UT - Kouri Richins, 33, Author, wife, mom, charged in husband’s “unexpected” death last year, May 2023

[al66pine]

Given the policies were laid out by the prosecution and detailed in the criminal complaint, I think it safe to say KR applied for the policies.
From the previously linked amended complaint:
View attachment 423542

@Seattle1 Thank you very much for the quote from crim complaint.

Yes, agreeing safe to say Kouri APPLIED for four policies 2015 -2017.

Complaint also states she applied for a policy in Jan 2022, and co. issued it in Feb. 2022.

That was one question about the other four applied-for policies --- were they
issued? Her app's may have run into trouble in UNDERWRITING or maybe I overlooked other references in complaint or elsewhere to policies issuance.

And if so, were any or all still in force when he died?
Kouri strikes me as well, scatterbrained, someone who may fail to pay premiums or who may lose track of time & coverages, etc., so policies end up LAPSING for non-payment.

And if any or all were in force, did she SUBMIT CLAIMS? Maybe they were all in force.
But conceivably she might made claims (gotten forms online & submitted electronically or snail mail), despite (possibly) having received lapse notices for non-payment.

I've been scrolling thru many different scenarios of what may have happened.

 

[Erutan]

Utah mom accused of poisoning husband with fentanyl in cocktail took out $2 million in life insurance policies on him

PARK CITY, Utah — A woman who allegedly spiked her husband's drink with fentanyl and then wrote a children's book about grief after he died is now accused of secretly taking out almost $2 million in life insurance policies on him.

www.yahoo.com

Days after her husband's death, Richins allegedly had a locksmith drill into his safe, which contained between $125,000 and $165,000 cash, according to Thursday's filing. When Eric Richins' sister suggested that Richins should not touch the money, she allegedly became enraged and punched the woman in the face and neck.

The document alleges that last March 9 or March 10, after her husband's death, Richins told C.L. to leave more fentanyl pills in a fire pit at a home she owned.

Red bolding mine.

My goodness.
Was KR planning to 'get rid' of Eric's sister as well ?
Or someone else ?


Imo.

 

[Seattle1]

That was one question about the other four applied-for policies --- were they
issued? Her app's may have run into trouble in UNDERWRITING or maybe I overlooked other references in complaint or elsewhere to policies issuance.

IMO, the terminology, dates, and values, cited in the complaint causes one to believe the policies were not merely applications for insurance but policies issued:

"....., the Defendant purchased at least four (4) life insurance policies on Eric Richins' life with aggregate death benefits of $1,947,000. These policies had been purchased prior to the date that Eric Richins formed the Trust [October 2020]....."

IMO, the purchased policies were still in force on the October 2020 date Eric formed the trust.

While it's unknown and not provided in the complaint whether on not the defendant made any claim or attempted claim on the policies in question, it doesn't follow that all the unknown policies with aggregate death benefit at $1,947,000 would not be in force at the time of Eric's death, given the defendant is charged with homicide for pecuniary gain.

purchase, past tense: purchased
1. acquire (something) by paying for it; buy.

Oxford Languages and Google - English | Oxford Languages

Google’s English dictionary is provided by Oxford Languages. Oxford Languages is the world’s leading dictionary publisher, with over 150 years of experience creating and delivering authoritative dictionaries globally in more than 50 languages.

languages.oup.com

 

[RickshawFan]

@RickshawFan Doubtful, imo. Why not?
IIRC, Eric & first wife divorced approx. two yrs before Eric met & started dating Kouri, then cashiering at big box home improvement store. Sorry, no link, but MSM story from interview w Kouri's ex-co-worker re meeting at store.

Any possibility KR's actions led to or was somehow involved in death of first wife?

Let me crank up my imagination to full speed.
Say, ^ sequence of events was not true, that Eric (still married, maybe not so happily) & Kouri were an item, that he was policyholder of life ins policy on first wife, even after they divorced, that then Kouri learned of life ins policy & decided the opp. was too good to pass up, and a couple yrs post-divorce staged the vehicle accident, so Eric (& she) would receive $$$ death benefit from policy?

Is it possible?
Maybe, but w initial version of sequence of events,
no/little reason to think Kouri would have ---
1. thought first wife, still living, was a "threat" to her (ETA: or ER & KR marriage)
2. the smarts to arrange a fatal vehicle collision, and
3. sufficient influence over a person to agree to participate?
Also w no children (<-- my assumption ) of first marriage, who in Erik's shoes would continue paying premiums on life ins. policy of ex-wife for a couple yrs?

I tried to imagine it. Maybe possible but pieces do not fit readily together, imo.

But wait.....

If the first ex had alimony from ER, KR would have a motive: more money for her that would otherwise be going to the ex.

