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Kouri Richins asked to pause her new-trial fight with a sealed motion. Prosecutors say the paperwork offered a misleading explanation and introduced a new complaint about Judge Richard Mrazik that did not match her existing case. The timing overlaps with an obstruction investigation that has now produced indictments against two Utah law enforcement officials. 
Richins was found guilty in March 2026 of murdering Eric Richins, attempted murder, insurance fraud and forgery. The state proved to the jury that she poisoned her husband with fentanyl, after an earlier unsuccessful attempt. In May, Mrazik sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 
Her defense had accused Mrazik of unfair conduct during the trial. A separate judge rejected an effort to remove him. When Richins then sought a pause, prosecutors argued that the sealed motion focused instead on judicial conduct in a pretrial hearing. Brad Bloodworth wrote that the two arguments were different and accused the defense of trying to buy time for a new theory. 
The separate investigation concerns allegations against detective Eric Mainord, who worked on the case but did not testify. Prosecutors received an anonymous letter about him before trial. Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds have since been indicted for alleged obstruction and entered not-guilty pleas. The full allegations remain redacted in public charging papers. 
The attempt to pause the new-trial proceedings was rejected and withdrawn. Tony Brueski traces how an alleged scheme around a detective could be used in a convicted defendant’s court filings, and why claims of official wrongdoing do not automatically erase a jury’s verdict. 
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard became the subject of online allegations after Ken Urker was found dead, even though authorities had not accused her of wrongdoing. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said its investigation had found no evidence of foul play as of October 2, 2026. It also made clear that the investigation was ongoing. 
Ken died at age 34 in his Raceland, Louisiana residence on October 1, his birthday. Gypsy, with whom he shared daughter Aurora, told PEOPLE she believed his death involved an overdose. She said she couldn't know whether it was intentional. Investigators had not announced an official cause of death in the reporting reviewed. 
The speculation has focused partly on allegations of a looming custody dispute. That purported dispute remains unsubstantiated. Gypsy released messages that she says show an agreement to work out custody without lawyers, while Ken’s sister Autumn has challenged Gypsy’s account of their relationship and separation. 
Autumn has also alleged that Ken slept with a gun every night after threats from internet users. She said her brother feared those threatening him, not Gypsy physically harming him. Gypsy has separately condemned harassment and proposed a campaign called Kenan’s Law to address how platforms respond to reports of abuse. 
Tony Brueski speaks with retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer about the evidence police would need before drawing conclusions. Listener questions test the gap between a family's account, a sheriff's preliminary findings, and a social-media narrative that took shape before final medical results. A death investigation deserves room to establish facts, and Ken’s daughter deserves more than an inherited rumor. 
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Sandra Birchmore’s death was classified as suicide after she was found in her Canton apartment in February 2021. In April 2026, the Massachusetts medical examiner changed the official manner of death to undetermined. That reversal matters in the federal case against former Stoughton detective Matthew Farwell, who has pleaded not guilty. 
Federal prosecutors allege that Farwell killed Sandra and arranged the scene to resemble suicide. Their case reaches back to a relationship that began after he met her through a police youth program. Sandra was 23 and pregnant when she died. Prosecutors say a friend reported the relationship to Stoughton police shortly before her death. 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey Cummings described Farwell becoming angry about that disclosure. The prosecution then pointed to Sandra’s reports that he had done a complete 180, treating her kindly and asking for a key to her apartment. A hooded, masked visit recorded at her building is part of the alleged timeline. The defense disputes the prosecution’s conclusion and maintains Sandra took her own life. 
Robin Dreeke, a retired FBI behavioral expert, considers the limits of reading intent from behavior. Meanwhile, the case asks hard questions of the first investigation. Federal prosecutors have said Massachusetts State Police failed to pursue significant investigative work after Sandra’s death. 
Dr. Michael Baden, hired by Sandra’s family, concluded she had been strangled. The initial state classification, later revision, and competing courtroom theories leave jurors weighing different interpretations of the death. The question extends beyond the verdict to the police decisions that affected the case before federal authorities stepped in. 
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After nine guilty verdicts and a life-without-parole sentence, Caleb Flynn’s attorney Patrick Mulligan filed an appeal notice and sought court-appointed representation. The defense has challenged the evidence of prior calculation and design and raised objections involving jury instructions and venue.
Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke examine that appeal alongside the testimony of Alleigha Botner. Prosecutors introduced roughly 107,000 messages exchanged between Botner and Flynn. Botner acknowledged sending a message saying she wanted Ashley Flynn killed, and she testified about deleting messages after Ashley’s death. She also admitted that her first account to the FBI concealed the affair.
During trial, defense lawyers questioned why investigators did not search certain places connected to Botner or pursue additional camera leads. Video from near the Vandalia house where she stayed showed a vehicle moving in and out, but it did not establish who was behind the wheel.
There is a critical legal difference between identifying investigative gaps and proving a different person committed a crime. Botner has not been charged in connection with Ashley’s death. Flynn continues to deny responsibility, while the jury’s verdict remains in place unless a court changes it.
Could any alleged trial error satisfy the rules for appellate relief? And how much of the testimony about Botner is relevant to the issues an appeals court can actually decide?
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Christa Pike’s failed September 30, 2026 execution has produced a court order directing Tennessee officials to preserve the equipment and records from the procedure. The order followed a confrontation between her attorneys’ claims about failed IV lines and the corrections department’s assertion that its team followed the protocol. 
Pike received two doses of pentobarbital and survived. Her lawyers say the drug leaked into surrounding tissue and left serious injuries. Those allegations echo warnings in a lawsuit filed before the execution, when her team described thrombocytosis and difficult veins and sought a different needle and trained staff. Tennessee had disputed that any special risk was established. 
Judge I’Ashea Myles ordered the preservation of drugs, syringes, IV lines, execution logs, photographs and messages. The reason is straightforward: if the equipment is discarded or the records disappear, an independent examination of what happened could be impossible. The state has said it followed its lawful procedure, including its limit after the second dose. 
Additional reporting from 911 recordings shows confusion over whether calls for emergency assistance were authentic. Responders waited while prison staff and dispatchers sought confirmation. Pike survived hospitalization and has returned to prison as Governor Bill Lee’s pause on executions and review remain in effect. 
Tony Brueski brings the legal perspective of Eric Faddis and the investigative experience of Jennifer Coffindaffer to the question of what those records can establish. Pike’s conviction for the murder of Colleen Slemmer is not in dispute here. What remains unresolved is whether Tennessee can explain its failed execution and legally attempt to carry out the sentence again. 
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