On the fourth anniversary of Eric Richins’ death, his wife, Kouri Richins, appeared in Fourth District Court to stand trial for his murder. The Kamas mother of three is charged with poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl. The Summit County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday called several witnesses to the stand to testify about events leading up to March 4, 2022, and afterwards, including Robert Josh Grossmann — a handyman employed by Kouri with whom she was having an affair. Grossmann testified that he met Kouri about a decade ago in South Carolina, when he answered a help-wanted ad for a house-flipping project. The pair communicated on and off for years before Grossmann eventually moved to Utah in 2020. He initially stayed at a house Kouri was flipping in Heber City. The pair did not have a contractual agreement, but Grossmann said Kouri took care of him. Kouri sometimes paid him for the work, like a $25,000 lump sum after Eric’s death, but also allowed Grossmann to live in the homes rent free.  Grossmann said he and Kouri became romantically involved around the time he moved to Utah. He confessed that he loved Kouri, said he felt “head over heels” for her and thought she felt the same. For example, Grossmann said Kouri purchased him two trucks and had gifted him a vacation to the island of Saint Martin as a birthday present. The two communicated almost daily about house flipping as well as regular life, including about Kouri’s children. Grossmann later testified that their romantic relationship was on and off, and agreed that being together was more of a fantasy than a reality. Prosecutors displayed a series of text exchanges between Grossmann and Kouri from November 2021 to April 2022. The messages ranged from expressions of love, talking about divorce and planning a future together, to questions about past drug use and Kouri’s real estate business.  Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth asked very few questions, often only confirming whether Grossmann recognized the messages before they were presented to the jury.  Grossmann appeared emotional at times as he read the messages. He would sigh, put his head down and seemed to cry. Text messages from Kouri alluded to celebrating the closing of a multimillion-dollar home purchase in Midway with Grossmann two days before Eric’s death. However, Grossmann told defense attorney Wendy Lewis that he did not take that to mean Eric would be out of the picture or as an indication that he and Kouri would be together forever. Kouri and Grossmann were supposed to meet for brunch on March 4, 2022, but she did not show. Grossmann texted Kouri to check in, and she informed him that Eric had passed away and she couldn’t talk. Kouri ultimately closed on the Midway property on March 5, 2022.  Prosecutors also displayed a text exchange between the pair around April 8, 2022, where Kouri told Grossmann that she wanted him to be her husband.  The pair next saw each other again about 10 to 14 days after Eric’s death. Grossmann testified that he and Kouri went to the Uintas together and spoke about Eric. He said the pair spoke about many topics, including the Richins children, bowhunting, the supernatural, life and death.  Bloodworth specifically asked if Kouri questioned Grossmann if he ever killed anyone while serving the U.S. military in Iraq and how it made him feel. Grossmann said that conversation happened, but he didn’t think it was out of the ordinary at the time. “At one point, my opinion then, probably still now, looking back, was that … I think she was exhausted emotionally. I think she was looking for a reason to divert the conversation (away from herself),” he said. Kouri and Grossmann remained romantically involved for about six to 10 months after Eric’s death. He said they had a falling out over several disagreements, leading Kouri to end things.  “Things changed after Eric passed. … Things weren’t the same,” Grossmann said, adding that he also thought Kouri was different. Grossmann said that about a year had gone by. He learned Kouri wrote a book about Eric’s death. Then, he found out she was arrested in connection. Grossmann testified that he felt overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, specifically for his wrongdoings connected to infidelity. He attempted to contact Eric’s sister, Katie Richins Benson, and her husband helped put Grossman in touch with their private investigator, who had been looking into Kouri as a suspect. The private investigator indicated to Grossmann that Kouri was guilty. Grossman said that caused him to reexamine the past with a new perspective, and he started to second-guess the nature of some conversations, particularly the trip to the Uintas. “Never for a moment did I have a clue, a hint, not a fleeting thought that something intentionally might have happened to him, let alone from her,” Grossmann said about his thinking before Kouri was arrested. He added, “If she did it, and I could help, that’s what I was going to do.” Grossmann did not testify to whether he thought Kouri was guilty. He said he’s been confused since her arrest, and can’t tell what is or isn’t strange when looking back now. Kouri is charged with several felonies in connection with Eric’s death, including aggravated murder, attempted homicide and fraudulent insurance claims. Prosecutors allege she poisoned her husband with a fatal dose of fentanyl in March 2022, while her defense maintains she is innocent. She has pleaded not guilty. She has been held in the Summit County Jail without bail since her arrest in May 2023. Her five-week trial is expected to end on March 27. The post Kouri Richins’ paramour testifies about their affair before, after husband’s death appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less