Kouri Richins sued for $13 million by late husband’s sister

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother who authored a children’s book about grief after allegedly killing her husband, is being sued for $13 million by one of his sisters for financial wrongdoing both before and after his death.

The lawsuit, filed in state court by Katie Richins on behalf of her late brother, Eric Richins, claims her sister-in-law stole money from her husband’s bank accounts, diverted funds intended to pay his taxes in addition to obtaining a fraudulent loan, among other things, before his death.

“Kouri committed the foregoing acts in calculated, systematic fashion and for no reason other than to actualize a horrific endgame — to conceal her ruinous debt, misappropriate assets for the benefit of her personal businesses, orchestrate Eric’s demise, and profit from his passing,” the civil suit said.

Prosecutors said Kouri Richins mixed her husband a deadly Moscow Mule the night of March 3, 2022, with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl before handing it off to husband, who was in bed at their Hamas home at the time. She then left and slept with one of their young children, but when she returned around 3 a.m., Eric was unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Kouri Richins was not arrested until earlier this month. She faces one count of first-degree aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in connection with the death of her husband.

During the year between her husband’s death and her indictment, Kouri Richins published a children’s book called “Are You with Me?” about the angel of a deceased father watching over his children.

She has also filed a lawsuit against her late husband’s estate, seeking half of all equity in the couple’s home, which is estimated to be worth at least $1.9 million and another $2 million in proceeds from the sale of Eric’s share of a stone masonry business after his death.