Key witness in Kouri Richins murder trial admits to getting illicit drugs for Utah mom accused of killing husband with fentanyl
A former house cleaner for Kouri Richins, a Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, testified that she procured illicit fentanyl pills for the mother of three before he died -- as the defense tried to poke holes in the key witness' testimony in the ongoing murder trial.
Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old realtor, was charged with aggravated murder in connection with the 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins, following a lengthy investigation. Prosecutors allege she spiked his cocktail with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Her charges also include attempted aggravated murder, with prosecutors alleging she gave her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl on Valentine's Day two weeks before his death in an initial, failed attempt to kill him.
Kouri Richins, who self-published a children's book on grieving following her husband's death, has pleaded not guilty and has maintained her innocence.
Her husband, 39-year-old Eric Richins, was found dead in bed on March 4, 2022. An autopsy determined that he died from fentanyl intoxication, and the level of fentanyl in his blood was approximately five times the lethal dosage, according to the charging document. The medical examiner determined the fentanyl was "illicit fentanyl," not medical grade, according to the charging document.
Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins purchased illicit fentanyl pills shortly before the Valentine's Day incident and again before his death, at which point she allegedly asked for stronger drugs.
Her house cleaner at the time, Carmen Lauber, testified during the trial on Thursday that in early 2022, Kouri Richins asked her to buy pain pills for an investor.
"She reached out and asked if I could do her a favor. And I said, yeah, probably, what is it?" Lauber testified. "And then she called me and asked me if I could reach out to somebody for some pain meds for an investor that she knew. And I told her I could see what I could do."
Lauber testified that she subsequently bought illicit drugs for Kouri Richins three times prior to Eric Richins' death, with Kouri Richins reimbursing her or providing the cash for the purchases.
After the first purchase, Lauber testified that Kouri Richins texted her that "her investor wanted something stronger," so Lauber said she asked around and purchased drugs from a different person. That source told her he could get fentanyl pills, Lauber testified.
"I text Kouri back and told her that I had a friend that could get them, but they were fentanyl pills," Lauber testified. "She said, 'OK, go ahead and get it.'"
After that purchase, Lauber testified that Kouri Richins asked for "something stronger." Lauber said she went back to the second illicit drug source at the end of February 2022 for another buy.
After she learned of Eric Richins' death, Lauber testified that she spoke to Kouri Richins on the phone and said, "Please tell me those pills were not for him."
"She said, 'No they were not, Eric passed away from a brain aneurysm,'" Lauber testified.
Lauber confirmed on the stand that she has been convicted of drug possession and distribution, has pending marijuana and gun possession charges and is testifying pursuant to several grants of immunity. If she doesn't testify truthfully, she confirmed that she could lose that immunity and have charges filed against her.
Lauber said she spoke with investigators before being granted immunity. When asked why, she said, "I already knew Eric had passed away. But when they had mentioned that it was from an overdose, that hit hard. Only for the fact that, if that's what happened, I needed to step up and take accountability of my part in this ... and what I was asked for."
On cross-examination, defense attorney Wendy Lewis pressed Lauber on her interviews with detectives a year after Eric Richins' death. She accused Lauber of changing her story regarding details of the drug deals, including what pills she bought, to help the case against Kouri Richins and avoid punishment herself.
Lauber confirmed that she told detectives at the time that her memory "wasn't the best" due to her past drug use. She also confirmed that detectives told her she could be looking at a charge of distribution resulting in death.
"They also tell you, don't worry, we're going to help you out, right?" Lewis asked.
"Yes," Lauber responded.
Lewis tried to make the case that Lauber only started to refer to the illicit drugs she got from her second source as being fentanyl after the detectives "put the word fentanyl in your head."
"You told authorities during the course of these interviews that Kouri Richins never asked for fentanyl," Lewis asked.
"Yes," Lauber said.
"They tell you that you got fentanyl for Kouri Richins," Lewis asked.
Lauber stood by her testimony from Thursday, that her second drug source told her he could get fentanyl pills.
During redirect on Friday, Lauber testified that her memory has become clearer in the wake of her interviews with the detectives once she stopped using drugs and had a chance to review materials like phone records. She also admitted that she gets confused about the dates and details of various drug buys and confirmed that the detectives stressed to her that they would need to corroborate the information she gave them.
When asked by prosecutor Brad Bloodworth if she recalled what she said after detectives told her she could get a "big get out of jail free card," Lauber reviewed the transcript from the interview and responded, "I told them that even if that was the case, I felt like I still needed to step up and take accountability, if this is what really happened to Eric."
Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins was in "financial distress" due to her realty company's debts and believed she would have financially benefited from her husband's death, according to the charging document. They also allege she was having an affair and purportedly told a witness months before her husband's death that she "felt 'stuck' and 'trapped' in her marriage and it would be better if Eric Richins just died," according to the charging document.
"The evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life," Bloodworth said during opening statements earlier this week. "More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence and success."
The defense, meanwhile, said the two had had some "rough times" in their marriage and had contemplated divorce, but that they went to counseling and decided to stick it out. During her opening statement, defense attorney Kathy Nester did not deny that Richins sought drugs, but said the defendant purchased Oxycodone from her house cleaner at her husband's request.
Eric Richins, a stone mason and avid outdoorsman who suffered from back and knee pain, had recently returned from Mexico prior to his death, according to Nester.
"Guess where the fentanyl comes into this country from -- Mexico," Nester said.
A month prior to her arrest, the mom of three young sons appeared on a "Good Things Utah" segment on Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX to promote her children's book. In the segment, Kouri Richins said her husband of nine years died "unexpectedly" and that his death "completely took us all by shock."
