Utah Mom on Trial for Poisoning Husband With Fentanyl - Then Writing a Children's Book About Grief

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After Eric Richins died in March 2022, his wife Kouri did something that drew widespread attention — she wrote a children’s book about coping with loss, titled Are You With Me?, featuring a father with angel wings watching over his young son.

She dedicated it to their three boys.

Approximately 14 months later, she was arrested on charges of aggravated murder. Prosecutors say she didn’t just lose a husband. They say she killed him.

The Allegations at the Center of the Trial

Kouri Richins, 35, has been on trial in Summit County, Utah, since late February 2026, facing charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder, two counts of insurance fraud, and forgery. She has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

According to prosecutors, Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail she prepared for Eric on the night of March 4, 2022. He died at their home near Park City. His death was initially believed to be an accidental overdose.

Prosecutors allege she had also attempted to poison him on Valentine’s Day 2022 — weeks earlier — with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and lose consciousness.

Eric Richins, 39, was the owner of a successful masonry business. He was the father of three young sons.

Money, Debt, and a Secret Affair

The prosecution’s case centers on three overlapping pressures they say drove Kouri Richins to act.

First, finances. A forensic accountant testifying for the state told jurors that as of March 2022 — the month Eric died — Kouri was approximately $4.5 million in debt, according to CBS News. Prosecutors said she falsely believed she stood to inherit Eric’s estate, worth more than $4 million, upon his death.

Second, insurance. Court documents show Kouri secretly took out a life insurance policy on Eric in January 2022, naming herself the beneficiary. Prosecutors say she forged his signature on the application.

Third, an affair. Text messages shown to jurors revealed an ongoing relationship with another man. In one message presented at trial, Kouri wrote: “If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect.”

A Case Built on Digital Evidence

Investigators recovered significant digital evidence from Kouri Richins’s phone. According to testimony, forensic analysis revealed search inquiries including “women Utah prison,” “luxury prisons for the rich America,” and “Can cops force you to do a lie detector test?” — searches prosecutors say were made around the time of Eric’s death.

A housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, testified that she had sold fentanyl to Kouri on multiple occasions, obtaining the pills from a dealer. Lauber was granted immunity in exchange for her cooperation. The defense challenged her credibility and pointed out that no fentanyl was ever found in the Richins home.

Investigators also presented what they called the “Walk the Dog Letter” — a document written by Kouri while in jail in 2023, which prosecutors argued showed an attempt to shape witness testimony.

The Defense Rests - Without a Word From the Defendant

On March 12, 2026, after the prosecution rested its case following 42 witnesses over two and a half weeks, Kouri Richins’s defense team made a striking decision: they called no witnesses.

Richins formally waived her right to testify.

Defense attorneys had argued throughout the trial that no murder weapon was ever found, no fentanyl was ever recovered from the home, and that the prosecution’s star witness had motive to lie. They suggested Eric Richins may have self-administered fentanyl, pointing to his history with pain medication and a prior addiction to painkillers.

Judge Richard Mrazik denied a motion for a directed verdict, ruling that sufficient evidence existed for the jury to decide.

What Happens Next

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin March 16. The trial is expected to run through March 27, 2026.

A few dozen people camped outside the Summit County courthouse before opening statements in February, some arriving as early as 4 a.m. The case has drawn national attention from the moment Kouri Richins’s grief book became entwined with the murder investigation — a paradox that has defined public fascination with the case.

Eric Richins’s family has been present throughout. His three sons, now without their father, were the ones she wrote the book for.

Whatever the jury decides, that detail does not change.

References: Kouri Richins Trial: Utah Mom Charged With Husband’s Murder Goes to Trial | Kouri Richins Defense Rests Without Calling a Single Witness