Kouri Richins, a Utah woman who wrote a book about grief following the death of her husband from a fentanyl overdose, has been charged with his murder via a fentanyl concoction. Richins is facing a first-degree murder charge and three second-degree felony charges for the possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. Investigators say that Eric, her husband, died in 2022 after drinking a Moscow Mule laced with fentanyl that she had made for him. The motive behind the alleged murder, according to investigators, was Eric’s life insurance policy.

Eric held a joint life insurance policy with his business partner through a masonry company they co-owned. A warrant in Kouri’s arrest states that she “logged into the two men’s life insurance policy in January 2022 and changed the policy.” Kouri changed the beneficiaries on the policy to her as the sole beneficiary, but the business partners were notified by the insurance company, and they changed it back.

Then Eric had a health incident on Valentine’s Day 2022 after having dinner with his wife. He broke out in hives, couldn’t breathe, and passed out after taking Benadryl. Investigators say that Eric woke up from the incident and called his business partner to let him know what had happened. The court records state that Kouri was determined to off her husband — allegedly.

The documents state Kouri purchased $900 of fentanyl pills just before the Valentine’s dinner. Then, according to the same source, she spent $900 more in fentanyl pills two weeks later. Eric died on March 4, and he was reportedly preparing for divorce before his death. He’d changed the power of attorney on his will to his sister, and the divorce was in the works.

Investigators say that Richins wanted to buy a $2 million home and flip it, while Eric thought the house price was too expensive and he wasn’t interested. She claimed that the couple was celebrating the purchase of the house the night Eric died. She closed on the house the day Eric died, and that same day, she had friends over to “a large party at her home where she was drinking and celebrating.”

PLOT TWIST: Kouri didn’t know Eric had cut her out of his will. Eric’s sister showed up at the party and let her sister-in-law know the details. Less than a month after Eric’s death, Kouri sued Eric’s sister for control of the estate.

Fast-forward to March 7, 2023. That’s when Richins decided it was time to self-release a grief book titled, “Are You With Me?” where the author dives into dealing with the loss of a loved one. That’s Eric, as an angel, watching over one of his children on the book’s cover. “Whether it’s playing at the park or simply enjoying a quiet moment at home, the child is comforted by the knowledge that their father is always by their side,” the book’s author writes on the book’s Amazon page.

During an April 2023 appearance on TV show “Good Things Utah,” Kouri Richins was called an “incredible mother who touched our hearts by sharing her personal story of loss.” “You are an amazing woman,” one of the show’s hosts concluded. “And we thank you for being vulnerable and sharing this (book) and touching the lives of others.”

Now, based on Utah law, Kouri faces 15 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge.