Utah Woman Who Wrote a Children's Book Charged With Murdering Husband

A Utah woman, who is a mother of three and a children's book author, was arrested on Monday in connection with her husband's fentanyl overdose death.

According to Fox News, prosecutors alleged that Kouri Richins, 33, poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, 39, with the deadly synthetic opioid last year at their Kamas home in Utah while their three young sons were sleeping.

Kouri's recent Facebook post, featuring a May 4 video with family photos, read: "Life is just so damn hard without you here! The cards I have been dealt just seems like a game that can't be played."

On March 3, 2022, Kouri called 911 to report that Eric was "cold to the touch." A warrant revealed that Kouri told police then that she gave that night her husband of nine years a cocktail in bed to celebrate a sale of a house related to her business.

When Kouri returned after checking their sleeping children, she found Eric unresponsive. Eric's blood tested positive for toxic levels of illicit fentanyl.

According to the medical examiner, Eric had five times the lethal dosage of the illegal opioid, which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The Utah woman also faces charges of possessing GHB, known as the "date rape drug."

Utah Woman Kouri Richins Wrote a Children's Book About Grief Following Husband's Death

"Are You With Me?" by Kouri Richins can be purchased on Amazon. The book's summary stated, "Wherever you go, whoever you become, their love remains with you."

The book, which guides children through the difficult experience of losing a loved one, came out last March, a year after Eric died. Kouri even promoted it on television, Heavy reported.

The Utah woman had also formerly worked for her real estate firm, although the company's website is no longer available. She started her housekeeping service in 2010, calling it "Kouri Darden Housekeeping Services."

According to her profile on the professional networking site LinkedIn, she has worked as a hospital administrative assistant and as a trainer for "Enhanced Patient Services and Specialty Clinics" at Park City Medical Center.

The page also said she holds a master's degree in Human Resources from Utah State University and a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from Weber State University. Online records reveal that the couple owned several houses.

What Led to Utah Woman's Arrest?

The murder charge against Kouri Richins was built upon the testimony of law enforcement officers who interacted with her on the night of the incident, ABC 7 reported.

It was also based on an "unnamed acquaintance" claiming to have sold her the fentanyl. The acquaintance came forward and told detectives that they sold the Utah woman fentanyl twice and the opioid hydrocodone once weeks before her husband died.

The warrant alleged that Kouri deleted text messages on her phone the night of her husband's death before handing it over to the police investigators. The charging documents also claimed that the Utah woman may have tried to poison her husband on Valentine's Day or nearly a month before his death.

"Shortly after their dinner, Eric became very ill. Eric believed that he had been poisoned. Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him," detectives wrote, referring to the Valentine's Day incident.

An obituary for Eric Richins describes him as a dedicated family man who was an "avid outdoorsman and dedicated hunter" that enjoyed helping his family's cattle ranch and growing his masonry business.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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