A Utah mother who published a children's book about grief after the sudden death of her husband has been found guilty of his murder. A jury found that Kouri Richins killed her husband in March 2022 by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink. The jury deliberated the case for about three hours before reaching its verdict on Monday.
During the trial, the court heard how Richins, 35, had racked up millions of dollars in debt, had taken out life insurance policies on her husband, and was having an extramarital affair. Prosecutors called more than 40 witnesses, including the woman who said she sold the drugs used to kill Eric Richins.
Her defense team chose to not call any witnesses, and rested their case without having her take the stand to testify in her own defense. Richins was also found guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband's death at their home outside the ski resort town of Park City. Prosecutors stated she falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million after he died. They also revealed that she was planning a future with another man whom she had been seeing.
Officials indicated that Richins had poisoned her husband's sandwich in an earlier incident, which nearly killed him, before eventually taking it further leading to his death. She was also found guilty of attempted murder over this initial incident.
Richins pleaded not guilty to all the charges, with aggravated murder carrying a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison. She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money, stated Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth.
Richins was arrested in March 2023, two months after she published the picture book 'Are You With Me?', designed to assist individuals, including her three children, in coping with the loss of a loved one. She had previously dedicated the book to her husband, describing him as 'my amazing husband and a wonderful father.'
During the trial, the court heard how Richins, 35, had racked up millions of dollars in debt, had taken out life insurance policies on her husband, and was having an extramarital affair. Prosecutors called more than 40 witnesses, including the woman who said she sold the drugs used to kill Eric Richins.
Her defense team chose to not call any witnesses, and rested their case without having her take the stand to testify in her own defense. Richins was also found guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband's death at their home outside the ski resort town of Park City. Prosecutors stated she falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million after he died. They also revealed that she was planning a future with another man whom she had been seeing.
Officials indicated that Richins had poisoned her husband's sandwich in an earlier incident, which nearly killed him, before eventually taking it further leading to his death. She was also found guilty of attempted murder over this initial incident.
Richins pleaded not guilty to all the charges, with aggravated murder carrying a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison. She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money, stated Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth.
Richins was arrested in March 2023, two months after she published the picture book 'Are You With Me?', designed to assist individuals, including her three children, in coping with the loss of a loved one. She had previously dedicated the book to her husband, describing him as 'my amazing husband and a wonderful father.'
