Before the fatal Moscow Mule ended Eric Richins’ life on March 4, 2022, his wife Kouri had already rehearsed the murder. Prosecutors described a cold, calculating woman who tested fentanyl on her husband, adjusted the dosage when the first attempt failed, and meticulously covered her tracks with household routines and loving gestures. What appeared as ordinary marital moments were, according to evidence, deadly practice runs.
The dress rehearsal came on Valentine’s Day 2022. Kouri purchased a sandwich from a local diner—Eric’s favorite—laced it with illicit fentanyl pills obtained days earlier through her housekeeper, and placed it in his truck with a romantic note. She was not home when he found it. Eric took a bite, and within minutes he broke out in hives, struggled to breathe, and felt as though he was dying. He used one of his sons’ EpiPens and later told close friends, “You almost lost me” and that he believed his wife had tried to poison him. Eric had no known food allergies.
Instead of abandoning the plan, Kouri doubled down. Just twelve days later, on February 26, she contacted the same housekeeper and complained the earlier fentanyl “wasn’t strong enough.” A new supply was delivered. Phone records, location data from burner phones, and witness testimony placed her acquiring more of the drug in the weeks leading up to the murder.
On the night of March 3–4, Kouri prepared Moscow Mules in the kitchen of their home outside Park City, Utah. She allegedly crushed and stirred roughly five times a lethal dose of fentanyl into Eric’s drink—enough to kill quickly and quietly. Eric drank it while sitting in bed. Kouri told investigators she went to sleep with one of their young sons who was having a nightmare, only to discover her husband cold to the touch hours later. The children were home; the crime scene looked deceptively peaceful.
**Meticulous Preparation and Concealment**
Investigators were stunned by the level of tactical execution. Kouri’s digital footprint revealed chilling searches: “what is a lethal dose of fentanyl,” “if someone is poisoned what does it go down on the death certificate as,” “how long does life insurance take to pay,” and “women Utah prison.” She used burner phones to communicate with her supplier and researched ways to delete messages.
The first attempt taught her critical lessons. The sandwich had produced a visible allergic-style reaction—hives and breathing difficulty—likely a pseudo-allergic response to fentanyl. For the second strike, she chose a cocktail, a drink Eric enjoyed, masking the bitter taste and ensuring oral ingestion. No fentanyl residue was easily detectable on everyday items later tested, suggesting careful handling and dosage calculation. She timed the murder around a property closing celebration for her real-estate flipping business, creating a plausible “romantic evening” narrative.
Financial desperation drove the rehearsals. Kouri faced collapsing businesses and massive debt. She had secretly obtained over $2 million in life insurance policies on Eric without his full knowledge, forged documents, and taken out a large home equity line of credit. Eric had begun discovering irregularities shortly before his death. Prosecutors argued she needed him gone to cash in and start over, possibly with an extramarital partner.
**The Children’s Book Author’s Double Life**
The same woman who later self-published *Are You With Me?*—a children’s book about coping with loss featuring fireflies carrying spirits—had spent weeks practicing how to create that loss. Evidence suggested significant ghostwriter involvement, yet she promoted the book tearfully on television as a grieving widow and devoted mother.
Even after the failed Valentine’s attempt, Kouri maintained the facade. She continued daily life with Eric and their three sons, ages roughly 5 to 9 at the time, while refining her lethal method. The 17 days between attempts showed unwavering resolve rather than remorse.
At trial in March 2026, the jury convicted her of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and forgery after just hours of deliberation. On May 13, 2026—Eric’s would-be 44th birthday—Judge Richard Mrazik sentenced her to life without parole, calling her “simply too dangerous to ever be free.”
**Hidden Layers of Deceit**
Additional evidence included jailhouse letters outlining scripts for false testimony and patterns of alleged emotional abuse toward the children. The boys, now calling her only by her first name “Kouri,” submitted statements begging for permanent incarceration, citing fear and trauma.
Kouri Richins transformed ordinary household items—a diner sandwich, a copper mug cocktail—into murder weapons through repeated practice. She exploited love notes, bedtime routines, and family celebrations to conceal intent. What investigators uncovered was not a crime of passion but a calculated, multi-stage operation refined through failure and adjustment.
The children’s book author who once asked young readers “Are you with me?” had answered that question herself with lethal precision. Behind the tears and firefly metaphors lay a woman who rehearsed widowhood until she perfected it. Eric Richins never suspected the final drink would be his last. His wife had practiced enough times to make sure of it.
