A gag order has been set in place for accused husband killer Kouri Richins, who attended a court hearing today in Utah concerning the case’s popularity.
ABC 4 reports that the Summit County Attorney’s Office filed a motion for the order to limit communication between those involved in the case and the media, in connection with the death of Richins’ husband, Eric Richins.
Kouric Richins is accused of poisoning Eric, who was found with five times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system. She then wrote a children’s book following his death, entitled, “Are You With Me?”
The book is about families dealing with a sudden loss of a father and husband and how children can learn to cope.
The prosecution says since Richins’ arrest, there have been numerous inquiries from media outlets worldwide and four filmmaking companies expressing their desire to create a “documentary.”
“The trial of this case should occur within the confines of a legal court, considering pertinent and admissible evidence, rather than being influenced by the uninformed and inaccurate sensations of public opinion,” the motion read.
Prosecutors referred to the existing gag order imposed in the trial of Bryan Kohberger, who is facing charges for the murder of four University of Idaho students. This particular gag order strictly prohibits any party involved in the case from engaging in communication with the media.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, two months before his death, the suspect allegedly logged into Eric’s life insurance policy and changed the beneficiary from his business partner to herself. She also changed the business partner’s policy, removing Eric Richins as beneficiary and changing it to herself.
The insurance company reversed the changes after contacting the two men and inquiring about the switch.
Then, two weeks before Eric’s death, on Valentine’s Day 2022, Kouri Richins allegedly made him a sandwich that left him violently ill.
“After one bite, Eric broke into hives and couldn’t breathe,” an arrest affidavit read. He used his son’s EpiPen and Benadryl “before passing out for several hours.”
Eric told his business partner about the sandwich incident afterward. Eric then changed his life insurance policy and named his sister as beneficiary, and removed the suspect from his will, with an estate estimated at around $3.6 million.
The arrest affidavit indicated that Eric did not tell his wife about the will and policy changes.
Kouri Richins was arrested and charged with Eric’s murder before she could release her second book. She’s also charged with drug possession after buying fentanyl from an acquaintance, which was allegedly used to kill him.
Prosecutors argued that the defendant was in communication with a documentary filmmaker both directly and through an intermediary, according to CBS 2.
The Court issued a temporary gag order. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Kouri and Eric Richins/Facebook]
