Court docket paperwork reveal secret life insurance coverage insurance policies, stolen cash, a contentious courtroom case and the hiring of a personal investigator to unravel the loss of life of a Utah man whose spouse allegedly poisoned him with alcohol.
The spouse, Kouri Richins, was arrested and charged with killing Eric Richins final 12 months throughout a quiet celebration at her residence in Kamas, Utah, about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake Metropolis, after shopping for a home for her, in accordance with authorities store had closed.
A coroner stated he had 5 occasions the deadly dose of fentanyl in his system on the time of his loss of life on March 4, 2022.
Eric Richins had suspected his spouse had tried to poison him on a number of events and warned his household that if something occurred to him, it might be their fault, in accordance with search warrant affidavits obtained by the Summit County Sheriff’s Workplace . A household spokesman stated he stayed within the marriage due to their three youngsters.
As Richins prepares for a detention listening to subsequent month, listed below are some key dates from the investigation.
Between 2015 and 2017
In keeping with an amended courtroom doc filed Could 18 that resulted within the postponement of a detention listening to initially scheduled for Could 19, Richins is accused of getting no less than 4 life insurance coverage insurance policies for her husband totaling almost $2 million. Eric Richins was unaware of the insurance policies, the doc stated.
Sept 2020
In keeping with the amended courtroom doc, Eric Richins discovered that his spouse allegedly obtained and spent a $250,000 residence fairness mortgage on their residence in Kamas, withdrawing no less than $100,000 from his financial institution accounts and spending greater than $30,000 on his bank cards had spent. It was additionally alleged that Richins “used dividends from Eric Richins’ enterprise to make quarterly federal and state tax funds and did not pay the taxes.” In keeping with the submitting, the stolen tax funds totaled no less than $134,346.
He confronted her in regards to the cash and she or he agreed to pay him again, the courtroom doc stated.
October 2020
Eric Richins consulted with each a divorce legal professional and an property planning legal professional. Unbeknownst to his spouse, he altered his will, shaped a dwelling belief and gave management of his property to his sister, Katie Richins-Benson, in accordance with the amended courtroom doc.
He additionally transferred his curiosity in his firm to the belief and named the belief the beneficiary of his $500,000 life insurance coverage coverage, the doc stated.
January 1, 2022
Eric Richins and his enterprise accomplice had $2 million in life insurance coverage insurance policies that listed one another as beneficiaries. Nevertheless, prosecutors alleged that Richins modified the coverage on Jan. 1, 2022, itemizing himself as a beneficiary, the amended courtroom doc stated.
Her husband was made conscious of the change and reinstated his enterprise accomplice as a beneficiary, the doc stated.
Later within the month, she allegedly “initiated the submitting of an utility for a brand new $100,000 life insurance coverage coverage on the lifetime of Eric Richins,” the doc stated.
February 12, 2022
In early 2022, Richins both referred to as or texted an acquaintance named CL asking for fentanyl, the doc stated. Information from Richins’ cellphone confirmed that she contacted CL a number of occasions in January 2022, however authorities haven’t been in a position to decide the content material of the messages as a result of she allegedly deleted knowledge from her cellphone from January 2, 2022 till shortly after Eric Richins’ loss of life.
In keeping with the doc, CL notified authorities that it obtained the fentanyl drugs and handed them over to Richins in a hand-to-hand transaction on both February 11 or February 12, 2022.
February 14, 2022
A Valentine’s Day meal became a nightmare when Eric Richins “bought hives and had bother respiratory” after consuming a sandwich his spouse made for him, the doc stated.
Prosecutors alleged within the doc that Richins made her husband a sandwich and positioned it on the seat of his truck with a love letter on it. Nevertheless, after her husband ate it, he grew to become ailing and had to make use of his son’s EpiPen. The doc stated Eric Richins believed he had been poisoned and “informed a good friend that he thought his spouse was making an attempt to poison him”.
finish of February 2022
Richins allegedly contacted CL and stated the fentanyl drugs “weren’t sturdy sufficient and requested them to supply some stronger fentanyl,” the doc stated. CL informed authorities that Richins “requested ‘about some Michael Jackson stuff’ throughout this fentanyl inquiry, however subsequently acknowledged that Defendant could have referred to Michael Jackson in her preliminary fentanyl inquiry,” reads it within the doc. (The pop celebrity died at his Los Angeles residence in 2009 after receiving a deadly dose of propofol.)
In keeping with the doc, CL once more procured drugs for Richins.
