Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Kouri Richins' trial is delayed after her attorneys asked to put it on hold while they file an appeal.
- Judge Richard Mrazik denied her request to move the trial to Salt Lake County, ruling the court could find impartial jurors in Summit County.
- Richins was scheduled for trial later this month, and over a thousand potential jurors already responded to surveys.
PARK CITY — The jury trial for Kouri Richins, a Kamas mother and realtor accused of fatally poisoning her husband, is no longer happening this month.
She and her attorneys opted to appeal a denial of their motion to move the trial to Salt Lake County following a ruling on Monday.
Third District Judge Richard Mrazik ruled, after reviewing motions and community surveys conducted by both sides and hearing arguments from attorneys on Monday, that Kouri Richins could receive a fair trial with a jury from Summit County. Following the request from Richins' attorney, Wendy Lewis, Mrazik granted the motion to continue the trial and stay Richins' case, noting neither side opposed the motion, meaning it would be delayed.
He said there has been an "extreme level" of media attention in the case that has been "incomplete and therefore misleading." He said coverage has included discussions of evidence he has ruled cannot be presented in trial and speculation from commenters.
Mrazik said the coverage has been spread over two years and has not affected "significant swaths of the community." He also said much of it originated from media outlets in Salt Lake County, questioning whether the media would have the same impact on Salt Lake County jurors.
He said Kouri Richins and Eric Richins grew up outside Summit County and moved there in 2012; he said they had "roughly equal" community standing in the community at large as young parents running small businesses.
"Notwithstanding its relatively small size, Summit County is not homogenous," the judge said, citing his experience in the courtroom and differences between the east side of the county and the Park City area.
He said the court sent surveys to 1,500 residents of Summit County, about 3% of the population, and received responses from 1,100 residents. Citing Bryan Edelman's phone survey requested by Richins' attorneys, Mrazik said they can expect about 220 of those potential jurors had not read, seen or heard about the case and, of those who had, about 270 would report they had not formed an opinion about whether or not Richins is guilty.
The court can expect about 644 would report no connection with the Richins family, based on survey results, Mrazik said. Among the 180 jurors they planned to bring in for questioning, they should be able to find 12 jurors, including eight jury members and four alternates, who are "undeniably fair and impartial," the judge said.
Lewis argued that the defense had met the standard required to move the trial and that the only way to ensure Richins a fair trial would be to move it out of Summit County. Immediately after the judge's ruling, Lewis made her motion to stay or delay the trial, which was scheduled to begin later this month, while she appeals the ruling on her motion to move the trial.
When deputy Summit County attorney Brad Bloodworth asked Richins to formally waive her right to a speedy trial because she is asking for this delay, Lewis said she declined to waive the rights more than her motion does on its own.
Mrazik questioned whether she had discussed with Richins the "certainty" that she would remain in custody over the course of the appeal, saying he was not inclined to address custody again in the case.
He gave the attorneys five minutes, which stretched to more time than that, to consider whether Richins really wanted to delay her trial. Lewis came back saying they had not changed their request.
Bloodworth did not object to the request to delay the case, although he said prosecutors are prepared to move forward with the trial.
Lewis confirmed the defense team is prepared for the trial, as well.
"The point of this is not to delay the proceedings. It's not to get the defense additional time to prepare. We were prepared to go forward. The point of this motion for the record is only because we believe that she cannot receive a fair and impartial trial in Summit County," she said.
Previously, Mrazik ordered that Salt Lake County jurors be brought to the Summit County courthouse for the trial, something both sides agreed with. However, the presiding judge for the 3rd District Court denied this request, and the Utah Supreme Court denied Richins' appeal of that decision.
Richins, 34, was arrested in 2023 and later charged with murder in the March 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richins, who was 39. During the year between Eric Richins' death and her arrest, Kouri Richins published a children's book about grief.
She was ordered to stand trial on the charges of aggravated murder and attempted criminal homicide, both first-degree felonies; two counts of distributing a controlled substance, two counts of insurance fraud and two counts of filing a fraudulent insurance claim, all second-degree felonies; and three counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.
