Kouri Richins was convicted after prosecutors said she poisoned her husband for money.
PARK CITY, Utah — A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband died was sentenced Wednesday to life without parole for murdering him with fentanyl.
Kouri Richins, 35, was convicted in March in the death of her husband, Eric Richins. The case drew wide attention because she promoted a grief book after his death while investigators built a case that she had poisoned him at their home near Kamas.
Judge Richard Mrazik gave Richins the harshest available sentence for aggravated murder. He said the evidence showed she tried once to kill Eric Richins, failed, then prepared another attempt 17 days later. Mrazik said the killing caused deep harm to the couple’s children and Eric Richins’ family.
Prosecutors said Richins mixed fentanyl into a Moscow Mule cocktail in March 2022. They said Eric Richins died with about five times a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. Jurors also convicted her of attempted murder after evidence showed she had earlier given him a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
The trial focused in part on money. Prosecutors said Richins ran a house-flipping business, carried large debts and had taken out life insurance policies on her husband. They said she wrongly believed she would inherit more than $4 million from his estate. The jury also found her guilty of two insurance fraud counts and one forgery count.
Richins told the court she did not kill her husband. Speaking to her sons, who were not in the courtroom, she said she loved them and would not stop fighting the case. “I will not be blamed for something I did not do,” she said.
Defense lawyers said they will appeal. Lewis, one of Richins’ attorneys, said Richins has regrets but cannot admit to murder because she still denies the charge. The defense had asked for a sentence that could allow parole later.
Eric Richins’ family pushed for life without parole. His father, Gene Richins, said the family missed him every day. Statements from the couple’s sons said they feared their mother could hurt them if she were ever released.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office called the sentencing a somber day to remember Eric Richins and those who loved him. Richins is due back in court July 31 for a restitution hearing, and separate financial charges remain pending.
Author note: Last updated May 14, 2026.