What did Kouri Richins do? Utah author known for grief book on coping with husband’s death accused of his murder

Kouri Richins, a Utah woman who wrote a children's book about dealing with grief in the wake of her husband’s death, was arrested on Monday, May 8, 2023, over his alleged murder. The 33-year-old is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, who was found dead of a fentanyl overdose in the couple’s home last year.

On March 4, 2022, Eric Richins was found dead around 3.20 am, by Summit County deputies, who responded to a home at 282 Willow Court in Kamas, Utah, after his wife, Kouri Richins, called 911 on a report of an unresponsive spouse.

Upon arrival, deputies found Eric Richins unconscious on the foot of the bed, and was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. At the time the victim’s wife, Kouri Richins, told officers that hours before finding her husband unresponsive at the foot of their bed, she had made him a drink to celebrate closing a sale of a house they had recently flipped.

Richins told officers that after making the drink, she left her husband alone in their bedroom, along with her phone, and fell asleep in their children's room. Richins then reportedly woke up at 3 am to find her husband cold to the touch and promptly dialed 911.

However, investigations into the husband’s death revealed that the Utah author was dishonest about leaving her phone in the couple’s bedroom and discovered that the phone had been accessed multiple times in the hours leading up to her husband’s death.

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Kouri Richins allegedly tried to unsuccessfully poison her husband once before she succeeded

Kouri Richins, the author who penned the book titled, Are You with Me? was charged with criminal homicide/aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute after authorities discovered that the writer’s husband had died of a fentanyl overdose. Authorities said that an autopsy revealed that Eric was administered five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl.

During their investigations authorities reportedly discovered that Richins had procured the multiple controlled substances from an unidentified person with whom she had constant contact in the months leading up to her husband’s death. The unidentified person reportedly had previously been charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

Authorities said that Richins had tried to unsuccessfully poison her husband on Valentine's Day 2022, before he was found dead on March 5, 2022. Her spouse had reportedly confided the suspicions about his wife to a friend.

During further investigations, police reportedly discovered Kouri Richins first texted this person sometime between December 2021 and February 2022 to ask for some prescription pain medication in the guise of procuring it for an investor, who had a back injury. Weeks after she obtained the pain medication, Kouri reportedly asked the dealer for something stronger and was provided with $900 worth of fentanyl.

Court documents stated that three days after procuring the fentanyl, the couple reportedly had Valentine's dinner on February 14, when Eric became extremely ill and told his friend he suspected his wife was trying to poison him.

Shortly after the unsuccessful attempt, the Utah author reportedly asked her dealer for more fentanyl, and days later Eric was found dead of a fentanyl overdose.

Shortly after, Kouri Richins began writing the grief book supposedly to cope with the loss of her spouse with whom she shared three children. The book, which was dedicated to her husband, was published on March 5, 2023, precisely a year after Eric was found dead in the couple’s Utah home.

The motive for the murder remains unclear.