Latest news with #EricRichins
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Kouri Richins, grief book author accused of killing husband with fentanyl-laced cocktail, faces 26 new charges
Kouri Richins, the Utah mom who allegedly poisoned her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail and then wrote a children's book about coping with grief, is facing dozens of new charges. The charges, filed Friday in a Utah court, include five counts of second-degree felony mortgage fraud, seven counts of second-degree felony money laundering, one count of second-degree felony communications fraud, one count of pattern of unlawful activity, five counts of third-degree felony forgery, and seven counts of third-degree felony issuing a bad check, according to documents reviewed by CBS News. Kouri Richins and Eric Richins wed in 2013. At the time of their marriage, Eric Richins owned a successful stone masonry business. As part of a prenuptial agreement, the couple relinquished all rights or claims to any businesses they established. The only exception was if Eric Richins died while the two were still married. In that case, his business would transfer to Kouri Richins. In 2019, Kouri Richins started a real estate business, where she bought, flipped and re-sold homes. Prosecutors alleged that Kouri Richins began stealing money from her husband's accounts without his knowledge in 2019. In 2020, Eric Richins learned about her actions, prosecutors said, and met with an estate planning lawyer to establish a living trust. In the case of his death, his sister Katie Richins-Benson would become the manager of his estate. Kouri Richins was not informed of the trust. Kouri Richins looks on during a hearing, on Nov. 3, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Rick Bowmer / AP The new court documents allege that in July 2021, Kouri Richins began using altered bank documents showing information from Eric Richins' business for mortgage loan applications. Then, from August to December 2021, Kouri Richins issued a series of bad checks, according to the court documents, and laundered money between multiple accounts. In January 2022, Kouri Richins defrauded a close friend, the documents allege. The friend sent money to Kouri Richins as down payments on a mortgage, but Kouri Richins used the money to pay other debts. The friend was eventually evicted from the house, according to the court documents. The pattern of unlawful activity charge covers allegations that Kouri Richins fraudulently applied for a life insurance policy for her husband, attempted to murder him, and then did murder him in March 2022. Prosecutors allege that Kouri Richins poisoned her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail. She also claimed false insurance benefits after his death, according to the court documents. In March 2023, a year after Eric Richins' death, Kouri Richins self-published a children's book, "Are You With Me?" The book, initially written for her children, addressed coping with grief. About two months later, in May 2023, Kouri Richins was arrested. Since her arrest, she has been denied bail and accused of witness tampering. She has not yet gone on trial for Eric Richins' murder.
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Grief author suspected of killing her husband indicted on new charges
The Utah mom facing charges for allegedly killing her husband and later publishing a children's book on how to cope with grief was indicted Friday in connection with a series of financial crimes related to his death. Kouri Richins, 34, was charged in connection with more than two dozen counts of mortgage fraud, forgery, issuing a bad check, money laundering, communications fraud, and a pattern of unlawful activity in the months before her husband, Eric Richins, 39, was poisoned in 2022. The new charges come more than two years after the mother of three was arrested and charged in connection with her husband's killing, which she pleaded not guilty to. According to the indictment, Richins used a power of attorney in 2019 to obtain a $250,000 home equity line of credit (HELOC) on a house her husband owned before they got married without his knowledge. She then allegedly invested the money in her real estate business. "The secret origination and continued existence of the HELOC was a source of tension between the Defendant and Eric Richins," the indictment says. "The Defendant informed Eric Richins that she would repay the loan and led Eric Richins to believe that she had repaid it. The HELOC was not paid off on the day of Eric Richins' death." Eric Richins then allegedly consulted an estate planning lawyer in 2020 to "protect himself in the short-term from recently discovered and ongoing abuse and misuse of his finances by the Defendants, and to protect his three children in the long-term by ensuring that the Defendant would never be able to manage his property after his death," the indictment alleges. Richins is also accused of stealing more than $100,000 from her husband's business and spending tens of thousands of dollars on his credit cards, the indictment says. Kouri Richins' lawyers, Kathy Nester and Wendy Lewis, said the new charges were "extremely troubling." "This sudden push to file new fraud charges over two years later underscores the weakness of the state's pending murder charges, since these fraud charges would not even come into play unless they fail to secure a conviction," the lawyers said in a statement. Kouri Richins' arrest gained national attention because she published a children's book titled 'Are You with Me?'— which tells the story of a child whose dead father watches over him as an angel — and promoted the book on national television. Eric Richins was found unresponsive in the pair's Utah home — about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City — after having had a cocktail to celebrate his wife's business deal. Five times the lethal dose of 'illicit,' non-medical-grade fentanyl was found in his system, according to the local medical examiner's office. His murder trial is scheduled to begin in February 2026.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Kouri Richins - accused of 'murdering her husband' with poisoned Moscow Mule - is hit with 26 new charges
