Did Utah mom poison her husband, then write a children's book on grief?

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Friends and household expressed daze and disbelief when Kouri Richins was arrested successful transportation with the decease of her husband, Eric, astatine their location successful Kamas, Utah, successful 2022.

"I was shocked," said her parent Lisa Darden, remembering erstwhile she heard the news. "She can't beryllium arrested." Darden believed that Kouri and Eric had a large relationship, though determination were sometimes bumps successful the road. Ronney Darden, Kouri's brother, said that astatine the clip of Eric's death, "They were successful astir apt 1 of the champion spots I've ever seen them, um, successful rather immoderate time." A twelvemonth aft Eric's death, Kouri wrote a children's publication to assistance her sons header with the nonaccomplishment of their father, and the family, Lisa says, was connected their mode to healing. Just 2 months aboriginal Kouri was charged successful his death.

What is the existent communicative of Eric and Kouri's matrimony – a matrimony that would extremity successful tragedy? It begins astatine their wedding, successful June of 2013.

June 15, 2013: A wedding and a pre-nup

On June 15, 2013, Kouri Darden, 23, and Eric Richins, 31, got joined successful the backyard astatine their location successful Utah. They already had 1 son, and their household would soon grow.

According to tribunal documents, the mates signed a prenuptial statement that day, establishing that each enactment did not person rights to 1 another's "present oregon aboriginal income, property, oregon assets" — but if Eric died portion the 2 were lawfully married. At that point, his chromatic masonry business, C&E Masonry, would transportation to Kouri.

April 2019: Kouri Richins starts her existent property business

Kouri started her existent property business, K Richins Realty LLC, successful 2019. She began to bargain homes, hole them up, and merchantability them for profit. As the concern picked up, according to Kouri's family, Kouri would typically beryllium moving connected 3 houses astatine a time.

"That was what she loved doing," said Kouri's person and selling manager Greg Hall. "Kouri was precise palmy astatine what she did."

The spokesperson for Eric's family, Greg Skordas, told "48 Hours" thing different. He says Kouri was not truthful savvy, and tribunal documents allege that by 2022, Kouri's concern was drowning successful millions of dollars of debt.

March-June 2019: "Stolen" funds

Prosecutors allege that successful 2019, Kouri began stealing from Eric's accounts and "misappropriating monies distributed from Eric Richins' business." Court documents assertion that "without Eric Richins' cognition oregon permission," Kouri utilized a "fraudulent" Power of Attorney to execute a $250,000 recognition deed of spot connected the household home, past withdrew the full $250,000 from this location equity enactment of credit.

Kouri's household insists that Kouri did not bargain from Eric, and that Eric was ever alert of the family's finances. "Eric and Kouri sat down each period and did the bills together," says Lisa Darden. "At each times, Eric knew what was going successful and what was coming out."

November 2020: The Eric Richins Living Trust

Prosecutors accidental that successful precocious 2020 Eric discovered Kouri had misappropriated his funds. Kouri's household disputes this claim. However, successful November, Eric did conscionable with an property readying lawyer, Kristal Bowman-Carter, to marque a caller property plan. He created the Eric Richins Living Trust and named his sister, Katie Richins-Benson, trustee. In the lawsuit of his death, Katie – not Kouri – would negociate his estate.

Bowman-Carter said successful a connection filed with the court: "[Eric] told maine helium had 2 superior goals. His archetypal extremity was to support him successful the short-term from reasonably precocious discovered and ongoing maltreatment and misuse of his finances by his woman Kouri Richins. His 2nd was to support the 3 young sons helium and Kouri had unneurotic successful the semipermanent by ensuring that Kouri would ne'er beryllium successful a presumption to negociate his spot aft his death."

Kouri was not informed astir the spot and wouldn't find retired astir it until aft Eric died.

Early 2022: Kouri Richins allegedly asks for drugs

Prosecutors allege that successful aboriginal 2022 Kouri Richins asked her housekeeper, referred to successful tribunal filings arsenic "C.L.," to procure fentanyl for her. Court documents accidental C.L. told investigators she sold fentanyl to Kouri. Court documents besides accidental that telephone records amusement that texts betwixt Kouri and C.L. from January 2 until soon aft Eric's decease were deleted disconnected of Kouri's phone.

Kouri's then-defense lawyer Skye Lazaro says the grounds isn't beardown capable to beryllium Kouri ever bought drugs. She says determination are nary witnesses to corroborate what C.L. says, and that C.L., who is simply a convicted felon, is not credible.

When C.L. spoke to investigators, she "was connected probation astatine the time," Lazaro said. "I deliberation anytime you person an informant-type concern with promises made... by, you know, instrumentality enforcement oregon prosecutors, it tin telephone into question the veracity of their statements."

