Mother-of-three who wrote children’s book on handling grief after husband’s death charged with his murder
9 May 2023, 11:44 | Updated: 9 May 2023, 11:48
A woman who wrote a kids’ book on dealing with grief after the death of her husband has been arrested and charged with his murder.
Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday in Utah, charged with murdering her husband by poisoning him with fentanyl.
Prosecutors said her husband had five times the fatal dose of fentanyl in his system after his death, a painkiller which is 100 times more powerful than morphine.
The mother-of-three told police she made her husband a vodka mixer to celebrate a recent house sale he had made, but after she went to check on one of their children, returned to find him “cold to the touch”.
Eric Richins died in their Kamas home, a town near Park City in March 2022.
An “unnamed acquaintance” reportedly admitted to selling her the drug responsible for Mr Richins’ death.
Kouri has also been charged with allegedly possessing GBH, an odourless substance commonly associated with ‘date rape’, as it induces drowsiness when consumed.
It comes after Ms Richins published children’s book, Are You with Me, about dealing with grief just two months ago and made a local TV appearance promoting it.
The book's description reads: "A heartwarming and reassuring book that gently guides children through the difficult experience of losing a loved one.
"Written by a loving mother who personally faced this challenge."
Speaking on ‘Good Things Utah’, Ms Richins said children should be able to feel a loved one’s “spirit is always alive in your home”.
“It’s - you know - explaining to my kid just because he’s not present here with us physically, doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here with us,” she added.
In a video tribute to her husband, Kouri wrote: "Life is just so damn hard without you here! The cards I have been dealt seems like a game that just cant be played [sic]".
Ms Richins' lawyer, Skye Lazaro, declined to comment on the charges.
