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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah girl who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband in 2022, then revealed a youngsters’s guide about grief, now faces one other tried homicide cost for allegedly drugging him weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day.
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Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of killing her husband with a deadly dose of fentanyl at their dwelling in a small mountain city close to Park Metropolis in March 2022. New charging paperwork filed Monday by Summit County prosecutors allege that was not her first try on his life.
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They element the perilous months previous Eric Richins’ dying, portray an image of a paranoid man strolling on eggshells round his spouse as she made secret monetary preparations and purchased illicit medication that have been later present in his system.
Prosecutors have mentioned beforehand that Kouri Richins, who’s being held with out bail, could have tried to poison her husband the month earlier than his dying, however they didn’t file the extra fees till this week.
The chilling case of a once-beloved writer accused of profiting off her personal violent crime has captivated true-crime lovers within the 12 months since she was arrested for her husband’s homicide. She had self-published “Are You With Me?” — an illustrated storybook a couple of father with angel wings watching over his younger son after passing away.
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As soon as lauded as a heartwarming must-read for any baby who has misplaced a beloved one, the guide has since turn into a robust instrument for prosecutors arguing that Kouri Richins carried out a calculated homicide plot and tried cover-up.
The mom of three repeatedly referred to as her husband’s dying surprising whereas selling her guide and was counseled by many for serving to her sons and different younger youngsters course of the dying of a mum or dad.
Her legal professional, Skye Lazaro, didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the brand new fees. Lazaro has argued in early hearings that the proof in opposition to her consumer was doubtful and circumstantial.
One chew of his favourite sandwich — left with a notice within the entrance seat of his truck on Valentine’s Day — made Eric Richins, 39, escape in hives and black out, prosecutors allege within the new paperwork.
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His spouse had purchased the sandwich from an area diner within the metropolis of Kamas the identical week she additionally bought a number of dozen fentanyl capsules, based on witness statements and deleted textual content messages that have been recovered by police.
The state’s star witness, a housekeeper who claims to have offered her the medication, advised legislation enforcement that she gave Kouri Richins the capsules a pair days earlier than Valentine’s Day. Later that month, Richins allegedly advised the housekeeper that the capsules she supplied weren’t sturdy sufficient and requested her to acquire stronger fentanyl, based on the brand new charging paperwork.
In witness testimony, two pals of Eric Richins recount telephone conversations from the day prosecutors are actually saying he was first poisoned by his spouse of 9 years. After injecting himself along with his son’s EpiPen and chugging a bottle of Benadryl, he woke from deep sleep and and advised a good friend, “I believe my spouse tried to poison me.”
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His pals say they seen concern in his voice as Richins, who had no identified allergy symptoms, advised them that he felt like he was going to die and that his spouse could be responsible. Opioids, together with fentanyl, could cause extreme allergic reactions, together with hives.
A month later, Kouri Richins referred to as 911 in the midst of the night time to report that she had discovered her husband “chilly to the contact” on the foot of their mattress, based on the police report. He was pronounced lifeless, and a health worker later discovered 5 occasions the deadly dosage of fentanyl in his system.
“One or two capsules could be unintended. Twenty — or 5 occasions the deadly dose — will not be unintended. That’s somebody who desires Eric lifeless,” Summit County Chief Prosecutor Patricia Cassell mentioned.
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She alleges that Richins slipped the artificial opioid right into a Moscow mule cocktail she made for her husband amid marital disputes and fights over a multimillion-dollar mansion she bought as an funding.
Years earlier than her husband’s dying, Kouri Richins opened quite a few life insurance coverage insurance policies on Eric Richins with out his data, with advantages totaling practically $2 million, prosecutors allege.
Kouri Richins was additionally charged Monday with mortgage fraud and insurance coverage fraud for allegedly forging mortgage functions and fraudulently claiming insurance coverage advantages after his dying.
Prosecutors argue she was in monetary misery when her husband died and say she mistakenly believed she would inherit his property below phrases of their prenuptial settlement. Newly launched paperwork indicated she had a detrimental checking account steadiness, owed lenders greater than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor.
Charging paperwork point out Eric Richins met with a divorce legal professional and an property planner in October 2020, a month after he found that his spouse made some main monetary choices with out his data. The couple’s prenuptial settlement solely allowed Kouri Richins to revenue off her husband’s profitable stone masonry enterprise if he died whereas they have been nonetheless married.
Utah legislation prohibits anybody convicted of homicide from profiting financially off their crime.
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