Kouri Richins (L) and her mother, Lisa Darden (R).Photo:AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, ABC News/Youtube
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, ABC News/Youtube
Kouri Richins, thechildren’s book authorwho famously wrote a book on grief about thesudden death of her husband— and then wasaccused of fatally poisoning him— may not be the first woman in her family to allegedly off a romantic partner, investigators believe.
Whether crime or coincidence, Detective Jeff H. O’Driscoll suggests the earlier death could have provided Kouri with a roadmap to murder.
Kouri and Eric Richins.Kouri Richins/Facebook
Of Kouri’s mother, Lisa Darden, the detective claims: “It is possible she was involved in planning and orchestrating Eric’s death.”
Around 9 p.m. March 3, 2022, Kouri and Eric were celebrating Kouri’s real estate business deal alongside Kouri’s mother, Lisa Darden, according to the detective, who said: “Kouri stated they had a drink to celebrate.”
On May 8, 2023, the Utah soccer mom, whose book about her husband’s death had recently been published, was arrested and accused of killing Eric.
Shortly after publishing the children’s book on grief titled, “Are You With Me?” Kouri Richins was arrested May 8, 2023, in connection with her husband’s death a year prior.
In the affidavit, O’Driscoll alleges that Kouri’s mother’s history with the death of a romantic partner invites the possibility that she may have been involved with Eric’s death.
“In investigating Kouri Richins’s associates, it was discovered that in 2006, Richins’s mother, Lisa Darden was living with an adult female with whom she was having a romantic relationship,” O’Driscoll alleges in the affidavit.
That woman – who is not named in the affidavit – also “died unexpectedly,” per the affidavit.
Kouri Richins’s mother, Lisa Darden.ABC News/Youtube
ABC News/Youtube
The woman’s autopsy revealed “a drug poisoning from an overdose of oxycodone,” according to the detective, who continues: “Further investigation showed that Lisa Darden had been named as the beneficiary of her partner’s estate a short time before her death.”
The woman had “reportedly struggled with abusing her meds” and had a “current prescription for oxycodone,” per the detective, who then notes: “She, however, was not in a state of recovery from addiction at the time of her death. Based on my training and experience, this would likely rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Kouri’s lawyer, Skye Lazaro called the latest accusations “a baseless conspiracy theory.”
Kouri Richins with her lawyer, Skye Lazaro, during a bail hearing Monday, June 12, 2023, in Park City, Utah.Rick Bowmer/AP
Rick Bowmer/AP
“The fact that Ms. Darden’s significant other was one of the millions that suffered from, and ultimately succumbed to, opioid addiction is hardly ‘suspicious,’” Lazaro said. “It’s tragic and unfortunately, quite common.”
Lazaro similarly dismissed the speculation surrounding the partner’s insurance policy.
“The fact that Ms. Darden was the beneficiary of her romantic partner’s life insurance policy is also not unique,” she said. “It only demonstrates that her circumstances are no different than most families in America. To suggest otherwise is nothing more than a baseless conspiracy theory.”
source: people.com
