Summit County prosecutors and the Kouri Richins defense team wanted to pull jurors from Salt Lake County, too, and question them in person, due to the high profile nature of the case.
In their order Feb. 18, however, justices sided with 3rd District Presiding Judge Laura Scott who previously denied the in-person selection request.
And the five-page decision also says Utah law does not allow multi-county juries. Had the court ruled differently, the Richins trial may have been the first in Utah history to draw jurors from more than one county.
Third District Judge Richard Mrazik, who is presiding over the case, initially granted in-person selection.
But the supreme court justices wrote Scott is “not required to defer to what amounted to a recommendation from the trial court.”
State court procedure gives her the ultimate authority. Her decision follows a 2023 order requiring jury selection to be conducted virtually in all 3rd District trials.
The prosecutors and defense team were concerned about finding an impartial jury from only Summit County, which is less populated than Salt Lake County.
And they wanted to expose them to the intense media coverage during the selection process to figure out who could handle it.
But the attorneys never argued that failing to do so would violate Richins’ constitutional rights.
A mother of three, Richins is accused of fatally poisoning her husband in March 2022 then writing a children’s book about grieving. She’s pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, attempted murder and financial crimes.
The Utah Supreme Court says it will issue a formal opinion at a later date. It issued its order as soon as possible because the murder trial is two months away.
During oral arguments Feb. 11, justices complimented both sides on working together to find mutually beneficial solutions, even though they ultimately overruled them.
