Kouri Richins Found Guilty

Kouri Richins, a Utah children's book author, was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted murder, insurance fraud, and forgery in the death of her husband Eric in March 2022. In this 48 Hours episode, correspondent Natalie Morales recaps the trial with Sky Lazaro, a defense attorney who represented Richins pretrial and attended closing arguments, analyzing why the jury returned a quick guilty verdict on all counts.

Verdict and Defense Choices

The jury deliberated for just hours before unanimously finding Richins guilty, surprising Lazaro given the volume of evidence. The defense opted not to call witnesses or have Richins testify, a strategic gamble to avoid giving prosecutors a rebuttal with more damaging material. Lazaro noted this preserved resources but left gaps, as the state effectively portrayed Richins as capable of murder.