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

[Herat]

Idk….. But at this point, I‘m Beginning to think she might have had someone else in line to kill ! I know I wouldn’t put it past her!

Options might have been Eric's sister who was the beneficiary and the trustee of Eric's estate, unbenownst to Kouri.

Or maybe Eric's business partner, Cody Wright. His death would have brought into play the business life insurance policy.

She might have thought Cody's death would bring the proceeds of the business life insurance into Eric's estate and she could claim that, too

 

[Herat]

Yeah... it does seem kinda strange that they didn't go to the lawyer together to write it. That is what every single one of the few couples I know with prenups did. I wonder how it was handled? Just like, sign this along with the marriage license or this wedding doesn't happen? Was his money family money and so the family got involved even though he didn't necessarily want a prenup?

I'm also shocked about the check to the fentanyl dealer! Not only is that extremely dumb, but she's 33 years old right? I'm in my early 40s, and I haven't even possessed a paper checkbook in years. I did not think millennials did checks at all. We know the dealer has been called a friend of KR's in the MSM, and some have speculated more-than-friends (wink) so maybe they were hoping to pass it off as a loan to a bud in need?

This whole case is just WILD!

It would be easily explainable if she had been paying this person before for services associated with her real estate business. Just another contractor invoice. List as a business expense for taxes, too.

 

[Lore Listener]

Idk….. But at this point, I‘m Beginning to think she might have had someone else in line to kill ! I know I wouldn’t put it past her!

Totally. I'm just trying to figure out where all that money went, and I've definitely known of some rich people who p*ssed it all away on drug habits. Like, that is just so much money to steal without anything to show for it when you're living in a house presumably paid for or the mortgage payments being paid by the spouse.

 

[Seattle1]

KR just might be as arrogant as Nancy Brophy (OR) and want to testify she's innocent! Nancy Brophy was a romance novelist who once wrote a blog titled, “How to Murder Your Husband.” (That blog was not allowed into evidence during the trial.)

Nancy Brophy sentenced to life in prison for murder

Nancy Crampton Brophy, convicted May 25 for killing her husband at the Oregon Culinary Institute in 2018, was sentenced to life in prison Monday.

www.koin.com

 

[Seattle1]

Eric Richins, whose wife is accused of killing him, ‘hoped to keep his family together,’ spokesperson says

Utah author Kouri Richins is accused of killing her husband Eric Richins, who was an avid outdoorsman and devoted father, a spokesperson for the family said.

www.sltrib.com

 

[azure]

I'm no attorney, but I've always heard that a prenup that's presented as a fait accompli (especially on the wedding day!) and with no attorney for the spouse would be looked on pretty dubiously by the court.

Could KR have simply divorced Eric and gotten the money she wanted in a settlement after the prenup was invalidated?

Indeed, I am also not a lawyer, but I am a former paralegal, and this is my understanding of prenups as well.

Here's a link to a law firm briefly describing signing under duress:

Situation 3: Spouse Claims They Signed the Agreement Under Duress
If one spouse coerced the other to sign the prenuptial agreement, it will not hold up in Court. Sometimes, one spouse will threaten or pressure the other spouse to sign the agreement when they really didn’t want to.

In this case, if the spouse being pressured still signs, it may be proven that they were under duress. If someone signs something without really consenting, then they may not be held responsible for having signed the prenup.

Here's a link to another law firm stating that just under 50% of prenups are invalidated in court.

 

[Herat]

If Eric died more than a year ago, can we assume his business insurance paid the $2 million out to his business partner Cody Wright?

I would think childhood friend Cody might have some insight into what Eric was going through with Kouri, and what his plans might have been.

 

[cocomod]

Eric Richins 'killer wife' thought she would get $3.6m from his death

DailyMail.com can reveal that Kouri Richins was due to get access to Eric's estate valued at $3.6million after his death, according to the terms of a prenup.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Now, court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, have laid bare the twisted legal battle Kouri, 34, launched against her husband's family within weeks of his death in a bid to secure an estate valued in excess of $3.6million.

