Mom-of-three who wrote a grief book to help her boys when her husband died is charged with his murder

Kouri Darden Richins charged with murdering her husband Eric Richins in Provo, Utah last year, after five times lethal dose of fentanyl was found in his system

Richins, 33, is charged with first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute

The Mormon mom-of-three was arrested Monday, accused of poisoning her husband, with the opioid at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City, Utah

He died of a fentanyl overdose after she gave him a Moscow Mule at their home on March 4 

Two months earlier Kouri Richins changed Eric’s joint life insurance policy, which he shared with his business partner, so that she was the only beneficiary

The men discovered and reversed her fraud without telling her

Eric earlier complained to family and friends the fear his wife would kill him ‘for the money’, telling them she would be responsible in the case of his untimely death

Following her husband’s death, Kouri Richins wrote a picture book to help children cope after the death of a loved one titled ‘Are you with me?’

Utah widow and children’s book author, Kouri Darden Richins, [photo], has been charged with first-degree aggravated murder of her husband. She’s also facing three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute

A Utah widow who penned a grief book for children in the wake of her husband’s death has been charged with his murder, authorities said.
Kouri Darden Richins, 33, of Summit County, was arrested Monday for allegedly poisoning her husband at their home on Willow Court in Kamas on March 4, last year.
Richins a Mormon mom-of-three who wrote a children’s book on grief to help her sons deal with their father’s death has been charged with the murder of Eric Richins.
14 months later, she is charged with first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, officials said.

Kouri Richins [left], was arrested on Monday in Utah and is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins [right], with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City

Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday in Provo, Utah, on suspicion of poisoning her husband Eric to death last year at their home.
A medical examiner said they found five times the lethal dose of the opioid fentanyl in Eric’s system during the autopsy.
Richins told police she had made Eric a Moscow Mule and gave him a THC gummy on the night of his death to celebrate him selling a home for their real estate business.
She claims she then left him alone and went to soothe one of their three children, returning to their bedroom at 3am to find him passed out and ‘cold to the touch’.

Kouri and Eric Richins with their three children. Despite her posthumous glamorization of their love life, Eric before his death allegedly, shared his fears his wife would murder him for pecuniary purposes with his siblings

Following the death of her husband Kouri Richins wrote ‘Are you with me?’ The picture book was written to help children cope after the death of a loved one, she said

Following his death, Richins wrote ‘Are you with me?’ The picture book is designed to help children cope after the death of a loved one, she said. She did television interviews to promote the book as recently as last month.
Now, police say she poisoned her husband with fentanyl. They have not yet confirmed her alleged motive but say she previously changed his life insurance policy to make herself the sole beneficiary.
Eric and his business partner changed it back when they discovered it, and he is even said to have told friends that if anything happened to him, his wife was to blame.

Kouri Richins says she wrote the book last year to help the couple’s three kids deal with their grief 

Further casting doubts Richins had told police she had performed CPR on Eric after finding him unresponsive in their home, but the fire crew and medics who responded to the scene said this was unlikely as there was blood coming from his mouth.
Eric’s family told investigators shortly after he died they suspected Richins had killed the father-of-three him for the money’, a warrant states.
Furthermore, the medical examiner said they found five times the lethal dose of fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times stronger than morphine, in Eric’s system after he died on March 4 last year.

Kouri dedicated her children’s book to her late husband to Eric Richins. The $14.99 book is still available on Amazon

In the years before his death, his family have claimed Eric believed Richins was trying to kill him. There were two occasions when Eric became violently ill after having drinks or dinner with his wife.
One of Eric’s two sisters told police he had called her three years ago from Greece where he and Richins were on vacation together. He claimed Richins had given him a drink that made him violently ill and said he believed she had tried to kill him.
And in January 2022, Richins changed Eric’s joint life insurance policy, which he shared with his business partner Cody Wright, so that she was the only beneficiary, a warrant states.
When the insurance company told the partners, who own the business C&E Stone Masonry, of the change, they were able to change it back. 
After finding out that Richins had tried to change his life insurance policy, Eric changed the beneficiary of his will and his power of attorney to his sister without telling his wife because he was scared she might ‘kill him for the money’.

Kouri and Eric Richins with one of their sons. His family told investigators shortly after his death, they suspected Kouri had killed him for the money’. ME said they found five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in Eric’s system after he died on March 4, 2022 last year

But a month later, court documents show that on Valentine’s Day last year, Eric suffered an allergic reaction following a meal with Richins. He could not breathe and passed out after using an EpiPen and taking Benadryl. 
Court documents say Richins had bought $900 worth of fentanyl pills from an acquaintance before the Valentine’s Day meal and two weeks later she asked for $900 more. Days later, Eric died of an overdose.
Following Eric’s death, Richins had claimed he had an addiction to pain medicine in high school but there was no substance abuse issues since. 
But friends and family told police said they hadn’t any idea of Eric being addicted to any form of medicine, and officers did not find any pain killers in the family home. 

Eric [right], died of an overdose. Kouri Richins [left], claimed her husband was addicted to pain medicine in high school but there was no substance abuse issues since. Friends and family insist he had no addiction. Cops did not find any pain killers in the family home 

In addition to the murder charge, Richins also faces charges involving the alleged possession of GHB – a narcolepsy drug frequently used in recreational settings, including at dance clubs.
The charges are based on officers’ interactions with Richins that night and the account of an ‘unnamed acquaintance’ who claims to have sold her the fentanyl. 
Two months ago, Richins promoted her children’s book on local TV and told a segment called ‘Good Things Utah’ that she had written it to help her three boys deal with the grief of losing their father.

Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday in Utah and is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl at their home in Kamas. Court documents show the charges brought against Richins

Two months ago, Richins promoted her children’s book on local TV and told a segment called ‘Good Things Utah’ that she had written it to help her three boys deal with the grief of losing their father

Two months ago, Richins promoted her children’s book on local TV and told a segment called ‘Good Things Utah’ that she had written it to help her three boys deal with the grief of losing their father
She called her husband’s death unexpected and described how it sent her and her three boys reeling.
For children, Richins said, grieving was about ‘making sure that their spirit is always alive in your home.’
‘It’s – you know – explaining to my kid just because he’s not present here with us physically, doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here with us,’ she told the anchors, who commended her for being an amazing mother.
Richins’ attorney, Skye Lazaro, declined to comment on the charges.