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‘She wanted to leave him, not his money’: Woman found guilty of husband’s murder, wanted his $4M estate
Kouri Richins was found guilty on Monday of fatally poisoning her husband by slipping fentanyl into his cocktail on March 4, 2022.
A children’s author who wrote a book about grief has been found guilty of poisoning her husband to death in a bid to gain control of his $4-million fortune. Kouri Richins was found guilty on Monday of fatally poisoning her husband by slipping fentanyl into his cocktail on March 4, 2022.
According to a BBC report, the Utah-based author killed her husband in their home by lacing his Moscow Mule cocktail with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Kouri Richins found guilty
The jury deliberated for about three hours before handing down the ‘guilty’ verdict on Monday.
During the trial, the court heard that Richins, 35, had racked up a debt of millions of dollars. Prosecutors portrayed as a social climber who carried out an extra-marital affair behind her husband’s back while taking out life insurance policies in his name.
Richins falsely believed that she would inherit her husband’s estate, valued at over $4 million, after his death, said prosecutors.
Richins had penned a book called “Are You With Me?” for children after murdering her husband. The book spoke about grief and the loss of loved ones. (Also read: US woman, who wrote children's book on grief after husband's death, is now accused of his murder)
Among the 40 witnesses in the trial was the woman who sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins, which she later used to kill her husband Eric Richins.
Other charges against Kouri Richins
The New York Post reported that Kouri Richins, a mother of three, appeared defeated during her courtroom appearance on Monday. She hung her head as the guilty verdict was read out.
She was also found guilty of attempted aggravated murder, forgery, and two counts of insurance fraud related to Eric's life insurance policies.
The Utah-based author had tried to poison her husband on Valentine’s Day 2022, just weeks before her successful murder attempt. At that time, she had reportedly laced his sandwich with fentanyl which caused him to black out.
Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth pointed out that Kouri Richins’s home-flipping business was $4.5 million in debt when she hatched the plot to kill her husband. Bloodworth painted her as an “incompetent” businesswoman who portrayed herself as affluent and successful.
“She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” the prosecutor said.
