Kids’ author Kouri Richins explained her ‘exotic vacations’ after husband’s death in email to suspicious cops
Kouri Richins, the Utah mom and children’s author accused of killing her husband, wrote an email to police claiming that her spouse “did not want me working” and explaining her “exotic vacations” after his death, according to court documents.
Richins, who is currently on trial for murder emailed Summit County officials on April 19 to “clarify” some of their questions as officials began to determine that the mom-of-three was the prime suspect in the case.
Richins is accused of poisoning her husband, Eric, with a tainted Moscow Mule in March 2022 and then later writing a picture book to help kids cope with the death of a loved one.
In the email, Richins, 33, addressed the claims about her enjoying luxury getaways after his death.
“‘You asked about any exotic vacations I have taken since Eric’s passing. I went on two trips last year. One, my kids tried out at a soccer camp in SLC [Salt Lake City] to qualify to play in Spain in June and both my kids made it. So yes, I took them to Spain in October 2022. I have attached their invitation letters,” she wrote.
Despite saying she went on two trips in 2022, she then went on to detail a third to Mexico five months after Eric died.
“I took my kids and my mom came with us in August of 2022 to Mexico. As I hope you understand, the months prior to this since Eric’s death have been hard to deal with,” Richins wrote.
The mom then explained that overseas vacations were not out of the ordinary for her family.
“Also, Eric and I went to Mexico every year, sometimes twice. We traveled A LOT. We have taken the boys to Mexico a few times,” she said.
“This is not new for us to go to Mexico or for us to go out of the country or on a vacation with our kids.”
Richins, who worked as a real estate agent, also claimed that Eric wanted a “typical conservative life” with her as the “homemaker.”
“Eric did not want me working because one, his first wife, cheated on him with a guy at work,” she wrote.
“Eric wanted us to live the typical conservative life where the man takes care of his family and the wife is a homemaker, wife, mom and that’s it. That is not my personality and not the way I was raised. I am very independent.”
Richins then wrote about her husband’s alleged affair, saying she never actually “moved out” of their home, but instead threatened to do so to force Eric to end the supposed affair.
She claimed they worked through their marriage troubles and tried couples counseling on four occasions.
“It wasn’t for us,” the email read.
Greg Skordas, the lawyer representing Eric’s family, had previously said the late father suspected Richins was having an affair throughout their marriage.
Richins also detailed her past mental health struggles, saying she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her second child in 2014, and that she took medication for it.
She ended the letter by claiming that she was completely open to working with police on the case in order to end it quickly and end the alleged harassment from private investigators and her husband’s family.
“I just want this over, I just want our lives back and to move on and grieve and mourn my husband without looking over my shoulder constantly for you guys, or the idiotic Private investigator or the Richins family,” she wrote.
“Whatever I can do to help close this out, just ask I’ll give you or tell you whatever you want to know!”
Richins was arrested on May 8 and stands charged with first-degree aggravated murder and possession of a controlled substance for allegedly serving her husband, Eric, a Moscow Mule laced with five-times the lethal dose of fentanyl.
She then wrote a children’s book about the death of her husband and appeared on a local TV station to promote it.
The book was published March 5, almost a year to the day after Eric’s death.
Richins was seen sobbing during the murder trial as she was confronted by Eric’s family, who dubbed her “evil.”
