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Kaley Cuoco & Chris Messina Talk OBSESSION With Murder
Are You With Me? was marketed as "a heartwarming and reassuring book that mildly guides children done the hard acquisition of losing a loved one," written by "a loving parent who personally faced this challenge."
Kouri Richins' book was published March 7, a twelvemonth aft her husband, Eric Richins, died abruptly astatine the property of 39. The parent of three young sons subsequently appeared on section TV to speech astir the calamity and her information for putting pen to paper.
"It wholly took america each by shock," Kouri told Good Things Utah hosts Deena Manzanares and Surae Chinn, "and my kids and I benignant of wrote this publication connected the antithetic emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced the past year."
A month later, it was Deena and Surae who were processing their feelings aft Kouri was arrested for murder.
"Nothing astatine each made maine suspicious," Deena recalled to NewsNation of their April sit-down with Kouri. And yet, "I did deliberation she was a small emotionless, possibly lacking a small spot of warmth. But everybody grieves differently, and I didn't privation to judge. So I thought, possibly she's inactive numb."
But aft the interrogation aired, the big shared, the presumption received an anonymous email that read, "You cognize she killed her husband." They admittedly "didn't deliberation overmuch of it astatine the time," she added. "We get a batch of brainsick emails."
Kouri stands accused of spiking Eric's cocktail with a fatal dose of fentanyl at their location successful Kamas, Utah, successful what prosecutors person alleged was a financially motivated, premeditated act.
The 33-year-old has pleaded not blameworthy to a complaint of aggravated execution and 3 counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. She remains jailed successful Summit County after being denied bail at a June 12 detention hearing. (She has 30 days to entreaty the decision.)
In a tribunal filing arguing for bail obtained by NBC News, her attorneys maintained there was "no important grounds to enactment the charges" against her, and that in the weeks earlier his decease Kouri and Eric had been happy.
Meanwhile, prosecutors person painted a representation of a troubled marriage, financial duplicity and a hubby who allegedly suspected his woman was plotting against him.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool
What happened to Eric Richins?
Kouri told authorities that, on the nighttime of March 3, 2022, she mixed her hubby of 9 years a Moscow Mule to celebrate a enactment task and helium drank it successful furniture astatine astir 11 p.m., according to the charging warrant obtained by E! News. After going to cheque on one of their sons who'd had a nighttime terror, Kouri said, she ended up falling dormant successful the boy's room.
She recalled returning to the couple's chamber astatine astir 3 a.m. and, per the warrant, uncovering Eric unresponsive and "cold to the touch."
Kouri said she near her telephone charging successful the couple's bedroom, but, according to the warrant, investigators recovered it had been locked and unlocked respective times during the play she claimed to person been asleep, portion aggregate substance messages had been sent and received and past deleted.
Toxicology tests pursuing an autopsy revealed 5 times the lethal amount of the synthetic opioid fentanyl successful Eric's system, with the Office of the Medical Examiner stating, per the warrant, that the deceased had orally ingested an illicit (as opposed to medical-grade) dose of the drug.
What was the authorities of Kouri and Eric Richin's matrimony erstwhile helium died?
Eric's household alleged helium had lone stayed successful the marriage for their children, who were 9, 8 and 5 erstwhile helium died.
"I deliberation Eric, being truthful progressive successful their lives arsenic a shot coach, shot coach, hoops coach, wanted to support the household together," household spokesperson Greg Skordas told NBC News after Kouri's arrest. He called Eric a bully begetter and philanthropist who "cared astir a batch of people" and "did the champion helium could to marque the astir of his marriage."
According to documents reported connected by KUTV, Kouri alleged Eric had an affair, penning successful an April 19, 2022, email to investigators that, though she ne'er moved retired altogether, she took her apparel retired of the house "make Eric recognize I'm not kidding astir leaving him if helium doesn't extremity things" with the different woman.
They went to a fewer counseling sessions, she wrote, but "it wasn't for us" and they yet conscionable "figured things retired similar astir couples do."
