<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="_blank" title="American"><span>American</span></a><span> widow who wrote a book about grief after the death of her husband has been found guilty of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/murder" rel="" target="_blank" title="murdering"><span>murdering</span></a><span> him by </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/drugs" rel="" target="_blank" title="drugging"><span>drugging</span></a><span> his cocktail.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Kouri Richins, 35, called paramedics to her Utah home on March 4, 2022, after finding her husband, Eric, unresponsive in bed. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was pronounced dead and found to have five times the lethal dose of the drug fentanyl in his blood, and investigations later found it was illegally sourced.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>JUST IN:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bellbird-park-murder-woman-charged-with-domestic-violence-murder-queensland-crime-news/a2daf2d6-8d43-4f8a-817b-2f51b35ac1cd" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Woman charged with murder a month after woman found dead in Ipswich home</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richins was arrested and charged with murder on May 8, 2023, just a month after she had been interviewed by a Utah-based broadcasting outlet to discuss a book she had written to help widows and children cope with the grief of losing a loved one.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Called </span><em><span>Are You With Me?</span></em><span>, it follows the story of a child who has lost their father, but who is reminded that his presence still exists all around them, according to a description on Goodreads.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/petrol-prices-australia-emergency-meeting-with-major-fuel-companies-held-as-crisis-continues/3c1b2130-1e3d-4925-a1a0-46747aabfad3" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Emergency meeting with major fuel companies held as petrol crisis continues</span></strong></a></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/kouri-richins-author-are-you-with-me-found-guilty-of-murdering-husband-eric-richins-utah-usa/77eb1b72-f62a-4536-89c4-afa32308f273" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Just because he's not present here with us physically, that doesn't mean his presence isn't here with us," she told </span><a href="https://www.abc4.com/news/northern-utah/childrens-book-author-accused-killing-husband-good-things-utah-one-month-before-arrest/" rel="" target="_blank" title="ABC4"><span>ABC4</span></a><span>. "Dad is still here, it's just in a different way."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, she was convicted of the murder of her husband by a jury that deliberated for three hours, and she was also found guilty of trying to murder him on an earlier occasion by lacing a sandwich he ate with fentanyl.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She was also convicted of forgery and attempting to fraudulently claim several life insurance policies in her husband's name after his death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Prosecutors had alleged Richins falsely believed she would be the sole beneficiary of her husband's will, worth more than $US4 million ($5.64 million), and that she was in about $US4.5 million of debt after the failure of her house flipping business after the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She wanted to leave Eric Richins but did not want to leave his money," Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bowel-disease-gut-microbiome-study-mater-research-queensland-health-news/41858c6a-9356-4a1d-abe0-68bc5d7a649d" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Bowel cancer is skyrocketing in young people. The reason could be in the microbiome</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>What was scheduled to be a five-week trial was cut short when the defendant waived her right to testify, and her legal team abruptly rested its case without calling any witnesses.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her attorneys said they were confident that prosecutors did not produce enough evidence over the past three weeks to convict her of murder.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, prosecutors showed the jury text messages between Richins and Robert Josh Grossman, the man with whom she was allegedly having an affair, in which she fantasised about leaving her husband, gaining millions in a divorce and marrying Grossman.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The internet search history from Richins' phone included "what is a lethal.dose.of.fetanayl," "luxury prisons for the rich America" and "if someone is poisned what does it go down on the death certificate as", a digital forensic analyst testified.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/rba-interest-rates-live-updates-march-2026-decision-latest-news-headlines/350491ae-9cc3-47b0-84f2-71cef3b2a650" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Divided Reserve Bank delivers the news that made Australian hearts sink</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Bloodworth replayed for the jury a clip of Richins' 911 call from the night of her husband's death. That's "not 'the sound of a wife becoming a widow'," he said, quoting the defence's opening statement. "It's the sound of a wife becoming a black widow."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Defence attorney Wendy Lewis responded that the prosecution "looks at facts one way and sees a witch, but if you look at those facts another way, you see a widow".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Richins stared at the floor and took deep breaths as the judge read the verdict.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She also faces 26 other money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>Reported with Associated Press</span></em><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></strong></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><span> </span><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a></li></ul></div></div>