Three boys who watched their father die will spend years hoping their mother never leaves prison. In statements submitted before Kouri Richins' sentencing Wednesday, the sons of the Utah author made clear they live in fear of her release.
Richins, 35, was convicted in March of killing her husband Eric with a lethal dose of fentanyl slipped into his cocktail at their Park City home in 2022. She faces anywhere from decades to life in prison on five felony counts, including aggravated murder. The sentencing hearing fell on what would have been Eric's 44th birthday.
The oldest boy, now 13, told the court he does not miss his mother. "I'm afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family," he said. "I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us."
Prosecutors included the statements in their recommendation that Richins receive life without parole. They allege the oldest child suffered emotional and physical abuse from his mother after his father's death, citing findings from Utah's division of child and family services in sealed court documents.
The middle son, now 11, contradicted his mother's account of the night Eric died. He said she put him to bed early without a bath, locked their parents' bedroom, and blared the television. When he tried to retrieve a key to their room using a broom, he said his mother yelled at him to go away. She later called 911 saying she found Eric cold.
This boy described the weight of losing his father. He will never have his dad coaching him in sports, celebrating birthdays, taking him camping and fishing, teaching him to drive, or attending his graduation. But he said he could build a good life if his mother stayed behind bars. "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 statement read.
The youngest, who was still in preschool when his father died, said he feels "hateful and ashamed" when people mention his mother. "She took away my dad," he said. He told the judge he would be "so scared" if she was released, but that once she was gone, he would "feel happy and feel safer and relaxed and trust people more."
Richins had opened multiple life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge. She was millions in debt, working as a real estate agent with a house-flipping business, and had begun planning a future with another man. Prosecutors said she expected to inherit an estate worth more than $4 million.
The fentanyl attack was not her first attempt. Jurors also found her guilty of attempted murder for trying to poison Eric with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine's Day weeks earlier. That attack caused him to black out. She was also convicted of insurance fraud and forgery.
Shortly before her arrest in 2023, Richins published and promoted a children's book about a boy coping with his father's death. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.
Author James Rodriguez: "Three boys having to make statements to keep their mother in prison is a reminder that murder doesn't just kill one person, it destroys everyone in its path."
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