UT v Kouri Richins - Officer Vincent Nguyen - First Responder скачать в хорошем качестве

UT v Kouri Richins - Officer Vincent Nguyen - First Responder

Direct and cross-examination of one of the first responders, Vincent Nguyen, during State of Utah v Kouri Richins on February 23rd and 24th 2026. Officer Vincent Nguyen’s Role and Initial Response • Arrival and Duties: Deputy Vincent Nguyen of the Summit County Sheriff's Office arrived at the Richins residence at approximately 3:40 AM on March 4, 2022. His primary duties were to secure the scene, maintain a crime scene log, and complete a death investigation checklist. • Body Camera Footage: Nguyen was wearing an active body camera. The footage, along with a transcript, was admitted into evidence. Observations and Evidence Gathering • THC Gummies and Drugs: Kouri Richins volunteered information to Nguyen that her husband might have taken THC gummies. Nguyen testified that he did not see any illicit drugs, paraphernalia, or the gummies in the home. He admitted during cross-examination that he did not specifically search for the gummies or ask Kouri where they were, as another deputy was tasked with logging medications. • Timeline of Events: Nguyen documented the timeline of the evening based entirely on generalizations from Kouri Richins, noting that they had a celebratory drink around 9:00 PM and went to bed around 9:30 PM. • Attention to Detail: After Kouri stated that she felt Eric's cold body and mentioned the room temperature, Nguyen specifically checked the thermostat, noting it was set at 70 degrees and read 71 degrees. Defense's Critique of the Investigation • Missed Investigative Steps: The defense highlighted that despite knowing about the celebratory drink, Nguyen did not search the kitchen or the sink for evidence. • Failure to Follow Protocol: The defense cross-examined Nguyen on his failure to strictly follow the "Death Investigation Checklist." Specifically, Nguyen did not fully vacate the family from the residence, he photographed the scene before placing a case information placard, and he allowed the scene to be photographed while it was only "semi-secured" and things had been moved. Observations of Kouri Richins' Demeanor • "Abnormal" Reaction: On redirect examination, Nguyen testified that Kouri Richins' emotional reaction was "abnormal" compared to victims at other death scenes he had responded to. He noted that her face was in her hands, he couldn't see her face, and she didn't look him in the eye. • Defense Rebuttal: The defense countered this by establishing that Nguyen had never met Kouri before that night, meaning he had no baseline to judge what her normal emotional responses looked like. Administrative and Legal Discussions • Chain of Custody Dispute: Outside the presence of the jury, the prosecution and defense debated the chain of custody regarding electronic devices (cell phones) seized during the investigation. The State argued that under *State v. Wynia*, they only needed to call the officers who initially seized the phones and the crime scene technician who booked and extracted them, rather than every single officer who handled the devices. 00:00:00 Direct Examination of Deputy Nguyen 00:01:49 Arrival at the Scene 00:02:48 Admission of Body Camera Evidence 00:04:33 BODY CAM - Officer Nguyen - Full Video 00:24:50 BODY CAM - Kouri Looks Up 00:27:00 BODY CAM - Katie Richins Benson Arrives 00:40:15 Crime Scene Duties and Drug Search 00:41:51 Cross-Examination by Mr. Ramos 00:47:29 Body Camera System and Uploads 00:51:08 Securing the Crime Scene 00:57:18 Investigation of THC Gummies 01:03:04 Thermostat Temperature Check 01:04:13 Documenting Timelines 01:10:05 Chain of Custody Dispute 01:26:00 Crime Scene Log Discrepancies 01:35:38 Death Investigation Checklist Protocol 01:44:06 Redirect Examination 01:47:09 Recross Examination #KouriRichins Trial Playlist:    • Kouri Richins Murder Trial