In a shocking turn of events, Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old Utah mother of three and children's book author, has been accused of the fatal poisoning of her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022.
The charges against her include attempted murder, aggravated murder, and drug possession. It is alleged that she committed the crime with the intention of claiming millions in life insurance funds.
Richins, who has remained silent since her husband's death, recently broke her silence. "Ive been silent for a year, locked away from my kids, my family, my life, living with the media telling the world who they think I am, what they think Ive done or how they think Ive lived," she stated in a recorded message delivered to "Dateline" via a spokesperson. She added, "And its time to start speaking up."
In a poignant statement, she said, "You took an innocent mom away from her babies," according to the show. "And this means war."
Her remarks come on the heels of her defense team's decision to withdraw from her case on May 17, citing an "irreconcilable and nonwaivable situation." Richins expressed her disappointment at this development, stating, "My defense team has been forced to withdraw from my case. Represented or not, we all know and should understand theres only so much I can say. But what I will say is this withdrawal was not my choice. And it was not a personal choice of any counsel on my defense team."
In a related development, her defense team filed a motion on May 17 to disqualify state prosecutors, specifically Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth, due to alleged severe violations that compromise the integrity of adversarial fairness. Skye Lazaro, her former lead defense attorney, claimed that prosecutors improperly obtained evidence, including jail calls and a letter considered confidential due to attorney-client privilege, to build their case against Richins.
Prosecutors argue that Kouri, then 33, murdered Eric, 39, with the intention of claiming millions in life insurance funds and selling a $2 million Wasatch County mansion under construction at the time of Eric's death. Eric's family claims he did not approve of this investment.
On the night of Eric's death, Kouri, Eric, and Kouri's mother, Lisa Darden, were reportedly celebrating Kouri's recent acquisition of the mansion in question, according to Summit County court documents. It is alleged that Kouri prepared a cocktail laced with fentanyl for her husband that evening. A medical examiner found that Eric had over five times the lethal amount of the illicit opioid in his system when he died, along with "16,000 ng/ml of Quetiapine," an "atypical antipsychotic medication" often used as a sleep aid.
The day after Eric's death, Kouri reportedly closed the deal on the mansion "alone." She has also been charged with attempted murder in relation to an earlier incident on Valentine's Day, when she allegedly tried to poison her husband's sandwich. Eric survived the incident by using his son's EpiPen and taking a Benadryl, according to court documents.
Despite the charges, Kouri maintains her innocence in her husband's death. Following his death, she authored a children's book about grief titled "Are You With Me?" and made local media appearances to promote the book, citing her husband's death as her inspiration behind the book.
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