Utah mother Kouri Richins who is accused of fatally poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule, is facing 26 additional financial crime charges. Richins, 33, killed her husband Eric on March 3, 2022, according to prosecutors who now also claim she was running a financial scheme linked to his death. They outlined disturbing new details about her alleged activities, including accusations that she secretly took out massive high-interest loans, forged documents, and shifted money through shell businesses in the months before Eric died. Summit County prosecutors announced that Richins had been charged with five counts of mortgage fraud, seven counts of money laundering, five counts of forgery, seven counts of issuing bad checks, one count of communications fraud, and one count of engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity. Investigators claim she used a power of attorney to obtain a $250,000 home equity line of credit on Eric's premarital home without his knowledge and funneled the money into her business, K. Richins Realty. The charging documents allege she went on to borrow millions more through hard money loans, even as her company was hemorrhaging cash and defaulting on existing debts. Prosecutors say Richins was so deep in the red that she agreed to buy an unfinished $2.9 million mansion just one day before Eric died, despite having no means to refinance or repay the enormous high-interest loans. On the day Eric was found dead, Richins Realty allegedly owed nearly $1.8 million to hard money lenders. By the very next day, court papers say, that debt had ballooned to almost $5 million. The mother of three has pleaded not guilty to the original aggravated murder charge. Court documents also claimed that Richins first attempted to kill her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl just a month before she allegedly served him the spiked cocktail. Eric fell violently ill after eating a sandwich Richins bought him on Valentine's Day, telling friends afterward: 'I think my wife tried to kill me.' During Monday's hearing, Detective Jeff O'Driscoll testified that authorities believe Richins housekeeper, Carmen Marie Lauber, 51, had sold fentanyl to Richins on at least three occasions, including after Eric had already died. Text messages showed her allegedly seeking stronger drugs when the first batch did not prove potent enough, police said. Prosecutors claim Richins attempted to rewrite Eric's life insurance beneficiaries, drained $100,000 from his bank accounts, maxed out his credit cards by $30,000, and stole $134,000 in tax funds from his masonry business. Richins, who later published a children's book about grief dedicated to Eric, told reporters she wrote it because she 'found nothing' on Amazon or in bookstores to help their children cope. She promoted the book on local TV and radio, drawing widespread criticism after her arrest. The newly filed financial crimes paint a portrait of a woman prosecutors say was on the brink of financial ruin and desperate for a payout from Eric's estate, estimated to be worth around $5 million. Charging documents detail how she blamed her husband and even an alleged identity thief in Seattle for her poor credit score, while she continued borrowing from lender after lender. Defense attorneys for Richins have pushed back over the new charges. 'This sudden push to file new fraud charges over two years later underscores the weakness of the state's pending murder charges, since these fraud charges would not even come into play unless they fail to secure a conviction. 'The timing is also extremely troubling in light of the fact that the parties are trying to seat an impartial jury in Summit County.' Richins' murder trial is now set to begin with jury selection in February 2026. Prosecutors say these new financial allegations may be handled in a separate proceeding, leaving both families bracing for a long, painful legal battle ahead. Her preliminary hearing on the murder count will continue in the coming weeks, with more testimony expected from investigators and forensic specialists who documented Eric's final moments. Richins' brother Ronney said that 'Eric loved to party, he loved to have a good time'. 'The simplest answer is often the correct one, it was most likely an accidental overdose.' Richins was then slapped with additional charges, including attempted murder, mortgage fraud and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after Eric's death. Prior to his death, Eric had changed his will to make his sister the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy and was even thinking of getting a divorce from Richins, according to his family. Family attorney and spokesperson Greg Skordas previously told Daily Mail that Eric was afraid Richins was trying to kill him after two separate instances in which he became violently ill after drinking or eating with his wife. His family has insisted that Richins is the one responsible for his sudden death.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Kamas mom accused of killing her husband charged with mortgage fraud, money laundering