 

[Bounceycat]

But wait.....

If the first ex had alimony from ER, KR would have a motive: more money for her that would otherwise be going to the ex.

Respectfully, if you read about the circumstances of the accident, I don't think that's plausible at all. A further Google of the drivers name will give even more info about his criminal history and mental health situation. Also, this was Jan 2011 and KR either hadn't started dating ER at this point or the relationship was very, very new.

Man arrested in death of woman in fiery Salt Lake crash

www.deseret.com

 

[Tricia]

We go live at 10:30 P.M. Eastern tonight.
We will be discussing the Kouri Richins case tonight, the latest in the Bryan Kohberger case, AND, it's Woo Woo Saturday Night. We want your ghost stories

5/20/23 Did Utah Mom Murder for the insurance?IT'S WOO WOO SATURDAY NIGHT

WE GO LIVE AT 10:30 PM EASTERN. Utah has the craziest true crime storie. Kouri Richins' husband of 9 years died suddenly. Richins then wrote a touching child...

www.youtube.com

 

[rebelchild]

Utah mom accused of poisoning husband with fentanyl in cocktail took out $2 million in life insurance policies on him

PARK CITY, Utah — A woman who allegedly spiked her husband's drink with fentanyl and then wrote a children's book about grief after he died is now accused of secretly taking out almost $2 million in life insurance policies on him.

www.yahoo.com

Days after her husband's death, Richins allegedly had a locksmith drill into his safe, which contained between $125,000 and $165,000 cash, according to Thursday's filing. When Eric Richins' sister suggested that Richins should not touch the money, she allegedly became enraged and punched the woman in the face and neck.

The document alleges that last March 9 or March 10, after her husband's death, Richins told C.L. to leave more fentanyl pills in a fire pit at a home she owned.

Red bolding mine.

My goodness.
Was KR planning to 'get rid' of Eric's sister as well ?
Or someone else ?


Imo.

Either that or she was going to make sure a stash of pills were found that would point to ER having a drug problem. IIRC didn't one of the reports say she wrote a check for the March 9 or 10th delivery but dated the check March 6th? It will be interesting to see who's name was signed on the check.
MOO

 

[Warwick7]

Wow. Just wow. From the article above:

As far back as 2015 she was plotting MOO.
:0(

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks for posting this Motion to Stay the civil case between KR and sister in law KRB.

First time I’m reading about KR obtaining a second mortgage on the family home by using a fraudulent power of attorney.

Of course, with all her other crimes I may have just missed it.

How in the world did she pull some of this off- and how did she think she wouldn’t be caught?
If she forged a POA document it would need to be notarized, correct?

Pages 3 and 6 of the Motion:

View attachment 423540View attachment 423541

KR was slick and seemed ER trusting, to a fault.

POA was allegedly signed by ER on May 8, 2013 (about a month prior to the wedding) but not notarized until 5 years later in 2018(??). Perhaps the POA was entirely fraudulent.

According to the petition, in September 2020, after Eric discovered the stolen money, he also discovered Kouri had borrowed $250,000 using a fraudulent Power of Attorney.

Kouri reportedly accomplished this by having Eric sign a Power of Attorney for certain activities, but Kouri allegedly forged Eric’s initials in several categories listed in the Power of Attorney.

“Upon signing, Eric did not believe he was signing over such substantial rights as outlined in the Power of Attorney,” the petition stated. Eric’s purported signature was dated May 8, 2013, but was not purportedly notarized until May 8, 2018.

According to the petition, around March 2019, without Eric’s knowledge or consent, Kouri opened a bank account with a revolving line of credit and borrowed $250,000. She allegedly did this with a Deed of Trust in which Kouri signed Eric’s signature. Eric reportedly confronted Kouri about the fraudulent loan in September 2020, and Kouri reportedly admitted she had wrongfully taken the loan and promised to pay it back.

^^rsbm

 

[Herat]

Either that or she was going to make sure a stash of pills were found that would point to ER having a drug problem. IIRC didn't one of the reports say she wrote a check for the March 9 or 10th delivery but dated the check March 6th? It will be interesting to see who's name was signed on the check.
MOO

Eric was "found" dead on Friday, March 4 2022. KRB reportedly had a party several days later for the closing on the property. I would assume that means Sunday March 6.

Perhaps the person who sold her the fentanyl also worked for her on March 6 somehow associated with the party and she wanted to make the check appear to be related to that event, for her business records to deduct as a business expense.

 

[Seattle1]

To be clear, while the agreement provided for ER's business interest to transfer to KR, the partners each carried life insurance on each other sufficient to buy out the interest of the wife. In other words, neither intended KR to become a partner. But KR showed the ultimate greed. Not only did she look to inherit ER's interest in his business, but she also attempted to remove his partner as the sole beneficiary of this life policy and name herself as the beneficiary.

