'Simulated Forgery': Handwriting Expert Testifies Signature On Life Insurance App Likely Fake

Описание: George Matthew Throckmorton was a crime scene investigator for the Salt Lake City Police Department who specialized in examining documents as a forensic document examiner.

He testified in Kouri Richins' murder trial today (Monday, March 9, day 10) about a life insurance application for Eric Richins weeks before he died that listed Kouri Richins as his beneficiary. He said Eric's signature appears to be forged.

His cross-exam emphasized that his finding is "probably" and not "100 percent" and he also isn't certified. You can watch here:    • Cross-Exam Emphasizes Forgery Finding Is N...  

08:43 "Okay, are there studies that have looked at the ability of a trained document examiner versus lay people on their abilities?"
"Yes, there's been a number of studies over the years..."

11:23 "I receive a stack of documents. First of all, I separate the question from the known. I go over each page individually, looking for comparison between whatever has been questioned versus the undisputed, known samples that I receive.

I compare my findings, one from another, then I evaluate those findings in order to render an opinion."

12:57 "I'm looking for everything in the writing, just looking for, again, similarities and differences, looking for evidence that will basically say is that was this authored by the same person, or was it authored by two different people? I look for letter formations..."

13:42 "So when you're doing this comparison, do you consider the underlying facts of of the case you're working on?"
"No, I just look at the evidence sitting in front of me."

14:34 "There's a set of standardized opinions that initially was put together in 1977 by ... the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners."

21:59 "Majority of these documents were received from Katie's attorneys" (Eric's sister)

26:41 "My conclusion was that there was no evidence that Eric authored this signature and that he probably did not and that it appeared to be a simulated forgery written by somebody who was familiar had access to his writing..."

Background:

Kouri Richins, 35, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, Utah, in March 2022. After he died, she self-published a children's book she authored titled "Are You With Me?" about coping with grief.

Eric Richins, 39, was found dead in their home on March 4, 2022.

Prosecutors allege Kouri dropped a lethal dose of fentanyl in a Moscow Mule cocktail she prepared for him. They say she was motivated by money because she owed nearly $5 million to lenders and had changed her husband's life insurance policies prior to his death while also taking out a home equity line of credit without his knowledge. She also was in a romantic relationship with another man.

Her defense is that her husband died of a self-inflicted overdose and his family pressured police to implicate her.

You can watch the prosecution's opening statement here    • Greed & Lust Drove Kouri Richins To Poison...   and the defense opening statement here:    • Defense Says Kouri Richins' Husband Overdo...  

Prosecutors allege she previously tried to murder him by poisoning his sandwich on Valentine's Day 2022, which her husband told a friend about.

Richins' criminal charges in Summit County, Utah, include aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and insurance fraud.

Her trial is scheduled to last five weeks. Judge Richard Mrazik in Utah's 3rd Judicial District is presiding at the Silver Summit Justice Center near Park City.

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