A Utah jury has found author Kouri Richins guilty of murdering her husband in a case that stunned the community and drew national attention for its tragic irony.

Richins, 35, was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, fraud, and forgery in the death of her husband, Eric Richins, who died in March 2022 from a lethal dose of fentanyl. The verdict came after a weeks-long trial and just three hours of jury deliberation.

Prosecutors argued that Richins carried out the crime as part of a calculated plan to escape financial trouble and gain access to her husband’s $4 million estate. At the time, her home-flipping business was reportedly $4.5 million in debt. According to prosecutor Brad Bloodworth, the motive was clear: “She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money.”

Eric Richins, 39, was found to have “five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system,” according to the medical examiner, who noted the drug was “illicit” and not prescribed. Investigators said the fentanyl had been ingested orally.

The prosecution laid out a disturbing timeline, alleging that Richins first attempted to poison her husband on Valentine’s Day 2022 with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that caused him to break out in hives and lose consciousness. Weeks later, on March 4, she allegedly succeeded by slipping the drug into a Moscow Mule cocktail she had prepared to celebrate a recent real estate deal.

In court, testimony from a housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, played a key role. She told jurors she had sold Richins fentanyl pills multiple times in early 2022. After Eric’s death, Lauber recalled confronting Richins, saying, “Please tell me these pills were not for him.” According to her testimony, Richins responded, “No they were not. Eric passed away from a brain aneurysm.”

Lauber later learned the truth from investigators. “That hit hard,” she said emotionally. “Only for the fact that if that’s what happened, I needed to step up and take accountability of my part in this.”

Adding to the shock of the case is what happened after Eric’s death. About a year later, Richins wrote and promoted a children’s book titled Are You With Me?, intended to help her young sons process grief. She even dedicated the book to her “amazing” husband — a detail that prosecutors said underscored the deception at the heart of the case.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed Richins as someone who “carefully curated the facade of a privileged, affluent, successful business owner,” while privately facing mounting financial pressure. They argued that, in her mind, “the way forward… was that Eric had to die.”

Richins did not testify in her own defense, and her legal team rested without calling witnesses. After the verdict, her attorneys maintained her innocence, saying, “Kouri has maintained her innocence from the very beginning.”

Meanwhile, Eric’s family expressed a sense of relief and a desire to move forward. His sister, Amy Richins, said, “Our focus is now on honoring Eric’s life and supporting his voice as we all continue to heal.”

Richins now faces the possibility of decades in prison, with sentencing scheduled for May. The case leaves behind not only a grieving family, but also three young boys at the center of a heartbreaking story that has deeply shaken their community.