Prosecutors Claim that Utah Grieving Writer Kouri Richins Attempted to Poison her Spouse with a Valentine's Day Sandwich

A grief author from Utah has been charged with an additional count of attempted murder. Authorities claim that she attempted to kill her husband by drugging him with a sandwich on Valentine’s Day.

Kouri Richins was taken into custody last year on charges of aggravated murder and other offenses following allegations that she took the life of her husband, Eric Richins, at their residence in Kamas, located approximately 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, on March 4, 2022.

Eric Richins, 39, was discovered unconscious in his residence following a toast to commemorate his wife’s successful business transaction. A medical examiner reported that he had an extremely high amount of non-medical-grade fentanyl in his system, which was far beyond the lethal dose.

According to charging documents filed on Monday, it appears that Kouri Richins had previously given her husband drugs on multiple occasions. On Valentine’s Day 2022, authorities reported that Eric Richins had a close call when his wife unexpectedly gave him a sandwich.

According to the documents, Eric Richins sent a text to his wife expressing his discomfort and mentioning the possibility of going to the hospital if he didn’t improve. According to the documents, his wife advised him to rest and take a nap, as she was not at home at the time.

Later that day, Eric Richins contacted two of his closest friends and informed them that his wife had thoughtfully left him his favorite sandwich from a local diner, accompanied by a heartfelt note, as stated in the documents.

He shared with a friend that he was nearly lost and experienced an allergic reaction after eating a sandwich. According to prosecutors, he mentioned using his son’s EpiPen and taking Benadryl.

“Eric Richins informed Witness 1 about a near-death experience,” according to the charging documents. “Witness 1 detected a sense of fear in Eric Richins’ voice, indicating his state of apprehension.”

According to prosecutors, Eric Richins informed his friend about his suspicion that his wife had attempted to poison him.

According to the documents, opioids such as fentanyl have the potential to trigger allergic and pseudoallergic reactions, which may manifest as hives. It is worth mentioning that Eric Richins did not have any food allergies, according to their observations.

According to the charging documents, it was revealed that Kouri Richins had acquired illegal fentanyl prior to the Valentine’s Day dinner in 2022, and once again before his unfortunate passing.

Kouri Richins is facing multiple charges, including mortgage fraud, insurance fraud, and forgery. According to prosecutors, she was facing financial difficulties at the time of her husband’s death. They claim that she falsified loan applications and made fraudulent insurance claims following his passing.

An attorney representing Kouri Richins has thoroughly examined the charging documents and concluded that they will not impact Kouri’s defense strategy, regardless of the charges brought against her by the State.

“She adamantly asserts her innocence,” the attorney stated.

Kouri Richins is currently in custody and is awaiting trial.