A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about grief following her husband’s death has been found guilty of murdering him.
A jury convicted Kouri Richins, 35, of killing her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022 by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink. The verdict was reached after approximately three hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors argued that Richins was motivated by financial gain, citing millions of dollars in debt, multiple life insurance policies taken out on her husband, and an extramarital affair. She was also found guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after his death.
The court heard testimony from more than 40 witnesses, including a woman who said she supplied the drugs used in the killing. The defence did not call any witnesses, and Richins did not testify.
According to prosecutors, this was not an isolated incident. Evidence presented in court showed that she had previously attempted to poison her husband by lacing his food, nearly killing him. She was also convicted of attempted murder in connection with that earlier episode.
Authorities said Richins believed she would inherit an estate worth more than $4 million, though prosecutors stated this assumption was incorrect. “She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” said Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth.
Richins had pleaded not guilty to all charges. She now faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison on the most serious count of aggravated murder.
The case drew widespread attention due to its unusual circumstances. Two months before her arrest in 2023, Richins had published a children’s book titled Are You With Me?, which she said was intended to help families cope with loss. She dedicated the book to her husband, describing him as “an amazing husband and a wonderful father.”
Court documents revealed that in the months leading up to the killing, Richins sought prescription painkillers before requesting stronger substances, including fentanyl—referring to it in messages as “some of the Michael Jackson stuff.”
On the night of 4 March 2022, she called emergency services, saying she had found her husband unresponsive in their home near Park City. She told investigators she had given him a vodka drink before going to sleep elsewhere in the house.
A medical examiner later determined that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, with five times the lethal dose found in his system.
