The mother from Utah who is now facing charges of poisoning her husband to death and who penned a children's book about coping with grief after his death will not face the death penalty, according to prosecutors. Kouri Richins allegedly poisoned her brother Eric Richins, 39, by adding five times the fatal amount of fentanyl to a Moscow mule she manufactured for him the previous year, according to the prosecution.
A children's book called "Are You with Me?" about a deceased father donning angel wings who kept an eye on his sons was self-published by the mother of three following the passing of her spouse. She advertised the book on radio and television, portraying it as a means to support kids who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Kouri Richins is 33 years old.
After consulting with the victim's father and two sisters, the prosecution opted against seeking the death penalty, according to a court document filed on Friday. Richins' sister-in-law described her during a hearing in June as "desperate, greedy, and extremely manipulative," and a judge has since ordered that she remain behind bars until her case goes to trial.
Richins allegedly planned her husband's murder for a long time, making financial arrangements and buying medicines that were found in his system following his death in March 2022, according to the prosecution. The family house was not searched for drugs after Richins' spouse passed away, according to her attorneys.
In addition, it has been argued that a witness, a housekeeper who claims to have sold the drugs to Richins, had a motive to lie because she wished to avoid both state and federal drug charges. Prosecutors claim that Richins changed the family's inheritance plans significantly and obtained life insurance on himself with payouts reaching roughly $2 million.
She was "bad at math," in response to the prosecution's argument that she was not guilty of murder because of financial motivations, say her defence. Meanwhile, a lawsuit against Richins seeks more than $13 million in damages for suspected financial malfeasance both before and after his passing.
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