UT - Kouri Richins, 33, Author, wife, mom, charged in husband’s unexpected death last year, May 2023 #2

gitana1

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Kouri Richins was on the news promoting a children’s book on grief. Her husband had “unexpectedly died” a year before leaving their three little boys in despair.

However, she was just arrested for her husband’s murder, being accused of intentionally lacing his drink with a fatal dose of fentanyl.

She is a nurse.

She was praised as a good mom when she promoted the book.

Ugh.


MEDIA, MAP & TIMELINE THREAD **NO DISCUSSION**

Thread #1
 
9:00 AM In Person Hearing
6/12/2023
3RD DISTRICT CT- SILVER SUMMIT
District Court

https://legacy.utcourts.gov/cal/det...0loc.101all.010d.101all.010p.101RICHINS KOURI
State of Utah v Kouri Darden Richins

1st Degree Felony
AGGRAVATED MURDER
3/3/2022
2nd Degree Felony
POSS W/ INTENT TO DIST C/SUBSTANCE
1/1/2022
2nd Degree Felony
POSS W/ INTENT TO DIST C/SUBSTANCE
2/11/2022
Class A Misdemeanor
POSS W/ INTENT TO DIST C/SUBSTANCE
2/26/2022

https://legacy.utcourts.gov/cal/det...0loc.101all.010d.101all.010p.101RICHINS KOURI
 
Family members say they're satisfied with a partial gag order issued by a judge in the case of author Kouri Richins, charged with criminal homicide in the poisoning death of her husband.



SALT LAKE CITY — A partial gag order issued in the case of Kouri Richins was welcomed by the family, a Richins family spokesman said on Monday.

Richins is charged in Summit County’s Third District Court with criminal homicide and aggravated murder in her husband’s death.

Greg Skordas (who is also KSL NewsRadio’s legal analyst) said a gag order in this case, makes sense.

“It prevents the attorneys involved, on both sides, from saying too much what we call extrajudicial comments that could dissuade a jury,” Skordas said.
 
Kamas mother facing numerous felony charges appeared in court for the first time last week.



6/6/2023

Prosecutor Patricia Cassell argued the gag order was needed to ensure a fair trial and to protect the Richins children. Non-local media is accused of camping out in the waiting area of the County Attorney’s Office; attempting to enter the jail to speak to Kouri; contacting the Summit County Jail and questioning whether the defendant is eating her food; reaching out to key witnesses for statements; making promises of having a “handsome actor” play the Richins’ family private investigator in an upcoming movie; and approaching a court clerk at a gas station requesting information.

According to court documents, call records from the jail show that Kouri has been communicating with a documentary filmmaker directly and through a friend.

[…]

While her defense attorney, Skye Lazaro, was supportive of enforcing protections for the Richins children, she was against the gag order. She said it would allow the only public narrative to be what’s been filed in court documents, which could harm her client’s defense and taint the jury pool.

[…]

The court agreed to let Kouri appear in civilian clothes without restraints for all proceedings.
 
Kamas mother facing numerous felony charges appeared in court for the first time last week.



6/6/2023

Prosecutor Patricia Cassell argued the gag order was needed to ensure a fair trial and to protect the Richins children. Non-local media is accused of camping out in the waiting area of the County Attorney’s Office; attempting to enter the jail to speak to Kouri; contacting the Summit County Jail and questioning whether the defendant is eating her food; reaching out to key witnesses for statements; making promises of having a “handsome actor” play the Richins’ family private investigator in an upcoming movie; and approaching a court clerk at a gas station requesting information.

According to court documents, call records from the jail show that Kouri has been communicating with a documentary filmmaker directly and through a friend.

[…]

While her defense attorney, Skye Lazaro, was supportive of enforcing protections for the Richins children, she was against the gag order. She said it would allow the only public narrative to be what’s been filed in court documents, which could harm her client’s defense and taint the jury pool.

[…]

The court agreed to let Kouri appear in civilian clothes without restraints for all proceedings.
Her defense attorney's statement about the gag order doesn't make sense to me. I would think few people would bother to access what is filed in court documents. How would that taint the jury pool?
 

