Kouri Richins Trial Opens: The Witch, The Widow, and What Day 1 Exposed

Day 1 of the Kouri Richins murder trial delivered competing narratives that will define the next five weeks in a Park City courtroom.

Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth opened with a gut-punch — three memes allegedly found on Kouri's phone the morning Eric Richins' body was removed from their home. One read "I'm rich." Their three boys hadn't been told. Bloodworth presented alleged evidence of $4.5 million in debt, an affair with Josh Grossman, text messages about marriage and Caribbean vacations, internet searches for luxury prisons, and a fifteen-minute delay before calling 911.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester countered with the raw 911 audio of Kouri sobbing and telling the dispatcher her husband was cold. She dismantled the prosecution's reliance on key witness Carmen Lauber, who allegedly never mentioned fentanyl in her original statement and changed her story only under threat of prison. Lauber's own dealer recanted in a sworn affidavit. No fentanyl was found in the home. The Moscow mule glasses were never analyzed. The death certificate lists manner of death as unknown. And at 10 p.m. on the night Eric died, his friend said he sounded completely normal on the phone.

Katie Richins-Benson's testimony anchored the day emotionally, describing Kouri as composed in matching pajamas while the family shattered around her — allegedly pushing to close on a mansion and sell their home while her brother's body was barely out the door. The defense challenged Katie's recollections and flagged the family's $100,000 private investigator as evidence of a coordinated effort.

Nester showed the jury an optical illusion and told them the prosecution would see a witch where she sees a widow. Carmen Lauber and Josh Grossman have yet to testify.

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