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Kouri Richins, a Utah woman who authored a children's book aimed at helping youngsters cope with grief following her husband's untimely demise, now finds herself charged with his murder.
The shocking revelation emerged after Richins reported her husband, Eric Richins, as unresponsive to the police in March 2022, only to have a subsequent investigation uncover a fentanyl overdose as the cause of his death.
With court documents shedding light on alleged attempts to acquire prescription pain medication, including the potent drug fentanyl, the case has taken a perplexing twist.
\u201cI found the arrest warrant. Can\u2019t believe she asked her dealer for the \u2018Michael Jackson stuff\u2019. Kouri Richins is screwed. This will not play out well for her at all. #ericrichins\u201d— Rose (@Rose) 1683721851
You can watch a news report about Richin's arrest below.
According to court documents, a series of text messages between December 2021 and February 2022 revealed Richins communicating with an individual previously arrested on drug charges, seeking prescription pain medication for an investor claiming to have a back injury.
Initially, she obtained hydrocodone pills before explicitly requesting fentanyl, colloquially referred to as "the Michael Jackson stuff," indicating a desire for a more potent substance.
Approximately three days after purportedly acquiring the drugs, Richins and her husband shared a Valentine's Day dinner, after which Eric Richins fell ill, expressing his belief he had been poisoned to a friend.
Two weeks later, court documents suggest Richins obtained additional fentanyl. On March 4 she contacted the police during the night, reporting the discovery of her unresponsive husband.
Richins informed authorities she served Eric Richins a Moscow Mule before retiring to bed with one of their young children who was experiencing a night terror. Upon returning to their bedroom, she found her husband "cold to the touch."
The charges against Richins come just two months after she published a picture book titled Are You With Me?. The book was intended to provide solace to children grappling with the loss of a loved one, a topic that hit close to home for the author.
In an interview with local radio station KPCW, she shared her aspirations for the book to bring peace to her family and others facing similar circumstances. Kouri Richins dedicated the book to her late husband, referring to him as her "amazing" spouse and a "wonderful father."
The news of her arrest shocked the online community.
\u201cThey should put her in jail for the spelling of her name alone. \nhttps://t.co/oCxo0hIYx1\u201d— Misanthropic Lycanthrope (@Misanthropic Lycanthrope) 1683634707
\u201cWhat a dumb, greedy, self-centered woman. #KouriRichins\u201d— silvernails (@silvernails) 1683678059
\u201cToday in WTF news\u2026\n\n\u201cUtah mom who wrote a children's book on grief after her husband died is now charged with murdering him\nEric Richins died on March 4, 2022, at their home after his wife, Kouri Richins, made him a Moscow Mule, authorities allege.\u201d\n\nhttps://t.co/Plt7iLNAQI\u201d— \u2764\ufe0f\ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udc9b\u15f0ia\ud83d\udc9a\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c (@\u2764\ufe0f\ud83e\udde1\ud83d\udc9b\u15f0ia\ud83d\udc9a\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c) 1683655351
\u201c#kouririchins Nice touch on the cover, a drawing of your husband after\nYou poisoned him. \ud83d\udcb5\ud83d\udcb5One twisted woman\u2026 \ud83e\udd2a\ud83e\udd2a\u201d— M&M (@M&M) 1683730430
\u201cIf #KouriRichins is found guilty of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl only to write a children's book about her grief, what a statement this would make. \n\nDid she kill him with plans to write the book? \n\nA sick plot twist in my view.\nhttps://t.co/QEWMQgqq23\u201d— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@Jennifer Coffindaffer) 1683647703
\u201cMy main question every time, did she really think she would get away with this? She asked a friend for the fentanyl to poison her husband with. Mistake number one. How much you wanna bet she googled something about it? #KouriRichins\u201d— Rose (@Rose) 1683721212
\u201cThis is awful and jaw dropping -> Grief book author Kouri Richins accused of murdering husband https://t.co/MsFpU6vNwV\u201d— Jennifer Gunter (@Jennifer Gunter) 1683644514
Apart from being charged with murder, Richins also finds herself confronted with accusations tied to the purported possession of GHB, a drug commonly associated with narcolepsy treatment but unfortunately misused recreationally and infamously referred to as a date rape drug.
To shed more light on the ongoing legal proceedings and chart the path forward, a detention hearing has been scheduled for May 19.
Skye Lazaro, the legal representative for Richins, opted not to provide any statement regarding the charges.