The spokesperson for the family of Eric Richins, a Utah man allegedly killed by his wife last year, said the victim had reason to suspect that his wife was involved in an extramarital affair during their marriage.
According to the family’s attorney, Greg Skordas, Eric had suspicions that his wife, Kouri Richins, 33, was cheating on him before she allegedly poisoned him with a fentanyl-laced drink in March 2022.
“He’d had concerns previously, and he also had reason to believe she was having a relationship and that was continuing through their marriage … apparently in person,” Skordas told Fox News Digital.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Eric and Kouri took a trip to Greece a few years ago, and Eric became “became violently ill” after his wife served him a drink, an arrest affidavit said. The victim survived that particular incident and told his sister about it.
Two months before his death, the suspect allegedly logged into Eric’s life insurance policy and changed the beneficiary from his business partner to herself. She also changed the business partner’s policy, removing Eric Richins as beneficiary and changing it to herself.
The insurance company reversed the changes after contacting the two men and inquiring about the switch.
Then, two weeks before Eric’s death, on Valentine’s Day 2022, Kouri Richins made him a sandwich, that again, left him violently ill.
“After one bite, Eric broke into hives and couldn’t breathe,” an arrest affidavit read. He used his son’s EpiPen and Benadryl “before passing out for several hours.”
Eric told his business partner about the sandwich incident afterward. Eric then changed his life insurance policy and named his sister as beneficiary, and removed the suspect from his will, with an estate estimated at around $3.6 million.
An arrest affidavit indicated that Eric did not tell his wife about the will and policy changes.
Skordas said Eric lived in fear for his safety and told family members that if anything happened to him, Kouri Richards is to blame.
“He had told some members of the family that he thought she was trying to hurt him, and said at one point, ‘If something happens to me, check out Kouri. I think she’s trying to kill me,'” Skordas said.
He reportedly stayed in the marriage as long as he did because he wanted to be there for his children.
“He lived for those boys,” Skordas told The New York Post. “I believe he would have stayed in a less than desirable relationship if it meant he could do right by them.”
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Following Eric’s death, the suspect self-published a book the day after his death, entitled, “Are You With Me?”
The book is about families dealing with a sudden loss of a father and husband and how children can learn to cope.
Kouri Richins was arrested and charged with Eric’s murder earlier this month before she could release a second book. She’s also charged with drug possession after buying fentanyl from an acquaintance, which was allegedly used to kill him.
Eric was found with five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system.
Kouri Richins remains behind bars without bail. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Kouri and Eric Richins/Facebook]
Additional reporting by KC Wildmoon
