Utahn who published book on grief 1 year after husband's death charged with his murder
KAMAS, Utah (KUTV) — A Utah woman who wrote a children's book about dealing with the loss of a loved one, publishing it just over a year after her husband's death, has been charged with murder.
Kouri Richins, 33, of Kamas, was charged in Summit County Third District Court on Monday, May 8, with aggravated murder and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
According to court documents, an investigation into her husband's death began on March 4, 2022, just after 3:20 a.m., when Summit County deputies responded to a home at 282 Willow Court on a report of an unresponsive man.
They arrived to the scene and found Kouri Richins' husband, Eric Richins, on the floor at the foot of his bed. He was declared deceased at the scene after life-saving efforts were made.
During interviews with Kouri Richins, she reported that they were celebrating the closing on a house for her business the night before.
She told officers she made Eric a Moscow Mule and served it to him in bed. According to the investigation, the only people in the home at the time were Eric, Kouri and their children.
Richins said she fell asleep with one of her children that night because they were having a night terror. She reportedly returned to her room at 3 a.m. and found Eric cold to touch, which is when she called 911.
Officials said they were told by Richins that she left her phone in her bedroom that night and did not have it with her in her child's room; however, detectives found that her phone had been opened multiple times during those hours.
There was also evidence that messages had been sent and received to her phone during that time and were allegedly deleted.
After an autopsy, it was determined that Eric had died of an overdose, with a level of fentanyl in his system that was five times the lethal dosage.
A medical examiner concluded that the fentanyl had been ingested orally.
During further investigations, detectives said they found communications between Richins and a person who has previously been charged for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Richins had reportedly texted this person sometime between December 2021 and February 2022 to ask for some prescription pain medication for an investor who had a back injury, and she was given hydrocodone pills.
Approximately two weeks later, Richins said her investor wanted something stronger and requested "some of the Michael Jackson stuff," asking specifically for fentanyl.
On Feb. 14, 2022 — three days after Richins allegedly procured the fentanyl — she and Eric had a Valentine's Day dinner in which Eric "became very ill," a probable cause statement read.
"Eric believed that he had been poisoned," the statement continued. "Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him."
Richins reportedly asked for more fentanyl and a drug dealer in Ogden was contacted through Richins source on Feb. 26, 2022. Eric was found dead days later of a fentanyl overdose.
She was charged with criminal homicide/aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Richins' book, titled "Are You With Me?" was published March 5, just days after the one-year anniversary of Eric Richins' death.
According to the book description on Amazon, the book was "written to create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one. It’s to reassure children that although your loved one is not present, their presence always exist and they walk through life with you as if they were here."
The dedication section of the book reads: "Dedicated to my amazing husband and a wonderful father."
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