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Utah Author Kouri Richins Gets Life Without Parole for Husband’s Fentanyl Murder

The sentence follows a case built on toxicology, digital traces, a self-published grief book.

Overview

  • Judge Richard Mrazik ordered life without parole in Utah state court, calling Richins too dangerous to release.
  • A jury in March 2026 found her guilty of murder, insurance fraud, forgery and attempted murder.
  • Prosecutors said she slipped a fatal fentanyl dose into Eric Richins’ drink in 2022, and the autopsy found levels far beyond a lethal amount.
  • The case leaned on phone searches about fentanyl, narcotics buys, an earlier alleged Valentine’s Day poisoning attempt and her self-published grief book presented as corroboration.
  • At sentencing, letters from her three sons asked for a life term as her attorneys said they will appeal.