US ‘grief author’ convicted of murdering husband with lethal fentanyl dose

Verdict and Immediate Aftermath

Kouri Richins, 35, was convicted on Monday of aggravated murder following a trial in Utah. According to the South China Morning Post, the jury deliberated for just under three hours before returning guilty verdicts on multiple felony charges. The BBC reports the deliberation lasted "about three hours."

Following the verdict, family members from both sides of the case left the courtroom embracing and crying, according to the South China Morning Post. Richins had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Poisoning and Investigation

Prosecutors established that Richins killed her husband Eric Richins in March 2022 by slipping five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail he consumed at their home outside Park City, Utah, an affluent ski resort town. The South China Morning Post specified the drink was a cocktail, while the BBC described it as a "fentanyl-laced drink" and noted that Richins called police on March 4, 2022, claiming she had served him a vodka drink and later found him unresponsive.

Medical examination confirmed the fatal dosage level in Eric Richins' system, according to both sources.

The conviction also covered an earlier attempted murder charge. According to both the South China Morning Post and BBC, Richins poisoned her husband weeks earlier on Valentine's Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that caused him to black out. The BBC provided additional detail that Eric Richins had told a friend he believed he was being poisoned after falling ill following the Valentine's Day dinner.

Financial Motive and Extramarital Affair

Prosecutors presented evidence of significant financial distress as the primary motive. The South China Morning Post reported Richins was $4.5 million in debt and falsely believed she would inherit an estate valued at over $4 million upon her husband's death. The BBC corroborated the financial motive, stating she had "racked up millions of dollars in debt" and taken out life insurance policies on her husband, while believing she would inherit more than $4 million.

Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth stated, according to both sources: "She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money."

The BBC additionally reported that Richins was having an extramarital affair and planning a future with another man—a detail not present in the South China Morning Post extract.

The Grief Book Publication

The case drew international attention due to the publication of a children's book about grief that Richins released while under investigation. According to the BBC, Richins published "Are You With Me?" two months before her March 2023 arrest, claiming the book was designed to help people—including her three children—cope with the death of a loved one. The book was dedicated to her husband as an "amazing husband and wonderful father," according to the BBC.

Procurement of Drugs

The BBC reported specific details regarding Richins' alleged procurement of the lethal substance, stating that court evidence showed she texted a contact between December 2021 and February 2022 to obtain hydrocodone and subsequently fentanyl. The BBC noted she specifically requested "some of the Michael Jackson stuff" in reference to fentanyl—the drug that caused the pop star's death. Prosecutors called more than 40 witnesses during the trial, including the woman who testified to selling the drugs used in the killing, according to the BBC.

Defense Strategy and Sentencing

Richins' defense team chose not to call any witnesses, and she did not testify in her own defense, according to the BBC. The South China Morning Post noted that defense lawyer Kathy Nester showed the jury an image of a pill bottle during proceedings.

Richins was additionally convicted of forgery and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits following her husband's death, according to both sources.

Sentencing has been scheduled for May 13, which the South China Morning Post noted would have been Eric Richins' 44th birthday. The aggravated murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison, according to both the South China Morning Post and BBC.