Utah businessman’s wife convicted of his murder in fentanyl poisoning case
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The wife of a Utah businessman who died from fentanyl poisoning has been convicted of his murder.
Utah businessman Eric Richins, 39, was found dead in his bed in his Kamas home on March 4, 2022.
An autopsy revealed that he had a fatal amount of fentanyl in his system despite having no known history of substance abuse.
The night before, while relaxing at home, his wife, Kouri Richins, had made him a Moscow Mule cocktail before heading up to bed.
She later told authorities that she and Eric had been celebrating a successful transaction with her real estate business and that she went to bed at approximately 9:30 pm that night. She said one of her sons had a nightmare, so she went to sleep in his room to comfort him.
This would be the last time anyone would see Eric alive.
The pair had three young sons together, and the sudden loss of their father was a shock to them all and devastated the family. To deal with her grief, and as a way of explaining it to her sons, Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book titled: Are You With Me?
The dedication read: “Dedicated to my amazing husband and a wonderful father.”
On May 8, 2023, Kouri Richins was arrested on charges including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and insurance fraud.
She stood accused of lacing the cocktail she made for her husband on the night he died with fentanyl. Prosecutors also accused her of a prior unsuccessful attempt the previous month in February 2022.
Documents state that on February 14, 2022, Eric Richins made phone calls to friends in which he said he became ill after eating a sandwich prepared for him by his wife and felt like he was “going to die.”
Kouri denied the allegations and the case went to trial between February and March 2026.
At the trial, the prosecution called Carmen Lauber, a housekeeper who said she sold the drugs that killed Eric Richins to his wife multiple times in 2022. Carmen’s cell phone records corroborated her testimony.
Evidence at trial also included records of online searches performed by Kouri, including fentanyl-related questions such as how much of the substance is considered fatal and what the official cause of death would be on a death certificate in cases of poisoning.
It was revealed that Kouri Richins was unhappy in her marriage and had been having a years-long affair with a man named Robert Grossmann. Romantic text messages between the two about a future together were read in court, including a message sent just two weeks before Eric’s death that read:
“If he could just go away, and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!! I love you.”
Eric’s loved ones gave statements about how much of a great father he was.
Eric’s father, Eugene Richins, said of his son: “Eric was their coach, their father, but most important, was their very, very best friend.”
The Richins children described the loss of their father and expressed fear toward their mother, whom they said they were afraid of. The eldest son said he was afraid that if his mother was released or spared from prosecution, she would “come after” him, his brothers, and their family and “do bad things to us, like hurt us.”
At the state filing, the middle son said: “My dad can’t be my coach anymore and can’t be at any of my games. He won’t be at my birthdays. He can’t teach me how to drive. He won’t be at my graduation.”
One of the children said his mother did not sleep in his room on the night of his father’s death like she claimed to police. He described being put to bed early without a bath, which was unusual. He also recalled attempting to go into his parents’ bedroom that night and being shouted at to get out by his mother- a direct contradiction to her statement to police.
In response to her children’s statements, she said:
“I know today you don’t want to speak to me, and you hate me. That’s OK. When you are ready, I will be here for you.”
“I will never be angry at you for your feelings,” she said, adding: “All I care about is you boys.”
It was also revealed that Kouri had accumulated a large amount of debt and that her real estate business was not doing as well as she made it appear. The victim had several life insurance policies that, combined, could pay out $2.2 million.
The prosecution added that Kouri believed she would inherit her husband’s estate, which totalled over $4 million.
They accused her of murdering her husband in order to claim his life insurance and financially benefit.
Kouri Richins was found guilty of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and forgery, and sentenced to life in prison.
At sentencing, Judge Richard Mrazi said: “A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.”
