Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old Utah mother who published a children's book about grief following her husband's sudden death, has been found guilty of murdering him by poisoning. A jury determined that Richins killed Eric Richins in March 2022 by lacing his drink with fentanyl. The trial revealed that she had accumulated millions in debt, taken out life insurance policies on her husband, and was engaged in an extramarital affair.

Prosecutors called over 40 witnesses, including a woman who allegedly sold the drugs used in the killing. The defense chose not to call any witnesses, and Richins did not testify in her own defense. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before reaching a guilty verdict on Monday.

Richins was also convicted of fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband's death and of attempted murder related to an earlier incident where she poisoned his sandwich. Prosecutors stated that she falsely believed she would inherit his estate, valued at over $4 million, and was planning a future with another man.

Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth remarked, "She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money." Court documents indicated that between December 2021 and February 2022, Richins texted a person with prior drug arrests requesting prescription pain medication, later asking for fentanyl, referred to as "some of the Michael Jackson stuff."

Richins was arrested in March 2023, two months after publishing the picture book "Are You With Me?," which she dedicated to her husband, calling him "my amazing husband and a wonderful father." A medical examiner found that Eric Richins died from a fentanyl overdose, with five times the lethal dosage in his system.

Source: www.bbc.com