A Summit County jury on Monday evening found Kouri Richins guilty of killing her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022.

The jury also found the Kamas mother guilty of the four other crimes of which she was accused: attempted murder, a first-degree felony; two counts of insurance fraud, second-degree felonies; and forgery, a third-degree felony.

Summit County prosecutors accused Kouri of killing Eric by poisoning a Moscow Mule on March 3, 2022, and attempting to do so weeks earlier with a fentanyl-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day. They also detailed a fraudulent scheme to take out a life insurance policy on Eric in January 2022, as well as forging his signature to obtain it, and then claiming the insurance knowing it contained false information. 

Defense attorneys, meanwhile, argued there were too many unanswered questions about the case, such as whether Kouri actually purchased fentanyl or how Eric ingested it, and that prosecutors failed to provide enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The jury began deliberating just before 3 p.m. following each side’s closing arguments and continued for about three hours. 

Around 6:30 p.m., Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik invited the jury back into the courtroom. Twelve jurors listened to three weeks of testimony, but four of them served as alternates and did not participate in the deliberation. The remaining eight jurors were six men and two women.

Kouri and her defense team stood as they waited for the verdict to be read. She was breathing heavily and ultimately lowered her head as Mrazik read the guilty verdict.

The Richins family, including Eric’s father, Gene Richins, and his sisters, Amy Richins and Katie Richins Benson, were present for the verdict, as well as Cody Wright, Eric’s best friend and business partner. They displayed quiet emotion and appeared relieved as Mrazik read the jury’s decision.

A few friends and family of Kouri, including her mother, Lisa Darden, were also present in the courtroom for the verdict.

Kouri has been held in the Summit County jail since her arrest on May 8, 2023. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintained her innocence over the past four years. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 13. Kouri faces 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.

The trial was initially expected to last five weeks, until March 27. 

The Summit County Attorney’s Office rested its case on Thursday after calling about 40 witnesses to testify and presenting a range of evidence. Defense attorneys initially indicated they would call their own witnesses, but rested their case without doing so shortly after the prosecution finished. The attorneys met on Friday to discuss jury instructions and returned to Third District Court on Monday to deliver closing arguments. 

Mrazik reminded the jury not to be influenced by public opinion, sympathies or biases — and instead advised them only to consider the evidence. He also encouraged the jurors to discuss all the evidence first and then to consider it with an open mind.

The prosecution’s evidence had to leave the jury convinced that Kouri is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for such a verdict to be returned. If the jury was not convinced, or only partially convinced, they were required to give Kouri the benefit of the doubt and find her not guilty. 

Each charge included a set of elements that had to be met for the jury to reach a guilty verdict. 

For example, in aggravated murder, jurors had to find that Kouri intentionally or knowingly caused the death of her husband for monetary gain and/or by administering a substance in a lethal dose to find her guilty of aggravated murder. 

Carefully curated facade

Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth told the jury during the state’s closing argument that Kouri crafted an image as a privileged, affluent, successful business owner but that she was incompetent behind the facade. Bloodworth said Kouri was unhappy in her marriage and wanted to leave her husband but that she didn’t want to leave his money.

Prosecutors described how Kouri “gambled other people’s money and lost,” before her business imploded around October 2021. Bloodworth characterized Kouri as a risk-taker who thought her only way forward was for Eric to die. 

Bloodworth detailed each charge and how the prosecutors’ evidence and testimony supported the case, saying Kouri had the means (illicit street drugs containing fentanyl), the motive (financial gain and a desire for a fresh start), as well as the opportunity to end her husband’s life.

He cited testimony provided by Becky Lloyd, a friend of Kouri who worked for C&E Stone Masonry, Eric’s business, who said Kouri told her in December 2021 that it would be better if Eric were dead. Kouri also texted with Josh Grossmann, a handyman with whom she was having an affair, about how Eric needed to go away shortly before his death. 

In January 2022, Bloodworth said Kouri attempted to make herself the beneficiary of a life insurance policy and she asked two people to purchase drugs for her the following month.

Prosecutors reminded the jury about digital forensic evidence that corroborates testimony provided by Carmen Lauber, a former housekeeper employed by Kouri, about setting up drug deals at Kouri’s request, including cell tower mapping and text messages from that time. 

Bloodworth cited a journal entry Kouri wrote about celebrating a business deal with Eric on March 3, 2022, with a Moscow Mule and a lemon drop shot. He noted testimony from the toxicology report and employees with the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner who agreed that Eric ingested a large amount of fentanyl orally. There was also an antipsychotic medication for which Kouri had a prescription found in his body at the time of death.

Prosecutors then described a series of cover-up attempts and inconsistencies between what Kouri told investigators and the evidence. For example, Kouri texted her best friend, saying she tried hard to save Eric. However, a 911 call from the morning of March 4, 2022, showed it took about six minutes for CPR to start after it was suggested by a dispatcher. 

Bloodworth also noted that Kouri planned financial moves for after Eric’s death, including closing on a multimillion-dollar home in Midway despite her business being $1.6 million in debt. She started receiving life insurance payouts in June 2022. 

The prosecutor also said he observed Kouri as only showing emotion when testimony “pierced her facade” and caused a “narcissistic injury.”

‘Paper-thin evidence’

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis was critical of the investigation into Kouri, saying it was “nothing but sloppy” and driven by bias from the Richins family. She said the prosecutors provided speculation but not proof, adding they found evidence supporting their theory that Kouri killed her husband and ignored any evidence contradicting that sentiment. 

