US author to be sentenced for killing husband then writing a book on grief

Kouri Richins is set to be sentenced for her husband's murder after writing a children's book about grief. (AP: Spenser Heaps/Pool) An American woman is set to be sentenced for aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl in 2022. Kouri Richins was arrested while promoting her children's book about a boy coping with his father's death. Prosecutors have argued for Richins to be given a life sentence without parole when she is sentenced on Wednesday, US time. Link copiedShareShare articleA United States mother who published a children's book about grief after her husband's death will soon be sentenced for his murder. Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband's cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City, Utah, in 2022. Prosecutors said Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent with a house-flipping business, was millions of dollars in debt and planning a future with another man. She had taken multiple life insurance policies on her husband, Eric Richins, without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate, worth more than $US4 million ($5.5 million), when he died. Body camera video was played to the jury during the trial. (Reuters: Spenser Heaps/Pool) Jurors also found Richins guilty of four other felonies, including attempted murder for trying to poison her husband on Valentine's Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich. Her case captivated true-crime enthusiasts when she was arrested in 2023 while promoting her children's book, Are You With Me?, which is about a boy coping with the death of his father. Richins faces a jail term of several decades to life at her sentencing hearing on Wednesday, local time, which falls on the day her husband would have turned 44. Eric Richins's sister, Amy Richins, said after the verdict she was "very happy that we got justice for my brother" and could now focus on supporting his sons, who were aged nine, seven and five when their father died. Amy Richins said the family was happy to get justice for her brother. (AP: Rick Bowmer/Pool) In a memo filed by prosecutors before the hearing, the sons told the judge they would feel unsafe if their mother were ever released from prison. "I'm afraid if she gets out she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family," said the oldest boy, now 13. The middle child, now 11, said he was sad his dad would not be around for life's milestones. With his mother behind bars, he said he could "live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love". The youngest said he would be "so scared" if his mother were released. Judges in Utah typically impose sentences as a broad range rather than a fixed number of years. The most serious charge, aggravated murder, is punishable by 25 years to life in prison, or a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not push for the death penalty. Prison time for the attempted aggravated murder charge depends on the severity of the bodily injury. After taking a bite of the sandwich his wife left for him, Eric Richins broke out in hives, injected himself with his son's EpiPen, drank a bottle of Benadryl and passed out, prosecutors said. The house where Kouri Richins and Eric Richins lived in Francis, Utah. (AP: Rick Bowmer/File) Depending on the judge's assessment, Kouri Richins could face 15 years to life, six years to life or five years to life for that charge. Two counts of insurance fraud each carry a one-to-15-year sentence and a felony forgery charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Judge Richard Mrazik has discretion to decide whether Richins's prison sentences for each count will overlap or stack up. Prosecutors have asked for no overlap and urged the judge to give her life without parole. Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial. The trial was scheduled for five weeks but ended early when Richins waived her right to testify and her legal team rested without calling witnesses. Her attorneys said they were confident prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict her of murder. The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding her guilty on all counts. Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the mother of three as a money-hungry killer. They showed the jury text messages between Richins and her lover in which she fantasised about leaving her husband and gaining millions in a divorce. The jury were also shown various searches Kouri Richins made about wiping information from a phone. (AP: Spenser Heaps/Pool) Prosecutors also displayed the internet search history from Richins's phone, which included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate. The defence argued that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers. Prosecutors countered by showing police body camera fo

US author to be sentenced for killing husband then writing a book on grief

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US author to be sentenced for killing husband then writing a book on grief

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