County Attorney Margaret Olson says Cassell will be missed.
“At the same time, we are very happy for her as she embarks on this next chapter of her life, where she has a list as long as her arm on the things that she wants to do and accomplish,” Olson said.
The county attorney’s office remembers Cassell for her expertise in juvenile as well as district court prosecution. Cassell has served on the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice, the Utah Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee, the Utah Sentencing Commission and the Statewide Association of Prosecutors.
Shortly after Cassell was appointed chief prosecutor in 2016, two boys overdosed on the synthetic opioid “pink.” Olson said her juvenile justice expertise was essential to navigating the case, which closed in 2019 with the conviction of a 17-year-old girl.
She also commends Cassell’s closing argument in the high-profile prosecution and 2017 conviction of James Henfling for the murder of Main Street bartender Jose Fernandez.
Cassell has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from the University of Idaho and earned her juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law School in 1990.
Before coming to Summit County in 2016, Cassell worked at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office for 11 years.
Cassell’s departure comes as another Summit County prosecutor, Janet Elledge, takes retiring Judge Shauna Kerr’s seat in justice court. Despite turnover, Olson says she’s not worried about managing the caseload.
“Our office has anticipated this announcement for several months and have been working on case assignments and rearranging staffing in order to accommodate Trish’s [Cassell’s] departure,” she said.
That includes the Kouri Richins murder case, which has garnered national and international media attention.
Summit County’s next chief prosecutor hasn’t been named yet. The hiring process to replace Elledge is already underway.