Kouri Richins Trial: The Defense Just Landed Real Blows

The Kouri Richins murder trial begins February 23rd in Summit County, Utah — nearly four years after Eric Richins was found dead with more than five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. Prosecutors say Kouri mixed it into a Moscow Mule and watched her husband die. The defense says the state's case has been bleeding out before it even reaches a jury.

Defense attorney and former felony prosecutor Eric Faddis joins Hidden Killers to break down what might be the defense's strongest hand heading into trial — and it starts with the man who was supposed to be the state's key link in the drug supply chain.

Robert Crozier, the alleged fentanyl source, has now signed a sworn affidavit saying he sold OxyContin — not fentanyl — to housekeeper Carmen Lauber. He claims he was detoxing and disoriented during his 2023 police interview. The pills were never recovered. They were never tested. Prosecutors dropped their drug distribution charges in October 2025 after that recantation. For the defense, that's not just a win — it's a hole in the murder weapon theory that may never be filled.

But it doesn't stop there. Weeks before jury selection, the defense released text messages allegedly showing lead Detective Jeff O'Driscoll threatening a witness with arrest and bringing "a catch pole for the dog" if she didn't cooperate. A second witness reportedly said investigator Travis Hopper warned their immunity could be revoked if they didn't meet with prosecutors again. If those allegations stick in jurors' minds, the credibility of the entire investigation could be in play.

Then there's what the jury won't hear. Judge Mrazik excluded the prosecution's domestic violence expert and limited FBI profiler Molly Amman's testimony after defense criminologist Bryanna Fox called the "pathway to violence" framework disconnected from science. The judge also denied — twice — the prosecution's attempts to bring Kouri's 26 separate financial crime charges into the murder trial to prove motive. That means the jury won't hear about mortgage fraud, money laundering, or bad checks unless the prosecution finds another door.

Eric Faddis walks through every one of these rulings and explains what they mean for reasonable doubt, jury perception, and the defense's ability to keep this trial laser-focused on one question: can the state prove Kouri Richins poisoned her husband beyond a reasonable doubt?

With 85 percent of Summit County residents saying they'd heard of this case, jury selection wrapped in two days instead of five, and the defense lost two venue change motions. Faddis breaks down whether rapid jury selection in a media-saturated county helps or hurts Kouri — and what the defense's single biggest card is heading into opening statements.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #RichinsTrial #FentanylMurder #SummitCounty #RobertCrozier #ReasonableDoubt #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod

Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.