"The young sons of Kouri Richins, a Utah author, said ahead of her sentencing hearing Wednesday that they would feel unsafe if their mother was ever released from prison after she was found guilty in March of killing their father. Richins, 35, faces several decades to life in prison on five felony convictions, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors said Kouri laced her husband Eric Richins' cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022 at their home near the ski town of Park City."
"The statements from their sons, who were ages nine, seven and five when their father died, came in a memo from prosecutors urging Judge Richard Mrazik to sentence Richins to life without parole. The oldest child, now 13, said he wants the court to know that he does not miss his mom. I'm afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family, the oldest son said. I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us."
"Prosecutors allege the boy suffered emotional and physical abuse from Richins after his father's death, which they say is supported by findings from the Utah division of child and family services that are contained in a sealed court document. Richins, a real estate agent with a house-flipping business, was millions in debt and was planning a future with another man, prosecutors said. She had opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4m after he died."
"Her aggravated murder conviction alone is punishable either by a range of 25 years to life in prison, or a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not push for the death penalty. Jurors also found R"
Kouri Richins, a Utah author, was found guilty in March of killing her husband Eric Richins and faces several decades to life in prison on five felony convictions, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors alleged she added five times the lethal dose of fentanyl to his cocktail at their home near Park City in 2022. Shortly before her arrest in 2023, she published and promoted a children’s book about a boy coping with a father’s death. In statements submitted to the court, her sons said they would feel unsafe if she were released, describing fears of harm. Prosecutors cited sealed findings from Utah child and family services alleging emotional and physical abuse after the father’s death. They also alleged she was in financial distress, planned a future with another man, opened life insurance policies without his knowledge, and believed she would inherit his estate. The aggravated murder conviction allows either 25 years to life or life without parole, and prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
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