Who is raising Kouri Richins’ children? Her three sons with the late Eric Richins are being cared for by Eric’s sister, Katie Richins-Benson, and Katie’s husband, Clint Benson, according to local Utah news reports from Kouri Richins’ May 13, 2026 sentencing. Reporting also describes a prior juvenile-court decision granting custody to Eric’s family. Detailed, current juvenile-court records and the boys’ private living arrangements are not public.
The question has drawn attention as the Utah murder case has progressed from trial and sentencing to appeals and civil litigation. There is a verified answer about the relatives caring for the boys, but some online accounts confuse the family awarded custody with specific legal terms of guardianship, or present outdated trial-stage information as a new development. The reporting below separates those issues and leaves out details that could compromise the children’s privacy.
Who is caring for Kouri Richins’ three sons?
Katie Richins-Benson is the sister of Eric Richins, the boys’ father. She and her husband, Clint Benson, were identified as the children’s caregivers in coverage of the May 13, 2026 sentencing. KSL’s courtroom report explicitly names Katie and Clint Benson. The Salt Lake Tribune also reported that the children were being raised by their aunt Katie and her husband.
These are named adult relatives who spoke or were identified in public court reporting. The children themselves are minors. This article does not publish their current address, school, daily routines or other private identifying details.
What do we know about custody?
Earlier reporting described a juvenile-court decision in 2024 awarding custody of the three sons to Eric Richins’ family. At that stage, public accounts did not always identify the specific household involved. Later reporting at sentencing in 2026 identified Katie and Clint Benson as the adults raising them.
Those statements are related, but not identical. Being a reported caregiver does not, by itself, disclose every term of a confidential court order or the current legal status of guardianship. No publicly available material reviewed for this article establishes a newer custody transfer, and we do not infer one from a change in headlines. For that reason, the careful answer is that the children are reported to be in the care of their paternal aunt and uncle, rather than making unsupported claims about every aspect of the order.
Why are the children living with relatives?
Eric Richins died in March 2022. Kouri Richins was arrested in May 2023 and remained in custody during the murder proceedings. A Summit County jury found her guilty on March 16, 2026, of aggravated murder and other charges, including attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud and forgery. A judge sentenced her to life in prison without parole on May 13, 2026. Her attorneys subsequently filed a notice of appeal.
The situation means the boys have had to cope with their father’s death and their mother’s imprisonment. Public statements at the sentencing hearing described the impact on the family; repeating the minors’ most distressing details is not necessary to answer who is caring for them.
The verified timeline
| Date | Confirmed development | How it relates to the children |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 2022 | Eric Richins died in Utah. | The three boys lost their father. |
| May 2023 | Kouri Richins was arrested in connection with his death. | Family care and custody arrangements became a public question. |
| 2024 | Local reporting described a juvenile court awarding custody to Eric’s family. | The public account established family placement, without disclosing complete court terms. |
| March 16, 2026 | A Utah jury convicted Richins on all five counts tried. | The trial verdict did not announce a new custody arrangement. |
| May 13, 2026 | Richins received a life-without-parole sentence; Utah reporting identified Katie and Clint Benson as caregivers. | This is the clearest publicly corroborated identification of the adults raising the boys. |
| May 26, 2026 | Her attorneys filed notice of appeal. | An appeal is a challenge to the conviction, not evidence of a custody change. |
| October 5–6, 2026 | A judge entered a multimillion-dollar civil judgment concerning Eric Richins’ death and his estate. | The estate ruling is financially significant; it is separate from identifying the children’s caregivers. |
What about Kouri Richins’ contact with her sons?
Her contact with the children was contested in earlier court proceedings and discussed again at sentencing. There is no reliable basis in the material reviewed to describe a present-day visitation schedule or private communications. The absence of public detail should not be filled with speculation. The adults caring for the children and the courts are responsible for decisions within the applicable legal arrangements.
What is the latest Kouri Richins case update?
The major verified criminal-case milestones are the March 2026 guilty verdict and May 2026 life-without-parole sentence. A notice of appeal was reported in May. The October 2026 civil judgment directed Kouri Richins to pay more than $55 million to Eric Richins’ estate. The civil case, criminal appeal and custody question are different proceedings; one should not be mistaken for a ruling in another. As of this article’s November 9 research cutoff, the sources reviewed do not establish a new change in who is raising the boys.
Search phrases such as “Kouri Richins update trending” or “Kouri Richins verdict” can surface older material. Always check whether a news item reports a genuinely new court ruling, or merely recaps the March and May developments.
Frequently asked questions
Who has custody of Kouri Richins’ kids?
Earlier reporting described a juvenile-court award of custody to Eric Richins’ family. At the May 2026 sentencing, Utah outlets identified Eric’s sister Katie Richins-Benson and her husband Clint Benson as the relatives raising the boys. The complete legal terms of custody have not been established by the public materials reviewed here.
Are Kouri Richins’ children living with their grandparents?
The strongest verified reports identify their paternal aunt and uncle as caregivers. Do not rely on unattributed social posts naming a different household.
How many children did Kouri and Eric Richins have?
They had three sons. Their current private activities and locations are not relevant to understanding the court proceedings.
When was Kouri Richins found guilty?
The jury returned its guilty verdict on March 16, 2026. Sentencing was a separate event on May 13, 2026.
What was Kouri Richins’ sentence?
On May 13, 2026, a Utah judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole for aggravated murder, with additional sentences on other convictions. Her attorneys filed a notice of appeal.
Did the October 2026 civil ruling change custody?
The reported October decision dealt with damages involving Eric Richins’ estate. It should not be described as a new juvenile-court custody order.
Is there a new custody update today?
No new custody ruling was established in the sources reviewed through November 9, 2026. That is a research cutoff, not a claim that private family circumstances could never change.
Sources and further reading
- KSL — Sentencing coverage naming Katie and Clint BensonMay 13, 2026 · Utah court reporting
- The Salt Lake Tribune — Court filings and children’s family placementMay 13, 2026 · local reporting
- KPCW — Jury finds Richins guilty on all countsMarch 16–17, 2026 · verdict
- The Salt Lake Tribune — Life sentence confirmedMay 13, 2026 · sentence
- The Salt Lake Tribune / KPCW — Appeal notice filed May 26June 10, 2026 · appeal
- KPCW — October wrongful-death judgmentOctober 6, 2026 · civil lawsuit
- Biography — Context and reporting on the 2024 family custody rulingUpdated May 14, 2026 · secondary context