Kouri Richins allegedly took out over $2million in life insurance policies on her husband before his death in 2022 (Pictures: Facebook / AP)
The Utah children’s author accused of killing her husband also took out four life insurance policies under his name, prosecutors said.
Kouri Richins’ first appearance in court was delayed on Thursday after prosecutors amended charges against her.
Richins, a 33-year-old mother of three young boys, is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dosage of fentanyl in March 2022.
After her husband’s death, Richins later went on to write a children’s book with her sons about coping with grief after an unexpected loss of a family member.
She even promoted the book on a local news talk show in the Salt Lake City area.
The book, entitled ‘Are You With Me?’ was intended to ‘help other kids deal with this and find happiness some way or another,’ she told the show’s hosts.
The life insurance concerns were noted on a search warrant filed against the mother, but were not reflected in the charges against her until Thursday.
According to prosecutors, Richins bought four life insurance policies under her husband’s name between 2015 and 2017 without his knowledge. The benefits from all the policies combined totaled over $2million.
She also made significant withdrawals from her husband’s accounts, including $100,000 from his bank account and $134,000 from his business’s account. Her charges on his credit card totaled over $39,000.
Richins also took out a home equity line on the family’s home in Summit County, Utah that was worth $250,000 without Eric’s knowledge. She allegedly agreed to pay her husband back just before his death.
Just before his fatal overdose, Richins had fought with her husband about purchasing a massive $2million mansion to flip and resell, family members said.
Richins ended up closing the deal on the mansion, then resold the home for $4.8million two weeks after his death.
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Kouri Richins allegedly took out four life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge.
