Widow Who Wrote Grief Book After Husbands Death Charged With Murder

33-year-old Kouri Darden Richins from Summit County, Utah has just been arrested this week for the murder of her husband, Eric Richins, who died back on March 4, 2022. Kouri, who is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, had a children’s book on grief published in March of this year.

Kouri is facing several serious charges, including first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Kouri allegedly poisoned her husband’s drinks with Fentanyl, with Eric’s official cause of death being an oral overdose of fentanyl.

Woman Poisons Husband, Then Writes Children’s Book

Police found Eric unresponsive in his home at 3:20 AM on the early morning of his death. Officials said, “Life-saving measures were attempted, but Eric was declared deceased.” Kouri informed police that on the night of her husband’s death, she made him a mixed drink with vodka. Official documents report that “(Kouri) said she awoke around 3 a.m. and came back to her and Eric’s bedroom. She felt Eric, and he was cold to the touch. That is when the defendant called 911.” 

On March 5, 2023, about a year after her husband’s death, Kouri had a children’s picture book published titled “Are You With Me?” The book guides children through dealing with grief and the loss of a loved one. The cover art of the book depicts a boy playing soccer while a bearded man with wings, who looks eerily similar to Eric, watches from the sky. The Amazon description for “Are You With Me?” claims that the book was “written to create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one. It’s to reassure children that although your loved one is not present, their presence always exist and they walk through life with you as if they were here.” Kouri wrote in the book, “Dedicated to my amazing husband and a wonderful father.”

Reportedly, the police acquired a warrant for Kouri’s phone, which contained disturbing text conversations with an “unnamed acquaintance.” While interviewing the acquaintance, police were told that Kouri had asked for “prescription pain medication for an investor” between the months of December 2021 and February 2022. On Valentine’s Day of that year, Eric became very sick, and was suspicious that Kouri was trying to poison him.

On February 26, 2022, Kouri reportedly bought 15 to 30 fentanyl pills from an acquaintance after asking them for “some of the Michael Jackson stuff.” Eric died a week after this transaction. Kouri and Eric were married for nine years and shared three children together. There doesn’t currently seem to be an identified motive for the murder at this time.

READ MORE: Husband Commits Murder-Suicide, Leaving Oklahoma Mom of Two Young Children Dead