Quoting my post to add the amended complaint on 5/18/23 confirms the business partners' mutual life policy at $2M.

 

[neesaki]

Either that or she was going to make sure a stash of pills were found that would point to ER having a drug problem. IIRC didn't one of the reports say she wrote a check for the March 9 or 10th delivery but dated the check March 6th? It will be interesting to see who's name was signed on the check.
MOO

He had nothing to do with her stash.

 

[Crimescenetape]

I’ve been following this case from the beginning. But I do not recall where the prenup was first mentioned.

Who told the story of the prenup being presented on their wedding day?

If this information came from Kouri, then that’s highly suspect as to the truth of it.

And if it could have possibly been nullified, wouldn’t that have been done at least within this last year, if not before?

Thank you for reposting the information.

I read about the prenup in a Daily Mail article. Linda Carter, Eric Richins mother and prenup requester, died in March 2018 in Hawaii according to her obituary. Eric's obituary, if indeed written by Kouri, states Eric was preceded in death "by his amazing mother." Do we all have the same question: was Kouri in Hawaii March 2018? MOO.

 

[Seattle1]

I read about the prenup in a Daily Mail article. Linda Carter, Eric Richins mother and prenup requester, died in March 2018 in Hawaii according to her obituary. Eric's obituary, if indeed written by Kouri, states Eric was preceded in death "by his amazing mother." Do we all have the same question: was Kouri in Hawaii March 2018? MOO.

I think great minds think alike!

However, reading the condolences, besides living a very compassionate life, seems LC died after enduring a fatal illness.

 

[cocomod]

I wonder if she was writing the book before he even died... It will be interesting if police are able to look into that little piece too. She certainly "wrote it, published it, and started selling it" rather quickly.

I personally wonder if some of the life insurance did pay out to her. Otherwise, how was she living her high life since she was cut out of his will.

 

[RickshawFan]

I wonder if she was writing the book before he even died... It will be interesting if police are able to look into that little piece too. She certainly "wrote it, published it, and started selling it" rather quickly.

I personally wonder if some of the life insurance did pay out to her. Otherwise, how was she living her high life since she was cut out of his will.

Ghost-writing takes very little time

 

[rebelchild]

He had nothing to do with her stash.

I think you misunderstood my post. I agree he had nothing to do with her stash .. my post was implying that she wrote a check for the pills after he was found dead and backdated the check to possibly make it seem like he had purchased them. I had the date of his death wrong as I was thinking he died on the 6th. So my opinion of what she may have been trying to do is also wrong

 

[Charlot123]

Utah mom accused of poisoning husband with fentanyl in cocktail took out $2 million in life insurance policies on him

PARK CITY, Utah — A woman who allegedly spiked her husband's drink with fentanyl and then wrote a children's book about grief after he died is now accused of secretly taking out almost $2 million in life insurance policies on him.

www.yahoo.com

My goodness.
Was KR planning to 'get rid' of Eric's sister as well ?
Or someone else ?


Imo.

(RSFB).

I think she was planning a sequel to her book...

 

[BrownRice]

It occurs to me that the purchase of the "Michael Jackson strength" fentanyl 5 days after Eric death may have been to poison someone else, as mentioned above. Some choices are:

1. Eric's sister who broke the news Kouri was not receiving Eric's money. ( KRB did assault her)

2. Cody Wright, who would be the beneficiary of the $2,000,000 business life insurance that Kouri had already tried to steal in January 2022.

3. One or more of her children. I am still concerned she took out life insurance policies on the children. It would be easy to poison them with the stronger fentanyl she just bought and claim they were Eric's hidden pills that the kids found and ingested.

Yeah. I think she is very capable of that.

More tragedy, more sympathy, more TV appearances.

Obviously crazy she thought she could get away with Eric’s death (probably thought she did, not knowing the behind the scenes investigations). But, to have another fentanyl related death with the sister or Cody? She would have to be insane; it would obviously come back to her. What was she thinking…..

And to read that she started scheming just a few years into their marriage by stealing his $ (Salt Lake Trib article posted above says it started 2016). So it’s not like she slowly fell out of love, developed a gambling problem, etc. Seems like this was her plan all along. 2016 is during the birthing of their babies years!

 

[BrownRice]

Maybe it’s time for the government to require a national database for life insurance policies. Whenever one is purchased in someone’s name, it gets filed and the person for whom the policy was purchased is notified. Additionally, the insurance agent is flagged if there’s a certain number of policies purchased within a certain timeframe.