Now, court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, have laid bare the twisted legal battle Kouri, 34, launched against her husband's family within weeks of his death in a bid to secure an estate valued in excess of $3.6million.

The decision to have a prenup in the first place was inspired by the experience of Eric's 2009 divorce from his first wife Julie Jorgenson, whom he married in 2005.


His first wife's obituary:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/saltlaketribune/name/julie-jorgenson-obituary?id=27135508

and a man arrested for her death:

Man arrested in death of woman in fiery Salt Lake crash

The man police say was responsible for a fiery fatal crash last week was released from the hospital Thursday and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of manslaughter/negligent homicide.

www.ksl.com

 

[cocomod]

If Eric died more than a year ago, can we assume his business insurance paid the $2 million out to his business partner Cody Wright?

I would think childhood friend Cody might have some insight into what Eric was going through with Kouri, and what his plans might have been.

I am more curious if the insurance company paid out the almost $2 million to his wife. I thought the insurance to his business partner was only $500k.

 

[Herat]

I am more curious if the insurance company paid out the almost $2 million to his wife. I thought the insurance to his business partner was only $500k.

I may have had the amount of the business life insurance wrong.

I was trying to find it in documents and I wasn't able to clearly get it specified. Too late at night for me to be posting.

Apologize for my mistake.

 

[cottonweaver]

I think there were a lot of moving parts to the investigation (phone records, drug supplier, financial issues) that had to be very carefully and quietly investigated so Kouri wouldn’t suspect she was in the crosshairs. They needed a rock solid case. I imagine there was also concern that she might harm the boys so they had to tread carefully. Eric no doubt was being extra cautious as he tried to extricate himself and his boys out of fear Kouri would end up with custody. I’ve never forgotten what Josh Powell did to his two sons in WA state. Unfortunately, Eric paid with his life.

Official: Missing woman's husband blows up house to kill himself, 2 sons | CNN

Josh Powell blew up his house Sunday in Washington state home of Josh Powell, killing himself and his two sons, authorities say.

www.cnn.com

Initially that made perfect sense but then I have to ask, why would authorities not want to remove the kids at the earliest opportunity? Aren't the three kids at risk living with a suspected but uncharged poisoner.
Anybody know how child protection risk assessment works in the state in this kind of situation?

Anybody guesstimate when autopsy/tox was completed? LE first interviewed the drug supplier CL on May 2, 2023

PS relieved to hear that the three boys are now being cared for by a family member.

 

[Herat]

Initially that made perfect sense but then I have to ask, why would authorities not want to remove the kids at the earliest opportunity? Aren't the three kids at risk living with a suspected but uncharged poisoner.
Anybody know how child protection risk assessment works in the state in this kind of situation?

Anybody guesstimate when autopsy/tox was completed? LE first interviewed the drug supplier CL on May 2, 2023

PS relieved to hear that the three boys are now being cared for by a family member.

The toxicology screen was probably available within 72 hours.

The confirmational testing, including the identification that this was not medical-grade fentanyl but street fentanyl may have taken several weeks.

I would assume LE would have had most all information within a month of the autopsy.

But then they have to carefully start the investigation.

It would be very important to determine whether Eric had any kind of a drug use habit before starting to zero in on his spouse, who has custody of those children.

This was some very delicate and under the radar basic LE at work.

From her strange appearance on the TV show, promoting her book, I sense that she know LE was on to her in April 2023, and everything was starting to unravel.

 

[al66pine]

When Coming to a Fork in the Road, Why Did KR not Choose the Divorce Path?

I'm no attorney, but I've always heard that a prenup that's presented as a fait accompli (especially on the wedding day!) and with no attorney for the spouse would be looked on pretty dubiously by the court.
Could KR have simply divorced Eric and gotten the money she wanted in a settlement after the prenup was invalidated?

