Kouri Richins's husband stayed for his kids despite past poisonings
The slain husband of Kouri Richins stayed with her, despite suspicions the accused wife-from-hell was trying to poison him, to spare their kids from growing up in a broken home.
Greg Skordas, a spokesperson for the late Eric Richins’s family, told the Post the devoted Utah dad left himself in a dangerous situation to keep his strained marriage going and do what was best for his three sons.
Skordas described Eric, 39, as the quintessential family man — coaching his kids’ soccer, basketball and baseball teams, and teaching the boys about hunting and the outdoors.
Their family life was upended when Eric died in March 2022, raising his family and investigators’ suspicions that 33-year-old Kouri killed him with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule. She later wrote a tear-jerker book about children’s grief.
“He lived for those boys,” Skordas said. “I believe he would have stayed in a less than desirable relationship if it meant he could do right by them.”
Eric had previously told a friend he thought his wife was trying to poison him after he got sick following a Feb. 14, 2022, Valentine’s Day dinner at home, according to court documents in the battle between Kouri and Eric’s family for his $3.6 million estate.
Eric’s sister also told the court her brother became violently ill after Kouri gave him a drink during a trip to Greece a few years ago, telling his sibling he thought “his wife had tried to kill him.”
Eric Richins, a father of three, was found dead inside his Utah home on March 4, 2022. Walker Mortuary
Kouri Richins is accused of killing her husband with a fentanyl-laced Moscow Mule. AP
Greg Skordas, a spokesperson for Eric’s family, described the late father as a family man who loved his three sons. NBC News/Today
Skordas admitted it might have been “naive” for Eric to stay despite suspecting his wife, but he said the late lawyer’s love for his family outweighed his suspicions.
The spokesman added that if Kouri is convicted as Eric’s killer, it would be even more distressing for the family since she made money and became famous for her writings on how to help children get through the loss of a loved one.
“It’s the great irony of the case,” Skordas said. “It would just be horribly sad and all the more heart-wrenching.”
Eric allegedly tried to make his marriage work with Kouri so his boys wouldn’t grow up in a broken home. Kouri Richins/Facebook
Following Eric’s death, Kouri shot to fame for her book on helping kids deal with grief and loss. KTVX
Kouri Richins wrote “Are You With Me?” about helping her three kids deal with the loss of their dad. Amazon
Shortly before Eric’s death, Kouri allegedly tried to name herself beneficiary to her husband’s life insurance policy, but the lawyer changed it back to his sister’s name without telling his wife, KUTV reported.
Eric eventually warned his family that “if anything happened to him she was to blame,” according to court records.
He died on March 4, 2022, just a day before Kouri closed on a $2 million deal to buy a 22,000-square-foot unfinished home in Heber City, a deal for which Eric refused to pay, according to docs obtained by KPCW.
After buying the new house, Kouri put it back on the market two weeks later, trying to more than double her money by flipping it for nearly $5 million.
She has been charged with first-degree aggravated murder and multiple counts of second-degree possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute — and is due in court on May 19.
Source: New York Post
