Utah mom who wrote children’s book on grief after her husband’s death now faces murder charge

A Utah mom who wrote a children’s book about how to deal with grief after her husband died last year is accused of giving her a lethal dose of fentanyl after serving her a Moscow Mule to celebrate.

Corey Richins, 33, was taken into custody Monday on three counts of felony murder and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Richins’ husband, Eric RichinsHe died on March 4, 2022, at his home in Camas, about 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. According to a probable cause statement, Richins called 911 after finding her unresponsive in her bedroom.

The document states that deputies found Eric Richins on the floor under the bed. Life-saving measures were attempted but he was pronounced dead.

Court records show suspect asked for ‘the Michael Jackson stuff’

Before her husband’s death, Richins asked an acquaintance for something stronger — “some of the Michael Jackson stuff,” according to a court document. (Jackson died in 2009 at his Los Angeles home after receiving a lethal dose of Propofolstated in the document.

The document states that Richins told investigators that the night before her husband died, the couple had been celebrating as she was locked at home on her business. The statement said she said she made him a Moscow Mule in the kitchen, brought it into the bedroom and he drank it while sitting on the bed.

According to the document, she told investigators that she slept in her children’s bedroom because the child had night terrors. She reportedly awoke at around 3 a.m. to find that her husband was “cold” in their bedroom.

Richins told the deputy that she left her cellphone in her bedroom and did not take it to her child’s room. Investigators later learned that her phone had been locked and unlocked several times and that she said it was in her child’s room, according to the probable cause statement. It states that some text messages were sent and received which were deleted.

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At the time of his death, the only people in the house were the couple and their three young sons, it said.

Mention of ‘my wonderful husband’ in book dedication

A year after her husband’s death, Richins wrote “Are You With Me?” Published a book titled To “create peace and comfort for children who have lost a loved one,” according to a description on Amazon. It said the book would help reassure children that although their loved one “is not present, their presence is always present and they walk through life with you as if they were here.”

In a 41-page book, a boy questions whether his father is with him when he is sad or mad and whether he is with him for special occasions: at his football game when he scores, his birthday, at Christmas. And when he starts his first day of school.

The father assures the boy that he has been there for all those moments.

Kauri Richins dedicated the book to “my wonderful husband and an amazing father”. It has since been removed from Amazon.

In an April interview with Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate KTVX, Richins discussed her book and her husband’s death, which she said happened “unexpectedly”.

“It took all of us into shock. My kids and I wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving process we experienced last year, in hopes that it can help other kids deal with it and can find happiness in some way,” she said ktvx reporter,

She went on to talk about how she would tell her children that their “Dad is still here, just in a different way.” Richins said he wrote the book after seeing how his children were coping with their father’s death.

The news station updated its story Tuesday to say it was not aware that Richins was a suspect in her husband’s murder.

one in facebook post Last week, she posted a video collage of her husband and children and wrote in the caption that life has become difficult without them.

“The cards I’ve got seem like a game that just can’t be played,” she posted, adding the hashtag “Please Come Home.”

Man died of fentanyl overdose, autopsy reveals

Investigators said an autopsy and toxicology report found that Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose, according to the probable cause statement. The medical examiner said he had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system and that it was “illegal” fentanyl and not medical grade. It is also believed that he had taken the drugs orally as per the probable cause.

The probable cause statement said authorities accused Richins of obtaining fentanyl pills from an acquaintance identified only as “CL”. He also alleged that Eric Richins had told a friend that he believed his wife tried to poison him after a Valentine’s Day dinner a few weeks before she died.

The document states that a search warrant obtained by investigators showed several communications on Kuri Richins’ phone between her and the acquaintance.

The acquaintance, who had multiple drug charges, told investigators that Richins had reached out to her from December 2021 to February 2022 and asked for “prescription pain medication for an investor with a back injury,” citing probable cause. .

“Within a few days, CL bought hydrocodone pills from a dealer. The defendant asked CL to drop off bullets at a house the defendant was flipping over midway. CL left the pills at the house and the defendant left the cash for CL.

The acquaintance took 15 to 30 fentanyl pills and delivered them to Richins, who paid $900 for the drugs. According to the document, three days later, on February 14, 2022, Eric Richins became ill after having Valentine’s Day dinner at home with his wife.

“Erik believed he had been poisoned. Erik told a friend he thought his wife was trying to poison him,” investigators wrote.

“About two weeks later, defendant contacted CL again, saying his investor wanted something stronger and asked for ‘some Michael Jackson stuff.’ Defendant specifically asked for fentanyl,” according to the probable cause statement. According.

He then paid $900 for the drugs, it said. Days later, her husband died.

The sheriff’s office declined to answer questions about the case, saying it is being handled by the Summit County Attorney’s Office. County Attorney Margaret Olson said her office would not comment on the matter.

“Please be aware that the deceased and the accused have three young children, making this matter very sensitive and difficult,” she said in an email.

A detention hearing is set for May 19.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com