Grief author Kouri Richins found guilty of murdering her husband
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Kouri Richins in Summit County District Court in February. Pool photo: Spencer Heaps/Associated Press
A Utah jury convicted Kouri Richins of murdering her husband by slipping fentanyl into his drink in 2022.
The big picture: The domestic violence allegations against Richins — who later authored a children's book about her kids' grief — drew national attention.
- Thousands of viewers watched livestreams of the three-week trial, which ended Monday.
Catch up quick: Prosecutors argued that Richins, a Kamas mother of three, killed her husband Eric Richins in an attempt to acquire his fortune while her house-flipping business was millions in debt.
- Less than two years before he died, Eric accused her of "abuse and misuse of his finances" and took steps to separate his assets from her — but she didn't know that, prosecutors alleged.
- Richins' housekeeper testified that she sold fentanyl pills to Richins twice in the weeks before Eric's death and once more afterward.
What they're saying: Deputy Summit County attorney Brad Bloodworth called Richins a "black widow" and characterized her as an "intensely ambitious" social climber in Monday's closing arguments.
- Despite her business failures, Richins wanted the appearance of success, he said.
Between the lines: A man who worked for Richins testified that she was having an affair with him when Eric died, and she texted about Eric: "If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!!"
- A friend of Richins testified Richins was unhappy in her marriage, and that "she said … in many ways, it would be better if he were dead."
The other side: While prosecutors said Richins dosed her husband's drink, defense attorneys said detectives didn't test the glasses or investigate the possibility that Eric used drugs or accidentally overdosed.
- Meanwhile, the housekeeper's drug dealer testified he was not selling fentanyl around the time of Eric's death, and provided oxycodone instead.
The intrigue: Defense attorneys declined to call witnesses, and Richins did not take the stand, bringing the trial to an abrupt end Monday.
Zoom in: After deliberating for about three hours, the jury returned guilty verdicts for all five charges: Aggravated murder, two counts of filing false or fraudulent insurance claims, forgery and attempted criminal homicide.
- The latter charge stems from what prosecutors described as a failed attempt to poison Eric's sandwich on Valentine's Day 2022, about two weeks before his death.
- Text messages sent by Eric indicated he was gravely ill that day, but he survived.