Current:Home > FinanceNo death penalty for a Utah mom accused of killing her husband, then writing a kid book about death-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
No death penalty for a Utah mom accused of killing her husband, then writing a kid book about death
View Date:2024-12-23 23:46:55
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against a Utah mother who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death and is now accused of fatally poisoning him.
Prosecutors say Kouri Richins, 33, poisoned Eric Richins, 39, by slipping five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail she made for him last year.
After her husband’s death, the mother of three self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” about a deceased father wearing angel wings who watched over his sons. She promoted the book on television and radio, describing the book as a way to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.
Prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty after conferring with the victim’s father and two sisters, according to a court filing Friday.
Following a June hearing in which Richins’ sister-in-law called her “desperate, greedy and extremely manipulative,” a judge has ordered that Richins remain in jail pending trial.
Prosecutors say Richins planned at length to kill her husband, making financial arrangements and purchasing drugs found in his system after his March 2022 death.
Richins’ attorneys point out that no drugs were found at the family home after her husband’s death. They’ve also suggested that a witness, a housekeeper who claims to have sold Richins the drugs, had motivation to lie as she sought leniency in the face of state and federal drug charges.
Richins made major changes to the family’s estate plans and took out life insurance policies on him with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors allege. Her attorneys counter that the prosecution’s case based on financial motives proved she was “bad at math,” not guilty of murder.
Richins, meanwhile, is facing a lawsuit seeking over $13 million in damages for alleged financial wrongdoing before and after his death.
The lawsuit filed in state court by Katie Richins, the sister of Eric Richins, accuses Kouri Richins of taking money from her husband’s accounts, diverting money intended to pay his taxes and obtaining a fraudulent loan, among other things, before his death.
veryGood! (96)
Related
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- K-9 officer put on leave after police dog attacks surrendering suspect
- Zayn Malik's Steamy New Song “Love Like This” Will Make Your Heart Race
- Tony Bennett Dead at 96: Anderson Cooper, Carson Daly and More Honor the Legendary Singer
- Smithfield agrees to pay $2 million to resolve child labor allegations at Minnesota meat plant
- How Dance Moms Trauma Helped Inspire Kalani Hilliker's Mental Health Journey
- Vanderpump Rules' Scheana Shay Claps Back at Claim She's Forgiven Tom Sandoval for Cheating
- Woman found dead after suspected bear encounter near Yellowstone
- NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
- This Sweat-Wicking Top Will Keep You Cool and Comfortable on the Hottest Days
Ranking
- UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight card, odds, how to watch, date
- Save 44% On a Bertello Portable Pizza Oven That’s Fast and Easy To Use
- Oppenheimer's Cillian Murphy Underwent a Drastic Transformation—& So Did These Movie Stars
- The alarming reason why the heat waves in North America, Europe are so intense
- 10 Trendy Bags To Bring to All of Your Holiday Plans
- You'll Bend and Snap for Reese Witherspoon and Daughter Ava Phillippe's Latest Twinning Moment
- Separate boat crashes in Cape Cod and the Ozarks leave 1 dead, 13 injured: Police
- Pete Davidson Gets Community Service Time for Reckless Driving Charge
Recommendation
-
The View's Sara Haines Walks Off After Whoopi Goldberg's NSFW Confession
-
TikToker AJ Clementine Undergoes Vocal Feminization Surgery
-
Ethan Slater Makes Instagram Account Private Amid Ariana Grande Romance
-
What is AI? Experts weigh in
-
'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?
-
Hailey Bieber Will Influence You to Try TikTok's Viral Latte Makeup Trend
-
Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner Shares What His Late Wife Would Think of the Show
-
Constance Wu Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2