March 3, 2022
Richins is alleged to have owed greater than $1 million on the time of her husband’s loss of life, the prosecutors’ doc stated. The day earlier than her husband’s loss of life, prosecutors stated she spoke to a moneylender to whom she owed no less than $1.8 million and had a prolonged cellphone name with the IRS. The doc alleged that she had excellent state and federal tax liabilities totaling $189,840 and likewise owed her husband no less than $514,346.
March 4, 2022
Eric Richins, 39, died after being discovered lifeless within the bed room of their residence in Kamas after having a drink at his spouse’s enterprise deal.
He had 5 occasions the deadly dose of fentanyl in his system, in accordance with the coroner, who stated it was “unlawful” fentanyl and never medical grade. In keeping with the coroner, it’s also believed that he took the remedy orally.
Particulars of that evening differ in a search warrant affidavit and a possible trigger assertion.
In keeping with the assertion, Richins informed authorities that she and her husband have been celebrating the closing of a house for his or her enterprise. She stated she ready a Moscow mule for her husband within the kitchen and introduced it to her bed room, the place he drank it whereas sitting in mattress, sources stated. Prosecutors stated they added 5 occasions the deadly dose of fentanyl to the cocktail.
Nevertheless, the affidavit states that Eric Richins had a shot of alcohol and a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) gummie.
Richins informed authorities that she fell asleep in considered one of her youngsters’s bedrooms and when she awoke and went to her bed room, her husband felt chilly, each paperwork state. The affidavit stated that Richins allegedly tried CPR on her husband, however when medical personnel and firefighters arrived they stated it didn’t seem that she had carried out CPR, “as a result of great amount of blood that got here out of Eric’s mouth”.
She additionally informed authorities she left her cellphone plugged in in her bed room. Nevertheless, investigators famous that it had been locked and moved a number of occasions earlier than the 911 quantity was referred to as, the assertion stated.
In keeping with his on-line report, the couple had been married for 9 years on the time of Eric Richins’ loss of life obituary. They’ve three sons.
March 6, 2022
Just a few days after her husband’s loss of life, Richins allegedly had a locksmith drill into her husband’s protected, which contained between $125,000 and $165,000 in money, in accordance with the amended courtroom doc. When Eric Richins’ sister Katie Richins-Benson requested Richins to go away the protected alone, prosecutors on the submitting allege that Richins grew to become enraged and punched Richins-Benson within the face and neck.
The sheriff’s deputies responded and referred to as Eric Richins’ property legal professional.
Richins was knowledgeable that her husband had established a dwelling basis.
March 9, 2022
Richins allegedly wrote a backdated test for $1,300 to obtain fentanyl drugs from CL, the prosecutors’ doc stated. CL informed authorities she left the drugs in a fireplace pit within the yard of a Richins residence on both March 9 or 10, the doc stated.
July 15, 2022
Richins-Benson employed a personal investigator to watch and observe Richins. That is in accordance with courtroom paperwork Richins filed to have her sister-in-law launched as trustee of Eric Richins’ belief. Richins and her sister-in-law have been in litigation over the belief and property because the loss of life of Eric Richins.
Richins stated within the paperwork that the non-public investigator would park in entrance of her residence “to observe and monitor her” and query her neighbors about her and her husband.
Greg Skordas, a spokesman for Eric Richins’ household, informed NBC Information that the non-public investigator was employed to research the loss of life. The non-public investigator declined to speak in regards to the case.
seventh March
A 12 months after her husband’s loss of life, Richins printed a ebook referred to as Are You With Me? and devoted it to “my wonderful husband and an exquisite father.” An Amazon description of the ebook stated it was written to “carry peace and luxury to youngsters who’ve misplaced a liked one.”
Within the 41-page ebook, a boy wonders if his father is with him when he’s unhappy or indignant and if he’s with him on particular events. The daddy assures the boy that he’s there for all these moments.
The ebook is not obtainable on Amazon.
April sixth
Richins spoke about her ebook and her husband’s loss of life, which she says was “surprising,” in an interview with Salt Lake Metropolis-based KTVX-TV.
“It shocked us all. “My youngsters and I wrote this ebook in regards to the completely different feelings and grieving processes we’ve skilled over the previous 12 months in hopes it could assist different youngsters cope with it and discover happiness in a technique or one other,” she stated KTVX reporter.
She went on to speak about how she would inform her youngsters that “their father continues to be right here, simply otherwise.” Richins stated she wrote the ebook after seeing her youngsters battle with their father’s loss of life.
The broadcaster later up to date his story, saying he was unaware that she was a suspect in her husband’s loss of life.
eighth of Could
Richins was arrested on counts of aggravated homicide and three counts of possessing a managed substance with intent to distribute it. She has not filed a plea and is because of seem in courtroom on June 12, the brand new date for the detention listening to.
Her lawyer didn’t touch upon the allegations.
