A new court filing reveals that a Utah woman, who is accused of killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl, is now facing additional charges in the case. These charges include attempted aggravated murder, as she allegedly poisoned her husband a month before his death.
Kouri Richins, 33, faced charges of aggravated murder and drug offenses in relation to the death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39. Although she has not yet entered a plea, she vehemently denies the accusations.
A month before her arrest in May 2023, Kouri Richins, a mother of three, made an appearance on a segment of “Good Things Utah” on Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX. She was there to promote her book. During the segment, she shared the unexpected news of her husband’s passing, which came as a complete shock to her and her family.
According to the charging document’s probable cause statement, prosecutors claim that Eric Richins was poisoned on Valentine’s Day, weeks before his death from a fatal dose of fentanyl on March 3, 2022.
According to the charging document, Eric Richins claims to have developed hives after taking a single bite of his beloved sandwich, which his wife had purchased for him from a local diner. To alleviate his symptoms, he administered his son’s EpiPen and consumed a bottle of Benadryl before falling asleep.
According to the charging document, Eric Richins reportedly confided in a close friend, expressing his belief that his wife had attempted to poison him.
According to the charging document, Eric Richins did not have any food allergies. The document also mentioned that opioids, including fentanyl, have the potential to cause allergic and pseudoallergic reactions, such as hives.
According to the charging document, Kouri Richins stated in a text message to a friend that her husband had never experienced hives or used an EpiPen during the incident on June 18, 2022.
In response to the new charges, Kouri Richins’ attorney, Skye Lazaro, stated that her client remains steadfast in maintaining her innocence.
Lazaro has reviewed the amended information and confirmed that the document does not impact Kouri’s approach to defending any charges brought against her by the State.
According to the probable cause statement, Kouri Richins reportedly informed the police that she and her husband had enjoyed Moscow Mules that evening to celebrate an achievement at work. She stated that they drank the cocktails while sitting on the bed.
According to the amended charging document, prosecutors claim that she bought illegal fentanyl a few days before her husband’s near-death experience on Valentine’s Day 2022 and his subsequent death. The new filing reveals that she is now facing two counts of distributing a controlled substance in relation to the alleged poisoning incidents. It is worth noting that a third drug count from her previous charging document has been dropped.
Kouri Richins is facing new charges, as stated in the amended charging document. These charges include three counts of forgery, two counts of insurance fraud, and two counts of mortgage fraud.
According to prosecutors, it is alleged that she forged her husband’s signature on an insurance application just weeks before his death. The insurance policy, which started 10 days prior to the alleged incident of poisoning on Valentine’s Day, had a death benefit of $100,000, as stated in the charging document.
In addition to that, she is accused of providing forged bank statements when she sought a mortgage from multiple companies in 2021, according to prosecutors.
When Kouri Richins’ husband passed away, she was facing financial difficulties and had outstanding loans of over $1.8 million from hard money lenders for her house-flipping ventures, as stated in the charging document. The document also reveals that she had multiple insurance policies on Eric Richins’ life, which amounted to a total of $1.35 million in death benefits. Additionally, the charging document mentions that she mistakenly believed she was the beneficiary of another policy with a $500,000 death benefit.
Kouri Richins is currently being held in detention as she awaits her trial. A preliminary hearing for her case has been set for May 15th.
