A Utah jury convicted Kouri Richins of aggravated murder and other charges on March 17, 2026, after three hours of deliberation in a three-week trial, finding she poisoned her husband Eric with a fentanyl-laced cocktail in March 2022. The 35-year-old mother faces 25 years to life; sentencing is set for May 13.
Jurors at the Summit County Courthouse in Park City delivered the guilty verdict on all counts—including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, mortgage fraud, and forgery—after 13 days of testimony starting February 23. Richins, wearing a white blouse with floral patterns, appeared emotional, looking down and breathing heavily. She pleaded not guilty, did not testify, and her defense called no witnesses.
Eric Richins, 39, was found unresponsive by his wife at their Kamas home around 3 a.m. on March 4, 2022. An autopsy revealed 15 ng/mL of fentanyl in his blood—five times a typical lethal dose. Prosecutors alleged she administered it via a Moscow mule cocktail to celebrate a house-flipping deal; she claimed she performed CPR after finding him.
Charged with aggravated murder on May 8, 2023, Richins allegedly bought fentanyl from associate C.L. in February 2022 (cash for 15-30 pills, then a $1,300 check for stronger doses). Evidence included her post-death Google searches ('what is a lethal dose of fentanyl?', 'can FBI find deleted messages?'), though her defense challenged C.L.'s credibility as a felon. Family noted Eric's warnings of poisoning attempts: illness after a 2019 Greece drink and hives from a February 2022 sandwich. A neighbor testified she said around Christmas 2021 it would be better if he were dead. Eric had considered divorce amid a $2 million mansion dispute and tried removing her from undisclosed life insurance policies totaling nearly $3 million (prenup protected assets for sister Katie).
Bail was denied twice, including November 2024. Post-death, Richins signed mansion papers, self-published children's book 'Are You With Me?' on March 7, 2023, and promoted it before her arrest. A jail letter raised witness tampering claims against her brother, but no-contact was denied.
Eric's sister Amy said post-verdict, 'It's been a long time coming... justice for my brother.' Both families dispute incidents and vie for custody of their sons, now with Eric's relatives.