Kouri Richins Convicted of Aggravated Murder of Husband and Related Fraud Counts After Fentanyl Poisoning
A Summit County jury convicted 35‑year‑old Kouri Richins of aggravated murder and related counts — including attempted criminal homicide, forgery and insurance/mortgage fraud — in the March 2022 fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric, after about three hours of deliberation; Richins, who later wrote a children's grief book, did not testify and the defense called no witnesses. Prosecutors presented toxicology showing Eric had more than five times a lethal fentanyl level and alleged prior poisoning attempts and a financial motive tied to nearly $2 million in life insurance and multimillion‑dollar real‑estate debts; sentencing is scheduled for May 13, and she faces the possibility of life in prison.
📌 Key Facts
- A Summit County, Utah jury convicted Kouri Richins of aggravated murder in the March 2022 fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins, and found her guilty on all counts presented at trial, including attempted criminal homicide, two fraudulent insurance claims and forgery; jurors deliberated about three hours before returning the verdict.
- Sentencing is scheduled for May 13 at 9:30 a.m. MST (which would have been Eric’s 44th birthday); aggravated murder in Utah carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
- Prosecutors said Richins’ motive was financial: her house‑flipping business was allegedly millions in debt (a forensic accountant testified to about $7.5 million in debt and roughly $80,000 in monthly expenses with heavy payday‑lender use), and they presented evidence of nearly $2 million in life‑insurance policies taken out on Eric without his knowledge.
- Toxicology showed Eric had more than five times a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system and 16,000 ng/ml of quetiapine in gastric fluid; prosecutors allege Richins spiked his cocktail with orally ingested fentanyl after earlier attempts, including an alleged Valentine’s Day 2022 fentanyl‑laced sandwich that left him gravely ill.
- Trial testimony included a housekeeper saying she sold fentanyl pills to Richins twice in the weeks before Eric’s death (and once afterward), while another dealer testified he sold only oxycodone around the time; prosecutors also introduced texts and testimony about an alleged extramarital affair and statements by Richins expressing she wished Eric would 'go away.'
- Prosecutors detailed multiple alleged financial schemes and forgeries: a purportedly fraudulent 2019 power of attorney used to execute a $250,000 home‑equity line of credit, mortgage/forgery counts tied to a multimillion‑dollar real‑estate deal closed the day after Eric’s death, and evidence that Eric created a living trust in November 2020 naming his sister as trustee to keep Kouri from managing his property after his death.
- The defense argued investigators failed to test drinking glasses and did not adequately pursue accidental overdose or drug‑use explanations; the defense called no witnesses and Richins did not testify during the roughly three‑week trial, which included 13 days of testimony.
- Richins authored a children’s grief book and made media appearances after Eric’s death, a fact prosecutors highlighted; members of Kouri’s family publicly disputed the financial allegations and said she did not 'steal' from Eric.
- Separately, Richins faces 26 additional felony counts in another case alleging mortgage fraud, money laundering and issuing bad checks in the years leading up to Eric’s death.
📊 Relevant Data
In the United States, approximately 75% of victims in intimate partner homicides are female, meaning women perpetrate about 25% of such homicides (assuming most are heterosexual).
In 2022, there were 107,941 drug overdose deaths in the US, with fentanyl involved in the majority, but homicides involving fentanyl or poisoning are rare, comprising less than 1% of total homicides.
Common causes of debt in house flipping businesses include overleveraging through high-interest loans, rising renovation costs, and market downturns, leading to increased foreclosures among inexperienced flippers.
Easy-Money Loans Backfire on Rookies in the Home Flipping Market — Bloomberg
Summit County, Utah, experienced a population increase of about 16% from 2010 to 2020, growing from 36,324 to 42,357, with the White population comprising about 85% and Hispanic population rising slightly from 9.8% to 10.6%.
Summit County, Utah - U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — U.S. Census Bureau
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 18, 2026
6:14 PM
A mom wrote a kids' book on grief. She was just convicted of her husband's murder
New information:
- A Summit County, Utah jury on Monday convicted Kouri Richins of aggravated murder in the March 2022 fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins, after roughly three hours of deliberation.
- The jury also found her guilty on four related charges, including forgery and fraud connected to nearly $2 million in life insurance policies taken out on Eric without his knowledge.
- Sentencing is scheduled for May 13, which would have been Eric’s 44th birthday; aggravated murder in Utah carries a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
- Prosecutors publicly alleged she spiked Eric’s cocktail with illicit, orally ingested fentanyl after earlier attempts, driven by millions in debt and a belief she would inherit his estate, while also having an affair.
- The article confirms she faces 26 additional felony counts in a separate case for alleged financial crimes such as mortgage fraud, money laundering and issuing bad checks in the years leading up to Eric’s death.
