A children's book author accused of poisoning her husband says a fair trial is impossible.

Corie Richins, a Utah mother of three and author of a book for children about grief before she was accused of killing her husband, is now asking a Summit County court to dismiss the charges, arguing that "a fair trial is no longer possible" because of bad faith behavior on the part of prosecutors.

In May, Utah authorities charged Richins, 33, with premeditated murder and three counts of drug possession in connection with the death of her 39-year-old husband, Eric Richins, from fentanyl poisoning last year.

"The state violated Ms. Richins' due process rights by falsely and publicly stating that she was guilty of 'witness tampering,'" Richins' attorney Sky Lazaro said in a 52-page motion filed with the court Wednesday. "It is aggravating that the State attempted to bolster its false case with evidence, including the police report, on the public board of the court. The State's unconscionable conduct has resulted in widespread publicity, making a fair trial impossible. Therefore, a dismissal of the charges is required. "

The motion refers to a letter that police say they found folded in a book in Richins' detention cell. "Walk the Dog (PGS) Letter," is the title of the letter, at the top of which, in Richins' own handwriting, she wrote a reminder to her mother to "Walk the Dog!!!" the suspect writes in the letter that her attorney "wants to link getting drugs and pills from Mexico, so we need some kind of link." The letter also states that Richins' brother, Ronald "Ronnie" Darden, is expected to testify about Eric's "trips to Mexico" for "pain pills and fentanyl." "Reword it as he needs it to get the point across. Just turn everything on," the letter reads. "There needs to be a link to Mexico and drugs..... Upon information and belief, ha ha.".

In a statement, prosecutors said Sept. 15 that "no such connection exists" between Eric Richins, Mexico and the fentanyl that led to his death. Prosecutors also charged Richins with witness tampering, but did not formally charge her with witness tampering and she was never found guilty of it, according to Lazaro.

Lazaro now contends the state improperly presented the letter and a related police report explaining how police obtained the letter from Richins' cell.

Eric Richins' obituary describes him as "a passionate lover of nature and a dedicated hunter." He enjoyed helping the family ranch and developing his "successful" masonry business. The obituary also describes him as a devoted family man.

Lazaro accuses the state of violating "ethical standards" and causing irreparable harm to Richens' right to a fair trial. A 33-year-old mother who was trying to grow her real estate business at the time of her husband's death is accused of allegedly poisoning her husband's cocktail after seemingly closing a deal on a $2 million mansion under construction in Wasatch County. She wanted to resell the mansion and sell it at a profit, the warrant states, though Eric thought the project would be too expensive. Prosecutors say Eric's death was caused by a desire for money.

Cori apparently purchased four different insurance policies on Eric's life totaling more than $1.9 million between 2015 and 2017. On Jan. 1, 2022, months before his murder, Corey "secretly and without authorization changed the beneficiary on Eric's $2 million insurance policy to herself," the court document states. Before his death, Eric excluded Corey from his will and named his sister as a beneficiary, according to the certificate.

Eric's family told authorities that he feared for his life after Corey, they said, tried to poison him once years ago in Greece and again on Valentine's Day 2022, when he said she tried to poison his sandwich. The day after finding Eric dead in their bed, Corey apparently closed a deal on a mansion in Wasatch County "on her own." Corey told investigators on the morning of March 4, 2022, that she didn't know what happened to her husband after she called police to report his death, calling the incident "crazy," according to a transcript from a police body camera video taken at the scene of Eric's alleged murder.

After Eric's death, Corey wrote a book for children about death and coping with grief called "Are You With Me?" priced at $15 on Amazon. A description of the book on Amazon describes it as "a must-read for any child who has experienced the pain of loss, and for parents who want to provide their children with the emotional support they need to heal and grow. "