UT - Kouri Richins, 33, Author, wife, mom, charged in husband’s “unexpected” death last year, May 2023-- MEDIA, MAPS, TIMELINE **NO DISCUSSION**

[Seattle1]

5/16/2023 --

Author and Murder Mom | Profiling Evil​

 

[Seattle1]

A mother wrote a children's book about grief after her husband died. Now she's charged with his murder.

Kouri Richins wrote a picture book to help children cope after the death of a loved one. Now she's charged with killing her husband.

www.king5.com

5/8/23

SALT LAKE CITY — After her husband died last year, she wrote a children’s book on grief. Now she’s charged with his murder.
Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday in Utah and is accused in charging documents of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City.

Prosecutors allege that Richins called authorities in the middle of the night in March 2022 to report that her husband, Eric Richins, was “cold to the touch.” The mother of three told officers that she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink to celebrate him selling a home and then went to soothe one of their children to sleep in their bedroom. She later returned and upon finding her husband unresponsive, called 911.

 

[Seattle1]

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[Seattle1]

Summit County mom arrested for husband's murder

The Kamas mother who wrote a book with her children to help them deal with the grief over losing their father is now facing charges for his murder.

www.kpcw.org

5/8/23

The Kamas mother who wrote a book with her children to help them deal with the grief over losing their father is now facing charges for his murder.​

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kouri D. Richins Monday for the murder of her husband, Eric Richins.

The 33-year-old is charged with one first-degree felony count of aggravated murder, as well as three second-degree felony counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Eric Richins died of a Fentanyl overdose on March 4, 2022, according to a police search warrant.

The Richins family is one of the oldest and largest in Summit County. A notable member was Sheldon Richins, for whom Summit County’s Richins Building in Kimball Junction is named.

Kouri told sheriff’s deputies she and her husband were having a celebration together the night of March 3. She said Eric had consumed a shot of alcohol and a THC gummy.

Kouri said she went to bed in their kids’ room that night and rejoined Eric around 3 a.m. When she felt he was cold and realized he wasn’t breathing, she called 911.

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Kouri Richins is facing state felony charges in 3rd District Court. Judge Richard Mrazik has scheduled a detention hearing for May 19.

It will help the judge decide whether Kouri should be held in jail while her case is pending before the court.

More details at the link.

@Niner

 

[Seattle1]

Utah woman who wrote book about grief following husband's death faces murder charge

A woman who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief following the death of her husband was charged with murder Monday.

www.abc4.com

Kouri Richins was arrested on May 8 in Summit County for aggravated murder and three counts of possession of drugs with intent to distribute. The alleged murder occurred on March 3, 2022. Kouri Richins’ husband, Eric Richins, died on March 4, 2022, his obituary claimed.

Eric Richins, 39, died “unexpectedly,” his obituary stated. He and Kouri were married for nine years and had three young sons together. The documents charging Kouri with murder were originally sealed, but have been unsealed.

The following is new information regarding the case:

According to court records, a relative of Eric has filed for guardianship of Kouri and Eric’s young kids.

On March 4, 2022, at 3:22 a.m., Eric Richins was found deceased at the foot of his bed. According to the charging documents, Kouri said that on March 3, at 11 p.m., they were celebrating her closing on a house for her business. She said she made him a Moscow Mule in the kitchen and brought it to their bedroom where he drank it in bed.

[..]

Following an autopsy, it was determined that Eric died from an overdose of illicit fentanyl. The medical examiner said the amount of fentanyl in his system was approximately five times the lethal dosage. According to the medical examiner, the fentanyl was ingested orally.

After the autopsy, a search warrant was obtained for the residence. Several computers and Kouri’s phone were seized as evidence. According to the charging documents, Kouri had contacted her friend several times asking if she could get a prescription pain medication for an investor who had a back injury. Some hydrocodone pills were left at a Midway house that Kouri was flipping, and Kouri left cash for them.

