Utah mom Kouri Richins is accused of killing her husband, Eric Richins, and then writing a children’s book about grief. How old is Kouri, how did she allegedly commit the murder, and did Kouri and Eric have children of their own?
The night in question began as a celebration in the Richins family home. Eric and Kouri, a real estate agent, were celebrating a deal Kouri closed. Reportedly, Kouri fixed her husband a Moscow Mule. She then went to sleep, and when she awoke, Eric was gone. Around a year later, Kouri self-published a children’s book about grief. As the investigation into Eric’s death revealed, he had a deadly dose of illegal fentanyl in his system, with evidence Kouri purchased the substance.
According to the prosecution, Kouri’s possible motivation for killing her husband was a disagreement between the couple over a multi-million dollar real estate deal and other financial problems. She also potentially hoped to collect on Eric’s valuable life insurance policies. Eric’s family also said he suspected Kouri had tried to poison him before, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
In April, 2023, Kouri Richins was arrested for the homicide of her husband roughly one year earlier. As of Nov. 2023, Kouri’s trial was ongoing. As of this report, she had yet to enter a plea on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated murder, and controlled substance possession, as per Daily Mail.
Did Eric and Kouri Richins have children?
In a further twist on the Kouri Richins case, Eric Richins and Kouri are the parents of three young sons, named Carter, Ashton, and Weston, according to People. The children’s book Kouri published after her husband’s death, called Are You With Me?, is specifically targeted at young boys dealing with a father’s sudden death, NBC News reports. Kouri dedicated the book to her “amazing husband” and “wonderful father” and as described on Amazon, Kouri hoped the book would “create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one.”
Before she was arrested, Kouri appeared on Salt Lake City’s KTVX-TV to promote the work. Referring to her husband’s death, Kouri said, “It took us all by shock. My kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we experienced last year, hoping that it can kind of help other kids deal with this and find happiness some way or another” (via NBC News). After her arrest, Kouri’s book was taken off the market.
How old is Kouri Richins?
Reportedly, Eric Richins was 39 when he died, and Kouri Richins was 32 when she allegedly killed him. Kouri had turned 33 by the time her trial started. According to Kouri’s defense, there is “no substantial evidence to support the charges.” Nor is there any written proof that Eric alleged Kouri tried to poison him in the past. As People reports, after her brother died, Eric’s sister told the Summit County Sheriff’s office her brother told her he thought Kouri had tried to tamper with his drink some years prior.
As ABC News confirms, before he died, Eric had changed his will and life insurance policy and had taken steps to file for divorce. Between 2015 and 2017, Kouri also reportedly took out four life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge valuing nearly $2 million, the New York Post writes. In August, 2023, Utah news outlet KPCW reported that a judge ruled that life insurance related to Eric’s business would go to the Richins family, but not Kouri.
