A Utah mother who published a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for his murder. Kouri Richins, 35, was convicted in March of lacing her husband Eric's cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022.
Judge Richard Mrazik handed down the sentence on what would have been Eric Richins's 44th birthday, stating: 'A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.' Prosecutors said Richins, a real estate agent with a house-flipping business, was millions in debt and planning a future with another man. She had taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate, worth more than $4m.
Jurors also found Richins guilty of four other felonies, including attempted murder for trying to poison her husband weeks earlier with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine's Day. Richins has consistently maintained her innocence, calling the verdict 'an absolute lie.' Her case attracted widespread attention when she was arrested in 2023 while promoting her children's book, Are You With Me?, about a boy dealing with his father's death.
During the hearing, Eric's sister Amy Richins expressed relief at the verdict, saying the family could now focus on supporting his three sons, who were aged nine, seven and five at the time of his death. In a prosecutor's memo, the boys told the judge they would feel unsafe if their mother were ever released. The eldest, now 13, said: 'I'm afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family.'
The trial ended early when Richins waived her right to testify and her legal team rested without calling witnesses. Prosecutors presented text messages between Richins and her lover in which she fantasised about leaving her husband and gaining millions in a divorce. They also showed internet search history from her phone, including queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