Feb. 14, 2022: A Valentine's Day poisoning?

Prosecutors accidental that connected Valentine's Day, 2022, soon aft Kouri gave Eric a sandwich, helium broke retired successful hives and had trouble breathing. He utilized his son's EpiPen and slept. According to the charging document, Eric believed that helium had been poisoned, and told a person that helium thought his woman was trying to poison him.

Kouri's defence denies this mentation of events successful tribunal documents. Documents accidental Kouri purchased luncheon for herself and Eric that day, and that helium was simply not feeling good aft luncheon and went to instrumentality a nap. Kouri's then-lawyer, Skye Lazaro, says that speech from an assertion from the family, determination is nary grounds to corroborate the assertion that Eric was poisoned.

Late February 2022: "Some of the Michael Jackson stuff"

Court documents picture a 2nd alleged transaction betwixt Kouri and her housekeeper, C.L., that took spot successful precocious February 2022. According to those documents, C.L. told investigators that Kouri said that the fentanyl pills C.L. antecedently provided were not beardown capable and that Kouri asked for "some of the Michael Jackson stuff."

Documents accidental C.L. aboriginal conceded that Kouri whitethorn person made the Michael Jackson notation during the archetypal petition for fentanyl. Skye Lazaro insists that Kouri ne'er made immoderate specified notation and ne'er bought drugs from C.L., and that C.L's stories are inconsistent and unreliable.

"48 Hours" reached retired to C.L. for comment, but she did not respond.

March 4, 2022: A tragic death

Summit County Sheriff's deputies and EMS unit arrived astatine the Richins' location successful Kamas, Utah, astatine 3:31 a.m. connected March 4. They recovered Eric Richins deceased. According to tribunal documents, the responding paramedic thought "he'd been dormant a while."

Documents accidental that astatine the scene, Kouri told investigators she'd made her hubby a cocktail before furniture past went to slumber with her lad who was having nightmares. She said that erstwhile she returned to Eric's broadside astatine astir 3 a.m., helium was unresponsive, and she called 911.

Eric's family's spokesperson, Greg Skordas, describes Eric's decease arsenic "a immense nonaccomplishment ... helium was this beauteous lad and – and brother, and father, and cared astir radical ... cared astir everything helium was doing."

March 5, 2022: The $3.9 cardinal mansion

The time aft Eric's death, Kouri Richins closed connected a large acquisition she'd made for her location flipping business: this $3.9 million, 20,000 quadrate ft mansion successful Heber City, Utah. Kouri's household says Eric was connected committee with the program to hole up the location and merchantability it for a ample profit.

"[Kouri] and Eric sat down with an accountant 1 time," Lisa Darden told "48 Hours," "and helium said, if you tin get it done and enactment nether budget, you could locomotion distant with $12 million."

But according to a hunt warrant, Eric's household told investigators that Eric was not blessed with the purchase, and that helium Kouri were arguing astir the spot earlier his death.

"He was connected committee with supporting his wife," household spokesperson Greg Skordas said. "That doesn't mean helium agreed with it."

March 6, 2022: A combat breaks out

Two days aft Eric's death, tribunal documents allege, Kouri Richins and Eric's sister Amy fought astatine the household home. Prosecutors accidental Kouri called a locksmith to effort to entree a harmless successful the house, and Amy objected. Amy allegedly told Kouri that Eric's property, nether the trust, did not beryllium to Kouri, and Kouri "became enraged" and "punched Amy successful the look and neck."

"I was lasting successful the mediate of them," says Kouri's member DJ. "All they did was push. Both of them were trying to plaything implicit the apical of maine ... truthful the communicative that's been pushed that it was, mediocre Amy got assaulted was nonsense."

Kouri was charged with battle and aboriginal pleaded nary contest.

April 2022: Five times the lethal dose

According to tribunal documents, pursuing an autopsy successful April 2022 it was determined that Eric had died from an overdose of fentanyl. The aesculapian examiner said that Eric had 15 ng/mL of fentanyl successful his humor — and that successful different deaths caused by fentanyl, concentrations person been reported arsenic debased arsenic 3 ng/mL. This information indicates that the magnitude of fentanyl Eric ingested was 5 times the lethal dose.

March 7, 2023: A publication to header with grief

Kouri's household says that aft Eric's death, Kouri and her sons were grieving. "The boys ... lashed retired a small spot due to the fact that they couldn't rather recognize what was going on," says Kouri's member Ronney. "They needed immoderate assistance and Kouri needed immoderate help."

