Prosecutors drop drug charges against Kamas woman accused of killing her husband

PARK CITY – Prosecutors filed a motion Friday to dismiss two charges against Kauri Darden Richin, a Kamas woman on trial for her husband's murder.

The filing asks the court to dismiss the charges without prejudice, meaning prosecutors have the option of re-filing charges against her.

The motion comes ahead of a hearing Tuesday morning where attorneys are expected to discuss several other motions — including requests from Kauri Richin's attorneys to split the charges into separate trials, to have 12 judges instead of eight and to reconsider whether she can be released on bail. .

Kauri Richin is charged with aggravated murder and attempted criminal murder, both first-degree felonies; two counts of delivering a controlled substance — which will now be dismissed by a judge; two counts of insurance fraud and two counts of filing a fraudulent insurance claim, all second-degree felonies; and three counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.

She is a real estate agent and mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief before husband Eric Richin was accused of fatally poisoning her a year after her death. Kauri Richins pleaded not guilty to each charge.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazyk ruled in June 2023 that Kauri Richin should not be released on bail, saying there was substantial evidence to support the charges against her.

Her attorneys, Kathryn Nestor and Wendy Lewis, argued that things have changed in the case and Mrajic should reconsider the decision. Specifically, the motion states that prosecutors have decided they will not seek the death penalty, as more evidence has been presented in the case, Kauri Richin was not violent and her relationship with her children has been damaged by her incarceration.

He argued that all charges presented in a single trial would be prejudicial against Richin. Prosecutors asked to try aggravated murder and insurance fraud charges in one trial and aggravated murder and mortgage fraud charges in another.

However, prosecutors argued in a motion Friday that the requirements for severability of the charges were not met and that all the crimes are connected.

Eric Richin, 39, was found at home on March 4, 2022, with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system when he died, according to a toxicology report.

Kauri Richin's jury trial is scheduled to begin April 28 and is expected to last about three weeks.