Kouri Richins.Photo:Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Within hours of Eric’s death in March 2022, Kouri told investigators that she had made a bedtime cocktail for her husband. But investigators never tested the cocktail glass for traces of fentanyl, the lead detective testified at a recent hearing. And in interviews with PEOPLE, friends close to Kouri sayEric’s family has painted her as a scapegoat, blaming her for what they say was her husband’s secret drug addiction.
In a 6-page letter addressed to her mother, Kouri reminded her to walk the dog, asked for Crest White Strips– and, prosecutors allege, engaged in witness tampering, instructing her family to lie on her behalf.The Third Judicial District – Summit County, Utah
The Third Judicial District – Summit County, Utah
Later in the letter, starred with asterisks, Kouri allegedly told her mother that Ronney could “reword this however he needs to, to make the point. Just include it all.”
Kouri also allegedly directed her mother to instruct her brother in person about the story he was to tell her lawyer, rather than on the phone.
“I worry sometimes your house and phone are bugged," Kouri allegedly wrote.
Kouri’s mother and brother did not respond to PEOPLE with a comment in time for publication.
Emphasizing the importance of Ronney’s testimony, Kouri allegedly wrote that “the connection has to be made with Mexico and drugs. Ronney will have the messages to prove Eric confided in him about getting high. It can be short and to the point but has to be done. Upon information and belief. LOL.”
In the letter, Kouri allegedly wrote, “Tell him I need him to do this.” She later then allegedly referenced Eric’s sisters, Katie Richins-Benson and Amy Richins, writing, “Bring me home and then we will get those damn b—–s!”
Eric’s sisters, Kouri allegedly expounded in the letter, “have always been jealous of me because anything they could do Kouri could do better. Being a mom, college, stay at home wife until she built a million dollar company. A nice house, car, everything she had they wanted. This comes down to jealousy, money, and Eric’s partying that they don’t want to acknowledge and sadly an accidental overdose.”
Kouri Richins in court with her defense lawyer, Skye Lazaro.Rick Bowmer/AP
Rick Bowmer/AP
The sisters, who hired a private investigator to look into their brother’s death and have been embroiled in dueling civil suits with Kouri over her late husband’s estate,helped bring about Kouri’s arrest a year after Eric’s death, Greg Skordas, a spokesperson for their family previously told PEOPLE.
“They pushed the police,” Skordas said. “They kept their feet to the fire.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Kouri’s alleged six-page letter concerning her husband’s alleged drug use included one more instruction: “Will you buy a box of Crest White Strips,” the letter asked, adding: “My teeth are yellow from so much coffee and tea all day.” The sentence is punctuated with a sad face.
source: people.com
