Kouri Richins Trial Day 1 Recap: Two Completely Different Stories About the Night Eric Died

Quick Background

Kouri Richins The Defendant

Eric Richins The Victim

Kouri Richins — Utah mom, house-flipper, accused of murdering her husband by fentanyl poisoning on March 3-4, 2022. She has pleaded not guilty.

Eric Richins — Kouri's husband, age 39. Ran a successful stonemasonry business. Found dead in bed.

Their three sons — Carter (9), Ashton (7), Weston (5). At home the night Eric died.

Josh Grossman — Kouri's boyfriend. They were exchanging "love you" texts the night of Eric's death.

Carmen Lobber — A house cleaner who purchased street pills at Kouri's request. Key prosecution witness.

Katie Richins Benson — Eric's sister and estate trustee. Most significant witness of Day 1.

Day 1 at a Glance

Day 1 ran over eight hours — opening statements from both sides and four witnesses. Here's where things stand:

In the courtroom: Four witnesses testified — Eric's father Gene, his sister Katie, his brother-in-law Clint, and the first responding deputy. The defense caught Katie in a memory error using body cam footage and took apart the deputy's investigation on cross-examination.

Pre-Trial: The GIF Bombshell

35:06 — The prosecution reveals that three GIF images were accessed on Kouri's phone at 8:30 AM on March 4 — the exact moment the last officials left the house. Her kids were upstairs with their uncle. She hadn't told them their father was dead yet. The defense tried to keep these out, but the judge allowed them.

The Prosecution's Opening Statement

Prosecutor Brad Bledworth begins at 57:47

The Night Eric Died: A 15-Minute Gap

• 7:22 PM: Josh Grossman texts Kouri a picture of two people kissing with "Love you." She responds "Love you" at 8:36 PM.
• That evening, Kouri makes Eric a drink, brings it to the bedroom, then leaves the room.
• 3:06 AM: Kouri unlocks her phone. She does not call 911.
• Phone data shows her walking around the house for 15 minutes, unlocking her phone multiple times.
• 3:21 AM: She calls 911.
• 3:58 AM: Paramedics pronounce Eric dead. They believe he'd been dead for hours.

The Money Motive: $4.5 Million in Debt, $4 Million to Inherit

1:02:43

• $4.5 million owed to 20+ lenders
• 200+ overdrafted transactions ($300,000+) in the 5 months before Eric's death
• Taking out new loans to pay existing loans — including payday loans
• Adding $3.2 million more debt the very day Eric died (Midway mansion closing)

Eric's estate was worth over $4 million — business (~$2M), home (~$1M), life insurance (~$2M). Because of their prenup, divorce would get Kouri nothing from Eric's business. His death while married meant she believed she'd inherit everything.

She also took out a $100,000 life insurance policy on Eric weeks before he died — the forgery charge — signing his name without his knowledge.

The Boyfriend Texts: "Watch a Murder Documentary and Snuggle"

1:06:44 — The prosecution reads Kouri's texts with Josh Grossman:

• Feb 13 (day before the alleged first attempt): "I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle you, watch a murder documentary, and snuggle."
• 5 days after Valentine's Day: "If he could just go away and you could just be here. Life would be so perfect."
• One week before Eric's death: "I have a crazy dream. You quit your job. I divorce and come up with millions and millions..."
• Just over two weeks after Eric's death: She texts Josh a link to a luxury Caribbean resort: "Are we there yet?"
• About five weeks after: "I think I want you to be my husband one day."

The Valentine's Day "Practice Run"

1:10:47 — Through Carmen Lobber, Kouri purchased pills from a street dealer on February 11. On Valentine's Day, she bought Eric a sandwich from the Mirror Lake Diner, left it at home, and drove an hour away to be with Josh.

At 11:33 AM, Eric texted: "I'm gonna lay down for a bit. If I don't start getting better, I'm going to head to the hospital soon." His phone went silent for 90 minutes in the middle of a busy workday. When he came back, he called two friends sounding "scared, somber, confused, bewildered."

Days later, Kouri asked Carmen for "something stronger."

The Fatal Dose and the Cover-Up

1:13:28 — On February 26, Carmen bought pills from the same dealer and dropped them at one of Kouri's properties. The autopsy found several times a lethal amount of fentanyl — an "extraordinary amount" that was "intentional, not accidental."

