SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Kouri Richins, the woman who was found guilty of murder in the death of her husband, found out Wednesday that she will spend the rest of her life in prison.
The judge sentenced her to life without parole for aggravated murder. She also received five years to life for attempted aggravated murder, 1-15 years each for two counts of insurance fraud, and up to five years for forgery. All five were ordered to run consecutively.
The Summit County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case, gave a written response to Wednesday's result: "Today is a somber occasion. It is a day to remember and honor Eric Richins and all those who loved him and feel his loss."
Multiple people spoke at the hearing before the judge read his decision — including Richins herself.
Richins addressed her 30+ minute speech to her three sons. She said it was the only way she could communicate with them because their legal guardians, Katie Richins-Benson and Clint Benson (Eric's sister and brother-in-law), cut off all forms of communication while she was awaiting trial.
VIDEO BELOW: A segment of Kouri's words to her sons
The full speech can be found here.
Today's sentencing was scheduled to be on the birthday of Richins' late husband and the victim, Eric Richins.
Richins was a Utah real estate agent who self-published a children's book about coping with grief following her husband's death in March 2022. She was found guilty in March of aggravated murder for slipping five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail he consumed.
During the trial, Richins waived her right to testify, and the defense rested without calling any witnesses. However, she elected to speak at Wednesday's sentencing hearing, directing her words toward her three sons, whom she says she has been cut off from in every form of contact since 2024.
Any appeal that the defense wishes to pursue must be filed within 30 days after sentencing.
On Wednesday, the court also scheduled a restitution hearing for July 31 at 1:30 p.m. The judge also decided against allowing an extended protective order against Richins, meaning that she would be allowed to contact the family members of her victim.
However, those family members were told by the judge that they can file requests to deny contact requests in another court.
On top of her murder conviction, Richins still has 26 ongoing charges, including mortgage fraud and money laundering.
