Jury selection starts February 10th. Trial begins February 23rd. And the real fights — Crozier's recantation, O'Driscoll's witness texts, a timeline the defense says is impossible — are just getting started.

Judge Richard Mrazik denied the defense's second venue change motion, finding a fair and impartial jury can still be seated in Summit County. Prosecutors pointed to 830 potential jurors who said they hadn't heard of the case or hadn't followed it — nearly half the questionnaire pool. The defense claimed only 72 viable jurors remain. The court disagreed.

Kouri Richins is charged with aggravated murder in the 2022 fentanyl death of her husband Eric in Kamas, Utah. Prosecutors allege she spiked his cocktail with five times the lethal amount after a failed attempt on Valentine's Day two weeks earlier. The alleged motive is financial — her realty company owed at least $1.8 million while Eric's estate was worth roughly $5 million.

Her case appeared in a January 2026 Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warning law enforcement about domestic partners using chemical and biological toxins to kill. DHS documented seventeen cases since 2014 with at least eleven deaths — substances like cyanide, antifreeze, fentanyl, and eye drops chosen because they mimic natural illness. The bulletin specifically cited Richins' upcoming trial as part of this accelerating national pattern.

What makes this case so well-known traces back to the allegations themselves. A children's book about grief written after Eric's death and before her arrest. A six-page jailhouse letter allegedly laying out fabricated testimony. Nearly $2 million in life insurance policies. And Robert Crozier — the drug source who now says under oath he never sold fentanyl at all.

Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #RobertCrozier #WalkTheDogLetter #SummitCountyTrial #FentanylPoisoning #JurySelection #DHSWarning #UtahMurderTrial

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There's an irony in the Kouri Richins case that hasn't gotten nearly enough attention — and it's sitting right inside the defense's own venue change motion.

The "Walk the Dog letter" was found in Kouri's jail cell in September 2023. Six handwritten pages addressed to her mother, allegedly laying out what prosecutors describe as fabricated testimony for her brother to deliver at trial. The header read: "Walk The Dog!! But take vague notes so you remember." Prosecutors say it was witness tampering. The defense called it fiction writing. The judge allowed it into evidence.

Now, nearly three years later, the defense cited that same letter by name in their motion to move the trial — arguing it's so widely known that merely mentioning it during jury selection could trigger prospective jurors to recognize the case and disqualify themselves. The document prosecutors say Kouri allegedly wrote to manipulate the trial is now being used by her own lawyers to argue the trial can't be fair.

Judge Mrazik wasn't moved. He denied the venue change on February 2nd for the second time, finding the jury pool remains workable despite widespread case recognition. Prosecutors pointed to 830 potential jurors who were either unaware of the case or hadn't followed it.

As the trial approaches, the Walk the Dog letter remains one of the most explosive pieces of evidence the jury will confront — a window into what prosecutors allege was a deliberate attempt to rewrite the story of Eric Richins' death from inside a jail cell.

Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Jury selection begins February 10th.

#KouriRichins #WalkTheDogLetter #EricRichins #WitnessTampering #SummitCountyTrial #JurySelection #JudgeMrazik #FentanylCase #AreYouWithMe #TrueCrime

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Ten days before jury selection begins in her aggravated murder trial, Kouri Richins' name appeared in a place no defendant wants to be — a Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin sent to law enforcement agencies nationwide warning that domestic partners are increasingly using poisons to kill. The January 2026 bulletin documented seventeen cases since 2014, at least eleven ending in death, and cited Richins' upcoming trial as part of a pattern DHS says is accelerating. The substances being used — fentanyl, cyanide, antifreeze, eye drops — are chosen specifically because they mimic natural illness, and Richins is accused of using the most potent one on the list.

Prosecutors allege Richins spiked her husband Eric's cocktail with a fatal dose of illicit fentanyl on March 3, 2022, after a failed attempt two weeks earlier on Valentine's Day using a fentanyl-laced sandwich. Eric was found dead in their Kamas, Utah bedroom with approximately five times the lethal dose in his blood. The medical examiner confirmed the fentanyl was street-grade, not prescription. The alleged motive tracks with the pattern DHS identifies across these cases — financial desperation. Prosecutors say her realty company owed lenders at least $1.8 million while Eric's estate was worth roughly $5 million. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

What makes the Richins case a centerpiece of the DHS warning is what almost happened after Eric died. His death was initially treated as an overdose, not a homicide. In the weeks that followed, Richins wrote a children's book about grieving and promoted it on morning television. If investigators hadn't dug deeper, if the toxicology hadn't revealed illicit fentanyl at a concentration that doesn't occur by accident, this case could have closed as one more opioid statistic. That's exactly what the DHS bulletin warns about — poisoning deaths that look like something else entirely.

