Kouri Richins, the Utah mother found guilty of murdering her husband with a fentanyl-laced cocktail, was sentenced on Wednesday, his birthday, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Richins, 36, notoriously wrote a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death in 2022.
Utah district court Judge Richard Mrazik handed down the sentence after presiding over Richins’ criminal trial.
The prosecution consistently sought a sentence of life without parole, mainly leaning on the argument that Richins’ children “should never worry they will one day encounter her.” The defense, conversely, pushed for a sentence with the possibility of parole.
Richins, who did not testify during the trial, spoke for roughly 30 minutes on Wednesday, mainly addressing her children.
“I know today you don’t want to speak to me and you hate me. That’s OK. When you are ready, I will be here for you,” she said.
Richins was convicted in March of multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. Prosecutors said she served her late husband, Eric Richins, a Moscow Mule cocktail she had laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022 at their home just outside of Park City. Court filings showed the drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly amount of the opioid.
Richins also was found guilty of mortgage fraud and forgery, after she allegedly signed to close on a multimillion-dollar real estate deal the day after her husband died. She had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Richins’ attorneys had declined to comment ahead of her sentencing hearing, which falls on the day her husband would have turned 44 years old, The Associated Press reported.
Ahead of her sentencing, Richins’ sons said they’d feel unsafe if their mother were ever released from prison. The sons’ statements came in a memo from prosecutors urging Judge Richard Mrazik to sentence Richins to life without parole, according to AP.
Before her arrest in May 2023, Richins was garnering attention for a children’s picture book she authored called “Are You with Me?” that centered on ways to cope with the loss of a loved one. She appeared on a local Utah television station while promoting it, and described the challenges that she and her three sons confronted while navigating their own personal grief. In that appearance, Richins had said their father’s passing was unexpected.
The trial began in February in Park City and lasted for about three weeks, including 13 days of testimony. Richins’ defense team did not call any witnesses, and she declined to testify at the trial. The prosecution painted her as a killer set on taking her husband’s money.
Kouri Richins faces a slew of other criminal charges related to her financial dealings in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial, according to The Associated Press.
This is a developing story and will be updated.