Utah District Court Judge Richard Mrazik has ruled that Kouri Richins, a widow from Utah, will stand trial on murder and other charges related to the alleged killing of her husband with a fentanyl overdose. This ruling comes after Richins published a children's book about grief following her husband's death. The widow faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder, distribution of controlled substances, as well as fraud and forgery-related charges. Additionally, she is accused of attempting to kill her husband a few weeks earlier on Valentine's Day.

During the court proceedings, Judge Mrazik found probable cause to try Richins on all 11 felony counts she is facing. Despite the gravity of the charges, the widow showed no visible emotion as the judge ruled that she would proceed to trial. Richins maintains her innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges during the court appearance.

The tragic incident occurred in March 2022 when Eric Richins was found dead at the foot of the couple's bed. The medical examiner reported that the 39-year-old had approximately five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system. At the time, Kouri Richins told investigators that she had brought her husband a Moscow Mule cocktail in their bedroom and then left to sleep with their son. Upon her return around 3 a.m., she discovered her husband lying cold on the floor.

In a surprising twist, around a year after her husband's passing, Richins published a children's book titled "Are You With Me?" The book explores the process of grieving after losing a loved one. However, in May 2023, Richins was arrested and charged with the murder of her husband.

Citing substantial evidence against her, Judge Mrazik previously ruled that Richins be held without bail. Court documents filed in 2023 revealed that Richins' phone contained internet searches and articles related to fentanyl, life insurance payments, police investigations, and data deletion methods. Prosecutors alleged that these searches included phrases like "can cops force you to do a lie detector test?" and "if someone is poisoned, what does it go down on the death certificate as?"

As the case unfolds, Kouri Richins' trial will shed light on the events surrounding her husband's untimely death and the circumstances that led to her arrest. The court will now move forward with the trial proceedings as the widow continues to assert her innocence.