Man changed will without telling wife fearing she'd 'kill him' before poisoning
A man whose wife has been accused of murdering him had changed his will months previously without telling her, over fears she would "kill him," it is reported.
Kouri Richins – who went on to publish a children's book about grief after the death of her husband – was yesterday charged with aggravated murder.
The mother of three called the police late one night in March last year and said her husband, Eric, 39, was "cold to the touch" at the foot of their bed.
A medical examiner later found Mr Richins died from a fentanyl overdose and had five times the lethal dosage of the drug in his system.
Family members interviewed by investigators indicate that Eric wanted to divorce his wife and had recently changed his will and life insurance policy, according to KSL.com and KPCW radio.
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Kouri and Eric RichinsFurther documents obtained by the Daily Mail, have revealed another twist in the murder - as Eric transferred his assets into a trust that he placed in control of his sister over fears his wife might kill him for the money.
One of his sisters told officers that her brother had thought his wife attempted to poison him on holiday in Greece several years ago.
Charging documents also allege that Richins deleted text messages from the night of her husband’s death and that she may have allegedly tried to poison her husband the month before, on Valentine’s Day.
Kouri Richins wrote a book on coping with grief after her husband's death (Facebook)According to charging documents, Kouri allegedly spent $1,800 (£1,400) on street-grade fentanyl between February 11 and February 26.
“Shortly after their dinner [on Valentine’s Day], Eric became very ill... Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him,” investigators wrote.
According to the terms of a prenup signed on the day of their wedding, Eric was worth more to his wife dead than he was alive with an estate valued in excess of $3.6million (£2.8m).
He thought his wife attempted to poison him on holiday in Greece several years ago (Facebook)In a separate lawsuit disputing her late husband's will, Kouri claimed that the money was rightfully hers and also accused Eric of trying to "defraud" her by taking legal action to shield his property and business from her without her knowledge.
According to legal documents filed by Kouri last March, the prenup remained in "full force and effect" at the time of her husband's death — under its terms her financial gains would be huge if he died.
Kouri made her allegations in a claim against the living trust that Eric drew up without informing her in November 2020.
Kouri and Eric Richins had three young boys, 10, 9, and 6 (Facebook)There is now a large dispute over his assets and an estate held in a trust managed by his sister, which has all become entangled over questions about his death.
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It remains unclear how the estate dispute will be affected by the murder and drug possession charges against Richins.
Utah law prohibits those convicted of homicide from profiting from their crime.
Are You with Me by Kouri RichinsAccording to one family friend who spoke to the Mail on condition of anonymity, Kouri's public self-promotion of her book in the aftermath of Eric's suspicious death has been "hell" for his family.
Kouri Richins is currently being held in custody and her first court appearance is set for Friday, May 19.
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