Within the early morning hours of March 4, 2022, Kouri Richins says she discovered her husband Eric unresponsive of their mattress. She mentioned his demise was an accident, however a yr later she was arrested and charged with homicide. The circumstances surrounding Eric Richins’ demise are investigated in ”The Individuals v. Kouri Richins,” an all-new ”48 Hours” reported by contributor Natalie Morales and airing Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Kouri’s household says she misplaced extra than simply the daddy of her three younger sons and husband of 9 years. She additionally misplaced an enormous enterprise deal price hundreds of thousands.
Kouri owned an actual property enterprise specializing in shopping for and flipping homes for a revenue. Her mom Lisa Darden says it was a continuing rotation of latest initiatives, and at anybody time Kouri may very well be engaged on three totally different properties, ”I might say on common.” Darden had watched Kouri construct the enterprise from the bottom up and says Kouri was happy with her success. Greg Corridor was her buddy and advertising director. He says the rationale for Kouri’s success was that she had one thing that lots of people do not. ”Lots of instances you discover a person that’s clever, however no frequent sense or frequent sense and no intelligence. She had each. She was an excellent younger woman,” mentioned Corridor.
Skye Lazaro
Earlier than Eric died, Darden says Kouri was engaged on the largest house-flipping deal of her profession. The venture was a 10-acre property in Heber Metropolis, Utah, not removed from the famed Park Metropolis ski resort. It was prime actual property. ”I believe this was type of her dream when she received into this concept of flipping homes was to have the ability to do properties like this,” Kouri’s legal professional, Skye Lazaro, informed Morales as they toured the property.
The 20,000-square-foot mansion and its 4,000-square-foot guesthouse had been initially in-built 2017 however by no means completed. Kouri found the deserted venture in 2019 and made a suggestion on it together with a gaggle of buyers for $3.9 million. In keeping with Lazaro, Kouri’s plan with the property was to ”flip it right into a leisure hotspot, given that is in all probability some of the stunning locations on this planet and, hopefully, promote it at a revenue.” And Kouri’s mom says that potential was jaw-dropping. ”Her and Eric sat down with an accountant one time, and he mentioned, if you will get it carried out and keep below price range, you might stroll away with $12 million,” mentioned Darden.
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Darden says Kouri and Eric had been excited in regards to the alternative and had been celebrating finalizing the closing of the mansion the evening Eric died. ”Eric’s saying, let’s have a shot. Come on, let’s have a good time Kouri,” she mentioned. And the celebration continued. Kouri informed investigators she poured Eric one other drink later that evening, a Moscow mule, earlier than the couple went to mattress. It was hours later that Kouri mentioned she discovered Eric unresponsive of their mattress. The following day Kouri closed on the property, in line with court docket papers.
However the spokesman for Eric’s household, Greg Skordas, says Eric didn’t need Kouri to purchase the mansion. ”I do not suppose he was ever in favor of that,” Skordas mentioned. Simply days after Eric died, his household informed an investigator ”Eric and his spouse had been arguing” about shopping for the home. Eric’s household believes Kouri was decided to go ahead with the venture, regardless of Eric’s opposition.
When Kouri Richins was arrested and charged in her husband’s demise, her hopes for the venture — and the potential $12 million payday — got here to an finish. The mansion was put again available on the market and not too long ago bought for $3.75 million.