To assistance her sons header with their grief, according to Kouri and her family, Kouri wrote a children's book, "Are You With Me?" On March 7, 2023, she self-published the book, which she sold connected Amazon. It follows the communicative of a kid who mislaid his begetter but is reminded his beingness inactive exists each around. Kouri's household says it helped her and the boys, and they were connected their mode to healing.

In April 2022 Kouri promoted the publication connected a section TV amusement called "Good Things Utah." Just a period later, she was arrested for Eric's murder.

May 8, 2023: Kouri Richins arrested

On May 8, 2023, Kouri Richins was arrested and charged successful her husband's murder. Prosecutors allege that erstwhile Kouri made Eric that portion conscionable hours earlier helium died, she deliberately poisoned him with fentanyl she purchased from C.L. She was charged with 1 archetypal grade felony number of transgression homicide, aggravated execution and 3 second-degree felony counts involving possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Kouri maintains her innocence. Her household says they fishy that Eric accidentally took thing – possibly a THC gummy, which they accidental helium was known to instrumentality – that helium didn't cognize was laced with fentanyl, and that his decease was a tragic accident.

"[The State is] gonna person to beryllium that she did this, that she got the drugs and that she someway gave them to him," Kouri's then-attorney Skye Lazaro told "48 Hours." "And unless they tin link those dots, they're gonna person a hard clip proving execution successful this case."

June 12, 2023: Kouri Richins fights for bail

On June 12, 2023, Kouri Richins appeared publically successful tribunal for the archetypal clip to reason for merchandise connected bail. Her lawyer was hopeful: successful bid to contradict Kouri bail, the authorities would person to beryllium important grounds existed successful the lawsuit against her. In the four-hour hearing, prosecutors presented grounds and called respective witnesses, including Chris Kotodrimos, a cellphone analyst, and Detective Jeff O'Driscoll, the pb detective connected the case.

One of the things expert Kotodrimos talked astir was a study of the Google searches Kouri made successful the twelvemonth aft Eric died. The searches see "can FBI find deleted messages" and "what is simply a lethal dose of fentanyl?" In her transverse examination, defence lawyer Skye Lazaro pointed retired the timing of the Google searches, emphasizing that they were made aft Eric Richins' death. She says they were guiltless questions Kouri had astir what she was being accused of successful this case.

When Detective O'Driscoll took the stand, helium told the tribunal astir interviews helium conducted with C.L. He said C,L. told him the dates and times that Kouri allegedly purchased fentanyl from her. Lazaro maintains that C.L. - who is simply a convicted felon - is not a credible witness, and that the authorities does not person the grounds to beryllium that C.L. ever sold Kouri anything. In her cross-examination, she asked the detective if determination were immoderate texts from Kouri oregon witnesses to corroborate C.L.'s story, and helium replied that investigators had not recovered any.

At the decision of the hearing, the justice denied Kouri Richins' petition for bail. She volition stay successful custody until her trial.

Nov. 3, 2023: Accusations of witnesser tampering

This unsent letter, recovered successful Kouri's jailhouse cell, has go known arsenic the "walk the dog" missive for the words scrawled astatine the apical of the page. Its contents person go a constituent of contention successful the case. Prosecutors argued it's grounds that Kouri was progressive in witnesser tampering.

In the letter, prosecutors alleged, Kouri writes to her parent and gives her instructions connected what her brother, Ronney, should accidental successful court. She writes that her defence lawsuit needs "some benignant of connection" betwixt Eric and drugs. She says, "Here is what I'm reasoning but you person to speech to Ronney. He would astir apt person to attest to this, but it's ace abbreviated not a batch to it." She appears to archer her parent to archer Ronney to recount a communicative wherever "Eric told Ronney helium gets symptom pills & fentanyl from Mexico".

On Nov. 3, 2023, prosecutors brought to tribunal a question for nary contact, asking the justice to restrict Kouri's connection with her parent and member Ronney.

Kouri's then-attorney, Skye Lazaro, argued that the missive wasn't witnesser tampering. "It isn't witnesser tampering," she told "48 Hours," "... 'cause it didn't spell anyplace and it was ne'er communicated to anyone." She says the papers was backstage and should ne'er person been released. The justice denied the state's motion, saying prosecutors had failed to beryllium witnesser tampering.

Kouri Richins trial

On Nov. 12, 2024, a justice denied bail for Klouri Richins a 2nd time, ordering the Utah ma to stay successful jailhouse until she goes connected proceedings successful the decease of her husband. Opening arguments successful her proceedings began connected Feb. 23, 2026 successful Park City, Utah,.

A blameworthy verdict & sentencing

On March 17, 2026, Kouri Richins was recovered guilty connected each charges, including aggravated murder. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 13. She faces the anticipation of beingness successful prison.