A Utah mother of three who is accused of murdering her husband and then writing a children’s book about grief has shared ridiculous new grades as she asks a judge to release her on bond before her trial.
Kouri Richins, 34, has been in state custody since May 2023, when she was charged with the murder of her husband, Eric Richins.
She has been a model inmate ever since, her attorneys argue in an appeal to have her released on bail Tuesday, pointing to several certificates she has received for completing jail-run programs. ABC Reports 4.
Among those programs are ‘Raising Relational Children in a Screen-Based World,’ a six-month course on American history and the Constitution, and art and botany programs.
Richins was also accepted into California’s Coat University’s online MBA program and enrolled in paralegal studies, her attorneys argued in court papers. according to Townlift.
Kouri Richins, 34, is asking a judge to release her on bail before her trial in May 2025.
They also argued that Richins has been behind bars for too long.
She was arrested on May 8, 2023 after calling 911 to report finding Eric “cold to the touch” at the foot of her bed.
Medical examiners later discovered he had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system, and Summit County Chief Prosecutor Patricia Cassell has alleged that Kouri slipped the obscene amount of drugs into Eric’s Moscow Mule cocktail that night. , even though the wife’s family said her death was accidental.
Prosecutors have argued that the couple fought over financial issues regarding their $2 million, 10-acre home.
They said Eric discovered that his wife had taken out a $250,000 home equity line of credit and spent it, withdrawing $100,000 from her bank accounts and spending more than $30,000 on her credit cards.
Kouri also stole about $134,000 from her husband’s business intended for tax payments, according to the documents.
Prosecutors also allege that Kouri purchased four different life insurance policies, totaling more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017.
However, the couple signed an agreement that would grant them the sale of the house before Eric’s death.
Then, just a day after her death, search warrant affidavits showed that Kouri signed the closing documents for the couple’s $2 million property and invited friends to a party where she was drinking. and celebrating.
Richins is accused of drugging her husband, Eric (right), with a lethal amount of fentanyl in their Moscow Mule cocktail.
Court documents further stated that Kouri first attempted to kill her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl just a month before she allegedly served him the spiked cocktail.
Prosecutors have alleged that a sandwich she bought him on Valentine’s Day was left with a note in the front seat of his truck.
After his death, Kouri also benefited financially after writing a children’s book about grief.
She said in an interview that she was motivated to write the book after searching Amazon and Barnes and Noble and finding “nothing” to help her children “cope” and dedicated the book to Eric.
Kouri promoted it on television and radio, describing the book as a way to help children grieve the loss of a loved one.
He later wrote a children’s book about grief, stating that he was trying to help his children “cope” with the loss of their father.
After her first bail hearing in June 2023, Judge Richard Mrazik ruled that Richins would not be released on bail, citing that she was a flight risk and a danger to the community due to the potential seriousness of the charges. against him and the possibility of death. grief.
At the time, Richins’ lawyers argue, it appeared she would face trial on charges of murder and financial crimes within months.
But after several delays, including a change of defense attorneys, the criminal trial was pushed back to May 2025.
The State has also since stated that it will not seek the death penalty in this case.
“At the time of the original detention hearing in June 2023, a preliminary hearing and trial were believed to be imminent,” defense attorneys wrote in their appeal.
“Based on the newly scheduled trial date, if Ms. Richins is not released, she will have served two years in prison at the time of trial, while being presumed innocent.”
They noted that since his arrest, Richins ‘has repeatedly appeared before this Court without restraint and has acted at all times with respect and courtesy.’ according to Fox 13.
“The Court can now take that pattern of positive behavior into consideration when determining whether conditions can be established that will ensure the safety of the community.”
The attorneys concluded by saying that if released on bail, Richins would live with his brother and sister-in-law in Salt Lake County, which they said would eliminate any risk of inadvertent interactions with potential witnesses in the case and allow him to have supervised visits. to his three children, from whom he has become estranged.
He has only had one phone call with his children that lasted two seconds and that required a court order, his attorneys stated in court papers. according to KPCW.
“She will be able to continue working on her higher education degree and will be highly motivated to comply with all conditions set by the Court to be able to provide supervised visitation with her children,” the appeal reads.
‘Lady. Richins’ family is prepared to provide her with essentials such as food, clothing and educational resources, and is committed to ensuring that she appears at all court proceedings as necessary.’
Judge Mrazik will now consider whether to grant Richins bail and will hear arguments opposing the motion on Monday.
A second hearing to consider any additional motions was also set for Nov. 12.