Jury selection is planned for April 2025, and Utah State Courts spokesperson Tania Mashburn said all jurors will come from Summit County.
However, prosecutors and defense attorneys are allowed to motion for exceptions to the standard practice.
Third District Judge Richard Mrazik has asked the Summit County Attorney’s Office and public defenders from the Nester Lewis law firm to determine how they will ensure fairness in jury selection.
“There’s going to be some questions regarding preserving the integrity of the jury selection process,” the judge noted at Richins’ preliminary hearing Aug. 27.
That’s partly because the murder case has garnered international media attention.
Richins is charged with 11 felonies in connection with the March 2022 death of her husband Eric Richins including attempted and aggravated murder, drug distribution and financial crimes.
Prosecutors claim she used five times the lethal dose of fentanyl to poison her husband for financial gain and to start a new life with another man.
Richins, who wrote a children’s book about grieving her husband’s death, has pleaded not guilty to every count. Her attorneys expect a jury to agree.
Previous high-profile cases in Summit County’s 3rd District Court have successfully fielded juries, including the civil suit between a Salt Lake City optometrist and actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow.
But finding impartial jurors in a county of small towns and big families may be tricky. The Richins family traces its Summit County roots to the mid-1800s. The Kimball Junction library branch bears its name.
“We figured the jury selection is going to be at least a week, and three weeks for trial,” defense attorney Wendy Lewis said Aug. 27.
“I do anticipate, your honor, there will be a lot of individual voir dire,” fellow defense attorney Kathy Nester also said. Mrazik agreed.
Voir dire is when judges or lawyers individually interview prospective jurors to determine if they can be impartial.
That process is scheduled for the last week of April, and the trial could happen the following three weeks.
The parties will meet again at a Sept. 23 scheduling conference to determine plans for jury selection.
