A jury in Summit County, Utah, convicted Kouri Richins, 35, of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, two counts of insurance fraud, and forgery on Monday in connection with the 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins. The panel deliberated for just under three hours before reaching the verdict on the 15th day of the trial at the Summit County Courthouse in Park City.

Eric Richins, 39, died on March 4, 2022, at the couple's home in Kamas, Utah, from an overdose of fentanyl roughly five times the lethal amount, according to autopsy results. Prosecutors argued that Kouri Richins spiked a Moscow mule cocktail and a lemon drop shot her husband drank the night before to celebrate a business milestone. They described a prior attempt on Valentine's Day 2022, when they said she poisoned a sandwich with oxycodone, known as the "hush puppy" incident.

Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told jurors during closing arguments that Richins killed her husband for financial gain amid mounting debts from her failing real estate business and a negative net worth of $1.6 million. "Kouri Richins is an intensely ambitious person. She is a risk-taker. There was a way forward – Eric had to die," Bloodworth said. He pointed to her extramarital affair, fraudulent life insurance applications—including one for $100,000 with a forged signature and incorrect Social Security number submitted 10 days before the Valentine's attempt—and her rapid spending of insurance payouts after Eric's death.

Key evidence included testimony from housecleaner Carmen Lauber, who said Richins asked her to obtain illicit fentanyl pills, referred to as "Michael Jackson stuff," multiple times between December 2021 and February 2022. Cellphone data placed their phones near a gas station during relevant purchases. A digital forensics analyst recovered deleted searches on Richins' phone for lethal fentanyl doses, poisoning methods, women's prisons, and data deletion. Her ex-boyfriend, Robert Josh Grossmann, testified about their affair and her expressions of feeling "trapped" in the marriage.

The defense, led by Wendy Lewis, argued prosecutors failed to prove how Eric ingested the fentanyl and relied on circumstantial evidence. "They cannot tell you how Eric ingested that fentanyl... They haven’t done their job," Lewis said. They questioned Lauber's credibility, noting her unrelated legal troubles, and emphasized that insurance money did not resolve Richins' debts. The defense called no witnesses and Richins did not testify.

Months after Eric's death, Richins published a children's book titled Are You With Me? about coping with grief, dedicating it to her three sons and promoting it on television before her arrest in May 2023. Prosecutors over 40 witnesses during the trial, which began February 23.

Richins faces 25 years to life in prison on the aggravated murder charge. Sentencing is set for May 13. Eric's sisters issued a statement after the verdict expressing relief at the outcome.