Kouri Richins, a 33-year-old mother of three from Utah, has been charged with the murder of her husband, Eric Richins. On March 4, 2022, police arrived at the couple’s home in Kamas to find Eric lying at the foot of the bed, having been declared deceased. An autopsy revealed that Eric had died of an oral overdose of fentanyl, five times the lethal dosage.
Eric’s death prompted an investigation that uncovered a troubling history of Kouri’s attempts to poison her husband and more evidence indicating her involvement in his death. Phone records, testimony from an unnamed acquaintance, and her statements to the police were all factors that led to her arrest.
Several years before his death, Eric had expressed to one of his two sisters that he believed his wife had tried to kill him. Eric had also held a joint life insurance policy which his wife had unsuccessfully attempted to add herself as the sole beneficiary in January 2022. Afterward, Eric removed her from his will and replaced her with his sister, believing Kouri would “kill him for the money.”
On Valentine’s Day 2022, Eric “became very ill” and told a friend he believed Kouri was trying to poison him. This illness was followed by Kouri’s alleged attempts to acquire pain medication for an “investor” from an acquaintance, with whom she requested “some of the Michael Jackson stuff,” which specifically turned out to be fentanyl.
The day after Eric’s death, Kouri closed on a $2 million home that she wanted to flip and subsequently threw a large celebratory party during which she allegedly “assaulted” one of Eric’s sisters that had shown up.
Kouri later wrote a picture book, “Are You With Me?” to help kids cope with the death of a loved one – dedicated “to her amazing husband and a wonderful father.”