A mother of three writes a children’s book about coping with grief after the death of her husband. The tricky thing about it: He died from a lethal dose of fentanyl.
May 15, 2026, 05:44May 15, 2026, 05:44
A mother of three has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband in Utah – after writing a children’s book about coping with grief. The judge in the high-profile murder trial handed down the maximum sentence to Kouri Richins, US media reported. The 36-year-old was found guilty in March of secretly giving her husband Eric Richins a fatal dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in drinks in 2022. She had always denied the allegations.
Kouri Richins (right) next to her lawyer.Image: keystone
It wasn’t until 14 months after the man’s death that his wife was arrested. The real estate agent, mother of three sons, had since published a children’s book about dealing with the death of a loved one. In the book “Are You With Me?” A boy mourns his dead father, who now watches over him like a guardian angel. At the time of Eric Richins’ death, his three sons were 9, 7 and 5 years old.
Children demand life imprisonment for mother
Before the life sentence was announced, the mother addressed her children, who, according to CNN, were not present in the courtroom. It was an “absolute lie” that she killed her husband, said Kouri Richins. “Be like your father,” she appealed to her children through tears. Statements from the sons were also read out. All three expressed that they wanted a life sentence because they would not feel safe if their mother was free.
In the headline-grabbing murder trial, the prosecution cited the broker’s high debts and a relationship with another man as a motive for the murder. The husband had an estate worth millions of dollars and life insurance. Richins was found guilty of additional charges, including insurance fraud and attempted murder. She is said to have tried to kill her husband once with a sandwich laced with fentanyl.
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