Kouri Richins Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Poisoning Eric Richins With Fentanyl

Kouri Richins, a Utah children’s book author who wrote about grief after her husband’s death, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal poisoning of Eric Richins in March 2022.

Judge Richard Mrazik handed down the life sentence on what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday, after an eight-person jury convicted Richins, 36, of aggravated murder.

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Prosecutors said Richins poisoned her husband by lacing his cocktail with fentanyl, and the autopsy revealed Eric Richins died with roughly five times the lethal dose in his blood.

During sentencing, Richins addressed her three sons, saying, “I will never be angry at you for your feelings,” and she also accused Eric Richins’ family of cutting off her contact with the children.

At the sentencing hearing, statements written by Eric Richins’ grieving family and the couple’s sons were read aloud, with the children telling the court they would fear for their safety if Richins were ever released.

The couple’s middle child, identified as ‘A.R.,’ wrote, “You took away everything from me and my brothers. I don’t want you out of jail because I will not feel safe if you are out,” according to CNN.

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Eric Richins’ sister, Katie Richins-Benson, urged the judge to impose life without parole, saying, “Please do not leave those boys to wonder whether Kouri might track them or their children down in the future,” as she spoke in court.

Richins’ defense attorney Wendy Lewis argued that a life-without-parole sentence cannot be changed, saying, “A life without the possibility of parole, the sentence cannot be changed,” while CNN reported the judge ordered consecutive prison sentences for the convictions on other charges.

Richins’ legal team said it planned to appeal the sentence and file a motion for a new trial, after the jury found her guilty in March of aggravated murder and related felonies.

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CNN reported that Richins read aloud a lengthy statement in which she denied the murder and said, “As much as you’ve been influenced into thinking that dad was murdered, that I took your dad from you, that is completely wrong. An absolute lie,” during the sentencing.

The BBC reported that Richins did not testify during her trial and that prosecutors said she fraudulently claimed insurance benefits after her husband’s death, while also finding her guilty of attempted murder for poisoning his sandwich.

In the sentencing memo, the BBC’s account of the case included that prosecutors said Richins falsely believed she would inherit Eric Richins’ estate worth more than $4m after he died, and the judge’s ruling framed her as “simply too dangerous to ever be free.”