The Summit County Attorney’s Office and attorneys for Kouri Richins both told that to a 3rd District Judge at a pretrial conference Thursday, Dec. 12.
Richins’ murder trial was originally scheduled for three weeks in May 2025. Third District Judge Richard Mrazik has now given both teams another week in court.
But he had to move up the trial to accommodate the extra time. Richins’ murder trial now begins April 28.
Richins is the Kamas real estate agent accused of fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins with fentanyl. She later wrote a children’s book about grieving his death.
With the accelerated timeline, Mrazik also moved up jury selection to the week of April 21.
The sides agree the intense media coverage of the Richins murder case has complicated jury selection. Until Thursday, prosecutors and the defense thought they’d have jurors from both Summit and Salt Lake counties.
But now, Mrazik says he’s not allowed to call jurors from Salt Lake.
That’s because of a recent order from a 3rd District presiding judge regarding in-person versus virtual jury selection.
Presiding Judge Laura Scott denied prosecutors’ and defense attorneys’ request for in-person jury selection, and in her order, mentions that both sides have agreed to expand the jury pool.
Scott says there’s “a significant and unwarranted burden” on jurors driving from Salt Lake to Summit County “for in-person jury selection.”
And she raised but did not answer the question of whether that’s allowed under the state’s jury selection law, which speaks about “the county” only in the singular.
If he were allowed to call Salt Lake jurors, Mrazik believes the Richins trial would be the first in Utah to seat jurors from two counties.
Attorneys in the case believe he can and should expand jury selection and plan to file an “emergency” appeal in a few days to resolve the issue.
Richins’ next hearing is Jan. 23, when the court is expected to decide which evidence will be admissible during the murder trial.
Hearings are also scheduled for March and April to make other pretrial decisions.
As many as 20 witnesses may testify at the trial, according to defense attorney Kathy Nester.
In total, Richins faces nine felony charges, including aggravated murder, attempted murder and financial crimes. Prosecutors claim her motive was financial, to resolve debts incurred in her real estate business, and they allege she was having an affair.
Richins has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and if convicted of murder, could spend the rest of her life in prison.
