Summit County

Kouri Richins' preliminary hearing delayed until June

KPCW | By Connor Thomas

Published May 15, 2024 at 6:41 PM MDT

Kouri Richins, the Kamas mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Silver Summit Justice Center. — Kouri Richins, the Kamas mother of three who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, then wrote a children's book about grieving, looks on during a hearing Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, at the Silver Summit Justice Center.

The Kamas mother of three charged with her husband’s murder has been in Summit County Jail for over a year.

Defense attorneys for Kouri Richins objected to all of Summit County prosecutors’ evidence and witness statements at the hearing May 15, delaying the case a month.

Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik was supposed to determine whether Richins would stand trial for the murder of her husband Eric Richins, but now he’ll need to consider whether prosecutors’ evidence is admissible first.

The Summit County Attorney’s Office charged the Kamas mom of three with aggravated murder in May 2023, claiming Richins poisoned her husband with fentanyl in March 2022 for financial gain and to escape the marriage.

Now Richins faces 11 felony counts, including an alleged attempted murder on Valentine’s Day in 2022. She would go on to write a children’s book about grief.

She and her family have maintained her innocence while she’s been in the Summit County jail without bond for over a year.

May 15, Mrazik was expected to determine whether there’s enough evidence to warrant a trial. But the defense filed an objection to some exhibits and witness statements the night before.

And at the hearing, Richins’ attorney Skye Lazaro made a blanket objection to everything prosecutors planned to present, including text messages Richins sent to an alleged lover.

“They don't serve any relevancy to the alleged crimes,” Lazaro said. “If anything, it’s an attempt by the state to stain the character of my client, which has little bearing in a preliminary hearing stage.”

The prosecution successfully entered 18 exhibits at a hearing two days prior without objection. The defense told the court it would make objections to the 47 other exhibits and five witness statements that day if it had any, but it did not do so.

Defense attorney Skye Lazaro, left, talks to Summit County Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth about delaying until June a preliminary hearing for Lazaro's client, Kouri Richins, during a hearing Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Silver Summit Justice Center. Richins, a Kamas mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death, was later accused of fatally poisoning him.

The defense's new blanket objection means the attorneys need to make the case to Mrazik which evidence should be allowed.

“Has a one-day preliminary hearing turned into a two-day preliminary hearing, or do you think you can do it one day?” Mrazik asked Chief Prosecutor Bradley Bloodworth.

“Your honor,” he said, “this has turned into a three-day preliminary hearing.”

The two sides conferred with Mrazik and decided to reconvene on June 18, 19 and 20 to make their arguments before he determines if the case will go to trial. In the meantime, Richins remains in custody.