Utah Children’s Book Author Kouri Richins Found Guilty of Aggravated Murder

A Utah jury on Monday delivered a guilty verdict against Kouri Richins, the children’s book author accused of fatally poisoning her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail to secure financial gain and escape a crumbling marriage.

Following three hours of deliberation, the jury found Richins, 35, guilty of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. She was also convicted on two counts of insurance fraud and forgery. The verdict concludes a high-profile trial that exposed a calculated plot involving debt, infidelity, and the manipulation of grief.

Richins now faces a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. In a poignant turn of events, the court scheduled her sentencing for May 13—which would have been her late husband Eric’s 44th birthday.

A Lethal Dose and a Financial Motive

The prosecution’s case centered on the events of March 2022, when Eric Richins was found dead in the couple’s Kamas home. Toxicology reports revealed he had ingested five times the lethal dose of fentanyl. Prosecutors argued Kouri Richins spiked her husband’s Moscow Mule with the synthetic opioid to resolve a mounting financial crisis.

Evidence presented during the weeks-long trial, which began Feb. 23, indicated that Richins was millions of dollars in debt related to her house-flipping business. State prosecutors alleged she viewed Eric’s life insurance policies as a “financial exit strategy.”

While Kouri Richins later gained notoriety for writing Are You With Me?—a children’s book intended to help her three sons cope with their father’s “unexpected” passing—investigators characterized the work as a macabre tool for deception.

Incriminating Testimony and Digital Footprints

The prosecution called 40 witnesses to the stand, while the defense team opted not to call any. Key testimony came from Richins’ friend, Becky Lloyd, who told the court that months before the murder, Richins expressed feeling “trapped” in her marriage.

“In many ways, it would be better if he were dead,” Lloyd recalled Richins saying during a conversation.

The jury also heard from Robert Josh Grossman, an ex-boyfriend who testified to a romantic relationship with Richins that began in 2020. Text messages recovered by digital forensic analysts showed a pattern of longing for a life without Eric.

“If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!!” Richins texted Grossman days before the poisoning.

The most damning evidence involved Richins’ internet search history. According to forensic experts, she searched for:

• “What is a lethal dose of fentanyl?”
• “If someone is poisoned, what does it go down on the death certificate as?”
• “Luxury prisons for the rich America.”

Defense Claims Fail to Sway Jury

Defense attorneys argued throughout the trial that there was no direct physical evidence linking Kouri Richins to the fentanyl. They suggested Eric Richins may have obtained the drugs himself during a previous trip to Mexico, noting that no fentanyl was discovered inside the family home during initial searches.

However, the state successfully argued that the “attempted aggravated murder” charge—stemming from a previous failed attempt to poison Eric during a Valentine’s Day meal—demonstrated a clear and persistent intent to kill.

The conviction marks a definitive end to a case that has captivated the nation, pitting the image of a grieving mother and author against the reality of a calculated killer.

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