Utah mom who wrote children’s book on grief after husband died killed him for money, prosecutors say

Defendant Kouri Richins, left, accused of poisoning her husband in March 2022, listens to closing arguments in Third District Court, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (David Jackson/Pool Photo via AP) 2026-03-16T04:24:21Z PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday aimed to drive home their argument that a Utah woman who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband killed him for his money , while her defense team argued the prosecution’s case leaves much to speculation. Defendant Kouri Richins was $4.5 million in debt and falsely believed she would inherit her husband Eric Richins’ estate worth more than $4 million when he died, prosecutors said during closing arguments in her murder trial. “She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money,” said Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth. Prosecutors say Richins, 35, slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail that she made for her husband, causing his death in March 2022 at their home just outside the affluent ski town of Park City. She is also charged with fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death, trying to kill him weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him black out, and other felonies, according to court documents. Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The most serious charge — aggravated murder — carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. What was scheduled to be a five-week trial was cut short last week when Richins waived her right to testify, and her legal team abruptly rested its case without calling any witnesses. Richins’ attorneys said they were confident that prosecutors did not produce enough evidence over the past three weeks to convict her of murder. “They haven’t done their job, and now they want you to make inferences based on paper-thin evidence. They want you to do their job for them. Tell them, ‘No,’” defense attorney Wendy Lewis urged the jury

原文链接: AP News