She asked the drug dealer to give her "some Michael Jackson stuff" before her husband overdosed on fentanyl after telling his friends that he was afraid she would "kill [him] for the money."

A Utah woman, who had just published a book for children about coping with grief after the sudden death her husband, is now charged with murder.

Kouri Richins was charged on Monday with aggravated homicide and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, after more than a month since her husband Eric, 39, was found dead.

According to documents filed by the court yesterday (via Law&Crime), on March 4, 2022, police were dispatched to Richins' home at 3:22am following a report of a male who was not responding. Paramedics tried to revive Eric at the Richins' home but he died on the spot.

Kouri, a realtor, claimed in interviews with the police that she had made her husband, a Moscow Mule to celebrate the closing of a new house, and he had drunk it while laying in bed. She claimed that after a "night-terror" by one of their children, she went to bed with the other child. Around 3am she returned to her bedroom with Eric and found him "cold." She called the emergency services.

The investigation progressed, but a sinisterer version of the events started to emerge.

The police claim Kouri said she had left her phone on her bedside table when she went to bed with her child. However, records show that it was "locked several times and unlocked many more" during this time. She allegedly also sent and received messages through the same window but deleted them. The autopsy confirmed that Eric died of a fentanyl-related overdose. According to the medical examiner, the level in his body was "five times lethal dosage."

The couple's home was searched, along with their computers and mobile phones. Authorities reportedly discovered communications between Kouri, a "friend" with a history of drug possession and a "investor who suffered a back injury" on her phone. She first inquired about "prescription medication for an investor." The documents state that after the dealer procured hydrocodone from Kouri, she contacted him two weeks later to ask for "some Michael Jackson stuff," and then requested fentanyl. She paid $900 on February 11, 2020 for 15-30 pills.

Eric allegedly became "very ill" on February 14, Valentine's Day after eating with his wife. He reportedly "thought he was poisoned at the time" and "told a close friend that he believed his wife tried to poison him." Kouri was then reported to have sought out even more fentanyl tablets on February 26, 2022... before Eric died of an overdose 6 days later.

According to search warrants, Eric's sister claimed that he thought his wife tried to kill her husband during a vacation to Greece - after he fell "violently sick" from drinking a drink he gave her. Kouri is also accused in January 2022 of being the sole beneficiary of the joint life policy Eric and his business partner had. After being notified of the change by the insurance company, both men changed it back.

Eric made his sister the sole beneficiary of his estate shortly before he died, allegedly because he believed that his wife would "kill him for money." He also warned his family "if anything bad happened to him, it was her fault." He was also reportedly planning to divorce.

Kouri only discovered that she was not included in the will of her husband after his death. She then sued to take control of his estate.

Kouri was busy in the months before her arrest promoting her book for children, "Are You With Me? The book, "Are You with Me? ", was released on March 6, 2023. According to its Amazon listing, it "gently guides kids through the difficult experience" of losing a loved. Kouri wrote on Facebook that she lost her husband last year. She also had three amazing boys. When I tried to find a book for my children that would comfort them in the evenings, I couldn't really find anything. "So I wrote my own."

She added, "I hope that this book will bring some comfort and peace to anyone who has young children or knows someone who has lost a parent.

She shared on Facebook a video of her and her husband with their children just days before being arrested. She captioned her post: "Life is so damn hard without your here!" "The cards that I've been dealt seem like a game you cant play."

Eric Richins was described in his obituary as a "family man" who strived to be a good father and husband. The obituary said, "He was a loving and attentive father to his three boys Carter (9), Ashton (7), and Weston (5), and a dedicated husband to Kouri (Darden), his wife of nine year.

Kouri is due to appear before the court again on May 19, for an indictment hearing.

-----------------------------------

Title: Author Who Wrote Book About Dealing with Husband's Death Now Charged with His Murder
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/05/09/kouri-darden-richins-arrested-poisoning-husband/
Published Date: Tue, 09 May 2023 17:46:51 +0000

Read More