UT - Kouri Richins, 33, Author, wife, mom, charged in husband’s unexpected death last year, May 2023 #2

[Lusitana]

There's very clearly some sort of deal in place. I could bet LE told her "tell us what happened and you're good as long as you stay out of trouble and cooperate 100% until the case is done". We'll see if she's able to be good.

 

[Seattle1]

I would be surprised if there weren’t some sort of plea deal in the works.

There's very clearly some sort of deal in place. I could bet LE told her "tell us what happened and you're good as long as you stay out of trouble and cooperate 100% until the case is done". We'll see if she's able to be good.

From the MSM link in quoted post, I think the comments by the Judge and Attorney make it certain there's a pending plea agreement, which of course, will eventually be subject to the Court's approval. MOO

On May 17, a judge allowed Lauber to be released from custody, but ordered her to wear a GPS ankle monitor, not to have any contact with several people including Kouri Richins, and not to leave Wasatch County, according to a court docket. The judge also agreed to seal a couple of documents, including Lauber's release order.

The Richins' case was not referred to by name during Wednesday's hearing, but the judge and Lauber's attorney seemed to indicate that whatever happens with Lauber's current alleged drug court violations will be dependent on what happens in another case.

Judge Jennifer Mabey made comments such as how cases of that magnitude "can take time" and "we're at the mercy of a different case we don't have control over," while Lauber's attorney talked about how his client is trying to avoid "terrible consequences" and wants to "move forward." Neither mentioned the name Richins and it is not known whether Lauber will testify at any hearings in the Richins case.

 

[helpfulcharlie]

That was one of the most detailed, egregious and damning complaints I've ever read.

 

[RickshawFan]

That’s the one thing about the judge I also find strange, always wishing her the best of luck . Seems an odd thing to say to an alleged murderer. I wonder if he does that with all defendants in his court. Maybe it’s his way of emphasizing the fact that he’s impartial?

I've now discovered from watching other trials that many judges do this. However, they are in less significant cases. I'm thinking first degree murder is not the KR judge's normal case schtick.

 

[arielilane]

The former housekeeper of Kouri Richins, the Utah woman accused of murdering her husband and then writing a book on grief about it, is now admitting that she provided Richins with the fentanyl used to POISON him! @jessecordweber joins
@BrianEntin to discuss this shocking update.

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https://twitter.com/danabramslive

 

[RickshawFan]

The former housekeeper of Kouri Richins, the Utah woman accused of murdering her husband and then writing a book on grief about it, is now admitting that she provided Richins with the fentanyl used to POISON him! @jessecordweber joins
@BrianEntin to discuss this shocking update.

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https://twitter.com/danabramslive

I thought we knew this already?

 

[Seattle1]

I thought we knew this already?

Yes, we did. But BE's tweet and interview are new but not the news content/subject.

 

[Countem]

Deena and Surae share their thoughts about interviewing Kouri Richins before she was charged with her husband’s murder

On Good Things Utah this morning – Now to the murder case that has us all riveted. Court documents have revealed secret life insurance policies, stolen money, and the hiring of a private inve…

www.abc4.com

At the following link, the hosts of Good Things Utah are interviewed about their now infamous interview with Kouri Richins about her children’s book.

They mention that Kouri was the one to contact them about appearing on the show. They described Kouri as emotionless and stated that, after the interview, she told them that she thought her husband’s death was related to COVID complications.

 

[Gardenista]

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[Gardenista]

Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Kouri Richins’ family is speaking out about the criminal and civil cases against her, after being named in a lawsuit by her late husband Eric’s family.

www.kpcw.org

 

[arielilane]

The case that keeps on giving. moo

 

[RickshawFan]

Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Kouri Richins’ family is speaking out about the criminal and civil cases against her, after being named in a lawsuit by her late husband Eric’s family.

www.kpcw.org

My question would be, how did the parents' house (which was financed by a nonprofit regional housing agency and special low-income programs at USDA) end up in the realty company? I would guess that could have caused it to be clawed back by the USDA. I'm thinking if you end ownership, you no longer have rights to the specialized financing. USDA RD financing has special rules.

And that's before we even get to the step about transferring the house back to the parents from Kouri Richins realty.

 

[tlcya]

Until recently, Kouri Richins Realty had the deed to a home in Francis’ Frontier Cottages neighborhood, making it an asset Eric’s family could take if they win the lawsuit. Last Wednesday, Kouri’s brother transferred ownership of the property back to their mother.

