A Utah grand jury has indicted Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds on obstruction of justice charges tied to the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband Eric Richins with fentanyl. Rigby faces a second-degree felony obstruction count plus a misdemeanor charge of making a written false statement; Edmunds faces a third-degree felony obstruction count. Both men pleaded not guilty in state court and were booked into jail and released Wednesday afternoon, according to the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The fallout reaches directly into the murder case. Richins' attorneys asked to pause her motion for a new trial until the obstruction investigation was complete, saying an anonymous January letter alleged improper conduct by Detective Mainord, who was pivotal in the investigation and was removed from the state's witness list during trial. Judge Richard Mrazik denied that request. KSL News reports no public charges had been filed as of Wednesday against Mainord or Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter.

The indictment news landed in the same week as another major development in the case. ABC News reports Judge Mrazik ordered Kouri Richins to pay more than $55 million in damages to her late husband's estate and family — including over $10.7 million in economic damages, $3 million in non-economic damages of $1 million per child, and $41.3 million in punitive damages. The judge concluded from the guilty verdict and undisputed record evidence that she caused Eric Richins' death by poisoning.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik — the same judge who presided over Richins' trial and sentenced her to life without parole — has set a hearing for Wednesday, Nov. 4, to consider whether the redacted portions of the charging documents can be publicly released. Edmunds' attorneys are asking the court to keep their indictment sealed pending that hearing, arguing uncharged allegations would threaten fair-trial rights.