Kouri Richins’s murder trial is heating up with testimony revealing new, unknown information, casting further doubt on her innocence. On Tuesday, prosecutors brought up the Richins’ former housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, initial statement to law enforcement. Due to unresolved legal issues, the jury was sent home, and they took an early recess to allow attorneys to review the transcripts.
Admitting Statements Into Evidence
The prosecution is looking to admit more portions of the 1000-page transcript and video of Lauber’s police interview to counter Kouri Richins’ defense’s accusation that her trial testimony is consistent with her initial statement and that she was coerced into changing her story. Prosecutors said they are seeking to admit about 100 pages, limiting themselves in favor of efficiency.
Richins’ defense protested admitting Lauber’s statements, arguing it was inappropriate for them to put Detective Jeff O’Driscoll on the stand to testify to the transcript. Ultimately, the judge denied the defense’s arguments, ruling that only the declarant can properly bar the statement from being admitted. Defense then asked for a continuance so they could review the transcript portions.
Recent Testimony
Yesterday, Carmen Lauber was called up to the stand again and was questioned on new information regarding her drug court violations. She admitted to violating several conditions, including possessing a firearm, not complying with curfew, and consuming alcohol.
Prosecutors also took this chance to call Detective Jeff O’Driscoll, their final witness. They questioned him about the context behind the allegation that he and his partner pressured Lauber to connect Kouri to the fentanyl overdose, promising a ‘get out of jail free’ card. He said they stressed to the former housekeeper that they needed to corroborate her story, but on cross-examination, he admitted to telling her Eric had passed from a drug overdose.
During the rest of O’Driscoll’s testimony, he discussed a letter that law enforcement received in September 2023 that is referred to as the “Walk the Dog Letter.” The letter appeared to show Kouri was encouraging her mother to ask her brother about the pain pills Eric obtained from his time in Mexico, and how he kept them in an allergy pill bottle in his truck to conceal the true nature of the drug.
Jail calls between the defendant and her family members were also played for the jury. One in particular between Kouri and her brother was about the allegation she tried to poison her husband with a Valentine’s Day sandwich she put in his truck.
“Are You With Me?”
When O’Driscoll was asked to recall the investigation into Eric Richins’ death and the evidence they discovered that put suspicion on Kouri’s role in her husband’s death, it was revealed that one of the key components to the prosecution’s arguments may not be substantial.
O’Driscoll testified that only a few weeks after her husband’s death, Kouri pitched her book on handling grief, called “Are You With Me?”, to a local morning show, ‘Good Things Utah.’ She was looking to promote it on a segment, and there are emails with producers and a picture of her appearing on the show to corroborate those claims. Come to find out, Kouri did not write the book, but was credited as the author.
The book was published months after Eric’s death, and prosecutors showed text messages between Kouri Richins and her family that show she did not write it. In her interview on the ‘Good Things Utah’ show, she claimed to have written the book as a way to help her children cope with losing their father. But in texts, she said the book was good for the boys but also for her, “to understand the book writing process to get ready for the big one!”
“The kids’ book wasn’t bad at all, assuming everything turns out the way it’s supposed to cost $2500,” Kouri Richins texted her family. “The bigger book (yes, we have to change names), I also want to talk to my attorney about other precautions to take to avoid a lawsuit from them for defamation, or if changing names is enough. That book will be expensive. Just for the ghostwriter to write the manuscript, 130 pages is $5,000. I’m assuming it will be closer to 250 pages. So 10k for the manuscript. This lady does payment plans, so you just pay per month as it’s being worked on. Total time 2-4 months.”
