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Kouri Richins’ mother possibly helped kill daughter’s husband, investigation shows

Lisa Darden was investigated after her romantic partner died of an overdose in 2006.

(Rick Bowmer | AP) Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who authorities say fatally poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, then wrote a children's book about grieving, looks on during a hearing Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Park City.

As Kouri Richins sits in jail awaiting trial on charges alleging that she murdered her husband by poisoning him with a lethal dose of fentanyl, new documents show that her mother was investigated for a death similar in nature and could have played a role in her son-in-law’s death.

“Nothing about this seems really surprising because we always felt that Kouri’s mother was in some way involved in this,” said Greg Skordas, the spokesperson for Eric Richins’ family.

A search warrant issued in the Kouri Richins investigation shows how detectives looked into her associates, including Kouri’s mother, Lisa Darden. In the warrant, a detective wrote that in 2006, Darden was “living with an adult female with whom she was having a romantic relationship. In April of that year, her romantic partner died unexpectedly.”

According to the detective, an autopsy performed on Darden’s partner found she died from an overdose of oxycodone. While the partner had a prescription for the highly-addictive drug, the detective wrote in the warrant that she “was not in a state of recovery from addiction at the time of her death.”

“This is just more — I think — evidence against Kouri even though it’s purportedly looking at her mother,” said Skordas.

The detective said that due to the current state of her recovery, it would “likely rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose.”

Read more at fox13now.com.

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