Kouri Richins Update (Sept. 2026): $1.37 Million Restitution Ordered, Fraud Trial Still Ahead

The verdict in the Kouri Richins case landed in March, and the sentence in May. Most people assumed that was the end of it.

It was not. Two of the biggest pieces of the case were still open through the summer, and one of them closed a week ago — quietly, on a Friday morning, with a number attached.

What did the judge order on Aug. 28?

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik granted the prosecution's restitution request at a hearing on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. Richins attended remotely.

The order splits between the two life insurance companies that paid out on Eric Richins: $1,017,018.49 to Auto-Owners Insurance and $352,562.61 to TruStage. That is roughly $1.37 million in total.

Her attorney, Wendy Lewis, did not contest the amount. Lewis did ask that payment be put on hold while the appeal runs, and Mrazik declined, saying he did not believe he had the authority to do that. Lewis said she would take the request to the appellate court instead.

Why was her request for a new trial turned down?

In July, Richins asked for a retrial on the grounds that Mrazik had been, in her filing's words, hostile and condescending toward her defense team while treating prosecutors warmly. Mrazik stepped aside rather than rule on a motion about himself.

Third District Judge Kara Pettit took it and denied it on July 30, 2026. Pettit found the disqualification request was filed past Utah's 21-day window and lacked the required certification of good faith.

She also addressed the substance: a judge's impatience or frustration with counsel, even taken at face value, does not clear the bar for disqualification. The case then went back to Mrazik's courtroom.

Where is Kouri Richins now?

She is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, imposed by Mrazik on May 13, 2026.

A Summit County jury convicted her on March 16, 2026, on all five counts: aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud. Prosecutors said she gave her husband a fatal dose of fentanyl at their Kamas-area home on March 4, 2022, and that she had taken out roughly $2 million in policies on him without his knowledge.

The detail that made the case travel: a year after his death, she published a children's book about grief, written for kids who have lost a parent.

What is the separate fraud case about?

This is the part that has not been decided. Richins still faces charges — she has not been tried on them — in a second case built on conduct that prosecutors say happened before her husband died.

The counts include five of mortgage fraud, seven of money laundering, a pattern of unlawful activity, communications fraud, five counts of forgery and seven counts of issuing a bad check. Mrazik ordered that case tried separately.

The next hearing is set for Oct. 9, 2026.

What happens next?

Her appeal of the murder conviction is already moving. Attorneys filed the notice on May 26, 2026, and it was referred to the Utah Court of Appeals the following day, which will weigh whether any of the five convictions should be overturned.

So there are three tracks running at once: the appeal, the unresolved fraud case, and the restitution she wants paused. October is the next date that produces news.

Which episodes covered this case?

48 Hours has been on it twice: "The People v. Kouri Richins" in 2024 and "Kouri Richins: Behind the Facade," which aired May 23, 2026, after the sentencing. Both are on Paramount+ and the show's YouTube channel — our viewing guide covers the streaming options.

Tonight CBS is running two 48 Hours encores, and this weekend's other listings are in our writeups of Friday's Dateline and Friday's 20/20. More follow-ups like this one are filed under Case Updates.

FAQ

How much does Kouri Richins have to pay? About $1.37 million, split between Auto-Owners Insurance and TruStage.

Is Kouri Richins appealing? Yes. The notice was filed May 26, 2026, and the Utah Court of Appeals has the case.

Did she get a new trial? No. The request was denied on July 30, 2026.

Is her case over? Not entirely — a separate fraud and money laundering case is still pending, with a hearing Oct. 9, 2026.

Everything here comes from Utah court proceedings as reported by the outlets below. Nothing about the pending fraud counts should be read as a finding of guilt.

Sources

• Deseret News — Richins ordered to pay over $1.3M in life insurance (Aug. 28, 2026)
• KSL — restitution amounts, stay request and the Oct. 9 hearing
• Deseret News — request for a new trial denied (July 30, 2026)
• The Salt Lake Tribune — Richins denied a new trial
• KPCW — Richins appeals her aggravated murder conviction
• NPR — grief author convicted of her husband's murder
• KSL — full case timeline

By the True Crime On Air desk · Updated 8:40 a.m. ET