6/6/23

Mrazik noted both the prosecutors and defense – as well as their witnesses – are expected to act with professional conduct, which includes statements they make to the media.

]..]

Other court filings show prosecutors intend to call Matt Throckmorton, a forensic document examiner, Brooke Karrington, the principal of Karrington Financial Forensics, and Christopher Kotrodimos, a private investigator and former homicide detective who will assist with analyzing cell phone-related data, as expert witnesses.
 
Her defense attorney's statement about the gag order doesn't make sense to me. I would think few people would bother to access what is filed in court documents. How would that taint the jury pool?
No, but people do read the news articles and watch the tv shows that discuss the filings.

Much of what we know about this case comes from those filings, including most of the salacious details: the poisoning attempt during the Valentine's Day dinner, stealing money from Eric's accounts, trying to switch the beneficiaries on the business insurance, using the fire pit of a house up for sale as the fentanyl drop site, the request for "Michael Jackson stuff", spiking a Moscow Mule, the party that took place the day after Eric died, the assault on Eric's sister at the party, and much more.

I do see the defense's point that all this stuff will be discussed and gossiped about for months until the trial commences. With a gag order, the defense has no opportunity to counter all the troubling revelations by telling their side of the story.
 
Could this gag order be in place because she's already trying to sell the story?

I think there's a lot of confusion in this thread, perhaps because of the way the headlines have been written. If you read the news articles, you'll see the gag order was denied. The judge put a "protection order" in place, but that only binds the attorneys who were already constrained by the rules of professional conduct.

KR is not bound by the order.
 
Some new info ahead of Monday's hearing

 
Some new info ahead of Monday's hearing

Clipped from article:

“Poisoning is a disturbingly calculated murder method and money an ever present murder motive. But there is more. Chillingly, after murdering Eric Richins with illicit fentanyl, the Defendant obtained additional, stronger illicit fentanyl,” the documents state.

Documents indicate prosecutors are unaware of where the fentanyl is, and if it may be used again. Prosecutors said they have a recording from the Summit County Jail in which the defendant’s mother allegedly said Kouri is only a danger to one of Eric’s sisters, who is also his trustee. Kouri responded, “Yeah, ha, ha,” according to documents.”
 
Some new info ahead of Monday's hearing

From the quoted link -- incriminating internet searches:

The new court filings also indicate Kouri allegedly made incriminating internet searches during the second search of her home, on the day she was arrested. The searches were: can cops force you to do a lie detector test; women Utah prison; what are you allowed inside Utah jails; if someone is poisoned what does it go down on the death certificate as; can FBI find deleted messages; when does the FBI get involved in a case; how long does life insurance companies take to pay; and more.
 
We're finally getting a glimpse of Kouri Richins' defense, but the prosecution has dropped new evidence, too.



The defense says she is not a flight risk, but prosecutors say she was ready to run.​

[...]

Kouri Richins wants to get out of jail. And on Friday, her attorneys filed a motion with the court giving reasons why she should be released.

[...]

They explain Eric’s illness in Greece was the result of a waitress giving Eric a mixed drink after he said he couldn’t drink alcohol due to medicine he was taking for Lyme disease. The defense says six friends were with Eric and Kouri at the time he became sick, and none of them witnessed Kouri handling Eric’s drink.

[...]

As for Valentine’s Day, Kouri’s attorneys say Eric wasn’t feeling well after eating a lunch she bought him, so he took a nap at his office. From there he sent Kouri a text saying he wished she was with him. He went home after his nap and spoke to the kids’ nanny who said Eric wasn’t acting ill, and he seemed “completely normal” as he took the children to soccer practice.
 
More from same article:


6.9.2023

The defense also quoted friends who were with Eric and Kouri on February 20, 2022, less than two weeks before Eric died, and said the couple “never seemed happier.” Attorneys for Kouri also note Eric’s name for her in his phone was “My Princess.”

Also in the defense motion filed Friday, attorneys quote witnesses who say Eric “was a partier and loved a good time,” and they recounted stories about “trips and drinking and drugs in Hawaii, Africa, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Mexico.”
 

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