Prosecutors have unveiled shocking details, painting a picture of deceit, romance, and a deadly Moscow Mule.
Kouri Richins is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with a fentanyl-laced cocktail on March 4, 2022. But this story takes a dark turn as court documents reveal that she was planning romantic escapades with her lover both before and after her husband’s untimely demise.
Prosecutors claim that Kouri’s motive was twofold: a passionate affair with an unnamed lover and a financial windfall. The affair was not a fleeting fling; it involved elaborate plans and heartfelt messages that starkly contrast her public persona of a grieving widow. In December 2021, she booked a luxurious five-night stay at the Secrets St. Martin Resort and Spa with her paramour, despite being in dire financial straits.
Text messages included in the court filing expose her desperate attempts to juggle her double life. “I’m in love with a man that’s not my husband,” she texted her lover, expressing frustration over the complications of divorce. She even hinted at a sinister solution, saying it would be “better if Eric Richins was dead.”
Her lover’s belief that she was getting a divorce was met with Kouri’s cold calculation: “What if that’s in a year? You’re just supposed to sit around and wait for me? Uhh no.”
The grim details continue as authorities allege that Kouri first tried to poison Eric on Valentine’s Day 2022 with a tainted sandwich. Eric survived but was suspicious, allegedly telling a witness, “I think my wife tried to poison me.”
Undeterred, Kouri’s texts to her lover became even more audacious, pondering future plans as if her husband’s death was a foregone conclusion. “If I was divorced right now and asked you to marry me tomorrow, would you?” she inquired. She fantasised about a perfect life together, free from her husband’s shadow.
Just two days before Eric’s death, she reassured her lover, “Life is going to be different I promise… Hang in there until then please?”
Prosecutors suggest that Kouri and her lover even discussed the murder posthumously during a clandestine trip to the Uinta Mountains. In a chilling exchange, she asked if he had ever killed anyone in Iraq and how it made him feel.
Barely three weeks after Eric’s death, Kouri texted her lover about their planned getaway to the Secrets resort, seemingly unfazed by the recent tragedy. “Are we there yet? Can’t wait!!” she wrote, later expressing a desire for him to become her husband.
Financial motives also loom large in the case. At the time of Eric’s death, Kouri was drowning in over $3.1 million of debt, with empty bank accounts and looming financial ruin. Eric’s estate, worth an estimated $5 million, seemed to promise a lifeline.
Kouri Richins faces an array of charges, including murder, attempted murder, and multiple counts of fraud. She is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 18, where these explosive allegations will be further scrutinised.
