Children’s book author weaved a web of fairy tales about her husband’s murder: prosecutors

Kouri Richins, mom from utah One of three men who wrote a children’s book about grief after allegedly killing her husband in 2022 wanted to show off her “achievements” and “status” as part of an “elaborate mask”, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors’ claims that Richins wanted to show off his “status” came as they argued for his detention as part of at least nine of the 11 charges filed against Richins. murder case His defense is trying to divide the charges into separate cases that will be tried separately.

In 2023, authorities charged Richins, now 35, with the poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins, 39, in an attempt to collect millions from his life insurance funds.

Authorities say that on the night of Eric’s death on March 3, 2022, the couple was celebrating Kouri’s recent closing on his $2 million mansion under construction, which Eric wanted to flip and sell for a profit as part of his real estate business. She then allegedly spiked Eric’s cocktail with fentanyl, a deadly illegal drug, and killed him in his bed.

2 MAIN REASONS FOUND FOR UTAH CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR KOURI RICHINS’ HUSBAND TO KILL HER HUSBAND: CRIMINAL LAWYER

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after the death of her husband and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, watches a hearing on Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

Richins faces 11 charges, including attempted aggravated murder, aggravated murder, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, two counts of mortgage fraud, two counts of false insurance claims and three counts of forgery.

The murder suspect is asking the Summit County court to sever the attempted aggravated murder, mortgage fraud and related forgery charges from the remaining charges, arguing they stem from separate crimes. criminal allegations.

UTAH CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR ACCUSED OF KILLING HER HUSBAND SPOKE FOR THE FIRST TIME: ‘THIS MEANS WAR’

Utah prosecutors accuse Kouri Richins of poisoning her husband, Eric, with fentanyl in 2022 while their three young sons slept at their Kamas home outside Park City. (Facebook/ Kouri Richins)

Prosecutors, meanwhile, moved to completely dismiss two charges of distribution of a controlled substance.

The state sought to keep the other nine charges together because they were “directly linked to the Defendant’s motivation to obtain financial gain and for the world to view him as a person of successful status,” prosecutors said in a Nov. 8 filing.

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Kouri Richins, left, a mother of three who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband Eric and then wrote a children’s book about grief, speaks with her attorney, Skye Lazaro, during a status hearing in Park on Sept. 1, 2023. City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer/Pool)

Prosecutors wrote, “The crimes that the Defendant sought to separate from other precipitated crimes and an arc of the Defendant’s increasingly aggressive parasitic behavior connect all nine crimes. Additionally, Aggravated Murder and Attempted Aggravated Murder are part 2 of a common scheme or plan.” in question.

“(A)n Defendant’s increasingly aggressive parasitic behavior ties together all nine crimes.”

— Summit County prosecutors

Authorities added that Kouri “was not prejudiced by lumping the crimes together because all relevant evidence was admissible in court.” separate trials for purposes out of character.”

UTAH CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR SENT A HERO MESSAGE TO HIS LOVER BEFORE HIS BIG POISON: DOCUMENTS

Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins had a contentious relationship stemming from financial disagreements before she allegedly killed her husband with fentanyl. (TownLift, Will Scadden / Facebook)

In their file, prosecutors pointed to a text that Kouri allegedly sent to her lover in November 2021.

“When I was a kid, I grew up scrubbing other people’s toilets in ‘rich’ people’s homes in Park City…”

— Kouri Richins

“When I was little, I grew up scrubbing other people’s toilets in ‘rich’ people’s homes in Park City after school. During the Christmas holidays, I worked at my aunt’s (sic) company all summer. I was always depressed (sic) because you’re literally the one who cleans the toilet,” she wrote . “I always told myself and my aunt, ‘One day I’ll own property in Park City like all these arrogant rich people, and I’ll never be like them.’

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Utah author Kouri Richins allegedly tried to steal her husband’s life insurance benefits before his death in March 2022. (KPCW via AP/family statement)

Kouri added that he is “close to closing” on three properties, including two in Park City.

“This was never about the money, it’s about being able to say that I too can own properties in PC and the way you (sic) treat people is no better than anyone else and I can prove it,” she texted her lover. “Tomorrow is really important for me in terms of my own success.”

THE UTAH MAN, WHO WAS ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY THE AUTHOR’S WIFE, TAKEN ‘EXTREMELY EXTRAORDINARY’ STEPS TO REMOVE HIMSELF FROM HIS WILL

A home occupied by Kouri Richins and Eric Richins is shown in Francis, Utah, on May 11, 2023. Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book about the pain following her husband’s death and was later arrested on charges of his murder. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

But Kouri apparently wasn’t very good at managing money, and prosecutors say this ultimately led him to kill her husband.

“The defendant was required to cause the death of Eric Richins.”

— Summit County prosecutors

“By the end of 2021, the Defendant was on the verge of complete financial collapse and the exposure of his success and appearance of status,” they wrote in the Nov. 8 filing. “To protect and maintain his appearance, Defendant needed Eric Richins’ $5 million estate and $1.35 million in life insurance proceeds. Defendant needed to cause Eric Richins’ death.”

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Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband and then wrote a children’s book about grief, watches a bail hearing on June 12, 2023, in Park City, Utah. The judge decided to keep him in custody throughout the trial. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer/Pool)

Previous court filings claim Kouri bought four different lives Insurance policies on Eric’s life A total of more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017.

On January 1, 2022, months before Eric’s death, Kouri “secretly and without permission changed the beneficiary” $2 million life insurance The documents state that the policy was his own. Eric received a notification about the change and transferred the beneficiary back to his partner.

The charges filed against Kouri Richins are based on officers’ interactions with Richins and an unnamed acquaintance who apparently told authorities he was selling fentanyl to the mother of three. (Facebook/ Kouri Richins)

Eric apparently had an idea before he died that his life was in danger. Her family told authorities she feared for her life after Kouri allegedly tried to poison her in Greece several years ago and on Valentine’s Day 2022.

Richins’ attorney, Skye Lazaro, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry.

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Richins has denied all accusations and continues to deny involvement in her husband’s death. His trial is scheduled to begin at the end of April 2025.