Lead investigator describes letter, journal entry in Kouri Richins murder trial

PARK CITY — Jurors were shown a letter Wednesday found in Kouri Richins' jail cell that prosecutors say appears to outline testimony for her mother and brother.

The Kamas mother — accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, on March 4, 2022 — told her brother in the letter that he needed to tell her attorney he knew about Eric Richins getting "pain pills and fentanyl from Mexico" and that he "just gets high every night."

It says, "The connection has to be made with Mexico and drugs. … It can be short and to the point but has to be done."

The six-page letter, titled "Walk the Dog!!" was found inside a book in Kouri Richins' jail cell in September 2023. Prosecutors have claimed it outlines false testimony she was providing for her mother and brother. The letter was written to her mother, and directed her to tell her brother about it in person and to "take vague notes of all this so you remember before you walk the dog."

"Tell him I need him to do this. Bring me home," Richins wrote.

But Richins' attorneys say the letter contains a fictional story

The letter was presented during the testimony of Summit County sheriff's detective Jeff O'Driscoll, the prosecution team's final witness. O'Driscoll was assigned as lead detective on the case almost a year after Eric Richins' death. During the investigation, he looked at Eric Richins' prescription drug history, which was limited, and saw some texts between Eric and Kouri Richins about THC gummy use.

Children's book

O'Driscoll, who will return to the stand Thursday, said he watched Kouri Richins talk about a children's book she wrote about dealing with death when she appeared on a TV program. He said she applied to be on the program and claimed it was the first children's book about losing a parent.

He said the sheriff's office received an anonymous package with the book and a note that said, "There are two sides to every story. This is a true Kouri, a devoted wife and adoring mother. Thought you should know." They later learned through a subpoena to Amazon that the book was sent by Kouri Richins' mother.

The book was written by a ghostwriter, according to texts with the company from Richins' phone. O'Driscoll also said they found messages between Richins and her brother saying it would cost $10,000 to write the book, and that she would make $5.35 for each book sold.

Richins also texted her brother on May 24, 2023, asking if Eric Richins ever talked about suicide. Her brother said he hadn't.

Calls between Kouri Richins and her mother, Lisa Darden, were played in the courtroom, including a conversation when the two discussed the claim that Richins had poisoned a sandwich. Kouri Richins said, "They are nuts," saying it was a lie that she had poisoned a sandwich.

Key witness

O'Driscoll said they were led to Carmen Lauber through other text messages and calls, and specifically learned about a call she made with a man where she said she made money buying illicit street drugs on the day Eric Richins died. Lauber was a house cleaner for Kouri Richins and testified that she sold drugs to her.

The detective said officers searched Lauber's home and found drug paraphernalia, a firearm she wasn't allowed to have due to her criminal history and a copy of Eric Richins' obituary.

During interviews, Lauber tended to minimize her involvement and hold back, O'Driscoll testified, out of self-preservation. She said she wanted to help police but had problems remembering, and O'Driscoll said investigators told her to say what she remembered and not make things up, but that investigators needed details.

She was interviewed six times for a total of about 10 hours. Chunks of those interviews were played for jurors, where Lauber admitted to burying drugs in the fire pit of a home where Kouri Richins had directed her to go.

Lauber also returned to the stand briefly on Wednesday after Richins' attorneys requested some more time to cross-examine her about details they learned about her not following through with some drug court conditions. Lauber confirmed she had gone to a concert and was caught by someone with the Summit County Sheriff's Office holding alcohol.

Journal entry

Kouri Richins was arrested in May of 2023, over a year after her husband died. In a journal entry from the night before he died — shown to the jury on Wednesday — she talked about how her husband was upset about a hunting situation in Mexico. The couple had a celebratory drink, and she went to sleep with her son, who wasn't feeling well.

The entry, which O'Driscoll said was found in an orange notebook, told about her finding Eric Richins "cold," calling 911 and rocking back and forth in a corner of the room as emergency responders did CPR. The entry said that after hearing her husband did not survive, she ran to the bathroom and vomited.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Kathy Nester asked O'Driscoll about the investigation, pointing out possible holes. He said he did not know how the fentanyl got into Eric Richins' system, except that it was orally ingested, and he did not know when Eric Richins had died. He said they had not tested any pills that were passed from Lauber to Kouri Richins.

O'Driscoll confirmed there was a Google search from Eric Richins shortly before he died, regarding the distance of a drive from Utah to Señora, Mexico. He said he believes Eric Richins had gone hunting in that area.

Kouri Richins, 35, is charged with aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, first-degree felonies, two counts of insurance fraud, a second-degree felony, and forgery, a third-degree felony. She also has a separate case involving additional financial charges.

Watch the trial here:

Contributing: Nate Eaton, EastIdahoNews.com

Correction: A previous version said Kouri Richins was from Park City, she is from Kamas.

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