1:14:54 — Two months of data were deleted from Kouri's phone. After getting a new phone, she searched for:

1:19:23 — Five weeks later, police told Kouri Eric died of fentanyl. She then searched for:

"How Did That Make You Feel?"

1:16:53 — Days after Eric's death, Kouri asked Josh Grossman: "While serving in Iraq, did you ever kill anyone?" When he answered:

1:20:24 — Almost a year later, while police were investigating her for murder, Kouri published a children's book about dealing with the loss of a parent and promoted it on local TV and radio.

The Defense's Opening Statement

Attorney Kathy Nester begins at 1:28:00

"This Was a Celebration, Not a Murder"

1:28:06 — The defense's version of March 3, 2022:

• A night of celebration — Kouri was closing the biggest deal of her career. Eric had been at the property that day.
• Eric's business reported $750,000+ income in 2020, going up.
• A close friend will testify they were "the happiest together that he'd ever seen them."
• Celebratory shots, new Moscow Mule cups, kids to bed. One child had night terrors — Kouri slept in his room. At 10 PM, Eric was on the phone with a friend, sounding normal.
• The cups were left in the sink with liquid still in them. Nobody tested them.

"You'll Never Hear HOW"

1:40:33

• Death certificate lists manner of death as "unknown" — homicide, suicide, or accident.
• No fentanyl found in the bedroom — police never searched for it.
• Moscow Mule cups never tested. The nanny put them in the dishwasher the next morning.
• Crime scene never secured. Friends and family came and went all day.
• Kouri's story has never changed — even after a year of secretly recorded phone calls.

Eric's Hidden Pain and Substance Use

1:34:44 — The defense reveals Eric dealt with chronic pain and used substances more than his family knew:

• Marijuana gummies throughout the house — in his clothes, closet. Some from dispensaries, some unknown sources.
• Expired hydrocodone bottle (in Eric's name) on his nightstand.
• Chronic back and knee pain, Lyme disease, smuggled gummies through TSA when traveling.

The Pills Were Oxy, Not Fentanyl

1:54:51 — The defense agrees Kouri asked Carmen for pills. But:

• She asked for oxycodone for Eric's pain, not fentanyl.
• The dealer will testify he only sold oxy in early 2022.
• No oxycodone was found in Eric's autopsy. Whatever Carmen bought didn't kill him.
• Carmen changed her story only after police caught her with drugs and guns.
• Eric had been in Mexico weeks before his death — a fentanyl source country.

Eric's Family Was Investigating From Day One

1:44:53 — This is where the defense lands one of their strongest arguments. The Richins family didn't wait for the investigation — they ran their own:

• Before the cause of death was even known, Eric's sisters told police "Kouri probably did this."
• The family hired a PI and paid him nearly $100,000 — from the trust meant for the three boys. He got Eric's computer before police did.
• They hired their own experts in toxicology, finances, and handwriting analysis.
• Katie sent a 9-page timeline of suspicions to the lead detective just two weeks after Eric's death.

The defense's point: the family spared no expense building a case against Kouri, the PI and their private experts fed everything to prosecutors, and those same experts are now testifying as state witnesses. After nearly four years and all that money, there's still no physical evidence showing how fentanyl got into Eric's body.

"The Witch and the Widow"

2:04:03 — The defense closes with an optical illusion that looks like either a young woman or an old witch.

The most memorable line of Day 1.

Witness 1 — Gene Richins: Kouri Fabricates the Cause of Death

Eric's father — 2:31:23

Brief and emotional. Gene arrived at the house around 4:00 AM and doesn't remember Kouri saying much of anything.

The key moment (2:41:41): Before autopsy results were released, Kouri called Gene and told him Eric "died of the same thing Linda did" — referring to Gene's late wife, who died of a fungal lung infection. Katie called the medical examiner's office. They had never received a call from Kouri and hadn't released results yet.

Cross-examination: The defense has no questions. "Sir, we're very sorry for your loss."

Witness 2 — Katie Benson: The Most Important Witness of the Day

Eric's sister and estate trustee — 2:45:59

Kouri Closes a Real Estate Deal the Morning Eric Died

3:04:20 — The boys didn't know their dad was dead for hours. Katie repeatedly asked Kouri to tell them. When she finally did, seven-year-old Ashton was devastated. Katie had to ask multiple times before Kouri would go console him.

