Utah Mom Accused of Murder Allowed to Communicate with Family, Relatives Insist Husband's Death was Accidental Overdose

Judge allows Kouri Richins to contact family members, denying state prosecutors' attempts to stop communication based on claims of witness tampering, as Richins's family goes public with belief that her husband's death was due to accident rather than murder.

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, has been allowed by Judge Richard Mrazik to continue communicating with her family. State prosecutors previously alleged that Richins attempted to manipulate her mother and brother into giving false testimonies via a letter she wrote in jail.
Richins' defense argues that the incriminating letter was a work of fiction, part of a mystery novel she was writing while in jail. Judge Mrazik ruled in favor of protecting Richins' First Amendment rights, noting that her communications are closely monitored and that there would be practical difficulties in limiting her ability to discuss non-criminal case-related issues with her family.
Richins' mother, Lisa Darden, and brother, Ronnie, defended her on ABC's Good Morning America, insisting that her husband's death was likely due to an accidental fentanyl overdose. They emphasized that Kouri was incapable of murder and loved her children too much to take their father away from them.
In contrast to the family's assertions, prosecutors highlight that Eric Richins removed Kouri as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy shortly before his death. Furthermore, they allege Richins tried to alter the beneficiary for Eric's $2 million life insurance policy without his authorization months before his death.
Richins authored a children's book on grief following her husband's death, titled 'Are You With Me?'. She faces charges of aggravated murder and three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and currently sits in Utah's Summit County Jail without bond. Her legal team requested case dismissal due to alleged tainting of the jury pool.