A Utah mother who profited from a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death has been found guilty of murdering him with a lethal dose of fentanyl to collect millions in insurance money and pursue an affair.
Story Snapshot
- Kouri Richins convicted of poisoning husband Eric with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022
- She published a grief-themed children’s book after his death while facing $4.5 million in personal debt
- Prosecutors revealed secret $2 million life insurance policies, affair texts planning a “fresh start,” and searches for “luxury prisons for the rich”
- Housekeeper testified to selling Kouri fentanyl multiple times before Eric’s death
From Grieving Widow to Convicted Murderer
Kouri Richins, 35, was found guilty on all charges in the March 2022 murder of her husband Eric Richins at their Park City-area home. Prosecutors proved she laced his Moscow mule cocktail with fentanyl at five times a lethal dose.
The verdict came after a high-profile trial that exposed a chilling pattern of deception: Kouri self-published a children’s book titled “Are You With Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his son, promoting it on local television and radio while investigators built their case. The book’s publication became evidence of her calculated cover-up rather than genuine grief.
Financial Desperation and Secret Insurance Schemes
Evidence presented at trial revealed Kouri faced crushing financial pressure with $4.5 million in personal debt, a negative bank balance, and over $1.8 million owed to lenders. Prosecutors Brad Bloodworth demonstrated she secretly obtained nearly $2 million in life insurance policies on Eric without his knowledge or consent.
Text messages with alleged affair partner Robert Josh Grossman showed Kouri fantasizing about divorce millions and starting fresh with him. The combination of overwhelming debt and promises of a new life created a powerful motive for murder that undermined her defense’s portrayal of a happily reconciling couple.
Prior Poisoning Attempt and Calculated Planning
The prosecution’s case extended beyond Eric’s death to include an alleged Valentine’s Day 2022 poisoning attempt just weeks earlier. Eric suffered severe hives and blackouts after eating a fentanyl-laced sandwich Kouri allegedly prepared. Housekeeper Carmen Lauber provided damning testimony that she sold fentanyl to Kouri multiple times before Eric’s death.
Internet searches on Kouri’s devices for “luxury prisons for the rich” revealed consciousness of guilt and expectations of consequences. Defense attorney Kathryn Nester argued Eric overdosed accidentally due to painkiller addiction related to Lyme disease, pointing to THC gummies and empty pill bottles at his bedside, but jurors rejected this explanation.
A Utah woman who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death was convicted of aggravated murder in his death by poisoning him with fentanyl.
Jurors also found Kouri Richins guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after the death of Eric… pic.twitter.com/iAwSMbU8HM
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) March 17, 2026
Verdict Delivers Justice for Betrayed Family
Eric Richins came from a family with strong anti-drug values, with his mother working as a counselor addressing substance abuse. His sister Katie Richins-Benson testified about the family’s shock at his death and noted Kouri appeared suspiciously “well-put-together” in bodycam footage despite her dramatic 911 call.
The couple’s three sons now face life without their father and potentially without their mother, who faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life on aggravated murder charges among three dozen total counts.
This case exposes how fentanyl has become a weapon of choice in domestic homicides, highlighting the opioid crisis’s reach into affluent communities and the devastating consequences of financial desperation combined with moral bankruptcy.
A Utah woman who wrote a book on grief after husband's death found guilty of murdering him https://t.co/0Cqw5EdRJw
— CTV News (@CTVNews) March 17, 2026
The guilty verdict on all charges demonstrates that justice can prevail even when perpetrators attempt to manipulate public sympathy through calculated grief performances. Kouri’s self-published book, intended as the perfect cover story for a grieving widow, instead became Exhibit A in proving her cold-blooded premeditation.
The case serves as a stark reminder that the erosion of traditional family values and the pursuit of wealth at any cost lead to tragic outcomes that shatter innocent lives.
Sources:
Trial begins for Utah mom accused of killing husband, writing children’s book about grief – ABC News
Kouri Richins, Utah mom accused of killing husband, murder trial starts – CBS News
