Kouri Richins: What the Defense Is Working With Before Trial

Kouri Richins goes to trial February 23rd on charges she allegedly poisoned her husband Eric with fentanyl. The prosecution has over 100 witnesses and 1,000 exhibits. But defense attorney Bob Motta says this case has vulnerabilities that could create reasonable doubt.

Robert Crozier—the man prosecutors say supplied fentanyl to Kouri's housekeeper—recanted in October 2025. He now says he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl, and was "detoxing" during his original statement. The judge still denied bail, but that recantation matters at trial.

No fentanyl was ever recovered from the Richins home. The only physical evidence is what was in Eric's body. Everything linking Kouri to the drug is testimony—and the defense will attack that testimony's credibility.

The judge excluded evidence that Eric was allegedly abusive and barred a domestic violence expert from testifying. Bob analyzes what that exclusion costs the defense and whether alternative strategies exist.

Prosecutors will present Kouri's Google searches after Eric's death: "lethal dose of fentanyl," "luxury prisons for the rich," "permanently delete information from iPhone." Bob explores whether any defense framing can survive that evidence.

The "Walk the Dog" letter allegedly found in Kouri's jail cell appears to contain witness tampering instructions. The defense says it's fiction from a manuscript she was writing. The judge partially admitted it.

And there's a shadow: Lisa Darden, Kouri's mother. Her romantic partner died of an oxycodone overdose in 2006 after naming Darden as beneficiary. A detective wrote it's "possible" she was involved in Eric's death.

This is the defense playbook before trial begins.

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.