A Utah children’s book author who prosecutors believe fatally poisoned her husband is being sued for $13 million by one of his sisters, who claims the widow stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from him even as she masterminded his death.
Prosecutors have accused Kouri Richins, a 33-year-old mother of three, of giving her husband a lethal dose of fentanyl last March. Her self-published book, Are You With Me?, was released a year later. She was arrested last month and charged with aggravated murder and drug possession offenses.
The new civil lawsuit against her was filed Tuesday on behalf of Eric Richins’ sister, Katie Richins-Benson, who is also the trustee of his estate.
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The complaint alleges that Kouri Richins began siphoning money out of her husband’s bank accounts in 2019, eventually totaling more than $200,000. She also ran up more than $30,000 worth of debt on his credit cards, borrowed $250,000 using his personal information without his knowledge, and quietly took multiple insurance policies out on his life, according to the suit.
In September 2020, the complaint alleges, Eric discovered what Kouri was doing and confronted her. She reassured him that she would return the money and pay the loans back, but “Kouri had no intent to repay Eric and overtly lied so as to persuade Eric not to take action against her,” it states.
“Kouri committed the foregoing acts in calculated, systematic fashion and for no reason other than to actualize a horrific endgame—to conceal her ruinous debt, misappropriate assets for the benefit of her personal businesses, orchestrate Eric’s demise, and profit from his passing,” the complaint alleges.
Richins-Benson also claims Kouri Richins wrongfully took property from Eric’s estate after his death, including at least $225,000 in cash, a motorcycle, and several off-road vehicles.
The complaint also seeks to bar any further sales of Are You There With Me?, which it labels “The Unlawful Book.” The story, which features a father with angel wings watching over his children as they learn to process his death, uses Eric Richins’ name and likeness without his family’s consent, the lawsuit claims. It demands Kouri Richins turn over any profits made from book sales.
Earlier this month, Kouri Richins filed a lawsuit of her own against her late husband’s estate, saying she was “entitled to to half of all equity in the Family Home,” estimated to be worth at least $1.9 million, according to the filing.
She has not yet entered a plea in the criminal case.
