The court also found Richins guilty of making false insurance claims after her husband’s death. Reuters
A Utah jury has found a mother and children’s author guilty of killing her husband, closing a case that has drawn wide attention for its disturbing details.
Jury Reaches Verdict
Kouri Richins, 35, received a guilty verdict after a jury reviewed evidence for about three hours. The court found that she poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022 by giving him a drink mixed with fentanyl.
The jury also found her guilty of attempted murder for an earlier incident and of fraud related to insurance claims made after his death.
Financial Trouble and Hidden Life
Prosecutors told the court that Richins faced serious financial problems and had built up millions of dollars in debt. They said she took out life insurance policies on her husband and expected to gain access to his estate, which she believed held more than $4 million.
They also stated that she carried on a relationship with another man and planned a future with him.
"She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money," said Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth.
Evidence Presented in Court
Prosecutors called more than 40 witnesses during the trial. Among them was a woman who said she supplied the drugs used in the crime.
Court documents showed that Richins contacted a person linked to drug offences and first asked for prescription pain medication. She later requested something stronger, asking for fentanyl and referring to it as “some of the Michael Jackson stuff.”
In February 2022, shortly after obtaining the drug, she shared a Valentine’s Day meal with her husband. He became seriously ill afterward.
"Eric believed that he had been poisoned," the court documents said. "Eric told a friend that he thought his wife was trying to poison him."
Final Night and Death
Prosecutors said Richins later obtained more fentanyl. On March 4, 2022, she called police during the night and reported that she found her husband unresponsive.
She told officers that she had given him a vodka drink in bed and then left the room to comfort one of their children. When she returned, she said she found him “cold to the touch.”
A medical examiner later confirmed that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose. Tests showed he had five times the amount considered lethal.
Defence Strategy
Richins denied all charges throughout the trial. Her legal team did not call any witnesses, and she did not testify in her own defence.
Book Published Before Arrest
Just weeks before her arrest in March 2023, Richins released a children’s book about grief titled Are You With Me?. She said the book aimed to help families cope with the loss of a loved one.
"We wrote this book and we're really hoping that it provides some comfort for not just obviously, our family, but other families that are going through the same thing," she told radio station KPCW in an interview before her arrest.
She dedicated the book to her husband, describing him as "my amazing husband and a wonderful father".
Sentencing Ahead
Richins now faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison for aggravated murder. The case has left many shocked, given the contrast between her public image and the details revealed in court.
