Sneak peek: Kouri Richins: Behind the Facade | Forensic Files

This case is about a wife and a mother who found herself [music] in perhaps a failing marriage, a business in trouble.
What's your first name? And took, some could argue, an easy way out. I think she really wanted to
improve her life and be free and be rich and have this facade of being the successful person that she wanted to be.
My name is Eric. My name is Laura and we served as jurors in the Kouri Richins trial. Please have a seat.
Kouri Richins didn't seem to me like someone with a very strong moral compass. Eric Richins was found dead in his home
on March 4th, 2022. Eric was married to Kouri Richins and they had three [music] children.
Ma'am, what is the status of the emergency? He's just cold. He's just cold. I thought I just came in the bed in our
bed and I turned over and he's He's just cold. He's just cold. What happened today?
He was just fine. He was fine. I don't know. It just It didn't The family had been alerted by Eric that
if something happened to him to look at Kouri. It was almost like they knew something
like this could happen someday. This was in the months leading up to his death. Right. He felt that his life could be at
risk. Right. They suspected Kouri would take part in his death before it happened.
The state alleged that Kouri Richins killed her husband Eric by giving him a lethal dose of fentanyl. A Summit County
woman who wrote a children's book about coping with grief following her husband's death now accused of being the
one that actually killed him. The book was to honor him, to express to these boys to remember their father.
She's accused essentially [music] murdering the person who is the topic of the book. Words of wisdom, do not write
books while you're being investigated. >> As we were preparing for [music] trial,
>> Kouri was 100% pure goodness and kindness. She's a good, good human being. She might have had these good sides to
her where she was giving, but she was willing to give that part up. Did Kouri Richens ever ask you to
purchase for her illicit drugs? Yes. Based upon [music] the testimony and the evidence we saw against Kouri, I
came to see her as pretty cold and pretty calculating. You have to understand that the jurors
did not know her. They didn't know her. There was no smoking gun in [music] this
case. There was one thing in this case that was absolutely [music] Kouri did it and
there's no question. She basically sacrificed her husband to get what she wanted.
>> [music] >> My sweet baby boys, in as much as you've been influenced into thinking that dad was murdered,
that I took your dad from you, that [snorts] is completely wrong. It's an absolute lie.
Kouri did not just kill Eric. She attempted to kill the spirit of everyone who loved him. She lied to his children.
She lied to the world and has shown no remorse while dancing on his grave for profit.

ALL NEW: Scared of their own mother. Why the children of convicted killer Kouri Richins want her to stay behind bars. "48 Hours" correspondent Natalie Morales reports Saturday, May 23 at 10/9c* on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. [Airs following the WNBA on CBS)

True crime. Social justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Kouri Richins is accused of murdering her husband Eric for financial gain, with jurors sharing their insights from the trial.

Key points

Kouri Richins: A Troubling Case. Kouri Richins is accused of murdering her husband Eric, raising questions about her character.
A Mother's Betrayal. Kouri is accused of sacrificing her husband for personal gain, shocking her family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Words of wisdom, do not write books while you're being investigated.

Comment on Kouri's children's book amidst the investigation.

2:08WatchMay 21, 2026

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