This episode places Richins' case alongside three convicted spousal poisoners who nearly got away with it — James Craig, Lana Clayton, and Stacey Castor — and connects them to America's collapsing autopsy infrastructure. The national autopsy rate has fallen from 19% in 1972 to 8.5%, with natural-looking deaths autopsied just 4.3% of the time. Death certificates are wrong roughly a third of the time. DHS is now telling law enforcement this is a growing threat. Kouri Richins goes to trial February 23, 2026, with jury selection starting February 10 in Park City. She is one of seventeen. Those are the ones we know about.

#KouriRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #DHSPoisoningWarning #EricRichins #FentanylPoisoning #SpousalPoisoning #ParkCityUtah #SummitCounty #AggravatedMurder #TrueCrime

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Two weeks before Kouri Richins faces a jury for allegedly poisoning Eric Richins with fentanyl, the prosecution's supply chain theory just collapsed.

Robert Crozier was the key witness. He originally told investigators he sold fentanyl to housekeeper Carmen Lauber—the alleged middle link between the drugs and Kouri. Now he's recanted. Signed affidavit. Says it was OxyContin, not fentanyl. Says he was detoxing and "out of it" during the original interview.

If the fentanyl didn't come from Crozier, prosecutors can't trace it to Lauber. If it didn't come from Lauber, they can't place it in Kouri's hands. And no fentanyl was ever recovered—no pills, no powder, no forensic link tying Kouri directly to the drugs that killed Eric.

Eric Richins had five times the lethal dose in his system. Someone gave it to him. But proving who just got a lot harder.

On top of the recantation, the defense dropped another bomb: a motion alleging prosecutors are intimidating witnesses, threatening arrest, and suggesting immunity could be revoked.

This episode breaks down every pretrial ruling heading into February 23rd. The FBI profiler limited to rebuttal. The domestic violence expert blocked. The 26 fraud charges severed. The statements suppressed after a Miranda violation.

And then there's the "Walk the Dog" letter—allegedly found in Kouri's jail cell, allegedly instructing her mother how to lie on the stand. Prosecutors call it witness tampering. The defense says it was fiction.

80% of Summit County residents recognize this case. Eight jurors from that county will decide whether Kouri Richins murdered her husband.

Defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down what the prosecution still has—and whether it's enough.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #WitnessRecants #WalkTheDogLetter #FentanylPoisoning #SupplyChainCollapse #EricFaddis #RichinsCase #UtahMurderTrial

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The Kouri Richins trial begins in weeks. The defense says key witness Robert Crozier has recanted — now claiming he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl. The prosecution says the totality of evidence still proves murder. Both sides are fighting over texts, timelines, and witness credibility.

But there's one test that could cut through all of it.

Eric Richins' hair.

Forensic hair analysis can detect fentanyl exposure going back ninety days or more. Segmental testing can show whether someone used drugs chronically over weeks and months — or was exposed to a single acute dose. If Eric had a secret fentanyl habit, his hair would reveal it. If he had no prior exposure before the night he died, his hair would reveal that too.

This is the evidence that could definitively answer the central question: Was Eric Richins murdered, or did he accidentally overdose?

According to charging documents, Eric died with approximately five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. The medical examiner determined it was illicit fentanyl, ingested orally. The defense says Eric was a partier. The prosecution says Kouri poisoned him for insurance money. But neither side has publicly raised the one forensic test that could prove their case beyond witness testimony.

Why not?

This episode breaks down the science of hair follicle drug testing, what we know and don't know about evidence collected at Eric's autopsy, and why both sides may have strategic reasons to avoid the most definitive evidence available.

If Eric was buried, the truth may still be recoverable. The question is whether anyone wants to find it.

