Kouri Richins Murdered Her Husband For Money
And domestic violence activists have nothing to say
Janice Fiamengo, May 29, 2026
The case of Eric Richins, whose wife Kouri was recently convicted of his aggravated murder, is a case study of a man’s entrapment in an abusive and ultimately fatal marriage. Not surprisingly, however, his killing has not been discussed as an example of intimate-partner violence.
Hundreds of men—over one thousand in 2021—are murdered in the United States every year by their wives or girlfriends. But we are told repeatedly that because these murders are only a small percentage of domestic violence murders, they are of no importance.
Eric died in his bed on March 4, 2022, of a lethal dose of fentanyl that his wife Kouri had bought from her house-cleaner, Carmen Lauber. Eric was 39 years old, a successful businessman and father to three young boys. Kouri wanted Eric dead because she needed millions of dollars to save her house-flipping business, and killing him was the only way she could procure it. A pre-marital agreement had ruled out the usual method by which wives access husbands’ funds.