KPCW's live blog has the latest details from reporter Connor Thomas who's in the courtroom during Kouri Richins' preliminary hearing at Summit County’s Third District Court.
KPCW's live blog has the latest details from reporter Connor Thomas who's in the courtroom during Kouri Richins' preliminary hearing at Summit County’s Third District Court. See complete coverage of the Kouri Richins case here.
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Live Blog: Kouri Richins in court for preliminary hearing
Published August 26, 2024-- PM end of Day 1 of preliminary hearing
Defense team addresses life insurance policies
Posted 15 minutes ago
Defense attorney Kathy Nester asked the state’s forensic accountant Brooke Karrington about the life insurance policies Kouri Richins took out on her husband during the 2010s.
Nester asks about the signatures on them, though Karrington responded she is not the state’s handwriting analyst. She also asks Karrington whether she knows if Eric Richins needed a medical exam for those policies. The accountant also couldn’t say for sure.
Prosecutors have alleged Eric Richins did not know about some of the life insurance policies, which Kouri Richins stood to gain millions of dollars from.
Cross examination wrapped up around 4:40 p.m.
Defense cross-examines forensic accountant
Posted 38 minutes ago
Defense attorney Kathy Nester is crossing Brooke Karrington, the state’s forensic accountant.
She asks about how Karrington contacted her about the case—the private investigator hired by the family of Eric Richins. The investigator initially asked her to help with issues related to the trust, and his sister initially hired Karrington for $325/hr.
Karrington worked for the trust, Eric’s side of the family, for five or six months, she said. Afterward, she was approached by the Summit County Attorney’s Office.
She estimates Eric Richins’ family paid her $9,000. Nester asks about the civil litigation, in which Eric Richins’ family and Kouri Richins are vying for control of his property and estate.
Karrington is no longer retained by the trust, she said, and hasn’t spoken with them for about one year.
Forensic accountant addresses Midway mansion, life insurance policies
Posted an hour ago
Forensic accountant Brooke Karrington said Kouri Richins purchased the Midway mansion for $2.9 million. The accountant added it was ambitious and larger than Richins’ other real estate ventures.
All the money was obtained from lenders, Karrington said.
The mansion was allegedly a point of disagreement between Eric and Kouri Richins. He was not in favor of purchasing it, family member report. His wife closed on the property a day after his March 2022 death.
She stood to gain millions of dollars from life insurance policies she took out on Eric Richins. Karrington testified about those and the buy-sell agreement Eric Richins had with his business partner.
Judge Richard Mrazik ruled last summer Eric’s side of the family should get the proceeds of the buy-sell.
Forensic accountant describes Kouri Richins’ debt
Posted an hour ago
Brooke Karrington is a forensic accountant testifying for the state. She claims Kouri Richins owed as much as $5 million in various forms by the end of 2021.
Richins was allegedly making payments to settle her debts. From June 2021 to February 2022 she paid $320,000 to lenders, Karrington said.
But after December 2021, Richins paid less and less, prosecutor Byron Burmester said. Karrington said her bank was not clearing every transaction and returned some of the payments to her.
Forensic accountant testifies about Eric Richins creating trust
Posted 2 hours ago
Brooke Karrington told prosecutor Byron Burmester about Eric Richins seeking advice from divorce and estate attorneys in the years preceding his death.
He established a trust with his sister as trustee, prosecutors allege, without Kouri Richins’ knowledge. They’ve further claimed her motive to kill him was in part financial—that she believed she would inherit his estate.
Karrington has spoken on properties Richins obtained for her business K. Richins Realty. Richins had about 15 properties in 2021.
Charging documents state some of the mortgages were fraudulently obtained.
Forensic accountant takes the stand
Posted 2 hours ago
The court has sworn in forensic accountant Brooke Karrington, who also testified at the detention hearing last year.
Prosecutor Byron Burmester asks her about Kouri Richins’ alleged financial crimes. On top of attempted and aggravated murder, she’s accused of mortgage fraud, forgery and insurance fraud.
Cross examination of digital forensics expert concludes
Posted 2 hours ago
Defense attorney Alex Ramos is crossing witness and investigative consultant Chris Kotrodimos.
Ramos asks if he knew some of the software he used to analyze phone data in this case was found to be unreliable in court, and Kotrodimos says no.
The defense attorney asks about Kotrodimos not seeking recertification in the digital forensics programs he used in this case.
Ramos also asks about Kotrodimos’ testimony regarding Richins’ movements the night of Eric Richins’ death. He questions whether the expert is certified in “mobility metrics.” Kotrodimos doesn’t know what that refers to.
Cross examination ends around 2:30 p.m.
In his redirect, prosecutor Joe Hill asks about a deleted message from Eric Richins’ phone. Then Kotrodimos steps down.
The court will take a five minute recess.
Digital forensics expert cross-examined
Posted 3 hours ago
A defense attorney for Kouri Richins is cross-examining the state’s investigative consultant Chris Kotrodimos.
He asks about Kotrodimos’ forensics classes and certifications, which he completed in the 2010s.
The attorney also clarifies who send one set of texts Hill previously presented—Eric Richins and not the alleged paramour of Kouri Richins.
Kotrodimos himself did not extract the data he analyzed from Eric Richins’, Kouri Richins’ and others’ phones.
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