SALT LAKE CITY — Three young children whose mother was found guilty of murdering their father have expressed deep fears about their safety should she ever be released from custody, according to court documents filed before Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.
Kouri Richins, a 35-year-old writer, is facing the possibility of spending decades behind bars or life imprisonment following her conviction on five felony charges, including aggravated murder.
According to prosecutors, Richins poisoned her husband Eric’s drink with a fatal amount of fentanyl — five times what would be considered lethal — at their residence near Park City’s ski area in 2022. Following his death, she wrote and released a children’s book focusing on a young boy dealing with his father’s passing, publishing it shortly before authorities arrested her in 2023.
Defense lawyers for Richins chose not to provide statements Tuesday ahead of the sentencing, which is scheduled for what would have been Eric Richins’ 44th birthday.
The children’s emotional statements were included in a prosecutorial filing asking Judge Richard Mrazik to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The boys were 9, 7, and 5 years old when they lost their father.
The eldest son, now 13, told the court he feels no longing for his mother’s return. “I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family,” he stated. “I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us.”
Court filings indicate the oldest child endured both emotional and physical mistreatment from Richins following his father’s death, with allegations backed by findings from Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services contained in sealed court records.
Investigators revealed that Richins worked in real estate and house flipping but had accumulated millions in debt while secretly planning a relationship with another man. She had taken out multiple life insurance policies on her spouse without his awareness and incorrectly assumed she would receive his estate valued at over $4 million upon his death.
The aggravated murder charge alone carries potential penalties ranging from 25 years to life imprisonment, or life without parole. The prosecution did not seek capital punishment.
The jury also convicted Richins on additional felony charges including insurance fraud, forgery, and attempted murder for an earlier incident on Valentine’s Day when she allegedly tried to poison her husband with a fentanyl-contaminated sandwich that caused him to lose consciousness.
The middle son, now 11, contradicted his mother’s account that she slept in his room the night his father died. He remembered strange details from that evening, including being sent to bed early without bathing, finding his parents’ bedroom door locked, and hearing loud television sounds from inside. The boy recalled his mother shouting at him to leave when he attempted to use a broom handle to reach a key to the bedroom, where Richins later told emergency responders she discovered her husband’s lifeless body.
The 11-year-old expressed sorrow that his father would miss future camping trips, fishing excursions, sports coaching, and important life events. Similar to his older sibling, he said his mother’s freedom would make him feel unsafe.
“With (her) in jail, I will be able to continue to feel safe and live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love,” his written statement declared.
The youngest child shared feelings of “hateful and ashamed” emotions when others mention his mother “because she took away my dad.” He expressed he would be “so scared” if she was released from prison.
“Once she is gone I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more,” the youngest boy wrote, though his current age was not specified in court documents.
Richins is also facing more than two dozen financial criminal charges in a separate legal proceeding that has not yet reached trial.
