Kouri Richins, Utah author who allegedly killed husband, searched for âluxury prisonsâ and lethal fentanyl dosage

Kouri Richins — a Utah mother who penned a kids book about grief after she allegedly killed her husband — had a series of incriminating internet searches on her iPhone, including one about “luxury prisons for the rich in america,” according to court documents.

Richins also looked up whether she would still receive a life insurance payment if a cause of death is listed as pending in addition to what constitutes a lethal dose of fentanyl. In newly filed court documents, prosecutors argued the queries “indicate a consciousness of guilt and plan to hide evidence” in the alleged murder of her husband, Eric Richins.

On the night of March 3, 2022, prosecutors said Kouri mixed her husband a deadly Moscow Mule. She added five times the lethal dose of fentanyl before handing it off it over to Eric, who was in bed at their home in Kamas at the time. She then left him alone and slept with one of their young children, but when she returned around 3 a.m., he was cold to the touch and unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Richins was not arrested until last month. She’s facing charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. During the year between her husband’s death and her arrest, she published a children’s book called “Are You with Me?” about an angel of a deceased father watching over his sons. She promoted it on television and radio, describing the book as a way to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.

According to prosecutors, Richins’ iPhone was discovered in “the dresser drawer on her side of the bed during the second search of her home on the day she was arrested.” She also allegedly Googled the home address of the lead detective on the case, as well as contact information for a relative of the second lead detective.

Kouri’s internet history was revealed during a detention hearing on Monday where the judge called her a “substantial danger” to society and ordered her to remain behind bars.

With News Wire Services