Kouri Richins, the Utah author of a children’s book about grief, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2022 fentanyl overdose killing of her husband, Eric Richins, a judge ruled Wednesday in Park City. Judge Richard Mrazik delivered the sentence after a March conviction for aggravated murder, saying Richins was “simply too dangerous to ever be free,” according to testimony and courtroom remarks reported by The Associated Press.
Richins’ case drew attention not only for the allegations of poisoning, but also because she had published a book about a boy coping with the death of his father after Eric Richins died. At Wednesday’s sentencing, Richins stood at the podium in a lime-green jail uniform and responded to statements made during the proceeding, court reporting said.
A jury convicted Richins in March of aggravated murder for lacing Eric Richins’ cocktail with fentanyl, with prosecutors and jurors determining the amount was about five times the lethal dose. Jurors also found her guilty of four other felonies, including insurance fraud and forgery, as well as attempted murder tied to a separate poisoning attempt weeks earlier.
Prosecutors said the earlier effort involved Valentine’s Day, when Richins allegedly tried to poison Eric Richins with a fentanyl-laced sandwich. Prosecutors also presented evidence in trial including text messages between Richins and her lover in which Richins fantasized about leaving her husband and gaining millions in a divorce, along with internet search history from Richins’ phone that included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons, and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.
Richins’ attorneys argued during the trial that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers. Prosecutors countered that argument with police body camera footage from the night of his death, in which Richins told an officer that her husband had no history of illicit drug use, the AP reported.
The judge sentenced Richins without parole on Wednesday, after the court also considered statements from family and social workers. Eric Richins’ father, Eugene Richins, urged the judge to impose a life sentence without parole, saying in a statement to the court that it was important for his grandsons’ safety.
Eugene Richins told the court that the sentence mattered so his grandsons would never have to live with fear that the person responsible for taking their father could harm them again. Court reporting said the grandsons were ages 9, 7 and 5 when Eric Richins died, and that social workers read letters from the boys in which they described feeling unsafe about any release.
Richins’ sister-in-law, Katie Richins-Benson, also spoke about the boys during the sentencing proceeding, saying Richins’ sons “are not props for some twisted children’s book about grief and loss” and describing her care of the children. She said the children were in her care, and court reporting described statements in which the children said their mother had threatened to kill their animals and had shown them videos of famished children in war zones when they refused to eat undercooked food.
In one account attributed to the middle son, now 11, the boy said Richins had taken away his father for “no reason other than greed” and that he felt forced to “be a parent” because she did not watch over his younger brother. The AP report also said the oldest son, now 13, described feeling responsible for his siblings and said his mother would often lock him inside his room while she drank, and Richins responded after hearing the boys’ statements by saying, “I will and have always prioritized your safety.”
Richins’ legal team said it would appeal both the conviction and the sentence, and Richins maintained her innocence. According to the AP, she told the court Wednesday that the verdict was “an absolute lie,” and she asked her sons—who were not present in court—“Please just don’t give up on me,” while also encouraging them to “be like your dad.”
The trial had been scheduled for five weeks but ended early after Richins waived her right to testify. The AP said the defense rested its case without calling any witnesses, after Richins’ attorneys said they were confident prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict her of murder. The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding Richins guilty of all counts.
Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in the case, the AP reported. Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.