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 5:13pm

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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 collect on a $100,000 life insurance policy, 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 issue of fentanyl-related deaths and the challenges law enforcement faces in investigating such cases, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a suburban mother. It also raises questions about the role of circumstantial evidence in criminal trials and the potential for confirmation bias to impact investigations.

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 two weeks earlier. Richins was also accused of insurance fraud by taking out a $100,000 policy on her husband's life with his forged signature and then submitting a claim after his death. 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.
  • In October 2021, prosecutors said Kouri Richins' realty business entered a 'downward financial death spiral'.
  • In December 2021, Kouri Richins allegedly told a witness that 'in many ways it would be better' if her husband were dead.
  • On February 19, 2022, Kouri Richins allegedly texted her boyfriend, 'If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!'

The players

Kouri Richins

A 35-year-old Utah woman accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric with fentanyl.

Eric Richins

Kouri Richins' 39-year-old husband who died from a fentanyl overdose in March 2022.

Brad Bloodworth

The prosecutor who argued that Kouri Richins was in financial trouble and killed her husband to collect on a life insurance policy.

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

Kouri Richins' former housecleaner who testified about obtaining illicit drugs at Richins' request in the weeks prior to Eric Richins' 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 (mycentraloregon.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 (mycentraloregon.com)

“The evidence proves that Kouri Richins murdered, attempted to murder Eric Richins and that she committed two counts of insurance fraud and forgery. The evidence does not support any other explanation.”

— Brad Bloodworth, Prosecutor (mycentraloregon.com)

What’s next

Kouri Richins' sentencing has been scheduled for May 13.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing issue of fentanyl-related deaths and the challenges law enforcement faces in investigating such cases, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a seemingly ordinary suburban mother. It also raises questions about the role of circumstantial evidence and the potential for confirmation bias to impact criminal investigations and trials.