{"id":2572883,"date":"2026-02-24T08:20:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prosecutors-utah-mom-who-wrote-childrens-book-about-grief-after-husband-died-actually-killed-him\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T08:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T13:22:10","slug":"prosecutors-utah-mom-who-wrote-childrens-book-about-grief-after-husband-died-actually-killed-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prosecutors-utah-mom-who-wrote-childrens-book-about-grief-after-husband-died-actually-killed-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Prosecutors: Utah Mom Who Wrote Children&#8217;s Book About Grief After Husband Died Actually Killed Him"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fprosecutors-utah-mom-who-wrote-childrens-book-about-grief-after-husband-died-actually-killed-him%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2572883&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Utah mom and children&#8217;s book author Kouri Richins is accused by prosecutors of murdering her husband, Eric Richins, in 2022 to obtain his money and start a new life with another man. They say she poisoned him with fentanyl, and point to an earlier alleged attempt with a fentanyl-laced sandwich and about $4.5 million in debt as motive. Prosecutors also allege she <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >quietly secured<\/a> nearly $2 million in life insurance on her husband without his knowledge,and point to text messages with a man she was involved with and online searches as evidence of her intent to divorce and gain wealth. Richins has denied the allegations, while the defense suggests his death could have been an overdose; the defense asks jurors to hear her side. The case, which includes about three dozen counts such as aggravated murder, forgery, mortgage and insurance fraud, is ongoing with a trial through March 26, and a conviction on the top charge could bring 25 years to life in prison.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, fact really is stranger &mdash; and much more macabre &mdash; than fiction.<\/p>\n<p>In a stunning development for a Utah mom and children&rsquo;s book author, she&rsquo;s now being accused of heinously murdering her own husband for profit.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/kouri-richins-murder-trial-opening-statements-55949a453ff23ac67f776058c0718fcd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, 35-year-old Kouri Richins had written a children&rsquo;s book about grief following the death of her husband.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2023, Richins had self-published the illustrated children&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Are You With Me?&rdquo; which follows a father with angel wings looking after his young son after passing away.<\/p>\n<p>Richins claimed that the book&rsquo;s purpose was to help children, including her own, learn to cope with the grief of losing a parent. Eric Richins, Kouri&rsquo;s then-husband, passed away in 2022.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>But is there more to this story than meets the eye?<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors certainly think so.<\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press reported that prosecutors painted Richins as a money-hungry monster who used fentanyl to kill her husband.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2022, Richins allegedly slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail that her husband was drinking.<\/p>\n<p>Alarmingly, this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-pounce-to-cover-up-kamala-harris-plagiarism-scandal\/\" title=\"Media &#039;Pounce&#039; To Cover Up Kamala Harris&#039; Plagiarism Scandal\">apparently wasn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t even the first attempt, as Richins was further accused of trying to poison him during Valentine&rsquo;s Day with &ldquo;a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him break out in hives and black out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told the jury that Richins was drowning in roughly $4.5 million of debt and operating under the mistaken assumption that her husband&rsquo;s death would leave her in control of an estate valued at more than $4 million. According to the state, that financial pressure formed a central motive in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors also contended that Richins was envisioning a new life with another man she had been involved with, arguing that the alleged affair further underscores why she may have wanted out of her marriage.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The evidence will prove that Kouri Richins murdered Eric for his money and to get a fresh start at life,&rdquo; Bloodworth argued. &ldquo;More than anything, she wanted his money to perpetuate her facade of privilege, affluence and success.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors alleged that in the years leading up to Eric Richins&rsquo; death, Kouri Richins quietly secured multiple life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge, totaling nearly $2 million in potential payouts. Court filings further showed her finances were in dire shape, including an overdrawn bank account and at least one lawsuit from a creditor.<\/p>\n<p>In court, Bloodworth walked jurors through a string of text messages between Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man prosecutors say she was romantically involved with. The messages, he argued, painted a picture of someone eager to exit her marriage.<\/p>\n<p>According to the state, Richins messaged Grossman about fantasies of divorcing her husband, walking away with millions, and eventually building a new life together. Prosecutors suggested those exchanges were not idle chatter but insight into motive.<\/p>\n<p>Jurors were also shown portions of Richins&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/investigators-driver-killed-retired-michigan-woman-for-sex-acts-with-body\/\" title=\"Investigators: Driver Killed Retired Michigan Wo... for Sex Acts with Body\">online search history<\/a>, which included queries such as &ldquo;luxury prisons for the rich America&rdquo; and &ldquo;Can cops force you to do a lie detector test?&rdquo; The prosecution contended those searches raise troubling questions about her state of mind.<\/p>\n<p>Richins has vehemently denied these allegations.<\/p>\n<p>Her defense team painted Eric&rsquo;s death as a possible overdose, and urged jurors to wait to hear Kouri&rsquo;s side of the story.<\/p>\n<p>This trial is ongoing and slated to go through March 26.<\/p>\n<p>Richins has been charged with close to three dozen criminal counts, ranging from aggravated murder and attempted murder to forgery, mortgage fraud, and insurance fraud. If convicted on the top charge alone, she could face a prison term of 25 years to life.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reality can be stranger and more macabre than fiction. In Utah, 35-year-old Kouri Richins, a mother and author of children\u2019s books, is accused of murdering her husband for financial gain. She had published a grief-themed children\u2019s book, Are You With Me?, in May 2023, claiming it would help children cope with losing a parent after Eric Richins died in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors portray Richins as money-driven, alleging she used fentanyl to kill her husband. They say she gave him a lethal dose in 2022 and that there was an earlier attempt on Valentine\u2019s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich. They also argue she was nearly $4.5 million in debt and believed her husband\u2019s death would allow her to control a multi-million-dollar estate. They contend she was planning a new life with another man, and point to an alleged affair as supporting motive. Prosecutors claim she secretly obtained nearly $2 million in life insurance on him without his knowledge, and that her finances showed signs of distress, including an overdrafted account and a creditor lawsuit. Texts with a man identified as Robert Josh Grossman suggested a desire to divorce and start anew with millions. Online searches, such as \u201cluxury prisons for the rich\u201d and \u201clie detector tests,\u201d were also cited as raising questions about her mindset.<\/p>\n<p>Richins denies the allegations, with her defense suggesting Eric\u2019s death could have been an overdose and urging jurors to hear her side of the story. The trial is ongoing and expected to run through March 26. She faces nearly three dozen charges, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, forgery, mortgage fraud, and insurance fraud; a conviction on the top charge could bring a sentence of 25 years to life.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like, I can produce a shorter summary or adjust the paraphrase to exclude or emphasize specific details<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74433,61691,4349,71321,5764],"class_list":["post-2572883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-childrens-book-2","tag-grief-2","tag-murder","tag-true-crime-2","tag-utah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2572883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2572886,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2572883\/revisions\/2572886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2572883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2572883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2572883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}