Kouri Richins Trial Begins: Defense Attorney on Prosecution Vulnerabilities

Kouri Richins goes to trial February 23rd in Summit County, Utah. Prosecutors allege she poisoned her husband Eric with fentanyl hidden in a Moscow Mule. Defense attorney Bob Motta says the prosecution has more vulnerabilities than the headlines suggest.

The alleged fentanyl supplier, Robert Crozier, recanted in October 2025. He now claims he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl, and was "detoxing" during his original interview. The judge denied bail—but that recantation gives the defense a powerful cross-examination tool.

No fentanyl pills were recovered from the Richins home. The physical evidence is limited to what was found in Eric's body. Everything else is testimony—and the defense will attack every witness's credibility.

Kouri's attorneys tried to present evidence that Eric was allegedly abusive. The judge excluded it and barred a domestic violence expert from testifying. Bob analyzes how damaging that ruling is.

The prosecution will present Kouri's Google searches: "lethal dose of fentanyl," "if someone is poisoned what does death certificate say," "luxury prisons for the rich." Devastating at first glance—but is there any defense framing that survives?

The "Walk the Dog" letter allegedly found in her jail cell looks like witness tampering instructions. The defense says it's fiction from a 65-page manuscript. The judge partially admitted it.

And Lisa Darden—Kouri's mother—casts a shadow. Her romantic partner died of an oxycodone overdose in 2006 after naming her beneficiary. A detective wrote she may have been involved in Eric's death.

This is the trial preview before opening statements.

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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.