Kouri Richins says she found her husband, Eric, unresponsive in his bed in the early morning hours of March 4, 2022. She said his death was an accident, but a year later she was arrested and charged with murder. The circumstances surrounding Eric Richins' death will be explored in “The People v. Kouri Richins,” a new 48 Hours episode reported by contributor Natalie Morales, airing Saturday, February 24, 2024 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Khoury's family says she's not only lost the father of her three young sons and her husband of nine years — she's also lost a major business deal worth millions of dollars.
Khoury ran a real estate company that specialized in buying and selling homes for profit. According to her mother, Lisa Darden, new projects constantly arose and Khoury was “averaging” three properties at a time. Darden watched Khoury build her business from the ground up and was proud of her success. Greg Hall was Khoury's friend and marketing director. He says Khoury's success was because she had something that a lot of people don't. “You often hear people say they're smart but they don't have common sense, or they don't have both common sense and intelligence. She had both. She was a remarkable young woman,” Hall said.
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Before Eric's death, Khoury was working on the biggest home-flip deal of her career, according to Darden. The project was a 10-acre parcel in Heber City, Utah, just a stone's throw from the famed Park City ski resort. It was a prime location. “When she was working on the idea of flipping homes, I think it was her dream to do something like this,” Khoury's lawyer, Sky Lazaro, told Morales as he gave her a tour of the property.
The 20,000-square-foot mansion and 4,000-square-foot guesthouse were originally built in 2017 but never completed. Khoury discovered the abandoned project in 2019 and, along with a group of investors, made an offer to buy it for $3.9 million. According to Lazaro, Khoury's plan for the property was to “turn it into a recreational spot, because this is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world, and hopefully sell it for a profit.” Khoury's mother said she was blown away by the possibilities. “She and Eric spoke with an accountant once, and they said they could get $12 million if they could complete it within their budget,” Darden said.
The 20,000-square-foot mansion and 4,000-square-foot guesthouse are located in Heber City, Utah, not far from the famous Park City Ski Resort. They were originally built in 2017 but never completed. Koori Richins discovered the abandoned project in 2019 and, along with a group of investors, made an offer to purchase it for $3.9 million. CBS News
Darden said Khoury and Eric were excited about the occasion and were celebrating completing the closing of the mansion the night Eric died. “Eric said let's have a drink. Let's celebrate Mr. Khoury,” she said. And the celebration continued. Khoury told investigators that later that night, she poured Eric another Moscow Mule before the two went to sleep. A few hours later, Khoury said she found Eric unresponsive in bed. Khoury completed the closing of the property the next day, according to court documents.
But Eric's family spokesman, Greg Skordas, said Eric didn't want Khoury to buy the house. “I don't think he was ever in favor of it,” Skordas said. Days after Eric's death, family members told investigators that Eric and his wife had “argued” about buying the house. Eric's family believes Khoury was determined to go ahead with the project despite Eric's opposition.
Her hopes for the project — and a possible $12 million reward — disappeared when Kouri Richins was arrested and charged with the death of her husband. The home is back on the market and recently sold for $3.75 million.