(NewsNation) — The Utah author who allegedly killed her husband and later published a children’s book about grief has been indicted on new charges related to his death.
Kouri Richins, 34, was charged on Friday in connection with a series of financial crimes, including mortgage fraud, forgery and money laundering in the months before her husband, Eric Richins, was poisoned in 2022.
The new charges come more than two years after she was charged with Eric Richins’ murder. Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.
According to the indictment, Kouri Richins used power of attorney to get a $250,000 home equity line of credit on a house Eric Richins owned in 2019 before they got married, without his knowledge.
She then allegedly invested that money into her real estate business. Kouri Richins is also accused of stealing more than $100,000 from her husband’s business and spending $30,000 on his credit cards.
Eric Richins was found unresponsive in the couple’s home after having a cocktail to celebrate a business deal Kouri Richins recently made.
Evidence in the case suggested that she sought fentanyl from more than one person before his death. The local medical examiner’s office said more than five times the lethal dose of the substance was found in his system.
After his death, Kouri Richins went on to write and publish a children’s book titled “Are You With Me?” which is about a child whose dead father watches over him as an angel, and even promoted the book on national television
The trial for Eric Richins’ murder will begin in February 2026.