Lover's Emotional Courtroom Breakdown Reveals Chilling Post-Murder Conversation
Robert Josh Grossmann, the handyman lover allegedly at the center of Kouri Richins's murder plot, delivered bombshell testimony during her trial, breaking down in tears as he described a chilling conversation that occurred just days after her husband's death. The 43-year-old Iraq war veteran wiped away tears and placed his head in his hands inside Summit County Courthouse in Park City, Utah, on Wednesday, marking his first public comments about their secret affair.
"How Did It Feel to Kill Someone?"
Grossmann testified that approximately ten days to two weeks after Eric Richins's March 4, 2022 death, he met Kouri Richins for the first time since the tragedy. The two lovers drove into the mountains and sat in her car, where they discussed Eric's sudden passing, her three sons, death, and supernatural topics. During this heavy conversation, Grossmann revealed that Richins asked him a disturbing question about his military experience.
"She asked if I had ever killed anybody," Grossmann testified, as Richins stared intently from the defense table. When he confirmed his combat experience in Iraq, she followed up with another question about the emotional impact. "She asked me how it made me feel or something along those lines," he told the court.
Grossmann explained that he initially believed Richins was attempting to steer the conversation away from herself, describing her as unusually open during their mountain meeting. "We sat there and talked for quite a while and I had never seen her that way obviously," he testified. "It was a heavy conversation and I'm not used to that with her. I'm not used to her being open like that."
Secret Texts and Emotional Breakdown
The former lover's long-awaited testimony dominated day eight of the high-profile murder trial, with prosecutors presenting a string of romantic text messages exchanged between Grossmann and Richins. As these messages appeared on courtroom screens, Grossmann repeatedly wiped his eyes, sighed heavily, and rested his head on the witness stand, ultimately requiring a brief recess to collect his emotions.
While Grossmann displayed visible discomfort and kept glancing at his former lover, Richins showed no emotional reaction from the defense table, watching him intently throughout the proceedings. This marked their first face-to-face encounter since Richins ended their affair more than three years ago, several months after Eric's death.
Grossmann testified about their decade-long relationship, which turned romantic in early 2020 when he moved to Utah to work with Richins on house-flipping projects. "I have a tendency of going head over heels though - more than most," he said when asked about his feelings for her. When questioned whether he believed she loved him too, he hesitated before responding, "I think she did."
Revealing Text Message Timeline
Jurors saw multiple text exchanges that prosecutors argue reveal the affair's central role in the alleged murder plot. Messages from December 2021 show Grossmann asking about divorce plans and creating an acrostic poem ending with a line about Richins signing divorce papers. In January 2022, Richins raised the subject of drugs, asking Grossmann about experiences beyond marijuana use.
On February 14, 2022 - the same day prosecutors allege Richins first attempted to poison Eric with a drug-laced sandwich - she texted Grossmann: "I love you Wanna be one of my valentines." Later that month, she described a dream about divorcing and obtaining millions, referencing a $2.9 million mansion deal she was closing.
The most crucial exchange occurred on March 4, 2022, when Grossmann texted about the mansion deal, asking how she was feeling. Richins responded: "No. Eric passed away. Talk later." Grossmann testified he was "devastated" by the news.
Aftermath and Investigation
Despite her husband's recent death, Richins continued romantic communications with Grossmann, sending him a link to a St. Martin vacation on March 20, 2022, with messages reading "Are we there yet?" and "GONNA BE AWESOME." By April 8, just over a month after Eric's death, she texted Grossmann: "I think I want you to be my husband one day."
Later that month, Richins revealed police had searched her home and were investigating Eric's death after toxicology reports detected fentanyl in his system. Grossmann testified that Richins ended their affair approximately six to ten months after Eric's death. When Richins was arrested for murder, Grossmann contacted her sister, feeling guilty about the affair, and eventually spoke with investigators.
The Murder Allegations
Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent and mother of three, stands accused of murdering her 39-year-old husband Eric by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule cocktail. Eric, a wealthy stonemason, was found dead in the couple's Kamas home bedroom in the early hours of March 4, 2022. An autopsy revealed he died from a fentanyl overdose, with more than five times the lethal limit in his system.
For over a year following Eric's death, Richins presented herself as a grieving widow, authoring a children's book titled "Are You With Me?" about coping with grief and appearing on local television to promote it. Prosecutors allege this was an elaborate act, claiming Richins was motivated by her desire to start a new life with Grossmann and obtain Eric's $4 million estate while her own finances and real estate business were collapsing.
Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies the allegations. The trial continues as prosecutors present what they describe as compelling evidence linking the illicit affair to the alleged murder plot.
