TRUE CRIME FRIDAY: The Case of Kouri Richins

Ninetoes goes back to 2022 for The Case of Kouri Richins and the insidious death of her husband, Eric Richins

Hey there, true crime lovers! It is your favorite investigator, Ninetoes, and I am on the beat with The Case of Kouri Richins. I have my notebook in hand and coffee in my system, so let’s get to it!

Eric Richins was a father of three sons, ran a successful stonemasonry business, and was married to Kouri, a real estate investor who flipped houses. For those who do not know, flipping a house is buying a house and doing renovations in hopes of getting a higher price. It can be expensive, even in the best circumstances, and isn’t for everyone. The family lived just outside of Park City in Utah.

Eric Richins died on March 4, 2022. His wife, Kouri, called 911 at 3:21 a.m. to report her husband had difficulty breathing. Despite emergency services’ best efforts, Eric was reported dead at 4:58 a.m. Now, that might be the end of the story, but a lot happened to get to this point. Let’s take a look at the timeline of events.

October 13, 2020, Eric went to a lawyer who specialized in estate planning to protect himself from “recently discovered and ongoing abuse and misuse of his finances” by his wife.

November 3, 2020, Eric removed Kouri as beneficiary to his $500,000 life insurance policy. At this time, he also transferred his home and company to a trust to be managed by his sister, Katie Benson-Richins.

June 29, 2021, Kouri tried to obtain a loan using falsified documents that used balance and transaction details from her husband’s company. Her credit was flagged as being lower than when she reported, and she told the bank that she was in the process of separating from her husband. She would repeat this with another financial institution in August.

January 29, 2022, Kouri applied for a life insurance policy on her husband, naming herself the sole beneficiary. She forged her husband’s signature on the documents.

February 11, 2022, Kouri had an acquaintance purchase fentanyl. On the 14^th, Eric told a close friend that he believed his wife was trying to poison him. He told his friends that his wife left him a sandwich from a local restaurant, and when he ate some of it he broke out in hives and felt like he was going to die. Eric Richins had no known food allergies, but fentanyl can cause allergic reactions, such as hives.

February 26, 2022, Kouri’s acquaintance purchased more fentanyl for her.

March 4, 2022, Eric Ricihns died. Two days later, Kouri assaults his sister, Amy, over her home. A lawyer told Kouri that the house was placed into a trust and that another of Eric’s sisters was the trustee.

April 13, 2022, Kouri was informed by the police that her husband had died of an overdose.

April 16, 2022, Kouri used a cellphone to research several topics: 1) What happens to deleted messages? 2) How do police and forensic investigators recover deleted data from phones? 3) What are the signs of being under a federal investigation, and 4) The cause of death does not usually impact insurance payments. On June 6^th of the same year, she will use the same phone to research “What is a lethal dose of fentanyl?” and “How long do insurance companies take to pay?”

March 2023, Kouri Richins published a children’s book dealing with grief. The book’s title is “Are you with me?” The book’s description says it was “Written by a loving mother who personally faced this challenge.”

May 8, 2023, Kouri Richins is charged with aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance in the death of her husband, Eric.

June 27, 2025, Kouri Richins is charged with five counts of mortgage fraud, five counts of forgery, seven counts of issuing a bad check, seven counts of money laundering, one count of communications fraud, and one count of a “pattern of unlawful activity.” These were a separate case aside from her murder charge.

October 6, 2025, the prosecutors amended the charges in the case of her husband’s death to one count of aggravated murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder, two counts of insurance fraud, and one count of forgery.

February 26, 2026, Kouri Richins trial began.

March 16, 2026, Kouri Richins trial ended. The jury deliberated for three hours and found her guilty of all five charges against her.

Kouri Richins is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2026. She is facing 25 years to life.

Until the next time, I bid you successful investigating!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.