A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death was convicted on Monday of fatally poisoning her spouse with fentanyl four years ago.
Kouri Richins, 35, of Kamas, was found guilty of aggravated murder and four other charges by a Summit County jury, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The other charges included one count of attempted aggravated murder, two counts of insurance fraud and one count of forgery, according to KTVX.
The jury deliberated for just under three hours before reaching a verdict, The Associated Press reported. Jurors agreed that Kouri Richins killed her husband for “pecuniary gain” and that she committed the crime by giving her husband a lethal substance.
A Summit County jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching its unanimous verdict, after more than two weeks of testimony. https://t.co/yk6L5UuElD
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) March 17, 2026
Prosecutors said that Kouri Richins was $4.5 million in debt and falsely believed that when her husband died, she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million, the AP reported.
“She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said.
Richins showed little emotion after the unanimous verdicts, exhaling before sitting down and staring down toward the defense’s table, the Tribune reported.
Her husband, Eric Richins, 39, died from an overdose of the opioid on March 4, 2022, the Tribune reported. Kouri Richins was charged with his murder in May 2023, a few months after she published a children’s book about coping with grief.
The self-published book was titled “Are You with Me?” and Kouri Richins promoted it on local radio and television stations, the AP reported.
The jury found Kouri Richins guilty of attempted murder, determining that Eric Richins became ill after eating a poisoned sandwich on Feb. 14, 2022, according to the newspaper.
Amy Richins, the sister of Eric Richins, released a statement on behalf of the family after the verdict, according to KSL.
“We are grateful for everyone who was working tirelessly to bring justice for Eric,” she said. “Our focus is now on honoring Eric’s life and supporting his voice, as we all continue to heal.
“It’s been a long time coming … (We’re) just very happy that she got what was coming.”
The prosecution called more than 40 witnesses after the trial began on Feb. 23, the Tribune reported. Kouri Richins did not testify in her defense, and her attorneys did not call any witnesses.
One of Eric Richins’ cousins told KTVX that the entire process was difficult.
“It’s been rough to relive it. It’s one thing to have someone to die and then a year later to have the circumstance kind of flip and you have to deal with that again,” she said.
Kouri Richins will be sentenced on May 13, which would have been her husband’s 44th birthday, the Tribune reported.
The aggravated murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to the AP.
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