Eric’s family amended the lawsuit Monday, calling the move a “sham.” They say Kouri, her mother and her brother “jointly devised a scheme to siphon assets from [Kouri Richins Realty] so as to hinder, delay, and defraud” them.
Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Don't shoot the messenger for what I am about to say -

I am not sure if the described conveyance was an attempt to hide assets that are Kouri's or more about protecting her mother (who is not accused of murder) and her home. If mom is older and engaged in asset protection with an eye towards preserving assets in case of a future Medicaid application or avoidance of future probate, the home may well have been partially conveyed to Kouri with life estate maintained by mom as an estate planning strategy well before Kouri went on to kill her husband.

Now that her daughter is being sued the recent conveyance may have been simply in response to recent suits to try to protect mom's homestead.

JMO

This may already have been discussed by now as I started this post an hour ago and had to break away for a meeting. if so, please disregard.

ETA also, we know Khouri liked to play fast and lose with her husband's funds. IF she is (or was) POA for mom - mom may not even have realized her property had been somehow conveyed to Khouri, and or her realty business. Just random thoughts.

 

[RickshawFan]

My question would be, how did the parents' house (which was financed by a nonprofit regional housing agency and special low-income programs at USDA) end up in the realty company? I would guess that could have caused it to be clawed back by the USDA. I'm thinking if you end ownership, you no longer have rights to the specialized financing. USDA RD financing has special rules.

And that's before we even get to the step about transferring the house back to the parents from Kouri Richins realty.

This whole thing is strange. How do you get a house from a realty business to private ownership? Unless a gift, it would require a money exchange. You could do it with cash, or you'd get a mortgage. You can't just randomly be changing ownership on a mortgaged property without re-navigating terms with the mortgage company, surely? And the mom evidently got the house with a USDA RD mortgage. If she transferred the house to the realty company, she has to have lost the USDA mortgage?

 

[Seattle1]

Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Kouri Richins’ family is speaking out about the criminal and civil cases against her, after being named in a lawsuit by her late husband Eric’s family.

www.kpcw.org

From the quoted link:

The USDA gives rural affordable housing organizations like Mountainlands these grants to build homes with the help of low-income individuals, whose sweat equity earns them a discount on the final product.

From Lisa’s perspective, it’s always been her home, not Kouri’s. The property transfer was to make sure the books reflected that.

“It was totally legit,” Lisa said. “I just removed Kouri’s name off of my home.”

Technically, the business had the deed, which it then transferred to Lisa. It made the transfer through Ronney Darden, Kouri’s brother, who is listed as Kouri Richins Realty’s “authorized representative.”

Ronney said, since Kouri was arrested, she gave him power of attorney to conduct business in her name.

He said Eric’s sister, who is his estate’s trustee and the plaintiff in the lawsuit, shouldn’t be going after his mom’s house.

“She's trying to take that away from her,” Rooney said. “And it's simply just because she and—unfortunately, that whole side of the family—is very narcissistic and greedy.”

Ronney declined to comment on the murder charges against his sister, saying he’d been instructed not to.

“Kouri is innocent until proven guilty, and these people are strictly out for money,” Lisa said.

The latest court documents claim the property transfer isn’t valid and accuses Kouri, Lisa and Ronney of civil conspiracy. Attorney Greg Skordas, the spokesperson for Eric’s family, called the Dardens’ claims about greediness “pathetic.”

The Darden family hasn’t filed a response to the allegations in court, and no hearing has been set.

 

[RickshawFan]

Until recently, Kouri Richins Realty had the deed to a home in Francis’ Frontier Cottages neighborhood, making it an asset Eric’s family could take if they win the lawsuit. Last Wednesday, Kouri’s brother transferred ownership of the property back to their mother.

Eric’s family amended the lawsuit Monday, calling the move a “sham.” They say Kouri, her mother and her brother “jointly devised a scheme to siphon assets from [Kouri Richins Realty] so as to hinder, delay, and defraud” them.
Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Don't shoot the messenger for what I am about to say -

I am not sure if the described conveyance was an attempt to hide assets that are Kouri's or more about protecting her mother (who is not accused of murder) and her home. If mom is older and engaged in asset protection with an eye towards preserving assets in case of a future Medicaid application or avoidance of future probate, the home may well have been partially conveyed to Kouri with life estate maintained by mom as an estate planning strategy well before Kouri went on to kill her husband.

Now that her daughter is being sued the recent conveyance may have been simply in response to recent suits to try to protect mom's homestead.

JMO

This may already have been discussed by now as I started this post an hour ago and had to break away for a meeting. if so, please disregard.

ETA also, we know Khouri liked to play fast and lose with her husband's funds. IF she is (or was) POA for mom - mom may not even have realized her property had been somehow conveyed to Khouri, and or her realty business. Just random thoughts.

I have a sense, from personal experience, that holders of USDA RD mortgages can't engage in the kind of "asset protection" you are describing. The qualification is very low income, AFAIK, and the rules are very particular (you can't have a renter, a swimming pool, make more than a certain very low amount, have anything fancy, transfer the property.....), and at least for some, it takes annual re-qualification.
I don't begrudge the mom her home, but there's something fishy going on here in shunting a low-income-qualified property back-and-forth that's separate from a plot to minimize Kouri's assets, IMO. IOW, there's more "fast and loose" than meets the eye. Richins family seem to have the money to turn over every stone, hopefully.

Even if there wasn't a USDA mortgage, (for example, if it was FHA or paid-off), you'd be transferring ownership if the property ended up in someone's realty company, correct? That would amount to a sale? It would automatically terminate a mortgage or cause a reportable transaction? And you can't gift that amount without gift tax....

 

[Seattle1]

From Lisa’s perspective, it’s always been her home, not Kouri’s. The property transfer was to make sure the books reflected that.

“It was totally legit,” Lisa said. “I just removed Kouri’s name off of my home.”

^^rsbm

Unfortunately, I think Kouri may have used her mother in her increasingly desperate financial schemes, and her mother, Lisa, isn't aware that KR actually removed her mom from the deed and instead thinks her son's transaction on behalf of KR was simply to take Kouri's name off of "her deed."

I looked up the KR Reality, LLC transactions earlier here and believe KR transferred the home to the LLC around the time of Eric's death where Kouri was probably intending to use the property for security for her line of credit.

We already know Kouri is crafty about forging signatures and fraudulent POAs and doubt even Lisa would be exempt from Kouri's misdeeds. MOO

ETA: link for more details of deed manipulation by KR

Lisa Darden | 118 West Frontier Lane, Francis, UT 84036

Lisa Darden, 118 West Frontier Lane, Francis, UT 84036 Find homes for sale, market statistics, foreclosures, property taxes, real estate news, agent reviews, condos, neighborhoods on Blockshopper.com

blockshopper.com

 

[cocomod]

^^rsbm

Unfortunately, I think Kouri may have used her mother in her increasingly desperate financial schemes, and her mother, Lisa, isn't aware that KR actually removed her mom from the deed and instead thinks her son's transaction on behalf of KR was simply to take Kouri's name off of "her deed."

I looked up the KR Reality, LLC transactions earlier here and believe KR transferred the home to the LLC around the time of Eric's death where Kouri was probably intending to use the property for security for her line of credit.

We already know Kouri is crafty about forging signatures and fraudulent POAs and doubt even Lisa would be exempt from Kouri's misdeeds. MOO

Agreed! I doubt Kouri's family believe that she would and did use them for financial purposes. She likely was going to leverage her mom's home without her knowledge.

 

[Gardenista]

Due to the timing, my speculation is she used her mom's house to get money to pay her criminal attorneys.

 

[Seattle1]

This is the house Lisa and Ronney Darden say they built and accuse Eric Richins' family of trying to take away. In their lawsuit, Eric's family contends that Kouri held the deed to the home under her business, Kouri Richins Realty, and their attempt to transfer it back to Lisa wasn't valid.

Eric Richins’ family names Kouri’s mother and brother in civil suit

Kouri Richins’ family is speaking out about the criminal and civil cases against her, after being named in a lawsuit by her late husband Eric’s family.

www.kpcw.org

To be clear, Lisa Darden is not a member of K Richins Realty, LLC. IMO, there's just no reasonable explanation why Kouri would be holding the deed to her mother's home (with a 10 yr retention period pursuant to the USDA grant) in the name of her Realty LLC if not for personal use and/or gain. So it seems KR managed to snow her mom and brother over her innocence.