Author accused of poisoning husband allegedly bought nearly $2M in life insurance

Kouri Richins' husband died after drinking Moscow mule wife made, officials said

By'Good Morning America'
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Woman allegedly bought millions in life insurance before husband death
There are new accusations against the woman who's suspected of delivering a deadly dose of fentanyl in her husband's cocktail.

SALT LAKE CITY -- There are new accusations against the woman who's suspected of delivering a deadly dose of fentanyl in her husband's cocktail. Court documents point to life insurance policies worth millions of dollars that she allegedly secretly took out on him.

Utah mother of three Kouri Richins wrote a children's book about grief after her husband, Eric, died. Now prosecutors said that Richins is actually responsible for his death, accusing her of poisoning him with fentanyl, "Good Morning America" reported.

New court documents show the 33-year-old mom took out nearly $2 million in life insurance policies without her husband even knowing about it, $250,000 in home equity, and $100,000 from his bank accounts.

Just a few weeks before he died, court documents said Eric confided in a friend that he thought his wife was attempting to kill him when he got sick after a Valentine's Day meal.

SEE ALSO: Utah woman who wrote kids book on grief after husband died now charged with his murder

"I think the more we know about Kouri, the more we know that this was money-driven," said Greg Skordas, a spokesperson for the Richins family.

Eric was found dead in their home in March of 2022 after allegedly drinking a Moscow mule made by Kouri.

She seems to have orchestrated meticulously the death of her husband; I don't think anybody should be surprised if state goes after death penalty," trial lawyer Danielle Cohen-Higgins said.

When asked about the court documents, Richins' lawyers told ABC News, "the state amended the charging information and has not turned over discovery yet that supports it, therefore we couldn't be prepared to argue about the sufficiency of the evidence."