Utah mother and self-published children’s author Kouri Richins has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fentanyl poisoning of her husband, Eric Richins.
Judge Richard Mrazik handed down the sentence on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in Park City, on what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday. “A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free,” Mrazik said.
Richins, 35, was convicted in March of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery. Eric Richins, 39, died on 4 March 2022 with roughly five times a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. Prosecutors said she first tried to kill him on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich, then poisoned his drink 17 days later.
After his death, Richins wrote a children’s picture book on grief titled Are You with Me?. Her three sons each submitted statements asking the court for the maximum sentence. Her legal team intends to appeal.
