Kouri Richins Gets Life for Husband's Fentanyl Murder as Sons Say They Fear Her Release
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 13
Kouri Richins Gets Life for Husband's Fentanyl Murder as Sons Say They Fear Her Release
8 articles · Updated · CNN · May 13
Life in prison was imposed on Kouri Richins for murdering her husband, Eric Richins, after prosecutors urged the maximum sentence of life without parole.
Three young sons were central to the sentencing push, with prosecutors arguing they deserved finality and protection from future contact; the eldest said he feared she could hurt him and his brothers if released.
A jury earlier convicted the 36-year-old Utah mother of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery in the 2022 poisoning death and an earlier Valentine’s Day attempt.
Trial evidence showed Eric Richins died with about five times a lethal fentanyl dose in his blood, while prosecutors said Richins was driven by marital unhappiness, an affair, mounting debt and life-insurance money.
She wrote a children's book on grief after the murder. What does this reveal about the psychology of a modern killer?
As domestic fentanyl poisonings rise, how can families recognize the subtle warning signs before it is too late?