Wife takes out life insurance, poisons husband, then writes kids’ book on grief, cops say

The lawsuit, which was filed by Katie Richins-Benson, Eric Richins’ sister and the representative of his estate, accuses his wife, Kouri Richins, of stealing money from his bank accounts, illegally making herself his power of attorney, taking out life insurance policies in his name and profiting off of his death in a “horrific endgame.”

Kouri Richins was charged with murder in May in connection with the death of her husband, Eric Richins, who died of a fentanyl overdose on March 4, 2022, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. She appeared in court in Summit County on June 12 and did not enter a plea, according to USA Today.

Kouri Richins put a lethal dose of fentanyl in a cocktail she made for her husband, prosecutors said in court documents obtained by USA Today.

Kouri Richins’ attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 29.

Her husband, with whom she shares three children, thought she had tried to poison him once before with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day, according to the complaint shared by ABC4.

About one year after her husband’s death, Kouri Richins wrote a book called “Are You With Me?” which was meant to help children cope with grief and loss, the complaint says.

The complaint accuses Kouri Richins of forging her husband’s initials on a power of attorney document. She then opened a bank account in her husband’s name and took out a fraudulent $250,000 loan, the complaint says.

She also obtained several life insurance policies on her husband that gave her more than $1.5 million of coverage if he died, the complaint says.

Kouri Richins took property from her husband’s estate after his death, including $225,000 in cash, an electric motorcycle, a flatbed trailer and theater room furniture, the complaint says.

Her book “Are You With Me?” also uses Eric Richins’ likeness without his consent, the complaint says. She made money from selling the book and didn’t share any profits with her husband’s estate, the complaint says.

Richins-Benson is seeking more than $13 million in damages, according to CBS News. Richins-Benson’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on June 29.

“Kouri committed the foregoing acts in calculated, systematic fashion and for no reason other than to actualize a horrific endgame—to conceal her ruinous debt, misappropriate assets for the benefit of her personal businesses, orchestrate Eric’s demise, and profit from his passing,” the lawsuit says.

Summit County is in northern Utah, and the county seat is Coalville.