The Kouri Richins Guilty Verdict

What a catastrophic verdict for a woman who seemed to think she was going to get away with murder, by claiming her husband was a drug seeking addict. Meanwhile she was portraying herself as a grief-stricken young mother, who wrote a children’s book to help her children cope. 

The children now have the impossible task of having to cope with the knowledge their mother killed their father, and tried to do so more than once. Even more disturbing is the fact she killed him late at night, while the children slept, and then she used one of the children as an alibi, claiming she was sleeping in his room. 

Her intent was to kill her husband. It was plot she was stewing and brewing for months. She directly, and indirectly involved multiple people, primarily drug dealers. Her financial crimes involved even more people. To top it off, she was cheating on her husband, so her lover was part of the courtroom drama. 

She was found guilty on all counts, to include aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, two counts of insurance fraud, and forgery. She is facing many more charges, for a variety of other financial crimes.

Aggravated murder is more serious than first degree murder. In fact, it is the worst, and most heinous form of murder, often warranting the death penalty, or life without parole.

To be convicted of both aggravated murder, and attempted aggravated murder is deeply alarming, especially when you consider the cumulative aspects of the other crimes, motivated by greed.

Perhaps the most shocking of all, is the fact there was testimony claiming Kouri had also taken out insurance policies on her three young boys. Why would anyone take out insurance policies on children, unless there was a sinister motive?

People take out insurance policies because adults are capable of earning income, and often have debts, and assets to be taken care of. Children do not have earning power, nor do they have debts. They are not responsible for providing for anyone, including themselves. One would think she would take out an insurance policy on her own life, so if anything happened to her, there would be money to raise, and care for the children. 

Thankfully Eric had the foresight to take out insurance on his own life, and set up a trust so his children would be financially cared for if he died. If it had been left up to Kouri, the children would not have either parent, nor would they have any financial means to face a future without their father’s income, and without parents. 

She will be facing sentencing within the next couple of months. I believe it is scheduled for what would have been her husband’s birthday.

When she wrote the Walk the Dog letter from her jail cell, then held it up for her mother to read, it was damning. At the end of it, she wrote about the importance of getting this done and over with, so she could get out, and “go after those bitches”. Sheesh. 

She compounded her guilt in so many ways. Juror number 3 gave an excellent interview, providing significant insight about the process of deliberation, the reason it took just three hours to reach a verdict, and how the trial impacted the jurors emotionally. 

She identified the most damning evidence as being cell phone data once it was extracted, and aligned with the drug dealers testimonies. She commented on the private investigator, and what a character he was, refusing to crack under cross examination. 

He came to the trial with a cane and a neck brace on, yet his toughness, and determination was not diminished in the least. 

Kouri deleted hundreds of text messages, emails, and phone calls, but technology turned out to be far more advanced than she is.

The juror also explained there was testimony from an undercover cop that was not made public. It was also damning evidence against Kouri, because the person who was killed in a motorcycle accident, and unable to give testimony, had also been asked by Kouri to get fentanyl. He refused. 

When she asked the dealers for fentanyl or “some of that Michael Jackson stuff” – how much more obvious could she be? She wanted a lethal drug.

The defence tried to argue there was no proof of how the fentanyl entered Eric Richin’s body. But in my opinion there was proof. The proof was the fact the fentanyl, and Seroquel were in his stomach. He had ingested more than five times a lethal dose of illicit fentanyl. A significant amount of it was still in his stomach, because he died before it was digested, and distributed throughout his system. This proves the route of administration was oral.

If Eric Richins had taken those drugs himself, there would have been a glass, or some kind of container nearby with the drug residue.

Nothing whatsoever was found to suggest he had prepared, or taken the drugs himself. None of the testimony about him pointed to a person who used illicit opiates. If he took the drugs himself, how did his wife’s Seroquel get into the mix? Would anyone believe he would take his wife’s antipsychotic prescription drug, along with five times the lethal does of fentanyl? He was a happy, well-adjusted, successful guy. 

Key point. She is the one who sourced out the fentanyl, not him. 

The fact the crime scene was clean, means it was cleaned up. After all, there was a dead body, which begged an explanation. When you add the fact it took so long for her to start CPR, the evidence, and suspicions became cumulative. It is doubtful she even attempted to do CPR. It certainly did not sound like it. CPR takes a certain amount of effort. As it was, six minutes went by before she even got him off the bed, and onto the floor. 