Eric met with a divorcement lawyer and property planner successful October 2020, according to an amended charging document filed by prosecutors May 18, per NBC News. At the time, the filing states, he formed a surviving spot and made sister Katie Richins-Benson his trustee.
Relatives "advised helium warned them that if thing happened to him, [Kouri] was to blame," investigators wrote successful a Summit County Sheriff's Office hunt warrant affidavit obtained by NBC News. The affidavit also cited 2 household members who alleged Eric feared "Kouri would termination him for wealth and helium wanted to marque definite the kids were taken attraction of financially."
Between 2015 and 2017, Kouri took retired 4 beingness security policies connected Eric without his cognition that were collectively worthy much than $2 million, prosecutors alleged successful their May 18 filing. The document states Eric recovered retired successful September 2020 that his wife had made several large fiscal transactions down his back, including taking retired a $250,000 location equity indebtedness successful 2019 that she promptly spent connected a concern property, withdrawing $100,000 from his slope accounts and charging much than $30,000 connected his recognition cards.
She agreed to repay him erstwhile helium confronted her astir the loan, prosecutors noted.
In a question arguing for bail successful June, Kouri's attorneys stated that Eric knew astir the indebtedness and did the enactment connected the location successful question himself. (Eric was co-owner of C&E Stone Masonry with concern spouse Cody Wright.)
Kouri started her ain existent property steadfast successful April 2019. Eric's household told investigators, per the hunt warrant affidavit, that they had been arguing implicit a property she wanted to bargain for $2 cardinal and flip. The time aft Eric died, according to his family, Kouri signed the closing papers and held a gathering astatine her home.
In her April email, per KUTV, Kouri told investigators she and Eric had disagreements astir her career, that helium wanted her to "live the emblematic blimpish beingness wherever the antheral takes attraction of his household and the woman is simply a homemaker, wife, ma and that's it."
She hoped to "move on," she wrote, "and grieve and mourn."
Did Eric Richins fishy his woman was trying to termination him?
Family members told investigators that Eric believed his woman had already tried to poison him.
"According to a sister, Eric and his woman went to Greece a fewer years agone and aft his woman gave him a portion helium became violently sick and called his sister saying helium believed his woman had tried to termination him," the hunt warrant affidavit read.
And on Valentine's Day successful 2022, the affidavit alleges, "his woman brought him a sandwich, which aft 1 wound Eric broke into hives and couldn't breathe. He utilized his son's EpiPen arsenic good arsenic Benadryl earlier passing retired for respective hours."
How did authorities link Kouri Richins to fentanyl?
An acquaintance of Kouri's identified arsenic "C.L." told detectives a week earlier she was arrested that she had asked sometime betwixt December 2021 and February 2022 if C.L. could get her immoderate painkillers for an capitalist with a backmost injury, according to the charging warrant reviewed by E! News.
About 2 weeks aft dropping disconnected hydrocodone astatine a house successful Midway, Utah, that Kouri was flipping, C.L. said that Kouri asked specifically for fentanyl, saying the capitalist wanted thing stronger.
C.L., who police noted successful the warrant has a history of cause offenses, contacted a trader successful Ogden, Utah, connected Feb. 11, 2022, and "procured 15-30 fentanyl pills from that dealer." Kouri picked the fentanyl up astatine C.L.'s location and paid $900 cash, C.L. told detectives, according to the warrant.
Three days later, Eric became "very ill" aft eating Valentine's Day meal and "told a person that helium thought his woman was trying to poison him," the charging warrant alleged. About 2 weeks later, according to C.L., Kouri asked for different $900 worthy of fentanyl. C.L. said the pills were procured from the Ogden trader connected Feb. 26 and dropped disconnected astatine the Midway property.
Authorities accidental Eric died of a fentanyl overdose connected March 4.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool
What has grief publication writer Kouri Richins said about being charged with murder?
In a June tribunal filing obtained by NBC News, Kouri's attorneys argued that "there has not been a azygous substance connection oregon different papers turned implicit successful find to enactment the allegation that Eric ever believed Kouri attempted to poison him."
