Murdered husband of Utah children's book author had wife's meds in his body when he died: court docs

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Eric Richins, a Utah man allegedly poisoned to death by his wife in 2022, had her medication in his system when he died, according to recently unsealed search warrants.

Kouri Richins, 33, is charged with aggravated murder and three counts of drug possession after she allegedly killed Eric, her husband of nine years with whom she shares three children, with illicit fentanyl in their Kamas, Utah, home on March 3, 2022.

"Eric also had a small amount of Quetiapine in his stomach contents," a Summit County detective wrote in one of the warrants unsealed Thursday. "Eric did not have a prescription for Quetiapine but his wife had a prescription as well as the pills at her home."

Kouri Richins told authorities that the Quetiapine pills were for sleeping, but a medical examiner informed police that the pills are used as an antipsychotic, the warrant states.

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The Cleveland Clinic website states that Quetiapine "is an antipsychotic medication that treats several kinds of mental health conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder" and "balances the levels of dopamine and serotonin in your brain." The website also lists a number of dangerous side effects that the drug may cause, including hyperglycemia, fever, stroke, pain, seizures and more. 

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Prosecutors have suggested that Eric's murder may have been financially motivated. 

Kouri and Eric's three sons were sleeping when the 33-year-old woman, who owned a real estate company, allegedly poisoned her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail, according to court documents filed last year. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that can be lethal in small doses. 

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The couple was celebrating a home sale on the evening of March 3, 2022. The next day, Kouri allegedly closed a deal on the Wasatch County mansion "alone," after her husband was pronounced dead.

The couple was apparently having financial disagreements over Kouri's desire to purchase the $2 million mansion under construction at the time. She wanted to flip the mansion and sell it for a profit, a warrant states.

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Eric thought the home was too expensive, his family told investigators. 

Kouri had also purchased four different life insurance policies on Eric's life totaling more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017, court documents state. On Jan. 1, 2022, months before his murder, Kouri "surreptitiously and without authorization changed the beneficiary for Eric's $2 million life insurance policy to herself."

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Prior to his death, Eric took Kouri off his will and made his sister the beneficiary instead, according to investigators. 

His family told authorities he had been in fear for his life after Kouri allegedly tried to poison him once several years ago in Greece and again on Valentine's Day 2022.

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After Eric's death, Kouri wrote a children's book about death, "Are You With Me?"

A description for the book, which was listed on Amazon for $14.99, describes "Are You With Me?" as "a must-read for any child who has experienced the pain of loss, and for parents who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow."

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