In Recorded Call, Kouri Richins Says She’s ‘So Annoyed' By Police Focus on Divorce Consult

Описание: 08:08 call plays

Jurors in Kouri Richins' murder trial thins morning heard a recording of a phone call between her and her brother, Ronald Darden, in which she appears to be lamenting investigators'' focus on her talking to a divorce lawyer.

Attorneys disused the call and a jury instruction with Judge Richard Mrazik before jurors heard the call.

00:49 "Ms Richins' side of these recorded calls is categorically not hearsay, and the court will instruct the jury that they cannot consider the male voice side of the call for the truth of the matter asserted."

02:11 Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth: "If we were to play that portion of the audio of the jail call, it would make it clear that it was a jail call."

05:25 "Scott, why don't we take a look at it together."
Calls plays for just the judge

06:58 "When Ms. Gipson was testifying, she testified that she downloaded and preserved recordings of certain phone calls involving Kouri Richins. You are about to hear one such phone call from December 18, 2023." (You can watch Chelsea Gipson's testimony here:    • Photos Show Pills & THC Gummies During Evi...  )

07:17 Judge to jury: "You may consider Kouri Richins' statements on this recorded call for any purpose. You may not consider the statements made by the male voice on this phone call for their truth. Instead, the only purpose you can consider the statements made by the male voice on this phone call is for the effect it had upon the listener. That is Kouri Richins."

08:08 call plays

08:10 Richins on the call: "I know I'm just like, so annoyed by that, like, I'm like, What the hell are you talking about? Like, who gives a shit?"

08:44 "Yes. I just went in for a consultation. That was it. So why is that so bad? Am I misunderstanding something?"

09:03 "No, it's just something there and try to, probably try to hold against you, you know, for no fucking reason."

10:34 "Like quit portraying me to be this person. Anything you're trying to say I did, Eric did. Right? So now they cancel each other."

Background:

Kouri Richins, 35, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, Utah, in March 2022. After he died, she self-published a children's book she authored titled "Are You With Me?" about coping with grief.

Eric Richins, 39, was found dead in their home on March 4, 2022.

Prosecutors allege Kouri dropped a lethal dose of fentanyl in a Moscow Mule cocktail she prepared for him. They say she was motivated by money because she owed nearly $5 million to lenders and had changed her husband's life insurance policies prior to his death while also taking out a home equity line of credit without his knowledge. She also was in a romantic relationship with another man.

Her defense is that her husband died of a self-inflicted overdose and his family pressured police to implicate her.

You can watch the prosecution's opening statement here    • Greed & Lust Drove Kouri Richins To Poison...   and the defense opening statement here:    • Defense Says Kouri Richins' Husband Overdo...  

Prosecutors allege she previously tried to murder him by poisoning his sandwich on Valentine's Day 2022, which her husband told a friend about.

Richins' criminal charges in Summit County, Utah, include aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and insurance fraud.

Her trial is scheduled to last five weeks. Judge Richard Mrazik in Utah's 3rd Judicial District is presiding at the Silver Summit Justice Center near Park City.

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