 

[Seattle1]

Utah author arrested, accused of murdering husband

The author of "Are You With Me?" faces murder charges for the death of her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022, according to just released court documents.

ksltv.com

5/8/23

On May 2, 2023 Summit County detectives interviewed Kouri’s acquaintance, and they said that Kouri asked for “prescription pain medication for an investor” sometime between December 2021 and February 2022. During that time frame, Kouri received the medication, according to the court documents.

“(Kouri) told (the acquaintance) to leave the pills at a house defendant was flipping in Midway, Utah. (The acquaintance) left the pills at the house, and the defendant left cash for them,” stated court documents.

The acquaintance said that Kouri contacted them two weeks later and said that her investor wanted “something stronger and asked for ‘some of the Michael Jackson stuff,'” specifically fentanyl.

In February 2022, the acquaintance contacted a dealer in Ogden, Utah, and got 15 to 30 fentanyl pills. Kouri went to the acquaintance’s home in Summit County and paid them $900.

According to court documents, Eric became ill after a Valentine’s Day dinner at the couple’s home. The victim believed Kouri had poisoned him, and he told a friend.

About two weeks later, Kouri contacted her acquaintance, who got her another round of fentanyl pills for $900.

“The defendant told (the acquaintance) to leave the pills at the outdoor fire pit of the Midway, Utah house where there was cash waiting for her,” stated court documents. A few days later, Eric died of a fentanyl overdose.

According to Eric’s obituary, he and Kouri were married for nine years and had three children.

After Eric’s death, Kouri wrote a book about losing him “unexpectedly” and processing the loss, according to a KPCW story.

 

[Seattle1]

Utah woman who authored book on dealing with grief charged with husband's murder

A Summit County woman who wrote a book about helping children deal with the grief of losing a loved one was charged Monday in the death of her husband

www.fox13now.com

5/8/23

Kouri Richins, 33, was charged with aggravated murder, a first degree felony, along with three charges of possession with intent to distribute.

Richins is the author of the book "Are You with Me?," which, according to the description on Amazon, "follows the story of a child who has lost their father, but who is reminded that his presence still exists all around them, just like an angel watching over them."

The book was released on March 7, 2023, nearly a year after Richins' husband, Eric, died. Court documents show Eric Richins died on March 4, 2022 after deputies arrived at the family home and found him at the foot of his bed.

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"Eric did absolutely everything in his power to provide his family with every possible opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun," the obituary reads.

In an eerie post to Facebook on May 4, Kouri wrote, "Life is just so damn hard without you here! The cards I have been dealt seems like a game that cant be played. #pleasecomehome Eric Richins."

 

[Seattle1]

Eric Richins Obituary March 4, 2022 - Walker Mortuary

View Eric Richins's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

www.walker-mortuary.com

 

[Seattle1]

Utah woman who wrote children's book on grief charged with husband's murder

A Utah woman who wrote a children's book about grief has been charged with the alleged murder of her husband.

kutv.com

Richins was arrested on Monday, May 8, in Utah and is accused in charging documents of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City.

his photo provided by KPCW.org shows Kouri Richins at the KPCW studio in Park City, Utah, April 12, 2023. Richins was arrested on Monday, May 8, in Utah and is

www.nbcrightnow.com

Utah woman who wrote children’s book about dealing with death charged with husband’s murder | Gephardt Daily

A Utah mother and author of a children's book about a child who deals with their father's death has been charged with murder after allegedly using fentanyl to poison her husband.

gephardtdaily.com

 

[Seattle1]

Kamas widow charged with killing husband with fentanyl overdose

A Kamas woman who wrote a book about how to cope with the loss of a loved one has now been charged with killing her husband in 2022.

www.ksl.com

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Kouri Darden Richins, 33, was charged Monday in Summit County's 3rd District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; and three counts of drug possession with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony.

Her charges and arrest warrant were issued under seal on Monday as Summit County Sheriff's deputies went to serve the warrant. The warrant was unsealed Monday afternoon after she was arrested and booked into the Summit County Jail.

