Widow wrote grief management book after husband’s death and charged with his murder – See photos

A Utah widow who wrote a grief management book for children has been charged with her husband’s murder after her husband died.

Mother of three, Kouri Darden Richins, 33, of Summit County, was arrested Monday for allegedly poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, at their home on Willow Court in Kamas on March 4, 2022.

He is charged with first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Police arrived at their home at approximately 3:20 a.m. on the night of Eric’s death and found him lying on the floor next to the bed.

“Rescue measures were attempted, but Eric was pronounced dead,” according to documents cited by KSL-TV.

Kouri reportedly told police that she had made her husband a vodka drink and served it to him in bed to celebrate a professional success.

She told investigators she then fell asleep with one of their children who was having a nightmare.

“The mother said she woke up around 3am and went back to her bedroom with Eric. He felt Eric and he was cold to the touch. It was then that the defendant called 911,” the documents state.

She told police she left her cell phone in the couple’s bedroom, but phone records show the device had been used several times in the child’s bedroom.

“Furthermore, data on the defendant’s phone shows that messages were sent and received during this time. Those messages were deleted,” KSL-TV reported.

An autopsy found Eric died of an oral fentanyl overdose — with a level in his system that was five times the lethal dose, according to the medical examiner.

According to court documents, police obtained a search warrant for Kouri’s phone and computers and found multiple communications with an “acquaintance-unknown.”

On May 2, investigators reportedly interviewed the “known-unknown,” who faced multiple charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and other drug-related charges.

Kouri allegedly requested “prescription pain medication for one of her investors” between December 2021 and February 2022, investigators said, according to the documents.

On February 14, 2022, the couple had a Valentine’s Day dinner at which Eric “got really sick,” reports KUTV.

“Eric believed he had been poisoned and told a friend he thought his wife was trying to kill him.”

The “acquaintance” told investigators that Kouri later informed him that her alleged investor wanted “something stronger” and asked for “some of the drugs that Michael Jackson used,” specifically fentanyl, the news agency said, citing the documents.

On Feb. 26, 2022, the “acquaintance” took 15 to 30 fentanyl pills from a dealer in Ogden, Utah, and sold them to Kouri for $900, officials said.

A little over a week later, Eric was found dead.

Kouri later wrote an illustrated book called: “Are you with me?” to help children cope with the death of a loved one and appeared on a local TV station to promote it.

The book was released on March 5, almost a year after Eric’s death.

According to the book’s description, “it was written to bring peace and comfort to children who have lost a loved one. It is to reassure children that although your loved one is not present, their presence is always there and they walk through life with them as if they are here.’

In the book, Kouri wrote: “Dedicated to my wonderful husband and a wonderful father.”
The couple had been married for nine years and had three children.

“Eric did everything in his power to provide his family with every possible opportunity to learn, grow and have fun,” the book says.