Addressing assorted allegations made by prosecutors, the defence countered in the filing that Eric fell sick successful Greece due to the fact that a waitress served him an alcoholic beverage and helium wasn't expected to premix intoxicant with medicine helium was taking for Lyme disease.
"According to the accounts of the communal friends," the filing states, "Kouri instantly took Eric backmost to the room, called his doc and recovered a pharmacy to acquisition the medications and attended to Eric until helium felt better. Several hours aboriginal Eric and Kouri rejoined their friends."
On Valentine's Day successful 2022, the filing states, Eric didn't consciousness good aft eating luncheon that Kouri had bought—rather than prepared—for some of them and went to instrumentality a nap. Their nanny, the filing states, "witnessed that Eric had nary hives and was not acting ill."
Six days later, "Eric and Kouri met antithetic friends astatine a barroom for drinks," the filing continues. "Witness accounts authorities they had ne'er seen Eric and Kouri happier and that Eric made jokes astir being allergic to allergy medication."
The justice denied bail astatine Kouri's June 12 detention hearing, citing the severity of the execution complaint and imaginable penalties attached. She returned to tribunal June 22 for a scheduling hearing, wherever some sides—explaining however overmuch paperwork they had to benignant out—requested that immoderate pretrial-hearing scheduling beryllium pushed back.
The adjacent scheduling hearing is acceptable for Sept. 1.
Why are Kouri Richins and her in-laws suing each other?
After being denied bail, Kouri sued her precocious husband's estate, alleging she's been kept from assets that are rightfully hers, namely the proceeds from the merchantability of Eric's half of his stonemasonry concern and her fractional of the equity successful the household location she says they purchased unneurotic for $400,000 successful 2012.
Her suit estimates that the location is present worthy astatine slightest $1.9 cardinal acknowledgment to improvements they made implicit the years— including the summation of a swimming excavation they were readying to instal and which was completed aft Eric's death.
Included with the suit, per CourtTV, was a transcript of their June 15, 2013, prenuptial statement stating that Kouri had nary assertion connected Eric's' concern unless helium predeceased her, successful which lawsuit his ownership involvement would spell to her.
ABC4/Good Things Utah, YouTube
Eric's sister and trustee Katie Richins-Benson has since filed a $13 cardinal suit against Kouri on behalf of the estate, alleging she stole money from Eric to support her fledgling existent property task afloat and then, aft causing his death, wrote a children's publication trading connected his sanction and image.
Kouri was ne'er going to wage backmost the $250,000 location equity indebtedness and different funds she helped herself to without Eric's knowledge, the suit alleges, and she "overtly lied" astir her intentions truthful helium wouldn't instrumentality enactment against her.
The suit, posted by CourtTV, further maintains that Eric was the sole proprietor of the house and it belonged to the spot helium established successful 2020—as did each of his slope and status accounts, security policies, currency and "other property property" valued astatine $300,000.
While the bulk of the 18 causes of enactment elaborate successful the suit are for fraud, theft and different fiscal misdeeds, the ailment besides alleges wrongful decease for "causing Eric to orally ingest 5 times the lethal bounds of illicit fentanyl."
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool
All of Kouri's actions elaborate successful the lawsuit, the estate alleges, were committed successful "calculated, systematic manner and for nary crushed different than to actualize a horrific endgame—to conceal her ruinous debt, misappropriate assets for the payment of her idiosyncratic businesses, orchestrate Eric's demise, and nett from his passing."
E! News has reached retired to Kouri's lawyer for remark but has not yet heard back.
In a victim interaction statement read during the June 12 detention hearing, Eric's sister Amy Richins said the past twelvemonth has been a "living hell" for her family.
"How could anyone worth quality beingness truthful cheaply? I cannot comprehend it," Amy said successful court. "I'm overflowing with grief and symptom astatine the thought that Eric meant truthful small to her."
For much existent transgression updates connected your need-to-know cases, caput to Oxygen.com.
