A mother of three from Utah wrote a children's book about sadness and pain after the death of her husband, who was accused of his murder.

Kory Rishens, 33, was arrested on Monday on charges of murdering her husband, Eric Rishens, in March 2022. According to the "Associated Press," she was accused of poisoning her husband with fentanyl at their home in Camas, Utah, a small town located in the mountains near Park City.

Prosecutors said Mrs. Rishens called authorities late in March last year to report that her husband's body was "very cold."

Rishens told police that she had prepared a vodka cocktail to celebrate closing a house sale before leaving him alone to help one of her three children sleep in his room.

She claimed that when she returned, she found him unresponsive and motionless and called emergency services.

The medical examiner found that Eric Rishens' body contained a fentanyl dose five times the lethal amount.

Rishens was charged with murder as well as possession of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a drug commonly used recreationally in nightclubs, according to the "Associated Press."

The charges were based on police interviews with Mrs. Rishens and testimony from an "unnamed person" who said they sold fentanyl to Rishens.

The charges came two months after Rishens appeared on a local TV channel to talk about her illustrated book "Are you with me?" which she wrote to help children cope after losing a loved one.

Rishens appeared on a segment titled "Good Things Utah" and said her husband's death was unexpected and described how it negatively affected her and her three sons, all boys.

She said that grief for the boys meant "making sure the departed's spirit is always alive in our home." She told the local TV channel: "It's about explaining to my kids that their father's absence in body does not mean he is not present with us."

A police search warrant stated that Rishens died on March 4, 2022.

According to KPCW radio, the Rishens family is prominent in Summit County. The Rishens building at the Kimball Junction is named after a family member, Sheldon Rishens.

Members of Eric Rishens' family said they suspected his wife’s involvement in his murder shortly after his death. The search warrant showed that he "had warned them that if any harm came to him, his wife should be blamed."

One of Rishens' sisters claimed he called her a few years ago while on vacation in Greece. He alleged that one of the drinks his wife made him made him very ill. His sister claimed that Mrs. Rishens had previously tried to kill her brother.

The search warrant added that Rishens was arrested while changing her husband's life insurance policy to make herself the sole beneficiary.

During last year's Valentine's Day, less than a month before his death, Rishens suffered a severe allergic reaction after dinner with his wife. He developed a rash, was unable to breathe, and fainted after taking Benadryl allergy medicine and using his son's EpiPen.

According to court documents, Mrs. Rishens purchased fentanyl pills for $900 a few days before that dinner. She requested to buy more for $900 shortly before her husband's death.

Before his death, Rishens changed the beneficiary on his will and the general power of attorney from his wife to his sister. The police memo revealed that he believed his wife might "kill him for money."

The search warrant stated that Rishens was planning to divorce his wife but the proceedings would have started around the time of his death.

Rishens published her book on March 7 this year and told KPCW radio a few weeks later that it was "designed to offer consolation and comfort to young children."

Last month, she told the same radio that the book was inspired by questions her children asked. She said: "They always ask me, 'Is my dad with us?' because they feel sad knowing he is no longer physically present."

Source: The Independent