The controversy over an envelope Kouri Richins gave to her attorney is settled.
Richins is the Kamas mom accused of poisoning her husband then writing a children’s book about grieving his death.
Last September, prosecutors accused her of smuggling potential evidence out of her Summit County jail cell in an envelope marked “attorney-client privilege.” Defense attorneys said the material was privileged and declined to give it to the state, saying jailers had searched it anyway.
Feb. 23, Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik ruled partly in the defense’s favor: Kouri’s writing is privileged, and the defense won’t have to hand it over. Court filings indicate the document, originally thought to be over 60 pages, is 33 pages long.
But the envelope also contained a letter prosecutors claim another inmate wrote to Kouri. That letter—dubbed “letter No. 2” in the case—Mrazik says isn’t privileged.
The defense will give letter No. 2 to the state, but it’s not clear yet if it will be made public.
Now that the dispute is settled, Richins will get a preliminary hearing. It’s scheduled for May 15, a year and a week since Richins was first arrested.
