Disclaimer: All the information I have included is information I have researched, some cases are ongoing, therefore, I may be missing details. I will do my best to update. Any opinions are just that, my opinion. I encourage you to share yours.
In Kamas, Utah, A loving husband and father was found dead, lying at the bottom of his bed. After a year long investigation, it has come out that there were motives of greed and money. This led the police arresting his wife Kouri for poisoning him with Fentanyl.
Early Life of Eric
On May 13, 1982, in Bountiful, Utah, Eric Richins was born to his parents Linda and Gene Richins. He was the Oldest of three children, having 2 younger sisters. Eric grew up on a cattle ranch, where mended fences and carried hay. He was an athletic young man who played basketball, soccer, and enjoyed to hunt. He attended Woods Cross High School and University of Utah, which he graduated in 2011, with a Bachelor’s Degree. In 2009, he started a masonry company called C&E Stone Masonry, with his friend and business partner, Cody Wright.
Marriage
Eric Richins was introduced to Kouri, by a family friend, named Linda King, who worked with Kouri at Home Depot. They got married on June 15, 2013, in the backyard of their home in Kamas, Utah. They had three sons together. By 2013, she was stealing money from him to flip houses and pay off debt. Not only did Kouri take money from his bank accounts, but she also opened credit cards in his name, without his knowledge. As of 2020, she took 380,000 dollars in his name involving the bank accounts and also power of attorney.
Eric started to suspect that Kouri was having an affair. He started to show signs that he was in fear for his life, by telling family and friends that he thought she was going to try to hurt him. His family attorney, Greg Skordas, said that if something was to happen to him, to look at Kouri. He decided to stay with Kouri, because he wanted to spare his young children the difficulty of living in a broken home.
Eric had told Greg of several past instances, where he thought Kouri attempted to give him food and drinks. One of which, while they were in Greece several years ago, he got sick from a drink. The other, on Valentine’s Day 2022, Eric became sick from a dinner she cooked for him. Shortly before his death, she changed his life insurance to name her as his beneficiary, but after he found out, he secretly changed it to his sister.
The Murder of Eric Richins
On March 3, 2022, Kouri and Eric argued about a real estate deal, that was worth two million dollars. The next day, on March 4, he was at the end of their bed, deceased. In March of 2023, Kouri released a book, called “Are You There?”, which ironically is a children’s book about grieving. On May 8, the police charged Kouri with aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She is alleged to have poisoned him with Fentanyl.
Case Updates
As Kouri’s trial remains in progress, her legal defense is in the discovery phase. Her next appearance, a scheduling hearing, is set for November 3. Although, the court downgraded her case to non-capital first degree felony, therefore, she will avoid the death penalty. Eric’s sister expressed suspicions since his death. A day after the couple fought about he mansion she wanted to flip and he ended up dead, she closed a deal on the mansion. She threw a party to celebrate her accomplishment. His sister found this very odd. Kouri ended up selling the mansion, but currently is being sued because of numerous issues including severe mold issues.
Currently, after finding a letter in a textbook for LSAT testing, the defense argued she was attempting to tamper with witnesses. The letter, addressed to her mother, attempted to convince her to have her brother falsely testify that he bought Eric pills from Mexico.
Final Thoughts
This case is so crazy. I cannot believe how greedy Kouri got with money. Eric seemed like a great husband and father. He was willing to make it work with her even when she was stealing from him and he thought she poisoning her. Then she had the audacity to write a book about her “grief”. This case is ongoing and more information is being release; I will update as this case progresses.
Finally, I like to take a lesson away from these awful cases. My advice would be if you’re in a relationship where you are scared for your life, Get out. You deserve better. As a person who has been in abusive relationships, it does not get better. The National Domestic Hotline is 800-799-7233. you can also call your local DV agengies for help. Talk to family and friends. Some signs to look out for are Isolating tou from friends and family, becoming controlling over small stuff, accusing you of cheating, and gaslighting.
Sources
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/05/15/eric-richins-whose-wife-is-accused/
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