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Utah Jury Convicts Kouri Richins of Killing Husband With Fentanyl for Financial Gain

Sentencing is scheduled for May 13 after a unanimous verdict built largely on circumstantial evidence.

Overview

  • Jurors found Richins guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, insurance fraud, and forgery, after about three hours of deliberation.
  • The verdict form says the murder and an earlier attempted poisoning were committed for financial benefit, with prosecutors citing heavy debt and life insurance policies exceeding $2 million.
  • A medical examiner described the fentanyl in Eric Richins’ system as roughly five times a lethal dose, and prosecutors argued it was slipped into a Moscow Mule the night he died.
  • Prosecutors tied Richins to the killing with deleted messages, phone location data, internet searches about fentanyl and poisoning, and a jail-cell “Walk the Dog” letter about a planned false narrative.
  • Housecleaner Carmen Lauber testified she obtained pills for Richins, with cell phone data placing her and alleged supplier Robert Crozier at a gas station on key dates; additional money-related charges remain pending.