By Charlie Herbert
A mum who wrote a book about grief to help her children cope with the loss of their dad has reportedly been charged with his murder.
According to reports, Kouri Richins was arrested on May 8th in Utah, USA. She is allegedly accused of poisoning her husband and father to their children with fentanyl, a painkiller 100 times stronger than morphine.
Prosecutors say there was five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in Eric Richins’ system when he died on March 2022 in the family home.
Kouri had allegedly told police she had made him a vodka drink to celebrate him selling the house. However, the mum found him "cold to the touch" after she came back from checking on one of their children.
KUTV reported that an "unnamed acquaintance” told police they sold fentanyl to the mum. Investigators found that Richins had been in touch with a person previously charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
She had reportedly asked the person for prescription painkillers for an investor who had a back injury. After she was initially given hydrocodone pills, she got back in touch with the person around two weeks later and requested “some of the Michael Jackson stuff,” asking specifically for fentanyl.
Three days after she got hold of the drug, her husband “became very ill” at a Valentine’s Day dinner with Kouri, according to a probable cause statement.
Eric believed he had been poisoned and apparently told a friend that he believed it was his wife who was responsible.
Kouri has also been charged with allegedly possessing GHB. This is an odorless substance that makes people drowsy or relaxed.
Before her arrest, the mumm appeared on local television to promote a grief book she had written.
The book, titled ‘Are You With Me?’, is a picture book she had written to help her kids deal with Eric’s death. She told a segment called ‘Good Things Utah’ that children needed to feel that a loved one’s “spirit is always alive in your home.”
“It’s – you know – explaining to my kid just because he’s not present here with us physically, doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here with us,” she told the programme.
Feature Image: BBC
