No Fentanyl Recovered, Key Witness Recanted — Can Prosecutors Still Prove Kouri Richins Killed Eric?
No Fentanyl Recovered, Key Witness Recanted — Can Prosecutors Still Prove Kouri Richins Killed Eric?  
Podcast: Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
Published On: Sun Feb 08 2026
Description: Eric Richins had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. But no fentanyl was ever recovered. No pills. No forensic link tying Kouri Richins directly to the drugs. And now the witness who was supposed to prove where the fentanyl came from has recanted.Robert Crozier originally told investigators he sold fentanyl to the housekeeper in the alleged drug chain. Now he's signed a sworn affidavit saying it was OxyContin, not fentanyl—and that he was detoxing and "out of it" during the original interview.The defense says this eviscerates the prosecution's sourcing theory. If Crozier didn't provide fentanyl, the chain that supposedly put the murder weapon in Kouri's hands falls apart.But that's not the only bomb dropped before trial. A new motion alleges prosecutors are intimidating witnesses—threatening arrest and suggesting immunity could be revoked if witnesses don't cooperate with additional meetings.Defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down what these developments mean. Is witness intimidation a legitimate concern or standard trial prep? Can prosecutors pivot on the drug sourcing without destroying their credibility? And what happens when your case depends on proving a poisoning you can't forensically connect to the defendant?We examine every pretrial ruling: the 26 financial fraud charges severed from the murder trial, the FBI profiler limited to rebuttal, the domestic violence expert blocked entirely, and the "Walk the Dog" letter allegedly found in Kouri's jail cell—prosecutors say it instructed her mother how to lie on the stand. The defense says it was fiction.80% of Summit County residents recognize this case. Eight jurors from that county will decide Kouri's fate.Trial begins February 23rd.#KouriRichins #EricRichins #FentanylMurder #WitnessRecants #WalkTheDogLetter #NoForensicLink #EricFaddis #UtahMurderTrial #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeJoin Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspodInstagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/tonybpodListen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.