@meghannmcuniff: Kouri Richins' attorneys said this morning they had witnesses to call in their case in chief in her murder trial in Utah, but they ended up resting this afternoon without calling anyone, including Richins. Richins met with her lawyers for about an hour before Judge Richard Mrazik asked her if she was waiving her right to testify. Her lawyer Wendy Lewis said they advised her "at length" about her right to testify. "Ms. Richins, may I ask you two direct questions?" the judge said. "Yes," Richins said. "Do you understand that you have the right to testify at trial?" Mrazik asked. "Yes, I do," Richins said. "Are you following your attorney's advice and waiving your right to testify at trial?" Mrazik asked. "Yes, I am," Richins said. "I accept your waiver. I find it's knowing and voluntary," Mrazik said. Jurors won't return to the courtroom until 8:30 a.m. on Monday, when they'll hear closing arguments. Attorneys and the judge will meet tomorrow (Friday, March 13, day 14) at 1 p.m. MST to discuss jury instructions. 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 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. 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. #law #crime #court #attorney #judge

AmanDUH :

Yeah… the judge is dumbfounded

Grand03 :

The judge is almost speechless 😳

Greg Knox :

Not smart for the defense if the jury isn’t sequestered.

Most Bestest :

No surprise there, but I was really hoping that she would testify.

mysticattorney :

The judge is making her appeal for ineffective counsel impossible

P :

I love this judge. But I have no idea what’s going on with this case

Kreigs34 :

I remember when “your honor” or “judge” was utilized in a court of law.

user BuhayBailey69🇨🇦 :

Closing arguments on Monday should be interesting.

erinsellsluxury :

The judge: okay👀…okay🤔….alright🤷🏻‍♂️

Gigi_31__ :

So I was just dropped off on court at 1pm with no back story 🥲

Franklin :

it's very common for defense to rest without calling any witnesses, because the defense has no burden of proof and the defendant has an absolute right not to testify. the burden is entirely on the State to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. the defense has no obligation to even cross examine the state's witnesses. not saying it was necessarily a strategically good choice to do that here but it is common

Chrissy Marie :

Is the judge Chris Watts?😳

whityahitya :

I so appreciate his communication “my face is not telegraphing either way” 👏👏👏

Maggie ❌ Caesar GSD :

Jury in the Wild, cracked me up

emh730 :

Many of the commenters have no faith in the jury. Having served on a jury, I can assure you that most people take it very seriously. We were in the jury room for hours. Went to lunch together in public. Never discussed the case with each other or anyone else.

ICUNurse🖤🖤🩺🩺 :

“My face is not telegraphing any opinion one way or another. I’m just waiting for a response”

Aleaise🏳️‍🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 :

Lord this case 😫😖

Glizzie McGuire :

ATP I’d rather have Kim Kardashian defend me

Selina Williams :

___nikki_m___ :

the defense is done already?

Tiff Tiff :

I can’t afford to watch this for 2 more weeks anyway, time to work again! 😂

Patricia :

I’ve watched this from the beginning and I couldn’t believe the def rested without calling any witnesses.

Mary Tarlton :

I love this judge.

Aileen Lily Alvarez :

I believe she is guilty but she deserved a better defense team. 😞

🌷🌷JenJen_Ruju🌷🌷 :

That judge was not just dumbfounded, but he was pretty much trying to tell her like I personally would not advise this. Without saying it. Personally, not satisfying at your own trial sometimes looks bad and in this case I think it does it looks really bad on her.