Incredible: Woman convicted of killing husband later authors children’s book on grief

A Utah woman was on Monday convicted of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and later self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief.

Prosecutors said Kouri Richins administered five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid in a cocktail consumed by her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.
They further alleged that she was $4.5 million in debt and mistakenly believed she would inherit her husband’s estate valued at over $4 million upon his death. According to prosecutors, she was also planning a future with another man she was involved with.
“She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” said Summit County prosecutor, Brad Bloodworth.
Richins looked down and took deep breaths as the judge delivered the verdict.
The jury deliberated for just under three hours, after which family members from both sides left the courtroom in tears, embracing one another.
She was also found guilty of additional felonies, including attempted murder, in what authorities described as an earlier attempt to poison her husband weeks before Valentine’s Day using a fentanyl-laced sandwich that caused him to black out. Jurors also convicted her of forgery and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after his death.
Sentencing has been scheduled for May 13, which would have been her husband’s 44th birthday. The aggravated murder conviction alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment.
“Honestly, I feel like we’re all in shock,” said Eric Richins’ sister, Amy Richins, adding that the family can now focus on honouring her brother and supporting his children. “We got justice for my brother.”
The five-week trial was shortened after Richins waived her right to testify, and her legal team unexpectedly rested its case without calling any witnesses.
Her lawyers had argued that prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence to secure a murder conviction.
According to prosecutors, Richins, a real estate agent known for flipping houses, was heavily indebted and had secretly taken out multiple life insurance policies on her husband worth about $2 million.
Text messages presented in court between Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man she was allegedly involved with, showed discussions about leaving her husband, gaining millions from a divorce, and eventually marrying Grossman.
A digital forensic analyst also testified that internet searches from Richins’ phone included phrases such as “what is a lethal dose of fentanyl,” “luxury prisons for the rich America,” and “if someone is poisoned what does it go down on the death certificate as.”
Bloodworth replayed a recording of Richins’ 911 call from the night of her husband’s death, arguing it did not reflect the reaction of a grieving spouse.
“That’s not the sound of a wife becoming a widow,” he said, referencing the defence’s earlier claim. “It’s the sound of a wife becoming a black widow.”