11 May 2023 , 15:34
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A mum-of-three and children's author who allegedly killed her husband and then wrote a book helping children cope with grief showed red flags that she "hid the truth" about his death in a TV interview, according to an expert.
33-year-old Kouri Richins was arrested on Monday, May 8, in Utah, accused of killing her husband by mixing a lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail on March 4, 2022.
Just a month before her arrest she made an appearance on a local TV show to help promote her book and talk about how she overcame the grief of losing her husband.
After the appearance, an expert assessed her body language, and found some chilling red flags.
"We don't feel her underlying passion about the messaging when she's talking about her children," acclaimed body language expert Patti Wood has said.
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Kouri appeared on ABC4's 'Good Things Utah' to promote her book helping children overcome grief (KTVX)Speaking to the US Sun, she added: "She doesn't smile. She doesn't talk about it. She doesn't move forward towards the host... It's more rote and automatic, which could be grief and loss, but it's more than anything detachment from what she's talking about."
During her appearance on ABC4's 'Good Things Utah' before her arrest, she said: "My husband passed away unexpectedly last year. March 4 was a one-year anniversary for us. He was 39."
Talking about her book 'Are You With me?', she continued: "It completely took us all by shock. We have three little boys, 19, 9, and 6, and my kids and I kind of wote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced in the last year."
Analysing the interview, Ms Wood explained Richins used the phrase "you more" more than 40 times, which she explained could have been a secret ploy to protect herself. Wood, however, did note that it could be part of her normal speech pattern.
A body language expert has reviewed Richins' interview and come to some chilling conclusions (KTVX)She went on to explain that it could have been a desperate cry to be heard by those in the room, but said the phrase which "cut up communication" can reveal a "lack of honesty".
"When you make a definitive statement, typically when you're telling the truth, there's strength and delivery that goes from the first word to the end of the sentence," Ms Wood explained.
"When you're saying it and there's no interruption, that's one of the indications of a true statement. So when you have an interrupter like 'you know,' it's breaking up a sentence. It makes it easier for you to lie.
"It's not a straight-off indication of deceit, but it does make it easier because it's harder for [the listener] to distinguish."
Kouri and Eric Richins had three young boys, 10, 9, and 6 (Facebook)Prosecutors have said Richins called police in the middle of the night, reporting that her husband, Eric, was "cold to the touch". she told police she made her husband a cocktail to celebrate selling a home. Summit County deputies arrived at the couple's home at 3am on March 4, 2022, and discovered Eric dead in the couple's bedroom.
Richins told police one of their sons had a night terror so she left to go be with him. She said when she returned to her bedroom she noticed Eric's body was cold.
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The alleged killer also faces charged related to the alleged possession of GHB, a narcolepsy drug which is often used recreationally. Police have said an "unnamed acquaintance" claims to have sold her the fentanyl.
Ms Wood also analysed Richins' outfit and how she held herself during the interview. Dressed in a brown hooded leather jacket and dark jeans, she was seen sat with her hands gripping her crossed legs.
Kouri Richins, left, is accused of slipping a lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule she made her husband, Eric, right (Inside Edition)Ms Wood told the paper that this was not standard behaviour for an interview, and the show would have informed her about what clothes to normally wear.
Heavy clothes, Ms Wood said, would not be worn, nor would the colour brown or hoods.
But, Ms Wood speculates, what the clothing did was to protect the mum.
"You don't wear heavy things. You don't wear the colour brown, you don't wear hooded wear, but what it does do is it protects her."
Her jacket, made of thick fabric with long sleeves, allowed Richins to hide and protect herself, according to the body language expert, who went on to say it could even be an indication she was hiding the truth.
Her hands were tightly held and this exposed her tension, Ms Wood told the paper, and she employed a guarded position which could have been a desperate attempt to find confidence while talking about her husband's death.
And the fact her gestures came after her statements, show a lack of confidence.
Kouri and Eric Richins had reportedly had marriage issues according to one of Eric's sistersKouri and Eric Richins were reportedly having marriage issues, with one of Eric's two sisters also telling police he had called her while on holiday in Greece claiming his wife had made him a drink that made him sick.
She alleged that Eric believed his wife had tried to kill him at the time.
Eric Richins was described as a family man and devoted husband in his obituary which said: "He loved his family unconditionally, and was a devoted son, brother, and uncle.
"Eric was a family man, who always strove to be the absolute best father and husband. He was an attentive and loving father to his three children and a devoted husband to the love of his life, and wife of nine years, Kouri."