Son of Kouri Richins, Utah author convicted of murder, reveals new details about night his father died

Utah mother and self-published children’s author Kouri Richins, 35, is awaiting sentencing after a March 2026 jury conviction on aggravated murder and other felonies in the March 2022 death of her husband Eric Richins at their home near Park City. Ahead of a hearing that news outlets tied to Eric Richins’ 44th birthday, prosecutors filed a memo quoting written statements from the couple’s three sons—now 13, 11, and 9—who were 9, 7, and 5 when their father died. Newsorga summarizes what those filings say about the night of the death, how the middle child’s account challenges the defense narrative, and what the state is asking Third District Judge Richard Mrazik to do.

New details attributed to the middle son

According to CBS News’ description of the prosecution memo, the 11-year-old disputed his mother’s claim that she slept in his bedroom the night Eric died. He recalled, among other points, being sent to bed early without his usual bath; finding his parents’ bedroom locked; hearing a television blaring inside; and trying to use a broom to reach a key before his mother yelled at him to go away. The filing connects that chronology to Richins later telling a 911 operator she found her husband cold to the touch. Newsorga treats these lines as allegations in a party submission pending judicial review, not independent findings of fact by the newsroom.

Why prosecutors highlight the account

If credited, the son’s narrative undercuts a pillar of Kouri Richins’ courtroom positioning: jurors already knew the case’s lurid outline—fentanyl in a cocktail prosecutors described as roughly five times a lethal dose, a prior Valentine’s Day sandwich incident treated as attempted murder, and a self-published grief book, “Are You With Me?”, marketed before her May 2023 arrest. The boys’ statements instead aim sentencing at child safety and future risk: the oldest reportedly told the court he does not miss his mother and fears she would “come after” him and his brothers if released; the middle child tied security to her incarceration; the youngest described shame when classmates discuss the case.

Abuse allegations and sealed DCFS materials

The memo, as summarized by CBS, asserts the oldest boy endured emotional and physical abuse after his father’s death—claims prosecutors said were bolstered by Utah Division of Child and Family Services materials attached under seal. Newsorga cannot evaluate sealed records; readers should distinguish between charging narratives, agency summaries, and adjudicated findings if any become public later.

Sentencing stakes

Aggravated murder in Utah can carry a range up to life without parole; prosecutors publicly urged that maximum, noting they did not seek the death penalty. Financial charges in a separate docket remain, underscoring how the homicide case sits inside a wider alleged fraud pattern—life insurance purchases Eric allegedly did not know about, disputed inheritance expectations, and a real-estate-heavy debt profile prosecutors highlighted at trial.

Calendar and courtroom optics

Local reporters framed the sentencing calendar as intersecting with Eric Richins’ birthday—a macabre footnote in a case already saturated with irony because of the children’s book’s angel imagery. Defense counsel declined comment to CBS on the eve of the hearing, standard practice when post-trial motions and victim-impact strategy are still live.

Trial outcome in brief

Jurors in Park City’s Third District Court deliberated roughly three hours in March 2026 before returning guilty verdicts on aggravated murder alongside financial counts such as insurance fraud and forgery, according to wire summaries tied to the trial record. Prosecutors had framed a financial motive inside a marriage where Eric Richins, per family statements relayed by CBS, once told relatives to scrutinize his wife if he died—a line prosecutors paired with evidence of covert life-insurance applications and alleged fentanyl sourcing through a household employee, as summarized in investigative specials.

The book and the court of public opinion

Long before the jury spoke, the case became a true-crime touchstone because Richins appeared on local television to promote “Are You With Me?”, a picture book narrating a boy’s grief after losing a father figure described in heavenly terms. Defense attorneys argued literary choices are not confessions; prosecutors countered that timing and marketing mattered to consciousness-of-guilt inferences jurors were free to weigh alongside toxicology. Either way, the sons’ new statements shift attention from spectacle back to domestic aftermath: who will fund therapy, how schools shield the boys from playground gossip, and whether probate fights exhaust resources better reserved for guardians.

What responsible coverage omits

Newsorga is not publishing the children’s first names; their ages and relationship to the parties are already in widespread wire copy, but minimizing re-identification details where possible respects privacy norms for minors swept into a true-crime spotlight. Likewise, we avoid sensational adjectives about the book’s text; the public record is grim enough without piling on.

What happens after sentencing

Regardless of the numeric sentence, the boys’ statements functionally ask the criminal and family courts to keep safety planning aligned: supervised contact rules, guardian ad litem reports, and school districts’ trauma supports will matter long after the television crews leave Summit County. Newsorga will update if Judge Mrazik files a written order with precise counts, concurrent terms, and any restitution schedule tied to the fraud case.