Kouri professed she was sleeping in one of the children’s rooms. But her story is not likely to be the truth, based on the many lies she has told. Only she knows what happened, and what she did after he took the deadly dose.

It is more likely she administered the drugs, then waited to be sure he was dead. Meanwhile, she had plenty of time to clean up all the evidence, and get rid of it. She did not realize the absence of evidence, is more suspicious than if the glass had been left at the bedside. 

It defies logic how anyone could repeatedly incriminate themselves, leave a trail of evidence, and then keep on scheming up more crimes.

People are now speculating on the sentencing, which will be left up to the judge to weigh all the evidence, and make a decision. He will no doubt be thorough, and fair, because he certainly did a good job managing the entire trial. 

I believe she will get life without parole. The combination of aggravated murder, financial motives, and the inability to show remorse, or take a step back, and evaluate the direction she was headed, is indicative of her potential for doing more harm. 

The plan to kill her husband was not a spontaneous thing. She was plotting, and scheming for months. The same with the forgery, and other fraud. She did one thing after another, and showed no sign of letting up. She was on a diabolical single-minded laser focused, albeit haphazard mission.

Other than some serious mental health issues, and the very strong financial motives, I think there was simmering revenge underneath it all.

Marriage is supposed to be built on a foundation of love, trust, and joint partnership. Given Kouri’s attraction to money, when she met Eric, it must have seemed like she hit the jackpot. They had their first child before they got married.

Apparently she was presented with a prenuptial on the day they got married. It must have infuriated her. The prenuptial was structured so that if they divorced, she got nothing. The house was in his name. It was a 4800 square foot home in a nice area. However, if he died before she did, she would get the house. Or so she thought.

When she stole money from Eric by forging his signature, and taking out a $250,000 loan on the house, he lost trust in her. He also suspected she was trying to poison him, long before the fatal dose was administered. He also suspected she was having an affair. Talk about a high stakes game of cat and mouse.

He surreptitiously set up a trust without tipping his hand, and gave his sister power of attorney. This closed off all avenues for her getting his money and assets. She did try different things, but she got caught.

One can only speculate…from the day they got married, she began to see him as the enemy. There was an attitude of “me first, and me against him, and his family”. This was a toxic undercurrent seeping into the cracks of their marriage. It was a competition, not a partnership. She would show him.

As she spiralled into more and more grandiose delusions, the “midway mansion” became the ultimate game of one-upmanship. She was going to get this huge house, a much bigger house, and she would own it, live with her lover, and raise their children on the property. All this could be achieved, once she got rid of her husband. 

Eric was a means to an end. He was also a  means to a new beginning, where she “had it all” and he got nothing, not even his life, let alone his money and assets. She would run her grandiose multi-million dollar business, call the shots, and everyone would bow down, and cater to her – because she was the queen in control of it all. He was an obstacle, who she just needed to get out of her way. 

Her husband was a good businessman, and was successful. He had built a solid business, brick by brick, and stone by stone. He was a mason. He understood what a solid foundation was, long before he met her. As far as business acumen is concerned, they were opposites. She was impulsive, a poor planner, a flipper, and a gambler. He was a well established brick and mortar builder. 

Instead of being grateful, and proud of him, she resented his abilities. Her husband was a good father, and was well liked. She must have hated him, for being everything she was not. 

On Valentine’s Day, she left a poisoned sandwich on the seat of his work truck, with a love note, and then went off to spend the day with her lover. But damn, he managed to live through it. She needed stronger drugs. She telegraphed her intentions to multiple people.

Sadly, for whatever reasons, her husband did not lock her out, and get a restraining order. If he had, he would still be alive. One can only imagine how he felt when he suspected her of poisoning him. It is an incomprehensible abuse, let alone to deliver it with a love note, then head off to spend the special day with her lover. 

I have always believed the biggest mistake a murder victim makes, is not believing the perpetrator will actually carry through with it. It is difficult to believe a spouse, friend, or family member would plot to kill you. We also tend to believe we are invincible. There is always the hope things will get better, not worse.

I wonder if Kouri will speak at her sentencing, and if so, whether there will be any apologies or admission of guilt. It is kind of a two-edged sword, because an admission of guilt might reduce her sentence. But it could also reduce the chance of an appeal. I doubt she will ever admit guilt, or give up on an opportunity to appeal.

