Kouri wrote a book about her husband’s death. She is on trial for her murder

A woman from the state of Utah, in the United States, published a children’s book about grief after the sudden death of her husband. But in February she began to stand trial, after being accused of her murder.

In March 2022, Kouri Richinsmother of three, called the police late at night to report that her husband, Eric Richinshad died. He told authorities that he had made him a vodka drink and that hours later he found him unconscious.

After her husband’s death, Kouri wrote a illustrated children’s booktitled “Are You With Me?” (“Are you with me?”) The book was intended for the children and, in general, the helping children deal with death of a loved one.

In an interview in 2023, he told the local radio station that the work had brought him “peace”, to you and your three children. “We wrote this book and we really hope that it can give some comfort not only to our family, but also to other families who are going through this.”

Kouri dedicated the book to Eric, who he described as “an incredible husband and a wonderful father.” Two months after publication, it was accused of murder of the husband. His trial began on February 23.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office claims that sheEric will be killed for money and to start a new life with the man with whom she had a relationship extramarital. She is also accused of having tried to poison her husband on another occasion, weeks before his death. The 35-year-old American declares himself innocent.

Formally, it responds to qualified homicideattempted qualified homicide, insurance fraud and forgery. She was later charged with obstruction of justice after a handwritten note addressed to her mother was found in her cell. If you are convicted of the most serious charge, you could be sentenced to life sentencesays .

Cause of death

The cause of Eric Richins’ death was identified by a medical examiner as a fentanyl overdose. According to the forensic report, the man had a dose five times greater than the lethal dose of the substance.

According to criminal case documents presented by the prosecution, between December 2021 and February 2022, Kouri sent an SMS to a person who had already been arrested for drug trafficking, who he asked for painkillers subject to medical prescription. He reportedly said the medications were intended for an investor with a back injury.

According to these documents, Kouri received hydrocodonebefore ordering something stronger — specifically fentanyl. Three days after Kouri allegedly obtained the drugs, she and her husband had dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. After that, Eric got sick.

According to charging documents, Eric believed have been poisoned. He reportedly told a friend that he suspected that the woman was trying to poison himmaintains the Public Ministry.

Two weeks later Kouri will have purchased more fentanyl. On March 4, she called the police in the middle of the night to say her husband wouldn’t wake up. According to his version, he had drunk vodka prepared by himself before going to bed. Kouri went to sleep with one of the youngest children, who was having a nightmare.

Later, he returned to the room and found her husband “cold to the touch”, according to the statement given to the police.

The trial

On the first day of the trial, the prosecutor told the jury that Kouri Richins had a debt of 4.5 million dollars and believed that if her husband died, she would inherit his estate, valued at more than $4 million. The Public Prosecutor’s Office argued that Kouri I was planning a future with another man, with whom he had an extramarital affair.

According to the indictment, a few years before her husband’s death, Kouri signed multiple life insurance policies in Eric’s name, without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million.

Court documents also indicate that the defendant’s bank account had a negative balance and was being processed by a creditor.

One of the witnesses heard during the trial, Carmen Laubera cleaner who worked for the Richins family, admitted to selling illicit pills to Kouri on four occasions in early 2022.

The defense maintains that Eric Richins suffered from Lyme diseasewas dependent on painkillers and his death was caused by an overdose.

The American’s lawyers also claim that there is no evidence enough to convict her, since no drugs were found In the room where Eric died, the utensils used to prepare the vodka drink were never analyzed and the death certificate still indicates the cause of death as “unknown”.

It now remains to be seen what impact a possible conviction will have on the success of sales of her children’s book — and, if convicted, whether she will take advantage of her time in cell by writing a book to “help people deal” with life in prison.