Wow. Some jaw-dropping new details have just come out about the Kouri Richins case. Not only was she allegedly having an affair — she told friends it’d be “better” if her husband Eric Richins “was dead”! Yikes!
As Perezcious readers know, Kouri has been accused of poisoning her hubby back in March 2022. After several alleged attempts to kill him, she allegedly gave him a fentanyl-laced drink before going into the other room to sleep with their children. She returned later to find her partner dead and called 911, seemingly as planned. She became known later for published a children’s book about helping kids move forward amid their grief, dedicating the whole thing to her deceased partner. Little did anyone helping her promote it know she was going to be tried for his murder! Speaking of that trial…
On Wednesday, prosecutors opened up about all the shocking evidence they have against the suspect in a 42-page filing, obtained by The US Sun. In it, they break down all the bombshell texts they discovered on the so-called killer’s alleged secret phone!
Related: Man Behind Viral Phenomenon #TheDress Admits He Strangled His Wife!
We already know she allegedly searched some SHOCKING things, such as looking up “luxury prisons for the rich in America,” “can cops force you to do a lie detector test,” “how to.permanently delete information from an iphone remotely,” and “what is a lethal.does.of.fetanayl.” Like… WTF!
As incriminating as those bits of evidence seem, in a brief for Judge Richard Mrazik, prosecutors claimed they also found several text messages between Kouri and her secret lover (and other friends) that show her guilt! BTW, Eric had reportedly been suspicious of another man being in the picture all along. Turns out he was right…
In a text sent to her secret boyfriend, the Are You with Me? writer allegedly said:
“I’m in love with a man that’s not my husband. … I want to but can’t break up my family. It’s having your cake and eating it too. I do just want to love you. I do love you.”
She also allegedly told a friend that she felt “trapped” in the marriage. The documents claim, per People, that “she was frustrated because she didn’t feel that she had an easy path forward in divorcing Eric Richins.” The mother was worried her spouse “would turn” her boys “against her” and that his affluent family “would use their finances to take the children from her.” Prosecutors alleged she wrote in a text:
“in many ways, it would be better if Eric Richins was dead.”
OMG! That didn’t age well!
On February 15, 2022 — one day after an alleged attempt to poison her husband failed — Kouri allegedly texted her lover, per The US Sun:
“If I was divorced right now and ask you to marry me tomorrow, you would? … I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle you! Watch a murder documentary and snuggle!”
Again, WTF?! While plenty of people love true crime, the optics of this in the middle of a murder trial aren’t great! Did she really want to kill her husband and then marry a new guy to watch Snapped with?
As for a possible motive, authorities claim Richins was “in financial distress” before Eric’s killing. In texts sent to a friend in October 2020, the mother of three revealed she owed her husband $250,000 after taking out a home equity line of credit on his house, telling her pal:
“Idk what to do.. if he thinks I owe him money then that’s fine, I’ll pay whatever he thinks and then I’m out!! … It’s getting a little out of hand!”
When asked how much she owned, she said “a lot” and that it “will take me a couple of months until my investments pay out” before she could repay the funds. She also noted that she had to “be top notch careful” because of the kids, saying that she wanted to make sure she at least got 50/50 custody.
It’s unclear if Kouri ever paid her husband back, but it’s unlikely considering she was allegedly $3.1 MILLION in debt by the time he died. Wow. The filing stated:
“She had recently defaulted on one loan and was struggling to avoid default on others. … Her bank accounts were exhausted, and she was spiraling toward total financial collapse.”
Despite this money trouble, prosecutors claim she was trying to buy another million-dollar home with money she “did not have,” with authorities arguing she was probably trying to use money from Eric’s $5 million estate to do so. But they noted:
“However, the Defendant did not know that Eric Richins’ had placed his estate in trust with only the minimum elective share passing to the Defendant.”
As Perezcious readers know, Kouri was allegedly after her husband’s life insurance policies and even tried to secretly make herself the sole beneficiary on a policy he shared with a business partner. But Eric caught on before his death and switched it back. He then changed the beneficiary of his will and power of attorney to his sister. However, per the couple’s prenup, Kouri is still entitled to $2 million (from the sale of the home) and the rights to her book. Unless of course she’s found guilty of killing him — then there’s a chance she won’t get the money. Just a chance though!
If you don’t know, in most states, murderers cannot inherit money from their victims’ estate. Shockingly in Utah, where this alleged killing took place, this rule doesn’t apply to premarital agreements. Eric’s buddy is currently campaigning for new laws to be put in place that would stop Kouri from getting any of this money, but no bill has passed yet. According to KJZZ14, a scheduled preliminary hearing that was due to take place on Wednesday was delayed until June.
Thoughts? Let us know (below)!
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Walker Mortuary & Law&Crime Network/YouTube]
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