Grief author Kouri Richins found guilty of murdering her husband

A Utah jury convicted Kouri Richins of murdering her husband by slipping fentanyl into his drink in 2022. The big picture: The domestic violence allegations against Richins — who later authored a children's book about her kids' grief — drew national attention.

Thousands of viewers watched livestreams of the three-week trial, which ended Monday.

Catch up quick: Prosecutors argued that Richins, a Kamas mother of three, killed her husband Eric Richins in an attempt to acquire his fortune while her house-flipping business was millions in debt.

Less than two years before he died, Eric accused her of "abuse and misuse of his finances" and took steps to separate his assets from her — but she didn't know that, prosecutors alleged. Richins' housekeeper testified that she sold fentanyl pills to Richins twice in the weeks before Eric's death and once more afterward.

What they're saying: Deputy Summit County attorney Brad Bloodworth called Richins a "black widow" and characterized her as an "intensely ambitious" social climber in Monday's closing arguments.

Despite her business failures, Richins wanted the appearance of success, he said.

Between the lines: A man who worked for Richins testified that she was having an affair with him when Eric died, and she texted about Eric: "If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!!"

A friend of Richins testified Richins was unhappy in her marriage, and that "she said … in many ways, it would be better if he were dead."

The other side: While prosecutors said Richins dosed her husband's drink, defense attorneys said detectives didn't test the glasses or investigate the possibility that Eric used drugs or accidentally overdosed.

Meanwhile, the housekeeper's drug dealer testified he was not selling fentanyl around the time of Eric's death, and provided oxycodone instead.

The intrigue: Defense attorneys declined to call witnesses, and Richins did not take the stand, bringing the trial to an abrupt end Monday. Zoom in: After deliberating for about three hours, the jury returned guilty verdicts for all five charges: Aggravated murder, two counts of filing false or fraudulent insurance claims, forgery and attempted criminal homicide.

The latter charge stems from what prosecutors described as a failed attempt to poison Eric's sandwich on Valentine's Day 2022, about two weeks before his death. Text messages sent by Eric indicated he was gravely ill that day, but he survived.