Utah Woman Who Wrote Book on Grief Gets Life Sentence in Husband’s Death

A Utah court has sentenced Kouri Richins, the American mother who wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering him with a fentanyl-laced drink.

Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder and several additional charges, including attempted murder, insurance fraud, and forgery, in connection with the 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins, at their home near Park City, Utah. Prosecutors said she poisoned him by secretly adding fentanyl to his cocktail.

Judge Richard Mrazik handed down the sentence on what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday, describing Kouri Richins as “too dangerous to ever be free.”

The case drew widespread attention across the United States after Richins published a children’s book titled Are You With Me?, which focused on helping children cope with the death of a parent. She promoted the book publicly while investigators were still probing her husband’s death.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Richins was motivated by financial troubles and believed she would gain access to her husband’s multimillion-dollar estate and life insurance benefits after his death. Evidence presented in court included testimony that she had previously attempted to poison him weeks earlier using a fentanyl-laced sandwich.

Court proceedings also revealed emotional statements from the couple’s three sons, who reportedly expressed fear of their mother and asked the judge to impose the harshest sentence possible. The children are now under the care of Eric Richins’ relatives.

Richins maintained her innocence during sentencing and said she plans to appeal both the conviction and the life sentence.