“Eric Richins told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him, and if anything happened to him [she] would be responsible.”

Poison Pen

A Utah mother of three allegedly killed her husband to collect on his life-insurance policy. Then she wrote a bereavement book for kids

By John Glatt

Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop

It was one of the most moving interviews that the KTVX-TV morning show Good Things Utah had ever conducted. The recently widowed mother of three Kouri Richins, of Kamas, Utah, was promoting her recently published bereavement book for children, Are You with Me?

The beautiful 33-year-old calmly explained how she had written it to help her three young sons cope with the death of their father, Eric, who had passed away unexpectedly in March 2022. “Dedicated to my amazing husband and a wonderful father,” the cover featured an illustration of Eric smiling in the clouds with angel wings and a halo.