In the US, a woman wrote a book after her husband's death and was "caught" murdering him (2 photos + 1 video)

A Utah jury has found 35-year-old Kuri Richins guilty of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022. Investigators say she laced a drink with fentanyl, causing his death in their home near the Park City resort.





The jury returned its verdict after approximately three hours of deliberation. The investigation found that in March 2022, Richins gave her husband, Eric, a drink laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl. She then called the police, claiming to have found her husband unresponsive in the bedroom of their home near the Park City ski resort.

According to the defendant, that night she brought her husband a vodka cocktail in bed and went to sleep in one of the children's rooms because the child was having a nightmare. When she returned, her husband's body, she claimed, was already cold.

However, a forensic examination revealed that Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose. The drug concentration in his system was approximately five times higher than the lethal dose.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Richins had planned the crime in advance. According to investigators, between December 2021 and February 2022, she corresponded with a man previously arrested for drug trafficking, asking for help obtaining prescription painkillers.

The woman initially received hydrocodone pills. She subsequently asked for a stronger drug, explicitly mentioning "the same thing Michael Jackson had" in her messages, referring to fentanyl.

Investigators also determined that this was not the first poisoning attempt. According to case documents, Richins had previously slipped drugs into the man's sandwich. After that dinner, he became acutely ill and even suggested he might have been poisoned. Eric confided his suspicions to a friend, but survived.

A few weeks later, prosecutors claim, the woman purchased a new batch of fentanyl. It was after this, on the night of March 4, 2022, that the fatal incident occurred.

During the trial, prosecutors stated that the defendant's financial problems and personal relationships could have been the motive for the crime. Specifically, the court learned that Richins was millions in debt, had taken out life insurance policies on her husband, and was carrying on an affair with another man.

According to the prosecution, she expected to receive a substantial inheritance after her husband's death—more than $4 million. Summit County Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth stated that she wanted to leave her husband, but at the same time, she didn't want to lose his money.

During the trial, prosecutors called more than 40 witnesses. Among them was a woman who confirmed that she sold the drugs used to poison Eric Richins.



The defense team, for its part, decided not to call a single witness. Kuri Richins herself also did not testify in court. She denied guilt on all charges.

In addition to murder, the jury found her guilty of fraud—specifically, attempting to collect insurance payments after her husband's death. The court also found her complicity in the attempted murder during a previous poisoning.

Police arrested Richins in March 2023—approximately two months after she published her illustrated children's book, "Are You With Me?" In public interviews, Richins explained that she wrote the book for her three children to help them cope with the loss of their father. She said the story was meant to offer encouragement to other families dealing with the death of loved ones. In the book, she dedicated the work to her husband, calling him "an amazing man" and a "wonderful father."

The most serious charge she was found guilty of carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The final decision regarding the length of the sentence must be made by the court.