The nation’s appetite for true crime has descended on Utah, where a mother accused of killing her husband before publishing a children’s book about grief is on trial Monday.
Weeks after Kamas mother of three Kouri Richins published the 2023 book meant to help her kids navigate the heartbreak of losing their father, she was arrested in connection with the death of her husband, Eric Richins.
Now 35, Richins faces a slate of felony charges, including aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery, in the 2022 death of her husband, Eric, who was later discovered to have died from an overdose of fentanyl.
Spectators had arrived by 4:30 a.m., sitting in lawn chairs outside the 3rd District Courthouse, a Summit County Sheriff’s deputy said. Closer to the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start time, reporters were huddled under an outdoor courthouse overhang, trying to stay warm in the cold Park City morning.
As the long-anticipated trial starts, Tania Mashburn, spokesperson for Utah State Courts, said the courtroom is expected to be crowded with reporters, podcasters and documentary crews.
The proceedings have attracted sweeping attention from local and national media, along with a devoted true-crime following, Mashburn said.
About five podcasters, more than 20 news outlets and at least one documentary production company are covering the trial, she said.
“The last time, I would say, we had a high profile trial of this size was the Gwyneth Paltrow civil trial,” said Mashburn, who has worked with the state courts for more than three years.
[Read more: Kouri Richins trial: Catch up with a timeline of the case]
In part to help protect the identity of jurors, 3rd District Judge Richard E. Mrazik had put an unusual ban on the media, prohibiting them from taking photos or filming video in areas outside the courthouse that are normally considered public.
The Salt Lake Tribune sent a letter to the judge Friday, noting the “unprecedented” restriction conflicts with general state guidance about such court orders.
After a discussion early Monday, the judge agreed to amend the order to allow recording and photography from the courthouse parking lot before 7 a.m. and after 6 p.m., Tribune attorney Mike Judd said.
Another high-profile Utah case that captured national attention involved parenting influencer Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, Mashburn said. Both were sentenced to prison in 2024 on child abuse charges. Netflix released a documentary about the case in December; Hulu released one last year.
The ongoing prosecution of Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, has also drawn interest.
Among those chronicling the Richins trial is “Hidden: A True Crime Podcast,” based in St. George, which has been following the case since 2023, according to its Facebook page.
The show is hosted by husband-and-wife duo John and Lauren Matthias, who launched the podcast in 2020, according to their website.
The attention does not stop at Utah’s borders.
Baker Media, led by legal commentator Emily Baker — host of “The Emily Show,” where she dissects high-profile criminal cases — is also following the proceedings, adding to the growing chorus of out-of-state voices analyzing the case.
Another podcast by MK Media, launched in March 2025 by former Fox News and NBC News anchor Megyn Kelly, is signed up to watch the trial, Mashburn said.
Meanwhile, Topmark Media, a North Carolina-based outlet that provides “gavel-to-gavel” coverage of high-profile cases, is covering the trial, according to its website. In Utah, the only other case it has followed was the Paltrow civil trial.
The estimated five-week trial begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the 3rd District Summit County Courthouse in Park City and is scheduled to run through March 26.
— This is a developing story. Check back for updates.