A Utah mom who earned the moniker “Moscow mule killer” is at a bail hearing today ahead of her murder trial for the March 2022 death of her husband.
ABC 4 reports that a judge is hearing arguments from both sides in connection with Kouri Richins, 33, who’s facing murder and drug possession charges. The charges stem from the death of Eric Richins, who died from a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule drink, allegedly made for him by the defendant.
The defense said there is no evidence that Kouri Richins laced her husband’s drinks or poisoned him in any way, since reportedly, no evidence exists to support the accusation.
The state previously said it intends to bring in three witnesses during the hearing, including the lead investigator on the case. The judge will decide after hearing arguments if Kouri Richins will be granted bail.
Watch the live hearing below
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.”
READ MORE:
Grief Book Author Allegedly Tried to Kill Husband Multiple Times Before: Affidavit
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.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Kouri and Eric Richins/Facebook]
