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'Too dangerous to ever be free' - Utah mother who poisoned husband sentenced to life
TL;DR
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband by poisoning him with fentanyl. The jury found she had financial motives and was involved in an extramarital affair.
Key points
- Kouri Richins sentenced to life in prison without parole
- Convicted of poisoning her husband with fentanyl
- Had financial motives and an extramarital affair
- Judge deemed her too dangerous to ever be free
- Richins had previously published a children's book about grief
Mentioned in this story
Kouri RichinsEric RichinsUtah
A mother who published a children's book about grief after the sudden death of her husband was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of his murder.
A jury in March found that Kouri Richins of Utah killed her husband in 2022 by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink.
Richins, 36, had racked up millions of dollars in debt, taken out life insurance policies on her husband and was having an extramarital affair, prosecutors said during her weekslong trial this year.
When issuing the sentence on Wednesday - the day Eric Richins would have turned 44 - Judge Richard Mrazi said: "A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free."
The mother of three, who did not testify during her trial, spoke for about 30 minutes on Wednesday, mainly addressing her children, the BBC's media partner CBS News reports.
"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 also found guilty of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband's death at their home outside the ski resort town of Park City. Prosecutors said during the trial that she falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4m (£3m) after he died.
They also said she was planning a future with a man with whom she'd had an affair.
Richins was also found guilty of attempted murder over an earlier incident when she poisoned her husband's sandwich.
Richins was arrested in March 2023 - two months after she published the picture book Are You With Me?, which she said was designed to help people - including her three children - cope with the death of a loved one.
"We wrote this book and we're really hoping that it provides some comfort for not just obviously, our family, but other families that are going through the same thing," she told radio station KPCW in an interview before her arrest.
She dedicated the book to her husband, calling him "my amazing husband and a wonderful father".
Q&A
What was Kouri Richins convicted of?
Kouri Richins was convicted of murdering her husband by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink.
What were the circumstances surrounding the murder of Eric Richins?
Eric Richins was killed in 2022, and prosecutors revealed that Kouri had financial motives, including significant debt and life insurance policies on him.
What did the judge say during Kouri Richins' sentencing?
Judge Richard Mrazi stated that Kouri Richins was 'too dangerous to ever be free' when issuing her life sentence without parole.
