A Utah lady who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband in 2022, then revealed a kids’s guide about grief, now faces one other tried homicide cost for allegedly drugging him weeks earlier, on Valentine’s Day.
Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of killing her husband with a deadly dose of fentanyl at their house in a small mountain city close to Park Metropolis in March 2022. New charging paperwork filed Monday by Summit County prosecutors allege that it wasn’t her first try on his life.
They element the perilous months previous Eric Richins’ demise, portray an image of a paranoid man strolling on eggshells round his spouse as she made secret monetary preparations and purchased illicit medicine that have been later present in his system.
Prosecutors have stated beforehand that Kouri Richins, who’s being held with out bail, might have tried to poison her husband the month earlier than his demise, however they did not file the extra prices till this week.
Skye Lazaro
The chilling case of a once-beloved creator accused of profiting off her personal violent crime has captivated true-crime fans within the 12 months since she was arrested for her husband’s homicide. She had self-published “Are You With Me?” — an illustrated storybook a couple of father with angel wings watching over his younger son after dying.
As soon as lauded as a heartwarming must-read for any baby who’s misplaced a beloved one, the guide has since grow to be a robust device for prosecutors arguing that Kouri Richins carried out a calculated homicide plot and tried to cowl it up.
The mom of three repeatedly referred to as her husband’s demise sudden whereas selling her guide and was recommended by many for serving to her sons and different younger kids course of the demise of a mum or dad.
Her legal professional, Skye Lazaro, did not instantly reply to a request for touch upon the brand new prices. Lazaro has argued in early hearings that the proof towards her shopper was doubtful and circumstantial.
Particulars on potential prior homicide strive
One chew of his favourite sandwich — left with a word within the entrance seat of his truck on Valentine’s Day — made Eric Richins, 39, escape in hives and black out, prosecutors allege within the new paperwork.
His spouse had purchased the sandwich from a neighborhood diner within the metropolis of Kamas the identical week she additionally bought a number of dozen fentanyl drugs, based on witness statements and deleted textual content messages that have been recovered by police.
The state’s star witness, a housekeeper who claims to have offered her the medicine, informed regulation enforcement that she gave Kouri Richins the drugs a pair days earlier than Valentine’s Day. Later that month, Richins allegedly informed the housekeeper that the drugs she offered weren’t robust sufficient and requested her to obtain stronger fentanyl, based on the brand new charging paperwork.
In witness testimony, two associates of Eric Richins recount cellphone conversations from the day prosecutors at the moment are saying he was first poisoned by his spouse of 9 years. After injecting himself together with his son’s EpiPen and chugging a bottle of Benadryl, he woke from deep sleep and and informed a buddy, “I feel my spouse tried to poison me.”
His associates say they observed worry in his voice as Richins, who had no identified allergic reactions, informed them that he felt like he was going to die and that his spouse may be responsible. Opioids, together with fentanyl, could cause extreme allergic reactions, together with hives.
Particulars on Eric Richins’ demise
A month later, Kouri Richins referred to as 911 in the midst of the evening to report that she had discovered her husband “chilly to the contact” on the foot of their mattress, based on the police report. He was pronounced useless, and a medical expert later discovered 5 instances the deadly dosage of fentanyl in his system.
“One or two drugs may be unintended. Twenty — or 5 instances the deadly dose — will not be unintended. That’s somebody who needs Eric useless,” Summit County Chief Prosecutor Patricia Cassell stated.
She alleges that Richins slipped the artificial opioid right into a Moscow mule cocktail she made for her husband amid marital disputes and fights over a multimillion-dollar mansion she bought as an funding.
Eric Richins’ household believes Kouri Richins spiked his drink the evening he died, based on “48 Hours.”
Potential motive?
Years earlier than her husband’s demise, Kouri Richins opened quite a few life insurance coverage insurance policies on Eric Richins with out his data, with advantages totaling practically $2 million, prosecutors allege.
Kouri Richins was additionally charged Monday with mortgage fraud and insurance coverage fraud for allegedly forging mortgage functions and fraudulently claiming insurance coverage advantages after his demise.
Prosecutors argue she was in monetary misery when her husband died and say she mistakenly believed she would inherit his property beneath phrases of their prenuptial settlement. Newly launched paperwork indicated she had a detrimental checking account steadiness, owed lenders greater than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor.
Charging paperwork point out Eric Richins met with a divorce legal professional and an property planner in October 2020, a month after he found that his spouse made some main monetary choices with out his data. The couple’s prenuptial settlement solely allowed Kouri Richins to revenue off her husband’s profitable stone masonry enterprise if he died whereas they have been nonetheless married.
Utah regulation prohibits anybody convicted of homicide from profiting financially off their crime.
Maternal homicide confederate?
The case took one other flip when a newly launched court docket affidavit revealed final week that investigators imagine Kouri Richins’ mom may additionally have been concerned in his demise.
A Summit County Sheriff’s investigator wrote within the affidavit it’s “potential” that Lisa Darden was “concerned in planning and orchestrating” Eric Richins’ demise.
Investigators found Darden had been residing with a feminine romantic associate who died all of a sudden in 2006. An post-mortem decided the lady died of an overdose of oxycodone, the affidavit stated. The lady struggled with drug abuse, however on the time of her demise she wasn’t in restoration, which the investigator stated would “seemingly rule out the potential for an unintended overdose.” Darden had grow to be the recipient of the associate’s property shortly earlier than her demise, the affidavit stated.
The affidavit additionally stated conversations “have been discovered on Kouri’s cellphone displaying disdain for Eric on Lisa’s half.”
“Based mostly on Lisa Darden’s proximity to her associate’s suspicious overdose demise, and her relationship with Kouri, it’s potential she was concerned in planning and orchestrating Eric’s demise,” the affidavit states.
No prices have been filed towards Lisa Darden.
