Kouri Richins Trial Key Witness Admits Illicit Affair in Courtroom Twist

A housecleaner who worked for Kouri Richin testified in her murder trial Thursday. Carmen Lauber said she supplied the fentanyl allegedly used by Richins to kill her husband. Lauber's statement said that she sold illicit pills to Richin four times in 2022.​

In her testimony, Lauber said, 'She'd called me and asked me if I could reach out to somebody for some pain meds for an investor that she knew.' She also stated that she had told Richin on the phone a few days after Eric Richins' death, 'Please tell me these pills were not for him,' which Richins answered with, 'No, they were not. Eric passed away from a brain aneurysm,' per CNN.

Kouri Richins, 35, from Utah has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder in connection with the death of her husband, Eric Richin, on 4 March 2022. She is also facing charges of mortgage fraud and forgery, which she also pleaded not guilty to. A murder conviction could mean life imprisonment for Richins.​

Fentanyl Transactions and Immunity

Prosecutors allege Kouri Richins fatally poisoned her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl and attempted to poison him weeks earlier, but she has denied these charges. The victim's autopsy revealed the amount of fentanyl in his system was around five times a lethal dose.

On Thursday, Carmen Lauber, now considered a key witness in the trial, admitted to being granted immunity for providing her testimony. She was being questioned by prosecutor Bradley Bloodworth in Summit County, Utah.​

Lauber said during her testimony, 'I already knew Eric had passed away. But when they told – when they had mentioned that it was from an overdose, that hit hard.' She felt that stepping up and taking accountability for her part in the events is something she needed to do. She also said during her testimony that she started supplying illicit drugs to Richins in late January or early February 2022.​

Lauber testified that she purchased an envelope of opiate pills from a co-worker and delivered them to Kouri Richins in her driveway the following day. Richins allegedly asked for illicit drugs again, but requested something stronger for an investor. When she contacted a man who offered pills that contained fentanyl, she sent Richins a text message, who then gave her the go signal to 'get them.'​

Alleged Poisoning Attempts and Payments​

On 11 February 2022, after retrieving $1,000 (£740), which was left by Richins for the pills, Lauber met with the man at a gas station. She was handed a 'little clear baggie with some pills in it.' She left the pills in the fireplace of the same house where the money was left for her by Richins.

​Days later, Kouri Richins allegedly tried poisoning her husband by contaminating his food. Documents state that the victim had shared with his friends how he felt unwell after eating the sandwich. Records show Eric Richins told a friend, 'I think my wife tried to poison me.' At the end of the month, Kouri Richins requested more drugs from Lauber, referencing the drugs that killed Michael Jackson, who died of a propofol overdose in 2009.

Lauber said she contacted the man who gave her fentanyl, picked up $1,000 (£740) in cash once again, and met him at the gas station where she was handed a baggie that contained light blue pills. The pills were picked up by Kouri Richins later. Phone records show that after her husband's death, Kouri Richins reached out to Lauber, sending a text that said, 'still have your hookup?'​

According to Lauber, she purchased drugs again for Richins, who gave her a $1,300 (£960) check, which was shown in court on Thursday. It was made out to Lauber for 'Construction clean Midway.' Lauber said, 'I never cleaned a house ever in my life for thirteen hundred dollars.' Richins allegedly told Lauber that her investor had 'left town,' saying she did not need pills anymore.