Kouri Richins is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #FentanylPoisoning #HairDrugTest #ForensicEvidence #UtahMurderTrial #MoscowMuleMurder #TrueCrime #RobertCrozier

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After nearly three years in the Summit County Jail, Kouri Richins finally faces a jury on February 23rd, 2026. Jury selection begins February 10th. The trial is expected to last five weeks. And the case heading into that courtroom is dramatically different from the one prosecutors presented at her arrest. This episode is a complete breakdown of where things stand — what the prosecution has left, what the defense has won, and what the jury will actually see. We cover the Robert Crozier recantation and why the fentanyl supply chain is now in question. We explain why 26 financial charges were severed and why that evidence won't reach the murder jury. We go through the expert witnesses who were blocked or limited — including the domestic violence psychologist and FBI profiler. We detail the "Walk the Dog" letter, the orange notebook, and the suppressed statements from the 2022 search. We break down the venue fight that went all the way to the Utah Supreme Court and why Summit County residents will decide this case despite defense arguments that 80% of them already know who Kouri Richins is. Eric Richins died March 4th, 2022, with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. Prosecutors say Kouri poisoned his drink to cash in on his estate. The defense says the state can't prove she ever had fentanyl in her hands. This is the most comprehensive pretrial breakdown available — everything you need to know before opening statements.

#KouriRichins #KouriRichinsTrial #EricRichins #UtahMurderCase #FentanylMurder #SummitCounty #TrialPreview #TrueCrime #MoscowMuleMurder #GriefBookAuthor

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Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis provides comprehensive analysis of the Kouri Richins case heading into trial—plus a deep dive into the Michael McKee murder prosecution in Ohio for comparison.

On Richins: Trial begins February 23rd, but the state's case is taking damage. The defense just filed a bombshell motion alleging witness intimidation. Detective Jeff O'Driscoll allegedly threatened a witness with a warrant and "a catch pole for the dog" if they didn't cooperate. Investigator Travis Hopper allegedly told another witness their immunity could be revoked. Eric analyzes whether these allegations cross the line—and what happens if the judge grants the defense motion.

The Crozier recantation may be worse. Robert Crozier was the state's fentanyl sourcing link. He now says he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl, and was detoxing during his original interview. The defense calls this case-ending. Eric breaks down whether the prosecution can recover.

Judge Mrazik's rulings add complexity: limited FBI profiler testimony, excluded domestic violence evidence, partially admitted "Walk the Dog" letter. No fentanyl recovered. No pills. Five times the lethal dose—but a broken supply chain.

On McKee: Eric examines the Ohio prosecution from both sides. Surveillance footage, death threats, stolen plates, phone blackouts, vehicle tracking—strong evidence, but all circumstantial. What are the defense motions coming? What keeps prosecutors up at night?

Two cases. Both sides of the courtroom. One attorney who's worked them both.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #MichaelMcKee #MoniqueTepe #RichinsTrial #WitnessIntimidation #MurderAnalysis #FentanylPoisoning #WitnessRecants #TrueCrime

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Trial begins February 23rd. Seven weeks. Over 100 potential witnesses. Kouri Richins faces aggravated murder charges in the fentanyl poisoning death of Eric Richins. And heading into opening statements, both sides are wounded.

Defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis provides comprehensive analysis of the developments threatening to reshape this trial.

The witness intimidation motion is explosive. The defense alleges detective Jeff O'Driscoll texted a witness saying cooperate with prep calls or the next knock comes with a warrant and "a catch pole for the dog." Investigator Travis Hopper allegedly told a witness their previously granted immunity "remains conditional" on continued cooperation. Eric analyzes whether this crosses the line from aggressive tactics into actual witness intimidation under Utah law—and what happens if Judge Mrazik grants the defense motion demanding all communications between prosecutors and witnesses.

The Crozier recantation may be more damaging. Robert Crozier was the state's link between street-level fentanyl and the housekeeper allegedly in the supply chain to Kouri. He now says he sold OxyContin, not fentanyl—and that he was detoxing during his original interview. The defense calls this case-ending. Eric breaks down whether the prosecution can survive it.

We examine every significant pretrial ruling: FBI profiler limitations, excluded domestic violence evidence, and the partial admission of the "Walk the Dog" letter allegedly found in Kouri's jail cell.

No fentanyl recovered. No pills. No forensic link. Five times the lethal dose in Eric's body. The supply chain is broken. Does Utah still have a case?

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #RichinsTrial #FentanylPoisoning #WitnessIntimidation #RobertCrozier #WalkTheDogLetter #UtahMurder #WitnessRecants #TrueCrime

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