Author accused of poisoning husband talks to four sets of FILMMAKERS, prosecutors allege
Moscow Mule ‘killer’ Kouri Richins, accused of poisoning her husband, is said to be talking to documentary filmmakers from behind bars.
Richins, 33, is accused of poisoning her husband Eric, 39, by slipping five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow Mule in March 2022.
The Summit County District Attorney’s office is now seeking a gag order in the Richins case to deter those involved from speaking to the media.
Prosecutors at least four documentary teams in North America and Europe have expressed interest in making a documentary about the case.
They also say Richins’ jail calls indicate she communicated with a documentary filmmaker directly and through a friend.
Richins, pictured here in April this year, was arrested in early May and charged with poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl
The mother of three, pictured here with late husband Eric, is now said to be in talks with documentary film crews about the case
Prosecutors say the gag order is necessary because of the overwhelming media coverage of the case.
According to court documents, Richins and her husband had argued over her plans to buy and flip a $2 million 10-acre house in the days before he was found dead in their Utah home last March.
Prosecutors say Eric learned that his wife had taken out and spent a $250,000 home line of credit, deducted $100,000 from his bank accounts, and spent more than $30,000 on his credit cards.
Kouri Richins also stole about $134,000 from her husband’s company, intended for tax payments, the documents say.
The documents state that she agreed to repay her husband when he confronted her about the missing money.
A day after his death, affidavits for search warrants show that Kouri signed the closing papers on the property and invited friends to a party where she drank and celebrated.
The mother of three later self-published a children’s book titled “Are You with Me?” about a dead father dressed in angel wings who watches over his sons.
She promoted it on television and radio and described the book as a way to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.
Richins had written a book after her husband’s passing, pictured here, and appeared on TV to promote it
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 Kouri poisoned Eric with a lethal amount of the drug to get money from his life insurance policy.
Kouri faces charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Prior to his death in March 2022, Eric had changed his will to make his sister the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy and even thought about divorcing Kouri, according to his family.
Family attorney and spokesperson Greg Skordas first told DailyMail.com that Eric feared Kouri was trying to kill him after two separate cases where he became violently ill after drinking or eating with his wife.
After publishing her children’s picture book about grief, Richins appeared on TV shows to promote it and share her story
Prosecutors say Kouri poisoned Eric with a lethal amount of the drug to get money from his life insurance policy
Authorities say Kouri changed Eric’s joint life insurance policy, which he shared with his business partner Cody Wright, so that she was the sole beneficiary.
But when the insurance company notified the partners, who own the C&E Stone Masonry company, of the change, they were able to change it again.
After learning that Richins had attempted to change his life insurance policy, Eric changed the beneficiary of his will and power of attorney to his sister.
A warrant states that he did this without telling his wife because he was afraid she would “kill him for the money.”
In the wake of his death, an unnamed acquaintance stepped forward to reveal that he sold Kouri the fentanyl.
After he died, Kouri claimed he was addicted to pain meds in high school, but had no substance abuse issues since then.
Friends and family told police they had no idea Eric was addicted to any kind of drug, and officers found no painkillers in the family home.