A Utah woman who allegedly laced her husband's drink with fentanyl and then wrote a children's book about sorrow following his death is now accused of covertly taking nearly $2 million in life insurance policies on him.
The allegations against Kouri Richins were raised in an amended court document filed on Thursday, May 18; this postponed a detention hearing originally scheduled for Friday, May 19.
Utah Author Bought $2 Million in Life Insurance Before Husband's Death
Kouri Richins, 33, is charged with aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute after the death of her spouse, Eric Richins, on March 4, 2022.
Kouri Richins told investigators that on March 3, 2022, she and her spouse celebrated the closing of a property that Kouri had acquired for her business. Per Yahoo, she told police she gave her spouse an intoxicating beverage before bed.
After she made him a Moscow Mule to commemorate a business transaction, he was discovered unresponsive in their bedroom in Kamas, approximately 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Kouri Richins awoke around 3 a.m. to discover her spouse "cold to the touch" and called 911.
A toxicology report from the state medical examiner determined that he "died from a fentanyl overdose" and that "the level of fentanyl in Eric's system was approximately five times the lethal dosage."
She published 'Are You With Me?' a year after Eric's death to "create calm and solace for children who have lost a loved one," according to the Amazon description. She dedicated the volume to her "fantastic spouse and father." Amazon has since removed the product.
New allegations released on Thursday detail a history of financial disputes between the couple and Kouri Richins' alleged deception. According to a court order, the hearing has been rescheduled to June 12 at the behest of Richins' attorneys so that they may examine and prepare for the hearing with the new allegations.
The Richins created a prenuptial agreement on June 15, 2013, which stated that neither party had rights to the other's present or future incomes, property, or assets "except if Eric Richins died while the two were lawfully married, Eric Richins' partnership interest in his business would transfer to (Kouri Richins)," according to the amended charges.
According to the amended allegations, Eric Richins discovered in September 2020 that his wife obtained and spent $250,000 on a home equity line of credit for the Kamas residence he owned before their marriage. Investigators reported that she had also withdrawn over $100,000 from his bank accounts and spent more than $30,000 on his credit cards.
Likewise, Kouri Richins had "been using distributions from Eric Richins' business for quarterly federal and state tax payments without paying the taxes. The stolen tax payments amounted to a minimum of $134,346 "the accusations made. According to investigators, Eric Richins confronted his wife about this, and she consented to repay him.
According to the amended allegations, Eric Richins consulted a divorce attorney and an estate planning attorney in October 2020, without Kouri Richins' knowledge, and changed his will to construct the "Eric Richins Living Trust." This transferred his business partnership interest to the trust and placed his estate under the control of his sister for the benefit of his three children.
According to charge documents, he designated the trust as the beneficiary of a $500,000 life insurance policy instead of his wife. Without his knowledge, Kouri Richins purchased at least four life insurance policies on her husband's life between 2015 and 2017, totaling $1,947,000.
Kouri Richins Fought with Sister-in-Law BEfore Husband's Death
These policies were purchased before the formation of the trust, and Eric Richins did not inform his estate planning attorney about them because he needed to be made aware of their existence.
Civil court documents filed in various cases after Eric Richins' death demonstrate that what attorneys call "suspicious circumstances" surrounding his death have persisted for some time.
The murder allegations have become entangled with concerns regarding his assets and an estate managed by his sister that is held in a trust. Per NBC New York, documents indicate that Kouri Richins has clashed with her deceased husband's family members since the day after his death.
According to the documents, Kouri Richins and her sister-in-law fought the day after Eric Richins' murder at the family residence.
Kouri Richins subsequently filed a lawsuit for more than $3.6 million to remove Katie Richins-Benson as trustee, claiming that a prenuptial agreement she and her husband signed entitled her to his assets if he passed away before their divorce.
Related Article : New Mexico Probe Reveals Suspects' 'Horrific' Abuse, Torture in Disabled Woman That Caused Her Death
