Kouri Richins case: Court docs confirm Eric Richins had Utah children's book author wife's meds in his body

UTAH, UNITED STATES: Recently unsealed search warrants claim that Eric Richins, a Utah man who was allegedly poisoned to death by his wife in 2022, had her medication in his system at the time of his death.

Kouri Richins, 33, is accused of killing Eric, with whom she had three children, on March 3, 2022, in their Kamas, Utah home using illegal fentanyl. She is also charged with three counts of drug possession.

Eric Richins was found with Quetiapine in his stomach

In one of the warrants that was unsealed on Thursday, a Summit County detective noted, "Eric also had a small amount of Quetiapine in his stomach contents. Eric did not have a prescription for Quetiapine but his wife had a prescription as well as the pills at her home."

Kouri Richins told police that the quetiapine pills were for sleeping, but the warrant says that a medical examiner told police that the pills are actually used as an antipsychotic, Fox News stated.

According to the Cleveland Clinic website, quetiapine "balances the levels of dopamine and serotonin in your brain" and "is an antipsychotic medication that treats several kinds of mental health conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

The medication may have a number of harmful side effects, which are listed on the website. These include hyperglycemia, fever, stroke, pain, seizures, and more.

It has been suggested by the prosecution that Eric's murder might have had financial motivations. Court filings from last year claim that Kouri, 33, a real estate company owner, poisoned her husband with a cocktail laced with fentanyl while the three sons were asleep.

Even in small doses, the potent opioid can be fatal. On March 3, 2022, in the evening, the couple was celebrating the sale of their house. After her husband was declared dead the following day, Kouri is said to have closed a deal on the Wasatch County mansion "alone."

Kouri Richins accused of causing financial problems

Kouri's wish to buy the $2 million mansion that was being built at the time seemed to be causing the couple financial problems. According to a warrant, she intended to turn the mansion around and sell it for a profit.

Eric's family told investigators that he felt the house was too expensive. Additionally, according to court documents, Kouri spent more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017 on four separate life insurance policies on Eric's death, New York Post reported.

Months before he was killed, on January 1, 2022, Kouri "surreptitiously and without authorization changed the beneficiary for Eric's $2 million life insurance policy to herself."

According to the investigators, Eric removed Kouri from his will prior to his death and named his sister as the beneficiary instead.

His family informed authorities that he had been living in fear for his life following Kouri's purported attempts to poison him on Valentine's Day in 2022 and a few years prior in Greece.

Kouri wrote the children's book 'Are You With Me?' about death after Eric's demise. Priced at $14.99 on Amazon, it is described as "a must-read for any child who has experienced the pain of loss, and for parents who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow."