Kouri Richins is due to appear on bail on murder charges involving husband Eric in Utah
The Utah mother, who has been dubbed the “Moscow Mule Killer,” will appear this morning at a bail hearing to determine whether or not she should be released from prison pending trial over the March 2022 death of her husband Eric .
Kouri Richins, 33, is charged with murder and drug charges. The mother of three later self-published an illustrated book about an angelic father who watches over his sons.
Prosecutors say in court documents she put five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in a Moscow mule cocktail she made for her husband, Eric Richins, amid marital disputes and fights over a multimillion-dollar mansion she eventually bought as an investment.
“The state has provided no evidence that there was fentanyl in the house. Nor have they provided any evidence that Kouri gave the fentanyl in question,” said Skye Lazaro, Richins’ attorney. The author will appear in court in Park City at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
It later emerged that Richins had googled “luxury prisons for the rich in America” and “Is naxolone similar to heroin,” reports ABC 4.
The Mosow Mule ‘killer’ Kouri Richins who wrote a children’s book about dealing with grief after her husband’s death reportedly googled ‘luxury prisons for the rich’ after his murder
Richins’ attorney Skye Lazaro, pictured here, has said the state provided no evidence there was fentanyl in the home.
The case became a true crime fix when charges were filed last month, prompting people to study the children’s book and scrutinize comments she made while promoting it as a resource to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.
Lazaro referred to Eric Richins as a “partyer” who consumed “alcohol and THC.” “Law enforcement officials have never investigated an alternate theory that Eric’s alcohol and drug use may have escalated,” she added.
It has now been revealed that Richins has also looked into whether the police can see deleted texts, whether the police can force you to take a lie detector test, and how long life insurance policies pay out.
Curiously, Richins also sought how to commission someone to write a book, suggesting that her now infamous book Are You With Me? possibly written by ghostwriters.
According to ABC 4, Kouri allegedly used her personal devices to access an article titled “Signs of Being Under Federal Investigation.”
Another article with the headline “Delay in payment of claim for death certificate with cause of death pending” appeared in the woman’s browser history.
This latest article ties in with other financial documents previously released, such as her attempt to claim at least $2 million after his death.
Other less sinister searches included “how to undo microblading,” “what kind of doctor was Dr. Pepper,” and “Lil Nas X married.”
The mother also allegedly googled “how to hire someone to write you a book.”
Criminal defense attorney Clayton Simms said she may be trying to understand the process and how long it might take to investigate his death
After Eric’s death, Kouri wrote a book titled ‘Are You With Me?’ – a picture book that aims to help children deal with the death of a loved one.
She went on a local TV show at some point after Eric’s death to promote the book, saying she co-wrote it with her three children after their father’s death.
Her search history also showed that the woman had googled multiple times whether her family had donated money to the Summit County Police Department.
An attorney who spoke to ABC 4 said they don’t believe the searches definitely point to guilt on her behalf.
Criminal defense attorney Clayton Simms said she may have been trying to understand the process and how long it might take to investigate his death.
However, Simms stated that he doesn’t believe the searches are “insignificant.”
“I think her state of mind, what she’s looking at, what she’s exploring might be important, but I definitely don’t think there’s anything to point to guilt,” he said.
Eric’s family told investigators shortly after his death that they suspected Richins had murdered the father of three children. Pictured: Kouri and Eric Richens with their three children
After Eric’s death, Kouri wrote ‘Are you with me?’ – a picture book she wrote to help children deal with the death of a loved one
Last week, DailyMail.com reported that Kouri is reportedly in talks with documentary filmmakers from behind bars as she awaits trial.
The Summit County district attorney’s office asked a judge for a gag order in Kouri’s case to prohibit those involved from speaking to the media.
Prosecutors claim at least four documentary teams in North America and Europe have expressed interest in making a documentary about the case.
Judge Richard Mrazik of the Third District Court on Friday rejected the request.
If the case goes to trial, it could hinge largely on an unidentified informant who prosecutors say sold Richins the drugs that medical examiners later found in her husband’s system.
Uploading of documents and warrants Detail interviews in which the informant said she sold Richin’s hydrocodone and fentanyl in the weeks and months before her husband’s death.
Prosecutors say the drug purchase timeline aligns with Eric Richins’ death and their allegation that his wife slathered hydrocodone on a Valentine’s Day sandwich weeks earlier.
After her husband survived the first alleged poisoning, Kouri Richins asked for stronger drugs, “something Michael Jackson,” the dealer told investigators, according to prosecutors.
When the pop star died of cardiac arrest in 2009, medical examiners found prescription drugs and powerful anesthetics in his system, not fentanyl.
Richens repeatedly denied her involvement on the day of his death in March 2022, even telling police, “My husband is active. He doesn’t just die in his sleep. This is insane.’
In a motion calling for her release filed Friday, Richins’ lawyers argued that the evidence against her is circumstantial because police never seized fentanyl from the family home.
They also questioned the credibility of key witnesses who were expected to support prosecutors’ request to keep her in custody.
The lawyers said prosecutors “just accepted” Eric Richins’ family’s story that his wife had poisoned him “and worked backwards to support it” by investigating for about 14 months and finding no evidence to support their theory.
The case has also thrown the spotlight on Kamas, Utah, a farming town in the back of the Wasatch Mountains near Park City, one of the American West’s premier destinations for skiing, hiking and outdoor recreation.
Richins and her husband had argued over her plans to buy and flip a $2 million 10-acre home, pictured here, in the days before he was found dead
Prosecutors say Eric found out his wife had taken out a $250,000 home equity line of credit and spent it in the months leading up to his death
The couple and their three sons lived in a new development in the town of Francis, about 50 miles east of Salt Lake City.
Charging documents suggest the case will likely revolve around financial and marital disputes as possible motives. The couple had argued over the purchase of an unfinished 20,000-square-foot mansion nearby and discussed a divorce prior to his death, court documents show.
Prosecutors also say Kouri Richins made major changes to the family’s estate plans before her husband’s death, taking out life insurance on him
with benefits totaling nearly $2 million.
They also allege that Richins took out and issued a $250,000 home equity line of credit, withdrew $100,000 from her husband’s bank accounts, spent more than $30,000 on his credit cards, and stole approximately $134,000 intended for taxes for its companies.
Some of the allegations are consistent with civil court filings
filed in several cases after the death of Eric Richins in which his blood relatives and widowed wife filed competing claims over how to split a masonry business with his former partner and whether Kouri Richins can benefit from a trust set aside for his next of kin.
Greg Skordas, a victim’s attorney and advocate who works with Eric Richins’ relatives, said Richins’ three children are staying with a relative while their mother awaits her trial. Katie Richins-Benson, Eric Richins’ sister and the trustee of his estate, has filed for custody.