Kouri Richins is suing the estate of her late husband, whom she allegedly poisoned with a cocktail spiked with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl.
Richins is seeking half of all equity in the couple’s home, which is estimated to be worth “at least $1.9 million,” according to court documents obtained by CNN. She and her husband, Eric Richins, purchased the Utah residence together in 2012 for $400,000.
While the legal title to the home was in Eric Richins’ name, the mortgage payments were made from the couple’s joint account.
“Kouri is entitled to half of all equity in that Family Home,” the lawsuit said.
The accused killer is also seeking about $2 million in proceeds from the sale of Eric’s share of a stone masonry business after his death.
Per their pre-nuptial agreement, the business should “remain the sole property of the Husband,” unless he should die while the two are still married, in which case the “Husband’s partnership interest in said business shall transfer to the Wife,” according to the lawsuit, which does not mention the charges against Kouri.
On the night of March 3, 2022, prosecutors said Richins mixed a Moscow Mule and gave it to her husband in bed at their home in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. She then left him alone and slept with one of their young children. When she returned around 3 a.m., Eric was cold to the touch and unresponsive, prompting her to call 911.
Richins was not arrested until last month. She’s facing charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
During the year in between her husband’s death and her arrest, 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.
Before his death, Eric Richins met with an estate planner and intentionally directed that his estate be managed by his sister rather than his wife, according to documents filed in the criminal case. He established a trust to “provide for both my wife and our children during any time that I am incapacitated and after my death,” the documents said.