Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Utah Mom Sentenced for Fentanyl Murder, $4M Fraud

5/13/2026

44 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother, will be sentenced this week for aggravated murder in Park City.
Prosecutors say she laced her husband’s cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022, while she opened life-insurance policies worth over $4 million without his knowledge.
Her three sons told the court they feel unsafe if she is ever released, recounting unusual details of the night their father died.

History

Historical Context

The 1970 Controlled Substances Act placed fentanyl in Schedule II, a classification the Drug Enforcement Administration enforces; fentanyl’s potency—about 80 times that of morphine—has driven strict oversight. Utah mother Kouri Richins’s 2024 case, in which she laced her husband’s drink with a lethal fentanyl dose, illustrates how the decades-old scheduling framework now underpins prosecutorial strategy.

1 of 2

Story summary

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother, will be sentenced this week for aggravated murder in Park City.
Prosecutors say she laced her husband’s cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022, while she opened life-insurance policies worth over $4 million without his knowledge.
Her three sons told the court they feel unsafe if she is ever released, recounting unusual details of the night their father died.

1 / 2