A mom from Utah accused of poisoning her husband has taken up an unusual pastime while in jail.
People might take on all manner of occupations to pass the time while behind bars, but for mom and widow Kouri Richins, there is one which is a little unusual for someone in her position.
The mom has been charged with killing her husband Eric Richins, with her being accused of poisoning him during a quiet celebration at their home in Kamas, Utah last year.
It is believed that she laced her husband's evening cocktail with fentanyl.
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Within just a few hours of her husband's death in March 2022, Richins told investigators that she had made him an evening cocktail. However, a lead detective has since testified that investigators at the scene never tested the cocktail glass for any traces of the substance.
Richins' family have claimed that her husband's family have accused her of allegedly poisoning him in an attempt to cover up his his struggles with drug addiction.
And now, in an unusual turn of events, Richins has claimed that she is writing a 'fictional mystery book' while behind bars, which is based loosely on her own life story.
It's not the first time that Richins has put pen to paper though, with the widow previously publishing a children's book about a child who lost his father in sudden circumstances.
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Now, she is claiming that the second book is a mystery thriller which is set in a jailhouse in Mexico, and that she is writing the book from her cell in Summit County, Utah.
The novel news has already raised eyebrows, with her brother Ronney Darden reassuring people that the book is 'loosely based on what’s going on, but definitely fiction'.
The news of the new novel comes after a six-page note, alleged to have been for 'tampering' with witnesses, was found in Richins' cell.
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The note, which was written to Richins' mother, has now been filed by prosecutors who are claiming that it contains evidence that she was urging Darden to 'testify or inform falsely'.
Richins' defence lawyer have said that filing the note constitutes a breach of a 'gag order' which was placed on all lawyers in the case. They called it “an extrajudicial statement made for the apparent purpose of influencing the court of public opinion.”
In the letter, Richins reminds her brother of a conversation he had with her husband about his struggle with drug addiction. She said that her husband had told her brother "not to tell me because I would get mad because I always said he just gets high every night and won’t help take care of the kids.”
The case continues.
Topics: News, US News, Crime, True crime