Utah Mom Kouri Richins Found Guilty of Fatally Poisoning Husband with Fentanyl

Jury convicts Richins on all counts, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder

Mar. 17, 2026 at 2:13pm

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Kouri Richins, a Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric with fentanyl, has been found guilty of murder following a weekslong trial. The Summit County jury convicted Richins on all five counts, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. Prosecutors alleged Richins was in financial trouble and killed her husband to get life insurance money and a "fresh start", while the defense argued the case was driven by bias and the state failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing opioid crisis and the devastating impact it can have on families. It also raises questions about domestic violence, financial motives for murder, and how grief and loss are perceived, especially for women. The conviction of Richins could set a precedent for similar cases involving alleged spousal poisoning.

The details

Prosecutors alleged that Richins purchased illicit fentanyl pills and spiked her husband's drink with a lethal dose, killing him in March 2022. They also claimed she made a failed attempt to kill him with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine's Day. Richins was also accused of insurance fraud by taking out a $100,000 policy on her husband's life. The defense argued the case was "sloppy" and "driven by bias", and that the state failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

  • On March 4, 2022, Eric Richins was found dead in bed.
  • On Valentine's Day 2022, two weeks before his death, prosecutors allege Richins gave her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl in a failed attempt to kill him.
  • In December 2021, a witness testified that Richins said "in many ways it would be better" if her husband were dead.
  • In February 2022, days after the alleged attempted murder, Richins texted her boyfriend "If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!"
  • Richins was arrested and charged in May 2023.

The players

Kouri Richins

A 35-year-old Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins with fentanyl. She was convicted on all five counts, including aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder.

Eric Richins

Kouri Richins' 39-year-old husband who was found dead in bed on March 4, 2022. An autopsy determined he died from a fentanyl overdose.

Brad Bloodworth

The prosecutor who argued that Richins was in financial trouble and killed her husband to get life insurance money and a "fresh start".

Wendy Lewis

The defense attorney who argued the case was "sloppy" and "driven by bias" and that the state failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Carmen Lauber

A witness who testified that she obtained illicit drugs at Richins' request in the weeks prior to her husband's death.

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What they’re saying

“Kouri Richins was a suburban mother, real estate agent. She does not know a lot about the illicit street drug world, but she knows Michael Jackson died from taking drugs. She doesn't know how to order a street drug, but she knows she wants the Michael Jackson stuff. She knows she wants it because it is lethal. It is fatal. It kills. And she wanted lethal, fatal death.”

— Brad Bloodworth, Prosecutor (wbal.com)

“Instead of looking at the evidence to determine what happened, the state has, they determined what happened, and then they found the evidence to support it.”

— Wendy Lewis, Defense Attorney (wbal.com)

“All the evidence in this case proves that Kouri Richins murdered her husband, the father of her three children, Eric Richins. There is no other rational explanation.”

— Brad Bloodworth, Prosecutor (wbal.com)

What’s next

Richins' sentencing has been scheduled for May 13.

The takeaway

This case highlights the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on families, as well as the complex issues surrounding domestic violence, financial motives for murder, and societal perceptions of grief. The conviction of Richins could set a precedent for similar cases involving alleged spousal poisoning.