Kouri Richins, grief book author accused of killing husband with fentanyl-laced cocktail, faces 26 new charges

CBS News

01-07-2025

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.