@ch_13 Yes, agreeing --- a court would look upon that ^ dubiously, maybe/likely declare the prenup void. But pls indulge me by letting me reframe the question.

Briefly, in hypothetical divorce action, even if ct. says, Yep, prenup is void, so the prop. division will be made per UT's law, would that benefit her financially? IOW would she be better off w UT. divorce law's method of prop division, than w prenup agreement terms (azz-uming it addresses prop. division in conjunction w divorce)?
(Note: I'm not addressing alimony or child support issues, just prop. division)

From Utah statute:
"... the court may include in the decree of divorce equitable orders relating to the children, property, debts or obligations,..." *
From other UT. website re self help re divorce w more explanation at link.
"Utah law requires an equitable division of marital property." **
^ Concise wording^ but opinions in UT. case law flesh out nuances. Back to KR.

If KR had filed for divorce, say, Mar. 1, 2022 and argued she signed under duress, so agreement was void, then possibly judge would have agreed & ordered "equitable" prop. division per Utah law.

But a possible CATCH.
If she had filed for divorce at that time, imo, husband Eric would have likely have engaged legal counsel. He may or may not have contested the divorce itself but in discussing/negotiating prop. div'n, would have looked further into his, her, and their joint finances, and likely (undoubtedly w. accountant/CPA review) would have discovered KR's $ high jinks.

IIUC before marrying Kouri, Eric had $ & prop, and may over the course of their marriage, may have received more by gift or inheritance.
Say, hypothetically, that amounted to $ X mil. Likely held in Erik's name?

In considering filing for divorce, maybe consulting an atty, did Kouri realize ---
- in a divorce, she would not "get a cut" of Eric's $ X mil. of non-marital property?
- filing would expose her $$$,$$$ high jinks w Eric's $? (was it ~ $ 400,000? More?)
- she did not want a court to make an order re "property, debts, and obligations". if ct. could order her to pay $$$,$$$ (or could deduct the $$$,$$$ from the amt. of $/property otherwise allocated to her in ct.-ordered prop. div'n).

Imo, moo, jmo.

_________________________________________
* 30-3-5. Disposition of property ... Division of debts ..." (sbm)
"(2) When a decree of divorce is rendered, the court may include in the decree of divorce equitable orders relating to the children, property, debts or obligations..."

Utah Code Section 30-3-5

le.utah.gov

** From UT. St. Courts website, "plain language" re prop div'n at divorce.

https://www.utcourts.gov/en/self-help/case-categories/family/divorce/property.html.

 

[Seattle1]

Eric Richins, whose wife is accused of killing him, ‘hoped to keep his family together,’ spokesperson says

Utah author Kouri Richins is accused of killing her husband Eric Richins, who was an avid outdoorsman and devoted father, a spokesperson for the family said.

www.sltrib.com

Originally from Bountiful, Richins went to Woods Cross High before graduating from the University of Utah, according to his Facebook profile. The university declined to comment but confirmed he received a bachelor’s degree in 2011.

Two years prior, he had started a masonry business called C&E Stone Masonry with his business partner and close friend Cody Wright; the letters in the company’s name corresponded to their own initials, according to a petition filed Wednesday in an ongoing probate case over Richins’ estate. The pair focused on intricate outdoor stone work, pavers and tile work in high-end homes, as seen on their Instagram.

Richins and Wright purchased mutual life insurance policies on each other, the petition states. Skordas said this is common practice when two people go into business together. “It gives you the funds to buy the other party out if they die,” he said.

The valuation of C&E Stone Masonry per the 2013 prenup, 50% of the business interest was cited at $2.5M.

It follows that the mutual life insurance policies were valued at about $2M since they are intended to buy out the interest of the late partner. I recall the actual business policy was said listed in a recent probate petition but I've not seen the petition in MSM as of yet and waiting patiently. (I'm not willing to pay for the document from Utah Court XCHANGE).

