SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — There's a new person allegedly involved in the case of Kouri Richins, who is facing a murder trial for the death of her husband in 2022.
But this witness won't be called to the stand, as he died in a motorcycle accident just two months ago.
Prosecutors charged Kouri Richins with aggravated murder for allegedly poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with a drink. Eric's autopsy showed fentanyl in his system at five times the lethal dose. The medical examiner said the fentanyl was illicit and not medical-grade, and it appeared that he ingested it orally.
The newly-revealed witness was William Hayden Jeffs, who worked as a handyman for Richins on properties she owned. According to a search warrant, Jeffs was identified as someone with whom Kouri communicated around the time of Eric's death. Investigators contacted Jeffs, and he told them that Kouri asked if he could get her fentanyl and propofol (an anesthetic) — just weeks before Eric's death.
Police say Jeffs showed them text messages that corroborated this account, and he provided copies of the messages to investigators.
Jeffs died in a motorcycle accident on Sep. 30, according to his obituary. He was 35 years old.
According to the warrant filed earlier this month, Jeffs' phone is in the custody of Heber City Police. The Summit County Sheriff's Office asked to seize it for the Richins investigation. The documents did not state whether Jeffs provided her with any drugs, but other "acquaintances" were mentioned from whom she did allegedly purchase fentanyl.
Kouri Richins' trial is scheduled for four weeks next year, starting at the end of April. Her next pre-trial conference is Dec. 12.
