Kouri Richins was sentenced on May 13 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering her husband, Eric Richins, in a case that began in 2022 near Park City, Utah. [1, 2, 3]
Prosecutors said Richins laced Eric Richins' cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home, after an earlier alleged attempt to poison him on Valentine's Day, 2022. They said she acted with financial motive tied to life insurance proceeds. [4, 1, 2, 3]
Judge Richard Mrazik told the court Richins was "simply too dangerous to ever be free" as he imposed the sentence. Richins said during the case that the death was "an unforeseen tragedy" and later told the court, "Please just don’t give up on me," while also saying the verdict was "an absolute lie." [1, 2, 3]
The case drew wide attention because Richins had published a children's book about grief after her husband's death and promoted it publicly. Prosecutors said the couple's three children were 9, 7 and 5 when their father died. [4, 1, 2, 3]
Richins was also convicted of additional felony charges tied to the killing, including attempted murder and fraud-related offenses. She maintained her innocence and said she planned to appeal the verdict and sentence. The sentencing came on the day Eric Richins would have turned 44. [4, 1, 2]