Eric Richins, 39, died unexpectedly at his home on March 4, 2022. A toxicology report from the Utah Medical Examiner's Office, however, determined that he "died from an overdose of fentanyl" and that "the level of fentanyl in Eric's system was approximately five times the lethal dosage," according to charging documents.

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But according to one of several search warrant affidavits served in the case, "There was no indication from friends or family or (evidence) on scene that Eric was a drug user or that he had any use or behavioral changes to indicate drug use."

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But according to the search warrant, members of Eric's family immediately suspected that Kouri Richins had something to do with his death.

"They advised he warned them that if anything happened to him she was to blame. According to a sister, Eric and his wife went to Greece a few years ago and after his wife gave him a drink he became violently ill and called his sister saying he believed his wife had tried to kill him. On Valentine's Day of 2022, his wife brought him a sandwich, which after one bite Eric broke into hives and couldn't breathe," the warrant states.

According to the warrant, Eric Richins' family allegedly told police that Eric was seeking a divorce and had "recently changed his will and life insurance from his wife to his sister.

"Also, according to the family, Eric and his wife were arguing over buying a nearly $2 million property she wanted to 'flip.' He was planning on telling her that he wasn't going to sign the papers. The day after Eric's death, his wife allegedly signed the closing papers on the home. This was the 'celebration' that his wife claimed they were celebrating, was buying the home," the warrant states.

 

[Seattle1]

Utah woman who wrote book about grief following husband's death charged with murder - 5/8/23​

 

[Seattle1]

Utah mother who wrote children's book on grief charged with husband's murder​

 

[Seattle1]

The story behind Midway's unfinished mansion - TownLift, Park City News

The unfinished mansion between Heber City and Midway has sat untouched for five years, a perplexing sight for passersby and locals.

townlift.com

 

[Seattle1]

Mormon mom promoted bereavement book a month before murder arrest

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

www.dailymail.co.uk

May 9, 2023

The Mormon mom accused of poisoning her husband last year was promoting the kids' bereavement book she wrote after he died as recently as a month ago.

Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of murdering her husband Eric, 40, in their home in Kamas, a town near Park City, Utah, last March.

Police believe she gave him a lethal dose of fentanyl disguised in a Moscow Mule cocktail.

[..]

In the weeks and months before, she'd tried to make herself the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy. He had changed his will and power of attorney to give his sister full control, and was even worried that his wife was trying to kill him, according to a police search warrant.

Kouri remains in the custody of Summit County Sheriff's Deputies awaiting her next court appearance.

 

[Seattle1]

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Mormon mom promoted bereavement book a month before murder arrest

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

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Seattle1]

Pdf link to Charging documents

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23808108/kouri-richins-warrant.pdf

 

[Seattle1]

5/9/2023

‘The Grand Home’: Kouri Richins’ unfinished Midway mansion could have buyer

A mansion that broke ground in 2017—but was never finished—has been a longtime roadside curiosity in Midway. And now it’s at the center of a man’s death, which prosecutors allege was murder.

www.kpcw.org

 

[Seattle1]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1656142714772295685

 

[Seattle1]

Grief book author accused of killing husband calls his death a ‘shock’ in chilling TV interview

A Utah mother of three who has been charged with murdering her husband appeared last month on a local TV show to promote a book she wrote about processing grief – saying his death “completely took …

nypost.com

5/10/23

“I just wanted some story to read to my kids at night and I couldn’t find anything that suited them, so I was like, ‘Let’s just write one,’” Richins said.

She told the hosts she began researching “to try and understand not only how to grieve as a widow, as a wife, but also with my kids, how to help them, how to help them understand what just happened.”

During the interview, Richins described the “three C’s” she wrote about — “connection, continuity and care.”

She said “connection” is the most important component, which teaches kids that the spirit of the deceased loved one “is always in your home.”

 

[Seattle1]

5/10/23

Utah mom who wrote a children's book about grief after her husband died is now charged with murdering him

Eric Richins died March 4, 2022, at their home after his wife, Kouri Richins, made him a Moscow Mule, authorities allege.

www.nbcnews.com