Woman who wrote book on grief following husband’s death accused of his murder

A Utah lady who revealed a kids’s book on processing grief following the death of her husband final yr has now been accused of poisoning him with a deadly dose of fentanyl, court docket paperwork display.

Kouri Richins, 33, faces fees, together with irritated murder, in reference to the death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, who was once discovered lifeless on the foot of their mattress on March 4, 2022, in step with the possible motive remark within the charging file.

While showing on a “Good Things Utah” segment final month on Salt Lake City ABC associate KTVX to advertise her new kids’s book, Kouri Richins stated her husband died “unexpectedly.” Prosecutors allege that Eric Richins was once poisoned through a deadly dose of fentanyl on the night time of March 3, 2022, in step with the charging file.

Kouri Richins allegedly informed police following his death that they had been celebrating her last on a space for her industry that night time and he or she “made Eric a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where Eric consumed it while sitting in bed,” in step with the possible motive remark.

She allegedly stated she went to sleep with one of their kids who was once having an evening terror and returned to her and her husband’s bed room round 3 a.m., the place she discovered him “cold to the touch,” in step with the charging file.

Kouri Richins was once “supposedly” making an attempt to accomplish CPR but if first responders arrived, they “advised that it had not appeared that she had done any CPR, due to the large amount of blood that came from Eric’s mouth,” the affidavit for a seek warrant within the case said.

An post-mortem made up our minds that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, and that the extent of fentanyl in his gadget was once 5 instances the deadly dosage, in step with the charging file. The clinical examiner indicated the fentanyl was once “illicit fentanyl,” now not clinical grade, and that it was once most likely ingested orally, in step with the charging file.

Detectives bought a seek warrant for his or her place of dwelling following the toxicology record, together with for electronics, in step with the charging file.

Kouri Richins allegedly informed regulation enforcement that upon going to mattress, she didn’t use her telephone till calling 911, although the telephone were locked and unlocked more than one instances all over that duration, and messages were despatched and won all over that point and deleted, in step with the charging file.

A seek of Kouri Richins’ telephone additionally exposed “several communications” with an acquaintance of hers who had more than a few drug counts, in step with the charging file.

During an interview with detectives previous this month, the acquaintance allegedly stated that someday between December 2021 and February 2022, Kouri Richins allegedly texted them inquiring for “prescription pain medication for an investor who had a back injury,” and the acquaintance left hydrocodone capsules at a space the defendant owned and was once flipping, in step with the charging file.

About two weeks later, Kouri Richins allegedly contacted the acquaintance once more as a result of “her investor wanted something stronger and asked for ‘some of the Michael Jackson stuff,'” and “asked specifically for fentanyl,” the charging file said. The acquaintance allegedly procured 15 to 30 fentanyl capsules in alternate for $900 on Feb. 11, 2022, in step with the charging file.

Three days later, following a Valentine’s Day dinner at their house, Eric Richins become “very ill” and “believed that he had been poisoned,” the charging file said.

“Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him,” the charging file said.

According to the quest warrant, Eric Richins took one chunk of a sandwich his spouse purchased him that Valentine’s Day and “broke into hives and couldn’t breathe.” He reportedly used an EpiPen and took Benadryl and handed out; when he aroused from sleep, he “immediately called his business partner about the incident,” the quest warrant said.

Kouri Richins allegedly contacted the acquaintance about two weeks later “asking for another $900 of fentanyl pills,” which have been procured on Feb. 26, 2022, the charging file said.

“Six days later, on March 4, 2022, Eric was found dead of a fentanyl overdose,” the charging file said.

Kouri Richins has additionally been charged with 3 counts of ownership of medicine with intent to distribute.

ABC News has reached out to her legal professional for remark. Her subsequent listening to is scheduled for May 19, in step with KTVX.

Kouri and Eric Richins had been married for 9 years and had 3 younger sons in combination, in step with his obituary.

Several of his members of the family allegedly informed investigators they “suspected his wife had something to do with his death,” in step with the quest warrant.

“They advised he warned them that if anything happened to him she was to blame,” the quest warrant said.

Prior to his death, Eric Richins got rid of his spouse from his will and lifestyles insurance coverage and was once “looking into a divorce and wanted his kids taken care of,” in step with the quest warrant.

The couple was once additionally allegedly arguing over a just about $2 million belongings she sought after to turn, in step with the quest warrant. “The day after Eric’s death, his wife allegedly signed the closing papers on the home,” the quest warrant said.

The seek warrant additionally famous that during January 2022, Kouri Richins allegedly up to date her husband’s lifestyles insurance plans settlement with his industry spouse to make herself the only real beneficiary. The insurance coverage corporate notified her husband and his industry spouse they usually modified it again to being every different’s beneficiary, in step with the quest warrant.

Kouri Richins informed KTVX all over her interview final month for “Good Things Utah” that his death “completely took us all by shock.”

“My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we’ve experienced last year,” she stated. “[I am] hoping it can kind of help other kids deal with this and kind of find happiness some way or another.”

The determination of her book, which was once revealed in March, states it’s to “my amazing husband and a wonderful father.”