March 17, 2026
3:19 PM
Did Utah mom poison her husband, then write a children's book on grief?
New information:
- Precise date and terms of the June 15, 2013 prenuptial agreement, including that each spouse waived rights to the other's assets except that Eric’s masonry business would transfer to Kouri if he died while still married.
- Allegation that in 2019 Kouri used a ‘fraudulent’ power of attorney to execute a $250,000 home‑equity line of credit on the family home and withdrew the full amount without Eric’s knowledge, according to prosecutors.
- Detailed account of Eric Richins creating the Eric Richins Living Trust in November 2020, naming his sister Katie Richins‑Benson as trustee and, according to his estate lawyer, explicitly aiming to protect himself from Kouri’s alleged misuse of his finances and to ensure she never managed his property after his death.
- On‑record pushback from Kouri’s family members, including her mother insisting Eric always knew the family finances, and their claim that she did not ‘steal’ from him.
- Timeline of Kouri’s real estate business launch in 2019, with contrasting portrayals: her family and friend describing her as successful versus court documents and Eric’s family spokesman alleging the business was millions of dollars in debt by 2022.
1:06 PM
Kouri Richins, Utah mom who wrote grief book, found guilty in fatal poisoning of her husband
New information:
- CBS piece reiterates that Richins was found guilty on all charges, including aggravated murder.
- It specifies that sentencing is scheduled for May and emphasizes she faces the possibility of life in prison.
- It reinforces the national framing of Richins as a Utah mother who wrote a children’s grief book after her husband’s death.
1:01 AM
Grief author Kouri Richins found guilty of murdering her husband
New information:
- Axios piece emphasizes prosecutors’ theory that Richins’ motive was to acquire Eric Richins’ fortune while her house-flipping business was millions in debt, and that Eric had already taken steps to separate his assets after accusing her of 'abuse and misuse of his finances.'
- Adds detailed testimony that a housekeeper said she sold fentanyl pills to Richins twice in the weeks before Eric’s death and once afterward, and notes a separate drug dealer testified he only sold oxycodone, not fentanyl, around the time of death.
- Provides additional 'between the lines' evidence of motive, including testimony about Richins’ alleged extramarital affair and texts where she wrote of Eric, 'If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!!' and told a friend 'in many ways, it would be better if he were dead.'
- Spells out that defense attorneys argued detectives failed to test the drinking glasses and didn’t seriously pursue the possibility of drug use or accidental overdose by Eric, and that the defense called no witnesses and Richins did not testify, causing an abrupt end to the case before closings and deliberations.
- Clarifies that the attempted criminal homicide count stems from an alleged failed poisoning of Eric’s Valentine’s Day 2022 sandwich about two weeks earlier, corroborated by text messages showing he was gravely ill that day.
12:41 AM
Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins convicted in husband’s murder
New information:
- Confirms that the jury found Kouri Richins guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, two fraudulent insurance claims and forgery.
- Clarifies that Richins now faces the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for May 13 at 9:30 a.m. MST.
- Adds detailed toxicology numbers: Eric Richins had more than five times a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system and 16,000 ng/ml of quetiapine in gastric fluid.
- Provides prosecution allegation of an earlier Valentine’s Day 2022 attempted poisoning via a fentanyl‑laced sandwich, with specific description of Eric’s symptoms and use of an EpiPen.
- Includes forensic accountant testimony that Richins was roughly $7.5 million in debt, with about $80,000 in monthly expenses and heavy use of payday lenders, allegedly motivating the life‑insurance scheme.
12:18 AM
Verdict reached in trial of grief book author accused of murdering her husband
New information:
- The jury in Kouri Richins’ trial has completed deliberations, spending about three hours on Monday before reaching a verdict that is about to be announced.
- The article restates that Richins, 35, faces aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder charges carrying potential life sentences, as well as mortgage fraud and forgery counts tied to a multimillion‑dollar real estate deal closed the day after her husband’s death.
- It provides more detailed prosecution evidence presented at trial, including prior alleged poisoning attempts in Greece and on Valentine’s Day 2022, family suspicions, Eric Richins’ moves to remove Kouri from his will and life insurance, and the timing of her children’s grief book publication and media appearances after his death.
- The piece notes the defense called no witnesses and that Richins declined to testify during the 13 days of testimony over a roughly three‑week trial.
March 16, 2026
1:26 PM
Closing arguments set for trial of Utah mom accused of murdering husband and writing grief book
New information:
- CBS reiterates that closing arguments in Kouri Richins’ murder trial are expected Monday.
- The segment notes the trial has included 13 days of testimony.
- CBS reports the defense did not call any witnesses before resting.
- If convicted, Richins could face life in prison.