For four years, that question hung over a family in Utah. On Monday night, a jury of eight answered it in three hours flat.
Kouri Richins, a Kamas-area mother of three, was found guilty of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery, and two counts of insurance fraud on March 16, 2026 - exactly four years to the day after her husband Eric Richins was found dead.
What did Kouri Richins do?
Prosecutors said Kouri mixed and served her husband a Moscow Mule cocktail she had spiked with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home just outside of Park City, Utah on the night of March 3, 2022. The drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly amount of the opioid. Eric was found dead in bed the following morning. He was 39 years old.
The jury also convicted her of attempted aggravated murder for a separate, failed attempt to kill Eric on Valentine's Day 2022 - just weeks before his death - when he broke out in hives and experienced difficulty breathing after drinking a cocktail she had made. Prosecutors told the court she had learned from her mistake and tried again.
How old is Kouri Richins?
Kouri Richins is 35 years old. She and Eric shared three young sons together, who are now growing up without their father.
What is Kouri Richins' book?
Within a year of Eric's death, Richins authored a children's picture book called "Are You With Me?" - centered on ways to cope with the loss of a loved one. She appeared on local Utah television to promote it, describing the grief she and her three sons were navigating. The book became a central and deeply ironic detail of the case once investigators closed in on her.
Who are Kouri Richins' parents?
Kouri Richins' mother was present in the courtroom as the verdict was read aloud. Eric's father, sisters, and other family members were also there to hear the judge read each count.
What happens next?
Richins bowed her head as the guilty verdicts were read one by one. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 13 - which would have been Eric Richins' birthday.
Eric's sister Amy Richins spoke outside the courthouse after the verdict. "Honestly, I feel like we're all in shock. It's been a long time coming. So just very happy that we got justice for my brother," she said.
For a family that spent four years fighting for answers, Monday's verdict didn't bring Eric back. But it brought something just as necessary - the truth. Scripture reminds us that what is done in darkness will always come to light, and for the Richins family, that light finally came on Monday evening in a Park City courtroom.