I am more curious if the insurance company paid out the almost $2 million to his wife. I thought the insurance to his business partner was only $500k.

No, the value of ER's personal life policy Eric changed w/o KR's knowledge was $500K per the post below.

It was then that Eric’s sister told Kouri she was the trustee, suggesting Kouri had no right to get into the safe. Eric made his sister, not Kouri, the beneficiary of his $500,000 personal life insurance policy without his wife’s knowledge.

I may have had the amount of the business life insurance wrong.

I was trying to find it in documents and I wasn't able to clearly get it specified. Too late at night for me to be posting.

Apologize for my mistake.

I believe your estimate on the business policy was correct. The personal policy was $500K.

 

[cottonweaver]

The toxicology screen was probably available within 72 hours.

The confirmational testing, including the identification that this was not medical-grade fentanyl but street fentanyl may have taken several weeks.

I would assume LE would have had most all information within a month of the autopsy.

But then they have to carefully start the investigation.

It would be very important to determine whether Eric had any kind of a drug use habit before starting to zero in on his spouse, who has custody of those children.

This was some very delicate and under the radar basic LE at work.

From her strange appearance on the TV show, promoting her book, I sense that she know LE was on to her in April 2023, and everything was starting to unravel.

Thankyou
I'd hate to work in child protection or be an LEO trying to balance these kinds of risks

After I posted it also occurred to me that the informant/drug supplier CL might have stayed silent until LE found some leverage on CL too & that brought the late admission.
By the way, what was is about her TV book interview that triggered your spidey senses?

PS If anybody interested, her attorney Skye Lazaro appeared on an episode of STS ( she was there to talk about Lori Vallow but..) Also Greg Skordas was on the show again this last week ( currently acting as Richins family spokesman)

 

[BrownRice]

I'm no attorney, but I've always heard that a prenup that's presented as a fait accompli (especially on the wedding day!) and with no attorney for the spouse would be looked on pretty dubiously by the court.

Could KR have simply divorced Eric and gotten the money she wanted in a settlement after the prenup was invalidated?

Agree! It’s like something you’d see in a soap opera.

 

[BrownRice]

Eric Richins 'killer wife' thought she would get $3.6m from his death

DailyMail.com can reveal that Kouri Richins was due to get access to Eric's estate valued at $3.6million after his death, according to the terms of a prenup.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Now, court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, have laid bare the twisted legal battle Kouri, 34, launched against her husband's family within weeks of his death in a bid to secure an estate valued in excess of $3.6million.

Now, court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, have laid bare the twisted legal battle Kouri, 34, launched against her husband's family within weeks of his death in a bid to secure an estate valued in excess of $3.6million.

The decision to have a prenup in the first place was inspired by the experience of Eric's 2009 divorce from his first wife Julie Jorgenson, whom he married in 2005.


His first wife's obituary:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/saltlaketribune/name/julie-jorgenson-obituary?id=27135508

and a man arrested for her death:

Man arrested in death of woman in fiery Salt Lake crash

The man police say was responsible for a fiery fatal crash last week was released from the hospital Thursday and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of manslaughter/negligent homicide.

www.ksl.com

Seems like Eric and Julie were on good terms at the time of her death since he’s mentioned in the obit.

 

[arielilane]

#KouriRichins: New court documents reveal a possible motive for the Utah woman accused of poisoning her husband. Prosecutors say Richins applied for at least four life insurance policies for her husband totaling $2 million. More: https://trib.al/5r9nMJL #Banfield

https://twitter.com/x/status/1659765543874842627

https://twitter.com/NewsNation

 

[Gardenista]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1659695204662935552

 

[RickshawFan]

That's MOO too. She found out ER's sister was now in the way of her getting the money and I can easily imagine someone like that buying more fent in order to take that person out, too. IMO.

I bet she wanted to off the biz partner. ER’s goal was for him to have the business (that’s what biz partners insuring each other is all about).