Utah | Woman Who Wrote Children’s Book on Grief Gets Life Sentence for Killing Husband

PARK CITY, Utah (DPN) — Kouri Richins, a Utah real estate agent who authored a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death, received a life sentence without the possibility of parole Wednesday for poisoning him with a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik imposed the maximum penalty on what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday. Kouri Richins, 36, remained largely impassive as the judge delivered the ruling in a Park City courtroom.

A jury convicted Richins in March of aggravated murder for mixing five times a lethal dose of fentanyl into her husband’s cocktail at their home near Park City in March 2022. Jurors also found her guilty of attempted aggravated murder, two counts of insurance fraud and forgery.

Prosecutors said Richins, then a 35-year-old mother of three who ran a house-flipping business, faced millions in debt and had secretly taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband. She aimed to claim his estate, valued at more than $4 million, and begin a new life with another man, according to evidence presented in court.

The case gained national attention after her 2023 arrest while she was promoting her self-published children’s book, “Are You with Me?,” which follows a boy dealing with the loss of his father.

In statements submitted to the court before sentencing, Eric Richins’ sons — who were 9, 7 and 5 at the time of his death — expressed fear of their mother and opposed any possibility of her release. The oldest boy, now 13, wrote that he worried she would target him and his brothers if freed and might harm them. The middle child said he believed he could lead a happy life free of fear with her incarcerated. The youngest described feeling terrified at the idea of her leaving prison.

Eric Richins’ sister, Amy Richins, expressed relief after the conviction, saying the family had achieved justice for her brother and could now concentrate on helping the boys heal.

Trial evidence included text messages in which Richins discussed leaving her husband and accessing millions of dollars, along with internet searches on her phone about lethal fentanyl amounts, conditions in luxury prisons and how poisoning shows up on death certificates.

Prosecutors also detailed a prior attempt on Valentine’s Day 2022, when Eric Richins consumed a fentanyl-laced sandwich made by his wife, experienced a severe reaction and self-treated with an EpiPen and Benadryl.

Defense attorneys contended that Eric Richins had a hidden painkiller addiction and questioned the credibility of the prosecution’s main witness, a housekeeper who admitted selling fentanyl to Kouri Richins. The defense rested without presenting witnesses, and the jury convicted Richins on all charges after deliberating for under three hours.

Utah law allows a sentence of 25 years to life or life without parole for aggravated murder. Prosecutors requested the harshest option, with consecutive terms for the other convictions. Richins faces dozens of additional financial charges in a separate case.

Her legal team has indicated it will appeal both the conviction and sentence. Richins remains in custody.

Source: DPN, News outlets, Staff, AI, May 14, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

Death Penalty News For a World without the Death Penalty

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