A jury in Utah found Kouri Richins guilty on all charges in the March 2022 poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins. Jurors deliberated about three hours before returning the verdict.
Richins, 35, was accused of mixing and serving her husband a Moscow Mule cocktail she allegedly laced with fentanyl at their home near Park City. Prosecutors said the drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly dose of the opioid. She faced multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. Additional counts included mortgage fraud and forgery after she allegedly signed to close on a multimillion-dollar real estate deal the day after her husband died. Richins pleaded not guilty to all charges. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 13.
When the verdict was read, Richins, wearing a white blouse with pale blue and peach-colored flowers, looked down and began breathing heavily. “Honestly, I feel like we’re all in shock. It’s been a long time coming,” Eric Richins’ sister, Amy Richins, told The Associated Press, adding that the family was very happy to have obtained justice for her brother.
Richins’ trial began in February at the Summit County Courthouse in Park City and lasted about three weeks, including 13 days of testimony. Her defense team did not call any witnesses, and Richins declined to testify. Prosecutors portrayed her as motivated by financial gain.
During the investigation, family members told law enforcement they suspected Kouri Richins. Court filings recount that Eric believed she had once tried to harm him on a trip to Greece years earlier. In another incident, he developed hives and had difficulty breathing after eating a sandwich his wife made for him on Valentine’s Day 2022, shortly before his death. A neighbor testified at trial that Richins had said around Christmas 2021, after a fight, that it would be better if her husband were dead.
Court documents showed Eric was considering divorce and had argued with his wife over whether to buy a $2 million mansion she planned to flip for her real estate business. Prosecutors said Kouri Richins had been named beneficiary on multiple life insurance policies on her husband—purchased without his knowledge between 2015 and 2017—and that he had tried to remove her from those policies and from his will not long before he died. The day after his death, she allegedly signed papers finalizing the mansion purchase.
Within a year of Eric Richins’ death, Kouri Richins drew attention as the author of a children’s picture book about coping with loss titled “Are You with Me?” She promoted the book on local television, describing challenges she and her three sons faced after the unexpected death of their father. She was arrested in May 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.