Kouri Richins (center) cried in court as witnesses recalled the moments her husband died (Picture: AP)
The mother accused of poisoning her husband before writing a children’s book about his death was denied bail on Monday after a judge ruled she posed a ‘substantial’ risk to herself and others.
Kouri Richins, the Utah mother and children’s book author, appeared before Judge Richard Mrazik for her detention hearing at a courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Richins, 33, was charged with first-degree aggravated murder in May 2023, over a year after her husband Eric Richins’ death from a fentanyl overdose in March 2022.
After his death, Kouri wrote a children’s book about coping with grief alongside her three sons with Eric, ages ten, nine, and six.
Kouri Richins attends her detention hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah (Picture: AP)
Prosecutors called witnesses and presented evidence to Judge Mrazik to argue that the single mother poses an ‘extreme danger’ to herself and others. These included her late husband’s family members, who claimed it was ‘painful’ to watch Kouri promote her book.
‘How can anyone value human life so cheaply? I cannot comprehend it,’ Eric’s sister Amy Richins said in a victim impact statement. ‘I never knew evil like this existed.’
Kouri wiped tears from her eyes as Detective Jeff O’Driscoll took the stand to testify about the moment police found her husband unresponsive in her home.
Richins is accused of murdering her husband with a fatal dosage of fentanyl in March 2022 (Picture: Facebook/kouri.darden)
Prosecutors revealed that Kouri had texted one of her friends about finding Eric unconscious and performing CPR. ‘I pumped so damn hard, so hard, screaming at him to come back to life,’ the grieving mother wrote.
However, Detective O’Driscoll testified that responding EMTs were the first to conduct CPR, and police officers found Eric’s body ‘cold to the touch.’
Prosecutors also revealed internet search history from Kouri’s devices – which included a search for the phrase ‘luxury prisons for the rich.’
Richins published a children’s book about coping with grief after the death of her husband (Picture: Amazon)
Judge Mrazik determined that she will remain in prison during her trial. Her next hearing to set a trial date is scheduled for June 22.
The motive for the murder remains unclear. Investigators have since revealed that the couple, who both worked as realtors, may have argued over purchasing a $2million mansion.
Later in May, prosecutors revealed through court documents that Kouri took out over $2million in life insurance policies in her husband’s name without his knowledge.
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Kouri Richins is accused of murdering her husband with a fatal dosage of fentanyl in March 2022.