A Utah woman who gained national attention after publishing a children’s book about grief following her husband’s death has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his murder.
Kouri Richins, 35, was sentenced Wednesday in a Utah courtroom after being convicted earlier this year of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with a fentanyl-laced cocktail in 2022.
Prosecutors said she slipped a lethal amount of fentanyl into a Moscow Mule drink she prepared for him at their home near Park City.
During sentencing, Judge Richard Mrazik described Richins as “too dangerous to ever be free” as he handed down the life sentence without parole. The hearing took place on what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday.
Prosecutors argued that Richins was motivated by financial gain and presented evidence showing she had secretly taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband while facing mounting debt.
Authorities also alleged she believed she would inherit millions of dollars after his death.
Jurors found Richins guilty in March on several charges, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, insurance fraud, and forgery. Prosecutors said she had also attempted to poison her husband weeks earlier by giving him a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
The case drew widespread public attention after Richins published a children’s book titled *Are You With Me?* following her husband’s death. The book focused on helping children cope with the loss of a parent, and Richins frequently appeared in media interviews promoting it before her arrest in 2023.
Emotional victim impact statements were delivered during the sentencing hearing, including messages from the couple’s three sons, who reportedly expressed fear that their mother could harm them if she were ever released from prison.
Richins maintained her innocence during the hearing and called the verdict “an absolute lie,” according to courtroom reports. Her attorneys are expected to appeal the conviction.
The case has become one of Utah’s most closely followed murder trials in recent years, fueled by the unusual circumstances surrounding the children’s grief book and prosecutors’ claims that Richins attempted to portray herself publicly as a grieving widow while concealing the crime.
Video Credit: Court TV
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