Utah Author Found Guilty of Poisoning Husband with Fentanyl

A Utah mother and children’s book author, Kouri Richins, has been convicted of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, after a jury concluded she poisoned him with a fentanyl-laced drink in March 2022. The jury deliberated for just three hours before reaching the verdict at the Summit County Courthouse in Park City.

Richins, 35, also faces convictions for insurance fraud after she attempted to claim benefits following her husband’s death. Prosecutors revealed she had accrued millions in debt, taken out life insurance policies on her husband, and was engaged in an extramarital affair.

Details of the poisoning and attempted murder

Court documents showed that Richins previously poisoned her husband’s sandwich, nearly killing him, before later increasing the fentanyl dosage that proved fatal. The medical examiner confirmed that Eric Richins died from five times the lethal dose of fentanyl.

Between December 2021 and February 2022, she acquired prescription drugs through a known drug dealer, ultimately requesting fentanyl, which she allegedly administered during a Valentine’s Day dinner and again on 4 March 2022.

During the fatal incident, Richins told police she had served her husband a mixed vodka drink and later found him unresponsive in their bedroom.

A chilling contrast: children’s book on grief

Just two months before her arrest, Richins had published a children’s picture book, Are You With Me?, intended to help families cope with the death of a loved one. The book was dedicated to her husband, whom she called “my amazing husband and a wonderful father.”

Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said, “She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money.”

Richins pleaded not guilty throughout the trial. The most serious charge, aggravated murder, carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.