Utah Woman Convicted of Murdering Husband After Publishing Children's Book

Kouri Richins was convicted of murdering her husband Eric Richins in Utah. Prosecutors said she gave him a drink laced with fentanyl on Valentine's Day 2022, and he died on March 4.

Richins and Kouri Darden married on June 15, 2013, in Utah. They signed a prenuptial agreement that day stating each party would not claim the other's present or future income, property, or assets, except if Eric died while they were married. In November 2020, Eric Richins created the Eric Richins Living Trust and named his sister Katie Richins Benson as trustee.

Estate planning lawyer Kristal Bowman-Carter stated that Eric wanted to protect himself from what he described as ongoing misuse of his finances by Kouri and to ensure she would not manage his property after his death.

Prosecutors alleged that in 2019 Kouri Richins used a fraudulent power of attorney to withdraw $250,000 from a home equity line of credit without Eric's knowledge. Kouri Richins' family told CBS News that she did not steal from Eric and that he was aware of the family's finances.

In early 2022, prosecutors said Kouri Richins asked her housekeeper Carmen Lauber to obtain pain pills and that Lauber provided fentanyl. Phone records showed text messages between Kouri Richins and Lauber were deleted after Eric's death.

14, 2022, prosecutors said Kouri Richins gave Eric a sandwich after which he developed hives and difficulty breathing. He used his son's EpiPen and later told a friend he believed his wife was trying to poison him. The defense said Eric had an allergic reaction to the sandwich.

m. and found Eric deceased. m. An autopsy completed in April 2022 determined Eric died from a fentanyl overdose with a blood concentration of 15 ng/mL, five times the lethal dose reported in other fentanyl deaths.

9 million mansion in Heber City, Utah. Two days later, prosecutors said she fought with Eric's sister Amy Richins over access to a safe and was later charged with assault. " to help her sons cope with grief. She was arrested on May 8, 2023, and charged with Eric's murder. She pleaded not guilty. The defense argued Eric may have obtained the fentanyl himself or accidentally ingested it.