Kouri Richins Trial Cited in DHS Warning — Domestic Poisonings Are Surging
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 10 February 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
With Kouri Richins' aggravated murder trial set to begin February 23 in Park City, Utah, the Department of Homeland Security has issued an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement identifying her case as part of a growing national trend. The January 2026 bulletin warned that domestic partners are increasingly turning to chemical and biological toxins to kill, documenting seventeen cases since 2014 with at least eleven deaths. The substances most commonly used — antifreeze, eye drops, fentanyl, cyanide, and thallium — are chosen specifically because they mimic natural illness, creating significant challenges for detection and prosecution.
Richins is charged with spiking her husband Eric's cocktail with a fatal dose of illicit fentanyl on March 3, 2022, with prosecutors alleging a prior failed attempt on Valentine's Day. Eric was found with approximately five times the lethal dose in his blood. The alleged motive centers on financial pressure — her realty company reportedly owed lenders at least $1.8 million while his estate was worth roughly $5 million. She has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
But the Richins case also highlights the systemic vulnerabilities that make poisoning an increasingly attractive method. Eric died at home and his death was initially treated as an overdose, not a homicide. America's autopsy rate has collapsed to 8.5%, with natural-looking deaths autopsied just 4.3% of the time. Research shows death certificates are wrong roughly a third of the time. Tony walks through three convicted cases — James Craig, Lana Clayton, and Stacey Castor — where the killer nearly escaped detection entirely, and connects them to the Richins trial and the federal warning that says this problem is getting worse.
#KouriRichins #DHSPoisoningBulletin #DomesticPoisoning #TrueCrimeToday #JamesCraig #EricRichins #LanaClayton #StaceyCastor #AutopsyRate #FentanylPoisoning
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. |
| 0:03.0 | Here now, Tony Bruske. |
| 0:06.6 | Just a few days ago, depending on when you're watching this, I mean, if you're watching |
| 0:11.4 | this five years after we recorded, but just a few days ago from this recording, the Department |
| 0:18.6 | of Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement |
| 0:22.9 | agencies across the country and warning them, again, this is from DHS, warning them that domestic |
| 0:34.2 | partners are, and I'm quoting directly here, |
| 0:41.8 | increasingly likely to use chemical and biological toxins to kill or harm their partners. |
| 0:45.4 | They felt it appropriate enough, |
| 0:50.3 | imminent enough, dangerous enough, to make a statement like this. |
| 0:55.7 | I mean, it wasn't like, it wasn't about al-Qaeda. |
| 0:58.5 | It wasn't about some foreign... |
| 1:01.4 | It was about domestic partners. |
| 1:06.6 | They only do that sort of thing if they're seeing a big uptick. |
| 1:16.0 | Yeah. They only do that sort of thing if they're seeing a big uptick. So I guess they're seeing a big uptick in domestic partners trying to poison each other. |
| 1:27.5 | And it's not just because they're getting caught, |
| 1:30.1 | it's because they're getting away with it. |
| 1:33.3 | Corey Richon's trial is about to get underway here. |
| 1:37.2 | And that is at the center of that case. |
| 1:40.0 | And we're going to get into a little bit of that, |
| 1:42.9 | but a little bit of this, too, |
| 1:44.6 | because this is something that you may want to pay attention to. |
... |
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