Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins convicted in husband’s murder

Kouri Richins, the Utah children’s book author accused of poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced drink before publishing a book about grief for their children, was found guilty in his 2022 death.

Prosecutors alleged the mother of three murdered her husband, Eric Richins, in a calculated scheme to collect millions of dollars in life insurance and gain control of the couple’s finances. 

Richins has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty, with her defense arguing the state failed to prove she was responsible for the fatal dose of fentanyl found in his system.

Richins, 35, of Kamas, Utah, was charged with aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, two counts of fraudulent insurance claims and forgery in connection with her husband’s death.

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Richins now faces the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison after the jury found her guilty on all counts. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 13 at 9:30 a.m. MST.

The case drew intense national attention in part because Richins later authored a children’s book about coping with grief titled “Are You With Me?”, which she said was meant to help her three young sons process the loss of their father.

Prosecutors alleged Richins poisoned her husband with a cocktail laced with illicit fentanyl while the couple was celebrating at their home in March 2022.

A medical examiner later determined Eric Richins had more than five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system, according to charging documents.

Authorities also said Eric Richins’ gastric fluid contained 16,000 ng/ml of quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication sometimes prescribed as a sleep aid.

Investigators argued the fatal poisoning was not the first attempt on Eric Richins’ life.

Court records claim Richins tried to poison her husband weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day 2022, slipping fentanyl into his favorite sandwich.

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According to investigators, Eric Richins broke out in hives and struggled to breathe after eating the sandwich. He used his son’s EpiPen and took Benadryl before falling asleep for several hours. He survived the incident.

Prosecutors argued Richins killed her husband as part of a plan to collect millions of dollars in life insurance proceeds.

Court documents say she purchased multiple life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million and later changed the beneficiary to herself without her husband’s authorization.

Authorities said Eric Richins discovered the change and switched the beneficiary back to his business partner.

Investigators also alleged Richins planned to use the insurance money to finish and flip a $2 million mansion in Wasatch County, an investment Eric Richins’ family said he did not approve of.

A forensic accountant testified during the trial that Richins was $7.5 million in debt before her husband’s death. Jurors heard her accounts were repeatedly overdrawn and that she owed roughly $80,000 a month in expenses.

The accountant also testified Richins had turned to multiple payday lenders, at one point paying four lenders roughly $2,100 a day, and that she closed on a $2.9 million mansion the same day Eric Richins died.

Prosecutors said she spent $1.35 million in life insurance proceeds within three months of his death.

Jurors heard three weeks of testimony from family members, investigators, forensic experts and law enforcement officials.

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A close friend and business partner of Eric Richins testified that he never saw Eric use illicit drugs, contradicting any suggestion the fentanyl found in his system came from his own drug use.

Investigators also told jurors that Eric Richins’ sister said he had expressed fears that Kouri might be trying to kill him before his death.

The trial also featured testimony from Richins’ former boyfriend, with jurors shown text messages in which he wrote that it was “draining to love you,” while another message allegedly from Richins read: “I am in love with a man that’s not my husband.”

Jurors also heard that Eric Richins had consulted a divorce lawyer and made changes to his estate planning to shift assets to his children before his death.

A family friend testified that Richins once said she felt “trapped” in her marriage and worried a prenuptial agreement could leave her financially worse off if the couple divorced.

One of the trial’s key witnesses was Carmen Lauber, the Richins family housekeeper, who testified she helped obtain drugs for Richins.

Lauber said Richins initially asked for pain pills in early 2022, claiming an “investor” wanted something stronger. She later testified that Richins referred to the request as seeking the “Michael Jackson stuff,” a phrase prosecutors said referred to powerful drugs.

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Lauber told jurors she left pills for Richins and that Richins later left $1,000 at her home to purchase more drugs.

Prosecutors argued those purchases eventually led to illicit drugs containing fentanyl.

Prosecutors also presented a series of text messages and phone records during the trial.

Jurors saw messages Richins allegedly sent after her husband’s death stating “they will not take from me what is mine.”

Another message shown during testimony included Richins telling a friend, “If I die, Eric did it.”

A forensic analyst also testified that hundreds of text messages were deleted from one of Richins’ phones between January and mid-March 2022.

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Richins’ defense team sought to challenge the prosecution’s narrative throughout the trial.

Defense attorneys questioned investigators about delays in reports and missing notes, and pressed law enforcement over evidence handling during the early stages of the investigation.

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A state toxicologist also acknowledged during testimony that Eric Richins could have taken fentanyl before consuming the drink, potentially raising questions about prosecutors’ claim that Richins secretly laced his Moscow mule.

Defense lawyers also scrutinized the handling of evidence collected from the home where Eric Richins died, including phones, THC gummies and items mapped during a 3D scan of the residence.

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During closing arguments, Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors Richins wanted the appearance of a perfect life and financial success.

“She wanted the perfect life. Or, at least, the appearance of a perfect life,” Bloodworth said.

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Bloodworth argued Richins wanted to leave her husband but maintain access to his money.

He also replayed the first minute of the 911 call placed the morning Eric Richins was found dead, telling jurors it revealed more than shock.

“It was not the sound of a wife becoming a widow,” Bloodworth said. “It was the sound of a wife becoming a black widow.”

“The evidence proves that Kouri Richins murdered, attempted to murder Eric Richins,” he told jurors.

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In a statement following closing arguments, Richins’ attorneys, Wendy Lewis, Kathy Nester and Alex Ramos, said the case now rests where it belongs: with the jury.

They thanked jurors for the care and attention they showed during three weeks of testimony and argued prosecutors failed to meet the high legal standard required for a conviction.

“For nearly three years the public has heard accusations about Kouri that created a narrative far beyond this courtroom,” the attorneys said. “But in court, accusations are not enough. The law requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The defense said Richins has maintained her innocence since the beginning of the case and expressed confidence in the jury system, adding they hope she will ultimately be able to return home to her three sons and rebuild her life.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.