Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. A Utah children’s author wrote about grief following the death of her husband. Now she is accused of his murder.
Kouri Richins, age 33, was arrested on May 8, 2023, for the murder of Eric Richins, 39. Court documents shed light on this bizarre case, including inconsistencies in Kouri’s story. Kouri and Eric shared three sons before he died of a fentanyl overdose that Kouri is accused of orchestrating.
Eric died on March 4, 2022. Kouri stated on an appearance on Good Things Utah to promote her children’s book Are You With Me? that his death was happened “unexpectedly.” Prosecutors in this case disagree, believing instead that Kouri poisoned Eric.
Kouri told police after Eric’s death that she "made Eric a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where Eric consumed it while sitting in bed." The couple were celebrating a business deal Eric had closed. Kouri went to console one of her children who was having bad dreams. When she returned to her bedroom at 3 a.m. she found Eric’s "cold to the touch" body at the foot of their bed.
More from LittleThings: Ohio Mom Plagued By Financial Stress Kills Son And Husband Before Turning Weapon On Self
One of the many inconsistencies in Kouri’s story is that she claims to have attempted CPR, but first responders dispute this. They cite the "large amount of blood that came from Eric's mouth" as evidence CPR did not occur. Kouri also claims to have not used her phone until calling 911, but a search warrant found "several communications" between Kouri and an acquaintance with a drug connection. This friend would go on to tell authorities more damning information about Kouri.
The acquaintance spoke to detectives about her drug requests. They allege that sometime between December 2021 and February 2022 they received a text message from Kouri requesting "prescription pain medication for an investor who had a back injury." The acquaintance provided Kouri with hydrocodone pills.
Not too long after, Kouri requested "something stronger and asked for 'some of the Michael Jackson stuff.'" She "asked specifically for fentanyl," and the acquaintance gave her 30 pills for $900 on February 11, 2022. On Valentine's Day 2022, Eric became "very ill" and "believed that he had been poisoned." Eric shared these concerns with friends.
Two weeks after the Valentine’s Day incident, Kouri sent another text to the acquaintance "asking for another $900 of fentanyl pills." She received them on February 26, 2022, and just six days later Eric was dead. Kouri is also facing drug charges, specifically three counts of possession of drugs with intent to distribute.
Eric’s family claims they were suspicious of Kouri from the start. They believed "his wife had something to do with his death. They advised he warned them that if anything happened to him she was to blame."
Eric and Kouri were married for nine years. He was in the process of looking into divorce and had taken her off his will and life insurance policies. She dedicated her book on grief to "my amazing husband and a wonderful father."
