News/Commentary

Woman accused of killing husband then penning child’s book on grief allegedly tried to steal his life insurance

May 13, 2023 | | Print Article

A Utah mother of three boys who wrote a children’s book on dealing with grief after their father’s death is now accused of murdering her husband following a fight over a $2 million home, a suspected affair, and an attempt to steal his life insurance.

(Video Credit: ABC News)

Kouri Richins, 33, was reportedly caught trying to steal her 39-year-old husband Eric Richins’ life insurance benefits before allegedly killing him last year.

She now stands accused of fatally poisoning her husband in March 2022, according to Utah authorities who made the announcement on Monday.

“In January of 2022, Eric’s wife logged into Eric’s life insurance policy … agreement with his business partner and changed them from each other’s beneficiary to her as the only beneficiary,” a 2022 search warrant obtained by Fox News Digital revealed. “They were notified by the insurance company and [were] able to change it back.”

Richins owns a real estate company She allegedly poisoned her husband with fentanyl while they were celebrating a home sale on March 3, 2022.

She originally told the police when they arrived the next day that she had given her husband a cocktail called a Moscow Mule in bed the night before. Richins claimed that she went to check on her sleeping sons at about 3 am and when she came back to the bedroom, she found her husband at the foot of the bed on the floor. The wife couldn’t rouse her husband and he was cold to the touch.

Richins called 911 and was “supposedly attempting to give Eric CPR,” the affidavit states. But when first responders arrived, it was evident that she hadn’t based on the amount of blood in his mouth according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The medical examiner determined that the husband had been dosed with five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl. It was illicit fentanyl and not medical-grade fentanyl.

In the days leading up to his death, text messages that investigators found on the wife’s phone indicate that she had sought fentanyl from someone identified as “C.L.” in court documents.

“The government has alleged that the individual who sold the defendant the fentanyl, which ultimately caused her husband’s death has given them a statement and has admitted that she sold fentanyl pills to the defendant — that, in fact, she sold different types of opioids at different times,” family attorney Greg Skordas told ABC4.

Just before Eric Richins died, he had reportedly removed his wife from his will and had made his sister the beneficiary, according to investigators. His sisters claim he was worried that “Kouri would kill him for money and he wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of financially.”

The family says that Kouri Richins tried to poison her husband several years ago in Greece and then again on Valentine’s Day of 2022.

“He was looking for a divorce and wanted his kids taken care of,” the warrant asserted. “According to the family, Eric had never disclosed to his wife that he had cut her out of the will.”

The couple had argued over purchasing a $2 million home with Eric Richens deciding to back out of the deal because it was too expensive. Kouri Richins reportedly wanted to flip and sell the home for a profit. There were also suspicions that the wife was having an affair according to family spokesperson Greg Skordas who spoke with Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Somehow, the wife closed the deal by herself in March of 2022, two days after her husband died. The day of the closing, she hosted a “large party at her home where she was drinking and celebrating,” a warrant asserted.

“She was also called into police during this party when she assaulted Eric’s sister who showed up to the home,” the warrant charged.

The widow later filed a lawsuit against Richins’ sister, claiming that her husband’s $3.6 million estate belonged to her due to a prenuptial agreement. Richins’ sister argued that Eric’s estate does not belong to her after he removed her from his will.

Before recent events, the couple looked to be very happy together and loving according to mutual friend Linda King who spoke with Fox News Digital.

A year after her husband’s death, Kouri Richins wrote a highly acclaimed children’s book on grieving called, “Are You With Me?”

The description of the book reads, “Are You With Me?” is “a must-read for any child who has experienced the pain of loss, and for parents who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow.”

Amazon has removed the book from its site.

Kouri Richins faces charges of first-degree aggravated murder and multiple counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She is due back in court on May 19.

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