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Kouri R. is alleged to have killed her husband.
Bild: Keystone
Kouri R. was in debt and, according to investigators, was planning a new life with another man. One component of the new beginning was her husband's assets. A cocktail laced with fentanyl was his undoing.
The author of a children's book about coping with grief has been found guilty of murdering her husband in the US state of Utah. The prosecution's main allegation was that 35-year-old Kouri R. mixed a five-fold lethal dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into a cocktail for her husband.
The incident occurred in March 2022 at the family's home just outside Park City. The town is known as the decades-old venue for the Sundance Film Festival and is popular with skiers.
According to prosecutors, the defendant was $4.5 million in debt and mistakenly believed she would inherit her husband's estate, worth more than $4 million, after his death. She wanted to leave him, but not his money, prosecutor Brad Bloodworth said.
R. stared at the floor and took a deep breath as the guilty verdict was read out. The court found her guilty not only of aggravated murder but also of other charges, such as attempted murder, because she had allegedly given her husband a sandwich laced with fentanyl weeks before the fatal act on Valentine's Day, after which he fell unconscious.
After deliberating for around three hours, the jury also found her guilty of forging documents and fraudulently obtaining insurance benefits after his death.
Family members on both sides left the courtroom in tears. The deceased's sister, Amy R., said it felt like everyone was in a state of shock. Now the family can focus on mourning their brother and supporting his sons, she said. Relatives of Kouri R. did not want to speak to the media.
The sentence is to be announced on May 13. On this day, the victim would have been 44 years old. The offense of aggravated murder alone could be punished with a sentence of 25 years to life imprisonment.
R. self-published the children's book shortly before her arrest in May 2023. She advertised it on local television and radio programs. According to the prosecution, this was further evidence that she planned the crime and tried to cover it up. Jeff O'Driscoll, chief investigator in the case and sheriff in Summit County, stated that R. had hired a ghostwriting company for the book.
The jury also found the defendant's internet search history incriminating. "What is a lethal dose of fentanyl?" she tried to find out, for example.
17.03.2026, 20:59
