The fate of Utah author Kouri Richins is now in the hands of a jury following closing arguments in her aggravated murder trial. Prosecutors allege she poisoned her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022. The defense maintains his death was an accidental overdose.
During the three-week trial, the state presented evidence that Richins purchased fentanyl pills in the months before her husband's death and mixed them into a cocktail she gave him. The defense argued Eric Richins had a history of substance use and may have taken the drugs himself.
The case gained notoriety as Kouri Richins had authored a children's book about grief following her husband's passing. The eight-person jury began deliberations on Tuesday, March 18, 2026, after receiving instructions from the judge.
If convicted of the first-degree felony charge, Richins faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The jury's decision will conclude a closely watched case that has unfolded over nearly four years since Eric Richins's death.
