Kouri Richins’ criminal case will return to Summit County’s Third District Court after the Utah Supreme Court denied to hear an appeal filed by her defense team.
A jury trial was scheduled to start in late April. Yet the proceedings were delayed indefinitely when the Kamas mother of three’s lawyers appealed a decision preventing them from changing the trial venue to Salt Lake County or seating a jury of Salt Lake voters in Summit County.
Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik on April 7 granted a motion to pause all pretrial proceedings in the murder case until an appellate court could determine whether a fair and impartial jury can be seated in Summit County. The trial was originally scheduled to start three weeks later and was expected to wrap up around Memorial Day.
Defense attorneys Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester argued for a change of venue, asking Mrazik to either pull jurors from Salt Lake County or move court proceedings to the valley, given the “extreme” media attention the case has received.
“We remain concerned that the extensive negative publicity that has plagued Summit County since the beginning of this case has left potential jurors with false impressions of the facts in this case” Nester Lewis said in a statement. “We are confident that when the jury is ultimately selected and hears the true facts and gets to know the kind of wife, mother and person Kouri is, that they will believe in her innocence as much as we do.”
Utah Supreme Court Justices denied the appeal on Friday, meaning the case will be remitted back to the Third District Court. The Summit County Attorney’s Office filed a request for a scheduling conference in light of the decision.
Prosecutors opposed the change of venue request, saying the publicity extends beyond the Wasatch Back and there are enough prospective jurors in the community to ensure a fair trial.
Mrazik would lift the stay that pauses the trial once the case is returned to the Third District Court. Then, prosecutors and defense attorneys would meet to discuss when the trial could resume. There are several factors to consider, including jury selection, which was scheduled to take about a week, and witness availability.
The two sides created a case-specific questionnaire that was distributed to more than 1,100 prospective jurors and planned to interview about 180 people. Ultimately, eight jurors and four alternates would be selected.
However, new jury summons orders will be sent out, and a different questionnaire will be distributed to eligible Summit County residents. Mrazik in April was confident there would be “an ample pool” of neutral, impartial people in Summit County to ensure a fair trial.
The motion to change venue came after the Utah Supreme Court rejected a joint request from Summit County prosecutors and the defense to conduct jury selection in person and expand the pool to Salt Lake County. Justices denied the motion, requiring the two sides to conduct jury selection virtually among Summit County residents.
Kouri faces nine felony charges stemming from the death of her husband, 39-year-old Eric Richins, in 2022, including aggravated murder and attempted criminal homicide. Kouri Richins and her family have maintained her innocence.
This article was updated with a statement from defense attorneys Kathy Nester and Wendy Lewis.