Defense Declines To Cross-Examine Kouri Richins' Ex-Friend Chelsea Barney

Kouri Richins' lawyers asked no questions of her former friend Chelsea Barney on Thursday (March 5, day 9) in Richins' aggravated murder trial in Summit County, Utah.

Barney testified for about 90 minutes about her 20-year friendship with Richins and the death of Kouri's husband, Eric Richins. Jurors saw text messages between the women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHxSOcdox0s and heard a 50-minute recording of a three-way call with Richins, Barney and Eric Richins' friend. (You can listen to the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHxSOcdox0s)

After the lunch recess, Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth sought to reopen his direct-exam of Barney by jokingly telling Judge Richard Mrzaik he was citing "the case of Takesy v. Backsy."

Lawyers trying to act cute in trial usually is very cringe-worthy, particularly in a murder trial, and Bloodworth's joke fell as flat as it could get as Richins' lawyer Wendy Lewis said, "I don't know what he's talking about. I don't know the case they cited."

"No, that was a joke," Judge Mrazik said.

"Oh, is that a joke? Okay, well, that's why I didn't know it," Lewis said.

00:59 Judge: "It's certainly within the court's discretion to allow direct to be reopened, to add one exhibit, particularly before cross has even begun."

Bloodworth entered a few more texts between Barney and Richins into evidence.

03:07 June 6, 2022, text about autopsy:
“A trace of fetanyl!!!”
“Manner of death: undetermined!!”

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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-6-DFKVdU and the defense opening statement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw6cnneVhW0

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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