Children’s book author spun web of tall tales in husband’s murder: prosecutors

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who gained notoriety for writing a children’s book about grief, is at the center of a high-profile murder case. Prosecutors allege that Richins killed her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022 as part of an elaborate scheme to collect millions in life insurance funds. The case has garnered significant attention as the details of the alleged crime continue to unfold.

According to court documents, on the night of Eric’s death, the couple was celebrating Kouri’s successful closure of a $2 million mansion that she intended to flip for profit as part of her real estate business. It is alleged that Kouri spiked Eric’s cocktail with fentanyl, a deadly drug, ultimately leading to his death in their bed.

Richins is facing a total of 11 charges, including attempted aggravated murder, aggravated murder, distribution of a controlled substance, mortgage fraud, fraudulent insurance claims, and forgery. The prosecution is seeking to keep these charges together, arguing that they are all connected by Richins’ motive for financial gain and desire to portray herself as a person of status.

In response, Richins’ defense team is seeking to separate some of the charges into separate cases, arguing that they stem from different criminal allegations. The prosecution, however, believes that all the charges are interconnected by an “arc of the Defendant’s increasingly aggressive parasitic behavior.”

The case has revealed a complex web of financial disputes between Kouri and Eric, with prosecutors alleging that Kouri’s financial mismanagement ultimately drove her to kill her husband in order to secure his estate and life insurance proceeds. Court filings indicate that Kouri had purchased multiple life insurance policies on Eric’s life and had changed the beneficiary of one policy to herself without authorization.

Despite the mounting evidence against her, Richins continues to maintain her innocence and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her trial is set to begin in April 2025, and the outcome of the case remains to be seen. The tragic story of Kouri Richins serves as a cautionary tale of the devastating consequences of greed and deception.