Utah mom of threeand grief author Kouri Richins, who is accused of killing her husband with a fentanyl-laced Moscow mule, will not face the death penalty in the case, prosecutors said.
Summit County prosecutors said in a notice filed in Utah’s 3rd District Court on Friday that they reached the decision in “careful consultation” with the sisters and father of Eric Richins, who died March 4, 2022, CNN reported.
Kouri, 33, was arrested in May on charges of first-degree aggravated murder and multiple counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Her murder charge will be handled as a noncapital first-degree felony, according to the prosecutors.
She wrote the tear-jerker “Are You With Me?” a year after she allegedly killed Richins, 39, with the drink that includes vodka and ginger beer — and, in this case, fentanyl.
Richins closed on a $2 million deal to buy a home the day after her husband died. KTVXHe had suspected that she was carrying on an extramarital affair, family attorney Greg Skordas has said.
Eric had previously told a pal he believed his wife was trying to poison him after he became sick following a Valentine’s Day dinner the month before his death.
He died a day before Kouri closed on a $2 million deal to buy a 22,000-square-foot home — a deal for which he had allegedly refused to pay.
Kouri wrote “Are You With Me?” a year after she allegedly killed her husband, Eric Richins (right). Kouri Richins/Facebook
Eric had previously told a friend he believed Kouri was trying to poison him after he became sick following a Valentine’s Day dinner. Facebook / Kouri RichinsMeanwhile, Kouri is suing the estate of her late husband, claiming she deserves money and physical assets outlined in their prenuptial agreement.
She is seeking half the equity in the couple’s home, which is estimated to be worth “at least $1.9 million,” according to the civil lawsuit filed June 9.
The legal title to the home, which the couple bought for $400,000 in 2012, was in Eric’s name, but mortgage payments were made from their joint account, the lawsuit states.
Kouri was charged with first-degree aggravated murder and multiple counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. APEric’s sister Katie Richins later filed a $13 million lawsuit against Kouri, claiming she tried to “profit from his passing.”
Katie claims the alleged murderer funneled cash from Eric’s bank accounts, diverted money intended to cover his taxes and obtained a $250,000 fraudulent loan before his death.
Kouri also is accused in the civil suit of taking secret insurance policies out on her husband’s life.
Eric’s estate is seeking millions of dollars in damages from Kouri for alleged financial wrongdoing and also hopes to prevent future sales of her book about an angel-wing-clad deceased dad watching over his sons.
