Mom of Grief Writer Accused of Poisoning Husband Also Had Partner Die Under 'Suspicious' Circumstances: Police

A recently unsealed search warrant affidavit from a detective investigating Eric's death shows that, at one point, authorities were looking into a possible link between his alleged murder and the death of another woman, the partner of Kouri's mother, Lisa Darden.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office detective who submitted a search warrant for Darden's phone in May 2023 and said (via Fox News Digital) Daren and a woman with whom "she was having a romantic relationship" were living together, when the partner "died unexpectedly."

The cause of death was deemed drug poisoning from an overdose of oxycodone, a drug which the woman did have a current prescription for at the time of her death. She had also, allegedly, "recently struggled with abusing her meds." The detective claimed the woman "was not in a state of recovery from addiction at the time of her death," leading him to "likely rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose."

The detective also claimed Darden was named as a beneficiary of her partner's estate "a short time before her death," pointed out how she and Kouri spoke "almost daily" and said some of Darden's messages showed "disdain for Eric."

All this led the detective to conclude that, "Based on Lisa Darden’s proximity to her partner's suspicious overdose death, and her relationship with Kouri, it is possible she was involved in planning and orchestrating Eric's death."

It's unclear what, if anything, became of the warrant; Darden has not been charged with any crime.

Richins' attorney Skye Lazaro -- who isn't representing Darden -- released a statement to NBC slamming the allegations made by the detectives as a "baseless conspiracy theory."

"Summit County is well aware that opioid addiction and fentanyl overdose is a rampant problem throughout the country," Lazaro said. "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.' It is tragic, and unfortunately, quite common."

"The fact that Ms. Darden was the beneficiary of her romantic partner's life insurance policy is also not unique," added Lazaro. "It only demonstrates that her circumstances are no different than most families in America."

A spokesperson for Eric Richins, meanwhile, told KUTV that the details in the search warrant "makes it more likely that Kouri could have said yes that that's something that occurs once before, it worked, let's try it again."

Paramedics responded to the home of Eric and Kouri Richins on March 4, 2022 after getting a call about an unresponsive male. EMS attempted to revive Eric, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy then confirmed Eric died from a fentanyl overdose -- with the medical examiner saying the levels in his system were "five times the lethal dosage."

Kouri was later arrested and accused of killing her husband after allegedly procuring a fatal amount of fentanyl from an acquaintance. She has denied the allegations and is awaiting trial.

In the months leading up to her arrest, Kouri had been busy promoting her children's book, "Are You with Me?", which came out on March 6, 2023 and -- according to the Amazon listing -- "gently guides children through the difficult experience of losing a loved one."

For more stories on the case, click below.