared his findings with police.

Nester says the private investigator had access to Eric Richins' computer before Summit County's investigators did.

Meanwhile, she says Kouri Richins' story hasn't been changed. She alleges that law enforcement listened in to Richins' calls with family and friends in the year after Eric Richins' death.

Nester says the prosecution's slides showing Kouri Richins' text messages amounted to "entertainment" and character assassination. She's urging jurors not to jump to conclusions.

The defense does not think the evidence supports the Valentine's Day attempted murder charge, either.

The trial is scheduled to last five weeks, and dozens of witnesses could be called and questioned.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester stands before the jury after chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth sits down.

She doesn't talk, but instead she plays the 911 call Kouri Richins places to Summit County dispatchers at 3:21 a.m. March 4, 2022.

Richins is heard crying, saying her husband Eric Richins is "cold" and not breathing.

"Those were sounds of a wife becoming a widow," Nester says to begin.

She contends Eric and Kouri Richins were celebrating because Kouri Richins was about to close the purchase of a Midway mansion. Richins planned to flip and resell it for "millions more," at least $2 million, Nester says.

The defense attorney says Eric Richins, a stone mason, was a part of the plan, having spread gravel at the property to beautify it for open houses. She shows text messages of him proposing "celebratory shots" related to the real estate deal.

Nester emphasizes how much money he was bringing into the marriage for both of them.

She discusses Eric Richins' hunting trips. He allegedly visited Mexico a couple weeks before his death. Nester says both Eric and Kouri Richins loved their three kids.

Chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth introduces the jury to the children's book Kouri Richins wrote about how to cope with the grief of losing a parent, "Are You With Me?"

He says she wrote, published and promoted it while knowing that an investigation into the death of Eric Richins was underway.

Bloodworth believes the evidence will show Eric Richins did not kill himself or die accidentally.

Bloodworth says his wife, Kouri Richins, had "means, motive and opportunity" to kill him. And he implores the jury to consider evidence that shows "no one else did."

He leaves the jury with three memes accessed on Kouri Richins' phone the morning of March 4. One is of President Donald Trump saying, "I'm really rich."

Brad Bloodworth, Summit County chief prosecutor, is still making opening statements as the murder trial of Kouri Richins gets underway.

He has turned to one of the most serious charges against her: attempted murder.

Prosecutors think Richins bought fentanyl pills from a housekeeper she employed, Carmen Lauber, who got them from another street dealer. After buying pills the first time, Richins asked for "something stronger," Bloodworth says.

Prosecutors think Richins attempted to poison her husband twice in early 2022 and that, the second time, it was fatal. Toxicology shows Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose, according to Bloodworth.

Now Bloodworth turns to the morning of his death, March 4, 2022.

He quotes from a notebook that is expected to be introduced as evidence. Kouri Richins allegedly wrote what happened the night and morning of March 3 and March 4. She appears to discuss finding Eric Richins dead in their home in Francis, Utah.

Many of the text messages Bloodworth is quoting from during opening statements, he says, have been deleted. He also brings up Kouri Richins' phone searches, which he says deal with how to permanently delete messages from an iPhone.

Summit County chief prosecutor Brad Bloodworth is making opening arguments for the state.

He's beginning with a narrative about the day of March 3, 2022, the night prosecutors think Kouri Richins fatally poisoned Eric Richins, her husband, with fentanyl.

Bloodworth says Kouri Richins gave him a drink that night. He notes that she unlocked her phone and moved about before calling 911, and he said that Kouri Richins texted with her boyfriend that evening.

Bloodworth introduces himself and other prosecutors to the jurors.

He begins to tell them that Richins took out an insurance policy on Eric Richins' life before his death. Kouri Richins' attorneys immediately object and approach the bench. It's the first of many objections expected during the trial, which is scheduled to run until March 27.

Bloodworth clarifies that the insurance policy is related to the charges of fraud and forgery. He and the other prosecutors are expected to argue that Richins was in debt and in love with another man, both of which provided the motive for murder.

Eric Richins' estate was worth over $4 million when he died, according to Bloodworth. He thinks Kouri Richins thought she'd inherit that, but was wrong.

Bloodworth claims Richins was "chronically unhappy in her marriage." He details her texts, planned vacations and interactions with her alleged boyfriend, Robert Josh Grossmann.

The defense team will be able to make opening statements and arguments after Bloodworth or after the state presents all its evidence. Defense attorneys are not required to make opening statements at all.

The 12 jurors have entered the court room and were sworn in by 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik's court staff. There are eight jurors and four alternates. All will hear the evidence over the next five weeks.

Mrazik is reading the charges Summit County has brought against Kouri Richins.

The charges include five felonies: aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud. Richins has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Summit County prosecutors are seeking to prove that Richins fatally poisoned her husband in March 2022. They also say she attempted to kill him on Valentine's Day in 2022, which is what the second charge refers to.

The alleged financial crimes speak to motive. The prosecution has claimed Richins wanted to leave the marriage and needed money from insurance policies and her husband's will.

The trial of Kouri Richins began at the Summit County Justice Center just outside Park City, Utah, around 8:30 a.m. this morning.

Summit County prosecutors and defense attorneys for Richins are discussing preliminary matters with 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik. That includes whether members of the two families involved with the case can stay in the court room after they take the stand as witnesses.

The jury has not yet entered the courtroom.

About two dozen spectators are allowed into the court room each day due to limited seating, not including credentialed media, friends and family members.