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah () — The Kamas mother who is and writing a children's book about grief is facing new charges involving the fraud that investigators believe led to the alleged homicide. Kouri Darden Richins, 35, is facing 26 new felony charges, including five counts of mortgage fraud, five counts of forgery, seven counts of issuing a bad check, seven counts of money laundering, one count of communications fraud, and one count of a pattern of unlawful activity. She had already been facing two counts of mortgage fraud, two counts of insurance fraud, and three counts of forgery as part of her murder case. BEHIND THE CASE: Kouri Richins complete timeline in murder case According to the document filed today in Summit County, the timeline of events that resulted in Kouri Richins' fraud is as follows. Eric and Kouri Richins met in 2009, while she was employed as a cashier at Home Depot. The two would have a child in 2012 and marry in 2013. Eric Richins and a business partner owned C&E Stone Masonry, LLC. A premarital agreement between Eric and Kouri Richins stated that she would only have a claim to his business in the event he died before her while they were married. Documents say that in 2019, Kouri Richins used a power of attorney to obtain a home equity line of credit worth $250,000 on Eric Richins's home without his knowledge. Kouri Richins used this funding to form a new real estate business: K. Richins Realty. In October 2020, Eric Richins allegedly discovered the line of credit taken out on his home. Documents say that 'the secret origination and continued existence of the [line of credit] was a source of tension' between the couple. Kouri Richins allegedly promised her husband that she would repay it, and later 'led Eric Richins to believe that she had repaid it.' Kouri Richins: New trial date set for Kamas mom accused of killing her husband On October 13, 2020, Eric Richins allegedly consulted with a real estate planning lawyer, saying that he wanted to protect himself from 'recently discovered and ongoing abuse and misuse of finances' by his wife. He also wanted to 'protect his three children in the long term' by ensuring that Kouri Richins would not manage his property after his death. The following month, on Nov. 3, 2020, Eric Richins 'executed several estate-planning instruments,' according to investigators. He appointed his sister, Katie Richins-Benson, as 'his agent, fiduciary, or trustee, to the intentional and purposeful exclusion of' Kouri Richins. Eric Richins organized 'The Eric Richins Trust' and removed Kouri Richins as a beneficiary of his life insurance. K. Richins Realty was struggling financially, according to documents. It realized '$170,000 in revenue while its monthly debt service exceeded $250,000.' Kouri Richins continued to buy property despite debt and 'insufficient revenue,' documents say. By Nov. 30, 2021, she had added $1.1 million to her 'already staggering and unserviceable' debt. 'By the end of 2021, [Kouri Richins] stood on the precipice of total financial collapse,' the charging document reads. Kouri Richins sought fentanyl from multiple sources before husband's death, new evidence claims On December 23, 2021, Kouri Richins began contracting to purchase a $2.9 million unfinished mansion in Midway, Utah. She did not have the funds to purchase this mansion, and was already at least $1.8 million in debt. The deal was supposed to close on March 4, 2022. That same day, March 4, 2022, Kouri Richins contacted 911 to report that her husband had died. Kouri Richins had taken out at least three life insurance policies on Eric Richins, with roughly $1.35 million going to her as the beneficiary. She also believed that she would be the beneficiary of the life insurance policy he had transferred to his trust in 2020, worth $500,000. Documents estimate that Eric Richins' estate was worth roughly $5 million at the time of his death. While battling the mounting debt, Kouri Richins submitted falsified bank statements to obtain loans from these financial institutions: Iron Bridge Financial, Boomerang Finance, and Excell Financial Services. She also wrote seven bad checks that were ultimately returned by her financial institution for insufficient funds. Kouri Richins' defense asks for suppression of several pieces of evidence Using a property in Heber City, Kouri Richins also allegedly 'extracted' money from her 'best friend.' Kouri Richins owed several loans worth $456,000 on the property, and she told her friend to move in with her family and pay rent to her. She allegedly used these rent payments totaling $45,000 to pay her own debts. One of the lenders eventually foreclosed on the property, evicting the friend and her family. The documents allege that Kouri Richins 'murdered Eric Richins for pecuniary gain,' that his murder was premeditated in order to gain the financial means to pay off her debt and continue her realty business. For more information on the events leading up to Kouri Richins being accused of Eric Richins' murder, ABC4 has compiled a . Richins is currently in the Summit County Jail, awaiting a in February 2026. Deer Valley adds 7 new chairlifts, more than 80 ski runs Trump shares handwritten note to Powell: 'You have cost the USA A Fortune' McConnell calls Tillis retirement 'big setback' for Senate GOP Bicyclist airlifted with head trauma after Kaysville crash, road closed Lawsuit against BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff dismissed Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
11-03-2025
- Fox News
Mourning Widow Or Murderous Wife? The Kouri Richins Case
On the outside, Kouri and Eric Richins seemed to have the perfect family. When Eric suddenly died in 2022, Kouri went from a seemingly loving wife to a mourning widow, writing a children's book to help her sons grieve. One month after promoting her book on a local television show, Kouri was arrested and charged with murdering her husband. Award-winning Trial Attorney and Host of the Courtroom Confidential Podcast Joshua Ritter recaps the facts of the case and shares what listeners can expect to see in Kouri's upcoming trial. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
