Home › Case Library › Utah v. Kouri Richins (appeal)
Awaiting decisionUtah v. Kouri Richins (appeal)
Will Kouri Richins' convictions survive her appeal?
Where the case stands
Direct appeal pending in the Utah Court of Appeals; notice of appeal filed May 26, 2026. A separate new-trial motion on procedural grounds was expected before Judge Mrazik. She also faces 26 additional felony charges in a second Summit County case filed June 2025.
Background
Summit County real-estate agent who wrote and promoted a children's book about grief after her husband Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose in March 2022; prosecutors charged that she poisoned him for financial gain.
Charges
- Convicted March 16, 2026 on all five counts: aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery, and two counts of insurance fraud
- Sentenced May 13, 2026 to life in prison without the possibility of parole (Judge Mrazik)
The arguments
Prosecution/State: Richins poisoned Eric Richins with a fatal dose of illicit fentanyl in 2022 for financial gain, and earlier attempted to poison him; forgery and insurance-fraud counts tied to the financial scheme.
Defense: Per reporting on the appeal, the appellate challenge turns not on trial evidence or witness testimony but on whether the trial court correctly conducted the case (procedural/trial-conduct error).
The record
- Televised trial record. The Summit County trial was carried gavel-to-gavel; Court TV hosts the verdict and trial video archive.
- Five-count verdict. Jury convicted on all counts on March 16, 2026 after a multi-week trial.
The line-setting read at the time this market opened
Direct-appeal affirmance is the strong base rate; reported grounds are procedural rather than sufficiency-based. No ruling date; funding dispute over appellate costs reported at the county level.
Awaiting decision — The Utah Court of Appeals' decision — affirm all convictions, or vacate any count / order a new trial. No briefing-completion, argument, or decision date reported. The ruling is posted here, and on the board, the moment it's confirmed by two or more independent news organizations.
Sources
- KPCW — Richins appeals aggravated murder conviction
- KPCW — Jury finds Kouri Richins guilty
- WEAR/ABC — sentenced to life without parole
- Court TV — verdict video
Public record
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