While Kouri was in with Ashton, her brother's fiancee came in to discuss a real estate closing. Kouri switched to business mode.

That morning, Katie also watched Kouri take Eric's Apple Watch off Ashton's wrist, wipe everything off it, and hand it back (3:11:24). Kouri told Katie she planned to sell the house (in Eric's trust) and already had a plan to run his business.

The Cremation Push

3:15:46 — At the funeral planning meeting, Kouri's mother Lisa said: "When are we going to talk about Eric wanting to be cremated?" The family pushed back. Kouri agreed to burial.

Cross-Exam: Body Cam Proves Katie's Memory Wrong

4:46:11 — The defense plays body cam footage showing Kouri did kneel down and hug Katie that morning — contradicting Katie's testimony. Katie: "To be fair, it was four years ago." The footage also shows Kouri in pajamas with messy hair, not the put-together appearance Katie described.

The family investigation: Katie emailed a 9-page timeline of suspicions to the lead detective on March 21 — before the cause of death was even known. The family hired a forensic accountant who, after Kouri's arrest, became a prosecution witness.

What Katie didn't know: She didn't know Eric used marijuana. She attributed the gummies to Kouri, not Eric. And the trust Kouri allegedly killed to access was set up to benefit both Kouri and the children — Kouri never asked for a dime in the year after Eric's death.

Witness 3 — Clint Benson: The HELOC and the Compromised Evidence

Eric's brother-in-law — 5:52:35

The $250,000 Loan Eric Didn't Know About

6:01:06 — In fall 2020, Eric called Katie extremely upset. Clint pulled up Summit County property records and found a $250,000 HELOC on Eric's home that Eric knew nothing about. Eric also discovered multiple credit cards had been opened in his name without his knowledge.

Clint connected Eric with a divorce attorney (communicating as a go-between because Kouri was monitoring Eric's emails). That attorney recommended the trust lawyer who put Eric's assets under Katie's control. Eric decided not to divorce.

The defense's point: both Eric and Kouri knew the trust existed. She knew she wasn't guaranteed to inherit.

The Defense Chips Away at the Evidence

5:55:27 — The family's PI was in the house multiple times, moved things, and was paid $100,000+ from the trust meant for the boys. Police searched the house approximately 10 times, most recently two weeks before the trial.

Witness 4 — Deputy Vincent W.: Body Cam Footage and a Dismantled Investigation

First responding officer — 7:06:08

The court plays the deputy's body camera footage. Kouri's account on camera matches what she's always said: celebratory drinks, bed around 9:30, slept in her son's room, woke at 3 AM, found Eric cold.

Key moments on the body cam:

• 7:24:44: "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god."
• 7:32:07: "My husband is active. He didn't just die in his sleep. This is insane."
• 7:34:33: 9-year-old Carter told his mother that God told him his father had died.
• 7:38:01: Katie arrives: "I am his everything. I'm his power of attorney."

Cross-Exam: "Everybody Counts or Nobody Counts"

7:59:07 — Defense attorney Ramos methodically exposes everything the deputy did NOT do:

• Did not enter the kitchen where the Moscow Mule cups sat in the sink
• Did not search for the THC gummies Kouri told him about — didn't even ask where they were
• Did not collect the hydrocodone bottle on the nightstand
• When the deputy assigned to look for medications went off shift, nobody replaced him

The one thing he did do: checked the thermostat.

Ramos gets the deputy to agree he's a "fact gatherer" and a "truth seeker" — that "everybody counts or nobody counts." Then demonstrates that the deputy failed to treat the evidence that way.

Kouri answered every question she was asked, volunteered information, and cooperated completely.

The judge calls it at 8:34:09. Deputy W returns tomorrow.

Legal Sidebar

Katie stays in the courtroom (4:37:18) — Designated a "victim representative" over the defense's objection.

Phone evidence dispute (8:36:44) — The defense won't skip chain of custody for cell phone evidence. Kicked to tomorrow.

Day 1 Scoreboard

Where the Audience Stands

Coming Up: Day 2

Deputy Vincent W. is back on the stand, and the defense isn't done with him. We'll also hear from the paramedic, two more first responders (Andy Cernich and Deputy Pimentel), and crime scene technician Chelsea Gibson — who handled the phone evidence that could be the most contested piece of this entire trial.

This is part of Madness & Motive's ongoing coverage of the Kouri Richins trial. Watch the full Day 1 video on YouTube.

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