Utah woman who wrote book on grief gets life without parole for killing husband | US crime
A Utah mother who published a children’s book about the grief following her husband’s death and was later convicted of killing him was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for spiking her husband’s cocktail with a five-fold lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022.
“A person convicted of these things is too dangerous to ever be free,” Judge Richard Mrazi said as he handed down the sentence on the day her late husband, Eric Richins, would have turned 44.
Prosecutors said Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent who did domestic work, was millions in debt and was planning a future with another man. She had taken out multiple life insurance policies without Eric Richins’ knowledge and mistakenly believed that she would inherit assets worth more than $4 million after his death.
Jurors in Park City also found Richins guilty of four other felonies, including attempted murder, for trying to poison her husband with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day weeks earlier.
Richins stood firm in his claim of innocence, saying on Wednesday the verdict was “an absolute lie”.
His case fascinated true crime buffs in 2023 when he was arrested while promoting his children’s book Are You With Me? It’s about a boy trying to cope with his father’s death.
Family members of Eric Richins passed pocket-sized packages of tissues from hand to hand as Richins wore a lime green prison uniform and chatted with his attorneys Wednesday morning. His lawyers declined to comment ahead of the hearing.
Eric Richins’ sister, Amy Richins, said after the verdict that she was “very happy we got justice for my brother” and that she could now focus solely on supporting her sons, who were nine, seven and five when their father died.
In a memo presented by prosecutors before the hearing, the sons told the judge they would not feel safe if their mother was released from prison.
“I’m afraid if he gets out he’ll come after me, my siblings, my whole family,” said the oldest boy, now 13. “I guess he’ll come and get us and not do good things like hurt us.”
The middle child, now 11, said he was sad that his father wouldn’t be able to be there for important milestones. While behind bars, his mother said he could “live a happy and successful life without fear.” [her] It hurts me or anyone I love.”
The youngest said she would be “very scared” if her mother was released.
The trial was scheduled for five weeks but ended early when Richins waived his right to testify and his legal team rested the case without calling any witnesses. His lawyers said they were confident prosecutors did not present enough evidence to convict him of murder.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the mother of three as a money-hungry murderer. They showed the jury text messages between Richins and her lover in which she fantasized about leaving her husband and making millions through the divorce. Prosecutors also viewed internet search history from Richins’ phone, which included queries about a lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning was marked on the death certificate.
Associated Press contributed reporting
