The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett

Lots to discuss this morning on Something's Off. Join Mel and Rebecca as they break down the absolute shocker that happened just before both sides rested their cases in the Kouri Richins trial, AND discuss Kelsey Fitzsimmons' huge day in court. Let's break it all down! 
In this episode: 
The Ultimate Flex or a Massive Gamble? After 2.5 weeks and 42 state witnesses, Kouri Richins’ defense team stunned the courtroom by resting their case without calling a single witness. Mel and Rebecca analyze the strategy behind keeping Kouri off the stand and relying entirely on reasonable doubt. 
The Legal Chess Match: We dive into the tense, behind-the-scenes standoff over David Norris—and how the judge’s threat to allow a damning jailhouse recording of the word "fentanyl" forced the defense to back down. 
Investigative Blind Spots: Breaking down Kathryn Nester's final, fiery cross-examination of lead investigator Det. Jeff O’Driscoll. From the Valentine's Day EpiPens to the fact that police never found a single fentanyl pill in 10 separate search warrants, we discuss the holes the defense hopes are big enough for an acquittal. 
Kelsey Fitzsimmons Updates: Shifting gears, we cover the massive developments in Kelsey Fitzsimmons' day in court and what it means for the trajectory of that case. Grab your coffee and let's get into the trenches! 
If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...

If you like us, please tip us: 
venmo: @melbarrettwrites 
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 
You can now join the YouTube channel! When you become a member Rebecca will send you free stickers! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

AFTER A TWO DAY BREAK, Mel and Rebecca are back to breakdown the (e)motions. 
In this episode, we dive into a sudden and dramatic halt in Day 11 of the Kouri Richins murder trial. On Tuesday, what was supposed to be a standard day of testimony turned into a tense, hours-long legal standoff that ended with the judge sending the jury home early and assigning the lawyers some high-stakes homework.
The courtroom ground to a halt over the state's star witness: Carmen Lauber, the housekeeper who allegedly sold Kouri the fatal fentanyl. After a brutal cross-examination by the defense last week, the prosecution attempted to rehabilitate Lauber's credibility by introducing roughly 100 pages of transcripts from her prior police interviews. Their goal? To prove she wasn't lying or just telling detectives what they wanted to hear to get a plea deal.
But the defense immediately threw a flag. They accused the prosecution of "cherry-picking" the evidence, leaving out hours of tape where detectives allegedly pressured and coerced Lauber. The defense drew a line in the sand: If the jury hears their 100 pages, they need to hear all 900 pages of the interviews—all seven and a half hours of it.
We break down the intense legal arguments that followed, including the defense's Confrontation Clause objections, the prosecution's strategy to introduce the evidence through the lead detective, and the judge's ultimate—and pivotal—ruling.
Rather than forcing the jury to sit through hours of unedited tape, the judge sent everyone home and hit the pause button. He ordered the defense to spend Tuesday afternoon scouring the remaining 800 pages to find their own excerpts to add for context under the "Rule of Completeness." With a strict 6:00 PM deadline to file their paperwork, both sides were ordered back to court Wednesday morning to stitch together a final video presentation before the jury returns.
PLUS court's back in session on Wednesday and Detective Jeff O'Driscoll is supposed to take the stand! It should be spicy!
If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...

If you like us, please tip us:
venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips
You can now join the YouTube channel! When you become a member Rebecca will send you free stickers! Click the join button to select your favorite level.
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Join Mel Barrett and guests, Mari Forth and Sarah Carradine from the podcast, Crime Seen to discuss the international reaction to the Epstein Files and Trump and Bebe's war on Iran.
If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...

If you like us, please tip us: 
venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$Newslight 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

As the Kouri Richins murder trial entered its third week on March 9, 2026 (Day 10), the proceedings underscored a profound tension between the prosecution’s pursuit of a clear motive and the defense’s attempt to expose what they call a family-funded "hit job". The day featured pivotal testimony from a business partner, a handwriting expert, a lead detective, and the private investigator whose 936-hour probe laid the groundwork for the state's case.
Mel + Rebecca break down the testimony of the Private Investigator hired by the Richins family. 
If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...

If you like us, please tip us: 
venmo: @melbarrettwrites 
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 
You can now join the YouTube channel! When you become a member Rebecca will send you free stickers! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel Barrett and Rebecca Lavoie are back to dissect Day 10 of the Kouri Richins trial, and we are officially in the "piling on" phase of the prosecution’s case. As the state prepares to rest, they’re throwing everything at the wall—from forged signatures to high school drug rumors—but something is definitely off about the actual proof.
In this episode, we break down the heavy hitters from Monday’s testimony:
The Business Partner: Cody Wright took the stand to describe Eric as a "cowboy" who wouldn't let a cold stop him, let alone a fentanyl overdose. But the real chill? Cody’s description of a Valentine's Day call from Eric where he heard a "sense of urgency and fear" in his voice that he’d only heard twice before in his life.
The "Simulated Forgery": Handwriting expert Matthew Throckmorton dropped a technical bomb, testifying that Eric "probably did not" sign those critical insurance documents. He called it a simulation—someone drawing a signature to pass it off as real.
The Driveway Bombshell: Detective Jayme Woody recounted the moment she pulled into the driveway and met Eric’s sister, Amy, who claimed Eric told her point-blank: "I think Kouri is going to kill me."
The state is working overtime to create an "atmosphere of a bad person." They want you to see a woman who fakes taxes, forges signatures, and had a messy childhood. But let’s be clear: Character evidence is not a conviction.

Being a lousy financial manager or an unfaithful spouse isn't the same thing as being a murderer. We’re still missing the actus reus—the actual mechanics of how Kouri allegedly got that fentanyl into Eric. We spent hours today arguing over "red devils" and Sudafed from Eric’s high school days just to try and prove he wasn't a "drug person," but the state's burden is higher than "he was a good guy and she's a bad girl."
If the Medical Examiner still has the manner of death listed as "undetermined," how can a jury get to "beyond a reasonable doubt"? At the end of the day, a fair trial means proving the crime, not just the character. If you can see both faces of that optical illusion—the witch and the widow—the law says you have to walk.
Something is definitely off.
If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...

If you like us, please tip us: 
venmo: @melbarrettwrites 
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 
You can now join the YouTube channel! When you become a member Rebecca will send you free stickers! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!