Some people claim she put herself in the investigative crosshairs by writing, or claiming to have written a children’s book. As it turned out, she hired a ghost writer, and even so, it was poorly written.

It certainly did get her into the media, because until she did the media interviews, most of us had never heard of the case. So many people die of drug overdoses, initially I just assumed he was an addict, and died of an accidental overdose.

But as the story came out, it certainly did not look like Eric Richins was a down and out fentanyl addict. He was an active, outgoing person with a successful business, and a good reputation.

Even without the attention from the children’s book, I think she would have been charged. The financial crimes, forensic audit, lover on the side, and cell phone extractions, all pointed to motive, and guilt.

The drug dealers may have had some credibility issues, but the cell phone data corroborated their testimony, leaving little doubt she was seeking to obtain a lethal cocktail of drugs. Not for herself, but for her husband, who she was not getting along with. To top it off, she was juggling a potent financial disaster, and was headed for a massive crash. 

When they said their marriage vows, they were supposed to be joined together as one. But they were not. Money came between them, festered and grew into a monstrous act of revenge, and getting even. Even though money and greed was the motive, I think revenge was what poisoned her soul.

It was reported she felt slighted as a child, helping her aunt clean the homes of wealthy people. The fact she never owned, or had part ownership of their matrimonial home, might have triggered and magnified those feelings of inferiority.

True security and confidence, does not need the approval of others. It is not based on image or money. We tend to think it does, but it is an illusion.

Kouri seemed closest to her mother, for whatever reasons. Her brother must be confused, and feel guilty over his loyalties. If he supported her, and her antics – he looks bad, like the whole family is on the wrong side of the tracks. But if he is not loyal to her, he is letting her down, when she has so little support. 

Her family has to live in the outside world, in spite of what happens to her. Her children have to go through all the stages of growth, with each stage requiring an expanded understanding of what happened to their family. One day they were playing soccer, and living what they thought was a  normal life, and then all of a sudden, their world fell apart.

In the following year after Eric’s death, before her arrest, they were grieving, and carrying on. Then the next blow, was when mommy goes to jail. They lost both parents.

Along with such a phenomenal loss, is knowing the entire world watched their mother get convicted of five major crimes, especially aggravated murder. It is a burden no child should ever have to carry. It will haunt them for life.

Her true nature got put on the stand, and under a microscope. If it really is her true nature, may God have mercy, and help her to realize it, and repent. 

A marriage without a proper foundation can be a recipe for disaster. Sometimes people stay in a toxic marriage for the sake of the children. In this particular case, he would have been better off to follow through on the divorce.

But when there are children involved, both parents have a right to see the children. He would have known there would be a custody battle. It took until she committed the crime of murder, to put a stop to her access to the children. 

It is understandable why Eric would have felt trapped by the situation he was in. She said she felt trapped, because if she left, she would have to leave a comfortable life, and beautiful home. But she was not facing a murder plot – he was. 

She was trapped by her own delusions. It could have been, and should have been so much different. Her thought processes became skewed. She wanted control of his assets. She wanted the money, not the man. 

In reality, no one ever gets away with murder. With today’s technology, they can almost trace every step. During the Alex Murdaugh trial, they were able to track every step he took when he committed those murders. Murdaugh thought he was a brilliant third or fourth generation lawyer. He was not brilliant at all. He was a pathological liar, without a conscience. He violently murdered his own wife, and son.

With Brian Kohlberger, they not only matched DNA left behind at the scene, true crime sleuths pinpointed his car near the scene of the crime, within a matter of hours. Other true crime sleuths found online creepy comments made by Kohlberger, and quickly figured out who it was. He was a Ph.D student, who also thought he could outsmart everyone. He did not outsmart anyone. Even his own father knew something was off, and he might have been the one who committed those murders, long before he was arrested. 

When Kouri was forging documents, deleting text messages, and running around at 3 am to clean up a crime scene, and get rid of evidence, did she really believe she was covering her tracks? Did she think her fake acting, was going to win her an Oscar? 

Or was she, in her own warped subconscious mind, conning herself into a path of self-destruction? She was sabotaging her own life.

