Utah children’s book author Kouri Richins sat making incredulous faces in court on Wednesday, May 13, as Judge Richard Mrazik delivered her sentence for the homicide of her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.
The moment came after her three young sons detailed the profound trauma and heartbreak their mother inflicted — not only by forever depriving them of their father’s love, but also by brutally ending the lives of their beloved pets.
In a raw testimony, the boys expressed their wish to see Kouri behind bars for the rest of her life.
Anything less, they said, would leave them in perpetual fear for their safety.
The children’s author’s expressions ranged from stunned to skeptical as social workers read statements from her kids
Kouri’s boys were aged 5, 7, and 9 when she cut Eric’s life short by spiking his Moscow Mule cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl, allegedly intending to inherit his $4 million fortune.
Her children described how she had mistreated them and harmed their household pets before what she did to their father.
One of the sons claimed Kouri once refused to allow their cat into the garage, causing it to be fatally mauled.
On another occasion, Kouri allegedly failed to feed their chickens or turn on a heat lamp for them and their bunnies, which led to their passing.
The children also claimed Kouri once hit their dog over the head “as hard as she could” after it urinated in the house because she would not let it out.
Image credits: COURT TV
One son also claimed she threatened to harm their pet lizard because they did not want to watch TV with her.
One of the boys said Kouri was “drunk almost daily” and claimed she would lock him in his bedroom.
The same child said he believed he may have been d**gged on the night of his father’s demise because he woke up “shaking” and “couldn’t talk for a while.”
“I want her to go to prison forever,” one of the boys said.
Amid the testimony being read aloud, Kouri — dressed in a neon T-shirt layered over a gray long-sleeve shirt — was seen with her mouth open on several occasions.
She also appeared to pull her eyebrows together at times, suggesting she was confused.
Kouri Richins addressed her sons in an emotional speech during sentencing
Stupid murdering bitch Kouri Richins making faces during Eric’s sister victim impact statement. #kouririchins #kouririchinstrial pic.twitter.com/eFJph2On9I
— Jay (@jaybronious) May 13, 2026
“I will never be angry at you for your feelings,” she said. “All I care about is you, boys.”
Kouri accused her late husband’s family of cutting off her contact with the children.
“You boys are my world, the reason I continue to wake up every day and fight to come home,” she went on. “I promise you, boys, one day it will be over.”
Image credits: Kouri Richins
In her statement, Kouri acknowledged she had “done plenty of things” she was not proud of, but told her children, “Nobody is all good or all bad.”
She asked her children to always protect each other, choose happiness, and help others.
“Be like your dad,” she said.
All three children have reportedly undergone intensive therapy and are being raised by Eric’s sister, Katie Richins, and her husband, Clint.
Katie claimed in court that her brother stayed with Kouri purely to protect their three sons
Eric and Kouri would have separated long before the homicide, but he remained in the relationship, according to Katie, out of concern that a custody dispute could give Kouri unsupervised access to their sons.
“He believed Kouri was the most evil person he had ever met,” Katie told the judge.
“He knew his sons did not like her and preferred to be far away from her. He said he could never allow his children to spend half of their time alone with her.”
Another of Eric’s sisters, Amy, said Eric’s demise caused such stress and devastation that she miscarried twins.
Kouri, who had reportedly accumulated $3.1 million in debt while working as a real estate flipper before becoming an author, planned on using Eric’s estate to clear her debts and then run away with her handyman lover, Robert Grossman, according to prosecutors.
She allegedly made a first attempt on Eric’s life two weeks earlier by spiking his sandwich with the same substance that later killed him.
On Wednesday, the court ruled in line with the children’s request regarding Kouri’s sentencing.
She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the aggravated homicide charge, five years to life for the attempted homicide charge, one to 15 years for two fraudulent insurance claim charges, and up to five years for a forgery charge.
“Zero remorse. Gross,” a netizen said about Kouri’s expressions