Lewis said when Kouri found Eric dead, her “world collapsed” despite suggestions from prosecutors that Kouri did not mourn the loss. 

“They want you to look at a woman in the worst moment of her life and judge her grief,” she told the jury. “They’re asking you to judge how she is acting at that moment and then use that moment as evidence of guilt.”

The defense argued the Richins family tainted the investigation by hiring a private investigator who may have influenced people to consider Kouri as a suspect. Lewis noted law enforcement went back to the Richins home 10 times between March 4, 2022, and Feb. 9, 2026. The defense was also critical of Lauber’s testimony, saying she is not a truthful person and might be willing to say anything to avoid jail.

“Four years of investigation, and they are still trying to find evidence to make their case because they don’t have enough,” she said.

Lewis emphasized the importance of reasonable doubt and asked the jury to consider other reasonable explanations for what happened. She said if they find some, that means Kouri is not guilty. 

For example, if Kouri purchased pain pills for Eric at his request and he was accidentally given fentanyl, then she should not be found guilty of aggravated murder because it was not intentional.

Lewis said if the jury thinks Kouri “might have,” “likely” or “probably” killed her husband, that does not reach the extraordinary proof needed to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

However, Bloodworth had the final word.

“There is no other rational explanation for the evidence,” Bloodworth said. “And despite all the evidence, Kouri Richins doubles down and blames Eric. She is intensely ambitious. See through her facade. Check her ambition. Do not let her get away with murder.”

Ultimately, the jury found that the prosecutors did prove their case.

Neither the prosecution nor the defense was immediately available for comment after the verdict.

Defense attorneys have not indicated whether they will file an appeal, which must be done within 30 days of the sentencing order.

In June 2025, the Summit County Attorney’s Office filed a separate criminal case against Kouri stemming from financial crimes, including five counts of mortgage fraud, five counts of forgery, seven counts of issuing a bad check, seven counts of money laundering, one count of communications fraud and one count of a pattern of unlawful activity. A trial date has not been set in that case.

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Park City School District Superintendent Jill Gildea is planning to leave the district after January 2025.

According to a Sept. 16 letter obtained by The Park Record that she wrote addressed to the “Park City School District team,” she’s submitted her intent to retire from the district.

“Our journey was marked by moments of both opportunity and challenge, yet we consistently maintained our focus on delivering an exceptional education for all students,” her letter says. “The accomplishments we’ve achieved reflect the tireless dedication, collaboration, and shared vision of our entire district team, community partners, and supporters.”

Among the accomplishments she said she’s achieved collaboratively with others in the district, she mentioned expanding preschool access, removing financial barriers, launching initiatives like the “We All Belong” campaign and expanding partnerships within the community.

“These accomplishments are a testament to everyone’s efforts — from our Board of Education to our dedicated educators, staff and community members,” the letter states. “I’m especially grateful for our collaborative work with the Park City Education Foundation and the role they’ve played in driving innovation and student support.”

Her announcement comes about a month after Colorado Early Colleges announced on its website on a now unavailable page that Gildea was the sole finalist for the public charter school organization’s chief executive officer opening.

A week after that organization’s board voted on her as the lone candidate, Park City School Board’s three lame-duck members Andrew Caplan, Wendy Crossland and Anne Peters renewed her contract despite opposition from their two peers whose terms will not end this year, Meredith Reed and Nick Hill. Both of them voted against the renewal. 

The broader community had also urged the board to delay renewing the contract, citing issues the district has faced with Gildea at its head.

Since she was hired in 2018, the district illegally stored toxic dirt on school grounds in violation of a covenant with the Environmental Protection Agency, had 180 cases of student-to-student harassment including some that were not properly resolved according to an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and was the subject of a state audit in fall 2023 that showed the district lacked in assistance to students qualifying for federal help.

During her time there, the district has also managed to be one of the best in Utah to weather and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, was ranked fifth best in Utah according to the U.S. News & World Report and was put on the College Board’s honor roll for its enrollment in Advanced Placement courses, particularly among students who are traditionally underrepresented and come from families with low income.

Board members never answered if Gildea informed them she was seeking new employment as her 2023 contract with the district required, something her then-contract required her to do.

“Jill Gildea has served the children and community of Park City with distinction for six years,” Caplan said when asked if the board was informed of the superintendent applying for other jobs. “If she chooses to pursue employment elsewhere, the board wishes her the best of luck and thanks for her exemplary service to our schools.”

Gildea has not answered whether or not she has accepted a job offer in Colorado.

“Looking ahead, I’m confident that the strong foundation we’ve built together will continue to serve the district well,” she said in her letter to others in the district. “Thank you for the continued support, collaboration, and belief in our shared mission to inspire and support all students to achieve their optimal academic and social potential. Wishing you continued success in the years to come. I’ll be cheering you on from afar.”

Josh Mann, one of the organizers of a change.org petition that urged the board not to renew Gildea’s contract, said he’s happy the petition helped promote the community’s discussion about the contract.

“I believe that local politics are one place where we can all make a difference,” he said.

Karl Persson, the other petition starter, said he thinks people are ready to move on from Gildea’s tenure in Park City.

“I feel that the community is ready to put this era behind us and move forward, and encourage the next school board to choose a superintendent who values transparency, accountability, and prioritizes teachers and student well-being and success,” he said. 

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