Prior to her train wreck, she had healthy kids, a successful husband, and could have done whatever she wanted, because she was financially supported. Not every woman has that kind of situation. Many of us had to work, in order to survive. She went on luxury vacations, had a nanny and housekeepers, and did not have any financial stress, until she herself created it. 

In hindsight, what might have prevented this tragedy? It is pure speculation, but I think it points back to the prenuptial. If it was presented by Eric’s mother on the day of the wedding, it might have been dramatic, but a quiet refusal, or delay in signing it, would have been the wisest thing to do. She could have simply said, it needs to be discussed, and agreed upon between herself and Eric privately. She could have deferred it, or let them call off the wedding. 

Since a prenuptial is a legal agreement, and they already had one child, I think she should have negotiated at the time. She had a right to take it to a lawyer, and make a counter offer, so her interests, and share in the matrimonial home would not be obliterated if there was a divorce. After all, the care of the children, and the home would be partly, or perhaps mostly her responsibility. Her husband had a business to run, and also went on frequent hunting trips, therefore someone had to be there for the children. 

The prenuptial should have had a provision for alimony if he was the primary breadwinner, while she cared for the home and children. I believe the prenuptial would have been fair to protect his business interests, since he had the business well established when they married. But given the fact they had children, and a family to raise, the matrimonial home should have been a shared asset. 

The problem with a prenuptial, is there is a projection of the failure, or breakdown of a marriage at the onset. However the marriage itself is a contract, a risk, and a financial partnership. If there is no trust, there should not be a marriage.

The spouse with more money and assets is taking a risk, and must accept the fact he is taking a risk. Therefore the prenuptial should be a joint decision between them, as to how they would handle a divorce, with the best interests of the children, while maintaining the financial stability of both parties. 

In my opinion, the defence should have gone back to the prenuptial agreement, and argued that it set the stage for resentment, and competition in the marriage, as opposed to cooperation and partnership. If it was presented on the day of the wedding, it should have been null and void, because of the undue pressure, and inappropriate timing given to sign it.

Kouri wanted out of the marriage. In fact both Kouri and Eric saw divorce lawyers at some point. Kouri stayed because she thought she would be financially destitute if she left. 

Nothing excuses what she did. But if she had been able to address the prenuptial early on, it might have saved both of them a lot of grief. She may still have committed crimes due to her personality, and excessive greed.

But it might be a cautionary tale for others who are considering a prenuptial, and how they might set it up, especially if they are raising a family together.

At the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, When Cain killed Abel, God knew immediately what had happened. When He asked Cain where his brother was, Cain sarcastically replied, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”. He foolishly thought he could evade God. God told him the blood of his brother cries out from the ground.

God created us. He knows what happens to people. No one ever gets away with murder. For every murder plot ever conceived of, if they only understood one thing – they will not get away with it. If the forensic evidence does not catch up with the person, God will.

For those who are caught and convicted, unless they repent with all sincerity, and cry out to God for mercy, they will face not just earthly consequences, but a far greater judgment. For those who do not repent, they are doomed.

Pre-meditated murder is difficult to understand. A fit of rage, or a drunken brawl, or a paranoid lashing out, or finding a spouse in bed with another person – can lead to an impulsive loss of control.

But pre-meditated murder, is when people make a to do list, and treat people as pawns or property. They manipulate, and involve other people. There are many layers to that ungodly cake walk. They will Google how to poison someone, get rid of a body, etc. yet they do not take the time to evaluate the probability of getting caught, and what it means.

How many of them Google, what are the consequences of aggravated murder, first degree murder, second degree murder, attempted murder?

All people should know the phones we use, the computers, tablets, online queries, and all purchases, we carry out on a daily basis, leave a traceable digital footprint. It cannot be erased.

All people should know there are cameras everywhere, in urban areas, and often even in wilderness areas. Countless people have doorbell cameras. Chris Watts had a neighbour whose camera picked up his murderous activities when he killed his family. In fact, the neighbour knew what happened before the police did.

There is no such thing as a perfect murder. It is true, some people have not been caught, and some serial murderers carried on killing for many years. The only reason they do get away with it for a period of time, is because they target vulnerable, transient prostitutes, or people who may not be missed. 

If they are the lone wolf type of hunter, and are not involving others in the crimes, there is less chance of being detected. Sometimes even the spouse of such a person, does not know what they are up to. 

What will happen to such a person on judgement day? They will find out that they did not, and will not, get away with murder.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2026). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.