Kouri Richins, a Kamas mother and former real estate agent, is charged with fatally poisoning her husband Eric Richins almost four years ago.
She has pleaded not guilty and has awaited trial in the Summit County jail since 2023.
For up to about one week, hundreds of locals are scheduled to go before a 3rd District judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys for questioning.
They’re searching for eight jurors and four alternates for the five-week trial scheduled to begin Feb. 23.
Last week, the parties dismissed most of the roughly 1,700 respondents to a jury questionnaire based on their written responses.
Those remaining will answer questions over video conferencing, since Judge Richard Mrazik denied both sides’ request to conduct the process called “voir dire” in person.
Most recently, Mrazik also denied the defense team’s second request to move the trial to Salt Lake County. He wasn’t persuaded by their argument that, based on the jury questionnaire, an impartial panel of jurors can’t be found in Summit County.
He first denied a change of venue request In 2025. Richins’ defense team then appealed to the Utah Supreme Court and lost.
That delayed the trial, which was originally scheduled to happen in 2025.
