Kouri Richins hosted huge party at home hours after allegedly killing husband with fentanyl-laced cocktail
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
KAMAS, UTAH: Kouri Richins who is suspected of administering a lethal dose of fentanyl into her husband Eric Richins' cocktail hosted a gathering at their residence the day following his alleged murder on March 3, 2022.
Kouri faces charges including one count of first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in relation to the death of her husband.
Kouri Richins hosted party after husband Eric Richins’ death
On the evening of Eric Richins's death, Kouri informed investigators that the couple had been commemorating the closing of a property for her business as per People. She recounted preparing a Moscow Mule for her husband, who allegedly consumed the cocktail in bed. Several hours later, she discovered her husband Eric unresponsive.
Emergency services were contacted and upon their arrival, authorities declared Eric deceased. As per a search warrant report obtained after the incident, "The day after Eric's death, Kouri closed on the home, alone. She later invited her friends over for a large party at her home where she was drinking and celebrating."
Investigative journalist claims Kouri Richins ‘always wanted more’
During the Friday, May 17 episode of Crime Stories, investigative journalist Elaine Aradillas asserted, "I mean, just to the nines, everything she could. This is a woman that liked the good life. Key. she always wanted more.”
Aradillas added, “Now, the flip of this home was something that Eric Richens did not want. He didn’t want to put the money out there to buy the home for her to then flip it and hopefully make a profit.”
Eric's friend, Greg Scordes, stated that he not only heard about the celebration party but also discovered that Kouri Richins had arranged a luxurious vacation to take place within weeks of Eric's death.
Scordes claimed, “Yes, and she’s also made a plan, to go on a trip with her paramour in the weeks after Eric died. She’d already made the arrangements for that.”
He added, "It’s [also] important to know that there was a pre-agreement, an illegal agreement. He took certain assets out of the estate that he brought in, as most prenuptial agreements are,”
Eric Richins lived in constant fear months before his death
Kouri's desire to purchase the $2 million mansion under construction appeared to be straining the couple's finances. As per a warrant, she intended to flip the mansion for profit. According to Eric's family, he expressed concerns about the excessive cost of the house.
Kouri allocated over $1.9 million from 2015 to 2017 toward acquiring four distinct life insurance policies for Eric's life. Several months before his death, on January 1, 2022, Kouri allegedly modified the beneficiary of Eric's $2 million life insurance policy to herself without his knowledge or consent.
Investigators noted that Eric had excluded Kouri from his will before his death, designating his sister as the beneficiary instead. Eric's family told the authorities that he lived in constant fear. This fear grew stronger after incidents where Kouri allegedly tried to poison him on Valentine's Day 2022 and during a trip to Greece.
