Kouri Richins Biography
Kouri Richins is an Utah real estate agent and author who is accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins with fentanyl. She then wrote a children’s book about grief which prominently featured Eric throughout.
Her legal team claims that there is no evidence to proof that she murdered her husband as the police based their case only on the word of an unnamed informant. They also alleged that Eric was a drug-user and that police never tested the cup that supposedly contained the fatal dose of fentanyl.
The state stated that even if she is convicted in the death of her husband, she will not face death penalty. According to court documents, the decision was made “in careful consultation with Eric Richins’ father and his two sisters, who are Eric Richins’ Personal Representative and Victim Representative, respectively.”
Kouri Richins Age
Kouri is 33 years old, she was born on April 20, 1990.
Kouri Richins Real Estate
Kouri is a licenced real estate sales agent in Utah. The company associated with her license is listed as Conrad Cruz Real Estate Services. In 2019, she stared her real estate agency K. Richins Realty, LLC.
In November 2022, she was sued by her clients who claimed significant leaks and toxic mold was discovered in their Heber City home because of preexisting issues — including improper installations — that were not disclosed to them prior to their purchase.
After the inspectors visited the home, they found hazardous levels of fungus in the basement bedroom, which the clients’ child occupied, along with other parts of the residence. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for medical expenses incurred due to exposure to mold and mold spores in their home.
Kouri Richins Family
Kouri is the daughter of Lisa and has a brother known as Ronney Darden. The two are named in a lawsuit by Eric’s family suing suing Kouri for at least $13 million, accusing her of stealing from Eric. The lawsuit alleged that Kouri is using her mother and brother to siphon assets from Kouri Richins Realty to defraud them. Their accusation was as a result of transfer of ownership of a home in Francis’ Frontier Cottages neighborhood to Lisa.
Kouri’s mother and brother however maintained that they built the home with the help of Mountainlands Community Housing Trust and a mutual self-help grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They added that the house always belonged to Lisa and the transfer was to make sure the books reflected that.
Kouri Richins Husband
Kouri was married to Eric for nine years. The couple got married on June 13, 2013 and signed a signed a prenup that outlined several financial agreements for their marriage. It detailed that they would remain in Eric’s ownership if they divorced. However, Kouri could claim ownership of some of the assets if “[Eric] should die prior to [Kouri] while the two are lawfully married.”
Eric died on March 4, 2022. According to the autopsy and toxicology report, he died from a fentanyl overdose, and that he had five times the lethal dosage in his system. The fentanyl in his system was illicit fentanyl and not medical-grade fentanyl.
Kouri Richins Children – Did Kouri Richins Have Kids?
Kouri and her late husband have three sons Carter, Ashton, and Weston.
Kouri Richins Charges
Kouri was arrested in connection to her husband’s death. She is charged with first-degree aggravated murder and multiple counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Eric was found to have had five times the lethal dosage of illegal fentanyl in his system. During a search warrant, investigators found texts on Kouri’s phone with someone identified as “C.L.”, whom she asked if she could get some prescription pain medication from for an investor. A few days later, C.L. procured hydrocodone pills, which Kouri told C.L. to leave at a house she was flipping in Midway.
A couple of weeks later, she contacted C.L. again and asked for “some of the Michael Jackson stuff,” specifically fentanyl. On Feb. 26, 2022, two weeks later, she contacted C.L. to ask for more fentanyl. Six days later, Eric was dead.
Kouri had allegedly tried poisoning her husband severally according to the affidavit. While on a trip to Greece, Kouri allegedly gave Eric a drink which made him “violently ill.” Eric called his sister and said he believed Kouri had tried to kill him.
Then again on Valentine’s Day 2022, Kouri brought Eric a sandwich, “which, after one bite, Eric broke into hives and couldn’t breathe.” He used his son’s EpiPen and Benadryl “before passing out for several hours.” After waking up, he told his business partner what had happened.
What Did Kouri Richins Do to her Husband?
Kouri is alleged to have killed her husband through fentanyl poisoning. According to court documents, Kouri had been arguing with her husband over her decision to buy a $2 million-dollar property just days prior to his death. She had wanted to “flip” the house in question but her husband “was planning on telling her that he wasn’t going to sign the papers” because he thought they would lose a lot of money.
Kouri however told the police that the night prior to Eric’s death they had been celebrating her closing on a house for her business. She alleged that she made Eric a Moscow mule cocktail, which he drank in bed. She added that she left their bedroom to sleep with her son in his room only to return to their bedroom around 3 a.m. when she found Eric lying on the floor, cold. She called 911 while “supposedly attempting to give Eric CPR.” When the first responder arrived, it seemed she hadn’t administered any CPR based on the amount of blood in Eric’s mouth.
According to the affidavit she closed on the multimillion-dollar property alone, the day after Eric’s death and “invited her friends over for a large party at her home where she was drinking and celebrating.” Two weeks later she put the property back on the market, trying to make more than double her money by flipping it for nearly $5 million.
Eric Richins Will and Life Insurance
Eric had a life insurance and Kouri had allegedly logged into the policy agreement with Eric’s business partner in January 2022 and changed it so she would be the sole beneficiary but Eric was notified by the insurance company and changed it back.
According to the affidavit, in 2021, Eric had secretly changed his will and power of attorney from Kouri to his sister Katie Richins-Benson but didn’t tell Kouri that he had cut her out of the will.
According to Eric’s sisters Richins-Benson and Amy Richins, Eric had told them he was worried that “Kouri would kill him for money and he wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of financially.”
Did Eric want to Divorce Kouri
According to Eric’s sisters, Eric had told them he wanted to divorce Kouri. Eric’s family attorney also alleged that Eric suspected that Kouri had an extramarital relationship. “He’d had concerns previously, and he also had reason to believe she was having a relationship and that was continuing through their marriage … apparently in person.”
He allegedly only stayed in the marriage for the sake of their three sons as he didn’t want them to grow up in a broken home.
Kouri on her part also alleged that Eric had an affair but they never separated but she threated to move out of their home which forced Eric to end the affair. She added that they tried couples counseling on four occasions but “it wasn’t for us.”
Kouri Richins Exotic Vacations After Husband’s Death
After Eric’s death, Kouri took three exotic trips. She explained the trips through email to Summit County officials where she clarified that she took two trips in 2022, to Spain. “You asked about any exotic vacations I have taken since Eric’s passing. I went on two trips last year. One, my kids tried out at a soccer camp in SLC [Salt Lake City] to qualify to play in Spain in June and both my kids made it. So yes, I took them to Spain in October 2022. I have attached their invitation letters.”
She also detailed a third trip to Mexico in August, five months after Eric died. “I took my kids and my mom came with us in August of 2022 to Mexico. As I hope you understand, the months prior to this since Eric’s death have been hard to deal with. “Also, Eric and I went to Mexico every year, sometimes twice. We traveled A LOT. We have taken the boys to Mexico a few times. This is not new for us to go to Mexico or for us to go out of the country or on a vacation with our kids.”
Kouri Richins Book
Kouri wrote “Are You with Me?”, which was published in March 2023, a years after Eric’s death. According to Google Books it is a “heartwarming and reassuring book that gently guides children through the difficult experience of losing a loved one. Written by a loving mother who personally faced this challenge this book is designed to offer comfort and solace to young minds in a way that is both accessible and engaging.”