A Utah jury has found Kouri Richins guilty of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, in a case that has drawn widespread attention.
The verdict follows a 13-day trial, with jurors deliberating for about three hours before convicting Richins of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud.
Prosecutors said Eric Richins died in March 2022 after ingesting a lethal dose of fentanyl. An autopsy found he had roughly five times the fatal amount in his system.
According to CNN, in court, prosecutor Brad Bloodworth argued that financial pressures and marital issues were key motives.
“She did not have the money to leave Eric or the money to salvage her business,” Bloodworth said.
“Kouri Richins is an intensely ambitious person. She is a risk-taker. There was a way forward – Eric had to die.”
The defence argued the case relied on weak evidence.
“They cannot tell you how Eric ingested that fentanyl,” defence lawyer Wendy Lewis said, per the outlet.
“They haven’t done their job, and now they want you to make inferences based on paper-thin evidence.”
Richins, a mother of three, had published a children’s book on grief following her husband’s death before being arrested.
Richins is due to be sentenced on May 13 and could face life in prison without parole.
