Kouri Richins — the Utah author who penned a children’s book about coping with grief after allegedly poisoning her husband — altered his life insurance years before his death to the tune of $2 million.
The latest twist in the murder of Eric Richins was raised in an amended court document filed on Thursday. It forced the delay of Kouri’s detention hearing, which had initially been set for Friday. It has been rescheduled for June 12.
Between 2015 and 2017, Kouri purchased the new insurance policies without Eric’s knowledge. She also took out a $250,000 home equity line of credit, which she spent, stole about $134,000 from her husband’s business, withdrew $100,000 from his bank accounts and spent more than $30,000 with his credit cards, according to court documents.
Eric did not learn of the policies until years later in 2020, after he met with a divorce lawyer.
Prosecutors said Kouri mixed her husband a lethal Moscow Mule the night of March 3, 2022. She added five times the lethal dose of fentanyl before handing it off to husband, who was in bed at their home in Hamas at the time. She then left him alone and slept with one of their young children, but when she returned around 3 a.m., Eric was cold to the touch and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
Kouri was not arrested until earlier this month. During the year in between, she published a children’s book called “Are You with Me?” about an angel of a deceased father watching over his sons. She promoted it on television and radio, describing the book as a way to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.
She’s facing charges including one count of first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in connection with the death of her husband.