PARK CITY, Utah (ABC4) — The Kouri Richins murder case is going to trial after the judge ruled that the state presented enough evidence of the alleged crimes to present a case to a jury.

More than a year after the arrest of Kouri Richins — the Kamas woman accused of killing her husband — the preliminary hearing wrapped up on Tuesday, Aug. 27, with plans to go to trial.

Judge Richard Mrazik ruled that there was probable cause to try Kouri Richins for all 11 counts, including aggravated murder and aggravated attempted murder. The trial is set to take four weeks and is tentatively scheduled for April 28 through May 22.

During the second day of the preliminary hearing, the state and defense presented their final arguments to the court as the state called its last witness the day prior. Kouri Richins chose not to take the stand.

The court spent the most time debating the attempted murder charge that refers to an incident on Feb. 14, 2022, where Eric Richins texted Kouri Richins that he might go to the hospital a couple of hours after eating a sandwich she brought home for him from a diner.

Brad Bloodworth with the prosecution argued that the best evidence for the attempted murder charge was the alleged murder itself 17 days later. He also pointed to her alleged procurement of fentanyl two days before Valentine’s Day and her requesting stronger stuff after the incident.

The defense later argued that she also received illicit drugs after his death, which could show that she was using the drugs for purposes other than murder.

Bloodworth also claimed there is evidence she was with “her paramour” — or the man she was having an affair with — later that day while Eric Richins was texting her saying he was sick and might seek medical attention.

“What she says is chilling, she says take a nap. And then she doesn’t check on him for two hours,” Bloodworth claimed.

The defense responded to that saying that the quote was taken out of context and that she also asked if she should come home and later said if she were there she would cuddle him.

The defense said the attempted murder charge should be dismissed as it is “pure speculation” and the state does not have proof.

“There’s innocent explanations for everything that happened on the 14th,” Kathy Nester argued.

Prosecutors, however, believe his subsequent death — along with him eating a sandwich she gave him and having symptoms that could be attributed to fentanyl — is enough to charge her with the crime and further discuss it during the trial.

“The defendant learned from the attempt and applied it to the homicide,” Bloodworth claimed.

The judge reminded the court that she is still presumed innocent and that this ruling was only in regard to whether there was probable cause that she committed the crimes. This means the judge ruled there is evidence that she may have committed a crime, not that she did.

Kouri Richins pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts.

The defense team shared the following statement to ABC4 after the hearing:

We are aware that the preliminary hearing stage favors the prosecution to an extraordinary degree and respect the court’s decision. We firmly believe the charges against Kouri do not withstand thorough scrutiny and are confident that a jury will find the same. 

Our focus now is on ensuring that justice is served through a fair trial. We are committed to defending Kouri against these charges, firmly believing that the truth will prevail. These past fifteen months have taken a heavy toll on Kouri and her three children. It’s time to bring this ordeal to an end, restore her life, and allow her and her family to move on.

Kathy Nester, Wendy Lewis – Nester Lewis, and Alexander Ramos – Langford Ramos