Kouri and Eric Richins.Photo: Kouri Richins/Facebook
Kouri Richinsof Kamas, Utah, is charged with one count of first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in connection with thedeath of her husband, Eric Richins, according to court documents.
Richins, 33, has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
Speaking withFox News Digital, family spokesperson Greg Skordas revealed Eric, 39, believed his wife of nine years was cheating on him before he was killed.
“He’d had concerns previously, and he also had reason to believe she was having a relationship and that was continuing through their marriage … apparently in person,” Skordas said, per the outlet.
According to court documents, on the night of March 3, 2022, prosecutors say Richins laced Eric’s drink with five times the lethal amount of fentanyl. He died hours after ingesting the drink.
Leading up to his death, Richins told investigators the couple was celebrating a real estate deal for her business, so she prepared Eric a Moscow Mule, which he consumed in their bedroom.
During that time, she said she went to sleep with their son who was experiencing night terrors. When she returned to the couple’s bedroom around 3 a.m. the next morning, she said she found Eric unresponsive and called 911. He was pronounced dead shortly after, court documents state.
Eric Richins.Courtesy of Greg Skordas
Investigators say Richins allegedly purchased $900 worth of fentanyl pills from an acquaintance on two separate occasions in February 2022. Prior to that, she allegedly bought hydrocodone from them, per the documents.
Eric told his family of a pair of past instances where he suspected she poisoned him — once on Valentine’s Day 2022 and another during a vacation to Greece, a few years prior.
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“He had told some members of the family that he thought she was trying to hurt him, and said at one point, ‘If something happens to me, check out Kouri. I think she’s trying to kill me,'” Skordas said, per Fox.
A year after Eric’s death, Richins published a children’s book on grief, titledAre You With Me?
“You know, ‘Is dad with us?'” she said during an interview with the outlet promoting the book in April. “Because they’re going through the sadness of knowing that he’s not here, presently.”
Richins remains in custody. Her defense attorney denied PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Richins will appear in court May 19.
source: people.com
