The fourth day of the Kouri Richins murder trial put the prosecution's most important witness on the stand — and the defense spent the rest of the afternoon trying to tear her apart. Carmen Lauber, the former housekeeper who allegedly obtained the fentanyl prosecutors say was used to kill Eric Richins, testified to four escalating drug transactions she says she carried out at Kouri's direction.

Lauber told the jury she bought pills for Kouri starting in late January 2022 after being told they were for an investor. The requests allegedly escalated from generic opiates to fentanyl, with Kouri approving the purchase after being informed of what the pills contained. Lauber described cash drops in a house Kouri was flipping, pills left in a firepit, and a fourth buy that happened just days after Eric was found dead — paid for with a check made out for cleaning work Lauber says she never performed.

Lauber also testified about a phone call with Kouri shortly after Eric's death, in which she says she told Kouri to please tell her the pills weren't for him. According to Lauber, Kouri calmly told her Eric had died from a brain aneurysm.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Wendy Lewis went after Lauber's credibility from every angle — methamphetamine use during the period of the drug deals, inconsistent prior statements about whether the drugs were oxycodone or fentanyl, prior convictions, pending charges, and a failed drug court program. The defense played a recording from a 2023 investigator meeting in which Lauber was told to provide details that would ensure a conviction, and Lauber confirmed she said she'd do whatever it takes. Cross-examination was not completed and continues Friday.

The morning session featured testimony from a forensic toxicologist confirming five times the lethal dose of illicit fentanyl in Eric's blood with no hydrocodone present, a crime lab scientist who found no fentanyl on 19 tested items, and testimony about phones belonging to Kouri's alleged boyfriend that were reported broken but later became functional.

Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

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