A judge on Wednesday ordered Kouri Richins to spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole for the poisoning death of her husband.
Eric Richins would have turned 44 on Wednesday. Instead, his dad, sisters and brother-in-law spoke at the sentencing hearing on his behalf.
Kouri Richins, 36, a mother of three boys and a real estate agent, was found guilty in March of killing Eric Richins four years ago on March 4, 2022. She was not arrested or charged until over a year later, and during that time, she hired a ghostwriter to help her publish a children’s book about dealing with grief.
Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ordered her to serve life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for aggravated murder, a first-degree felony. He also ordered her to serve five years to life in prison for attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; two terms of one to 15 years for two counts of insurance fraud, a second-degree felony; and zero to five years for forgery, a third-degree felony.
He ordered those terms to run consecutive.
Deputy Summit County attorney Brad Bloodworth said a person like Kouri Richins “should never again lurk among the rest of us. Her children should never worry that they may one day encounter her.”
‘If she got out, I would be so scared’
Statements from the Richins’ three sons, read during the sentencing by their counselors, expressed fears of their mother.
Her oldest son, who was 9 when his dad was killed, said, “I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family. I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us. ... I miss my dad, but I do not miss how my life used to be, I don’t miss Kouri, I will tell you that.”
Her youngest son was also quoted saying, “If she got out, I would be so scared. ... I’m worried that she would take me away. ... Once she is gone, I will feel happy, and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more.”
A court document filed by prosecutors revealed that if another son had been called to testify at trial, he would have contradicted Richins’ claim that she was sleeping in the 7-year-old’s room the night her husband died.
Eric Richins’ father, Eugene Richins, said Wednesday the loss left a permanent hole in their family and the community. Now his son will not get to cheer his sons on from the sidelines as they grow up.
“He was a light to his sons, to the boys he coached and to our entire community. A light that was taken way too soon,” he said.
He told the judge Eric Richins worked hard for his family, but his life was still taken “through calculated, intentional actions motivated by the greed, control and desire for a different life with someone else.”
Along with his daughters, Eugene Richins asked for Kouri Richins to never be allowed parole so those sons wouldn’t have to fear harm from her.
‘Kouri gave the boys permanent trauma’
The three boys are being raised by Katie and Clint Benson, Eric Richins’ sister and brother-in-law. Prosecutors asked the judge to order Richins not to contact any of the Richins family, and to pay their office over $1 million and another million in restitution to insurance companies.
Katie Benson said her brother would anticipate his boys’ needs and planned for them. She and Amy Richins both said they begged him to get divorced, especially after he believed Kouri Richins had attempted to poison him, but he stayed to protect his boys.
“They have to go through life without their dad because their mother planned and carried out his murder. She could not have done anything more selfish or more cruel to those boys. In the place of a stable, secure and loving home Kouri gave the boys permanent trauma,” she said.
According to Benson, the boys were awake and knew something had happened to their dad — something no child should need to go through. She asked Mrazik to not leave those boys to wonder if their mother would track them down.
“There is nothing Kouri will not do and no one she will not hurt to achieve her own selfish ends. I am not the only one that is afraid, there are three little boys who instead of fearing those who love and adore them as Kouri would prefer worry constantly, constantly, that Kouri might show up one day and take them away. Eric’s sons deserve so much better. They are not bargaining chips, they are not cash cows, they are not props for some twisted children’s book about grief and loss. And yet that is what they’ve been reduced to by Kouri,” she said.
Kouri Richins looked over at her attorneys and widened her eyes during multiple comments from Katie Benson and Amy Richins as Katie Bensen accused her of threatening her daughters and of sending a threatening text from a burner phone.
‘Worthy of mercy’
Kouri Richins’ attorney, Kathryn Nester, said all Kouri Richins has left is “love for her boys.”
“Everything else she has ever held dear in her life has been stripped from her. It is her hope that in openly and honestly sharing her love and hopes and dreams for her boys with you that you will see what it is inside of her that is worth saving, that is worthy of mercy,” Nester said.
Kouri Richins used her time before the court to share a message for her sons, saying she recognizes they don’t want to speak to her now, but wants them to understand she did not abandon them.
“I will use any opportunity I can to get a message to you, even if that means sharing it publicly to the world, fully restrained, in my jail clothes in one of the most horrible situations possible. I don’t care, and I’m not embarrassed or ashamed by any of it. All I care about is you boys. I will do whatever it takes for you to hear the truth from me and to come home to you,” she said.
Her side of the family fought a “long, hard battle for custody,” which was ignored, Richins said.
“I know that right now you may not believe me, that you believe I took dad from you, and that’s okay. I still will always love you, I’m asking that you please just don’t give up on me. I’m coming home, not today, not this year, but we’re going to make this right. Our justice system will get this right although this courtroom can’t seem to,” Kouri Richins said.
She told the boys she and their dad hid things from each other and fell in love with others, and warned them to not keep secrets and put their spouses first.
“Marriage is hard, marriage takes work, marriage takes love, big love, deep love,” she said. “Your love is all you need to ignore the noise, your love never fails. Sometimes your dad would want to throw in the towel in our marriage, but we never did. We always found our way back to each other. … Our love never failed.”
Kouri Richins said she could not give the boys what the answers they want, because she does not have them.
“I will and have always prioritized your safety. I am your mother, and that is my job. And for anyone to scare you otherwise is just cruel and heartless. I’m sorry that eight people from a jury who have never met you or me, or our family have the right to determine our future. In a perfect world there might be justice,” Kouri told her boys.
Lewis argued a sentence of life without parole is only for the most heinous crimes, saying only 72 inmates are serving that sentence now. She gave examples of murders she felt were more heinous where the person convicted was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
She said Kouri Richins is different from her many other clients, and asks about her on calls. This is the first time the attorney said a client was convicted who she believed was innocent. According to Lewis, giving a sentence that allows parole would give a “pathway for forgiveness.”
“Don’t allow their statements at age 9, 12 and 13 to become another tragedy, another trauma that they … may end up suffering as adults,” she said about the boys’ comments.
Kouri Richins’ family maintains her innocence
Multiple people spoke on behalf of Kouri Richins, most through pre-written statements read by attorneys, including family, friends, investors who lost money after her arrest, people who worked with her at the jail and people who didn’t know her but had personal experience with sentences of life without parole. Some asked to have their names kept private.
“Kouri is more than the worst day of her life. She is a mother who has devoted herself to her children since the day they were born,” her mother, Lisa Darden said in a statement read by attorney Wendy Lewis.
The statement said she does not believe her daughter committed the crimes, or could have done so, and the jury’s conclusion was wrong.
Kouri Richins was in tears as her brother, Ronnie Darden, said he misses her “constantly.”
“We don’t with 100% certainty know what happened to Eric, no one does, but we do know with 100% certainty that it wasn’t caused by you. We know it, the police know it, the prosecution knows it and everyone watching this trial knows it. They cannot prove their theory,” he said.
Mrazik found he did not have authority to grant a continuous protective order in the case forbidding Kouri Richins from contacting her sons or Eric Richins’ family members, as prosecutors requested, noting he didn’t “like that result.” He clarified the juvenile court may be able to place restrictions on her contact with her children.
“It very well may be that this is not the result the Legislature intended, and I would encourage the legislature … to fill this gap explicitly, but they haven’t done it yet,” he said.
