Kouri Richins is exploring a possible connection between her murder trial and the case against the Wasatch County sheriff as she seeks to overturn her conviction.
But the Kamas Valley mother of three says she’s hamstrung by the lack of information available publicly.
Third District Court unsealed felony obstruction of justice indictments Oct. 7 against Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and Dave Edmunds, the former Summit County sheriff. Only the charges are public because the indictments are redacted.
In court papers filed Oct. 16, attorneys for Richins say the unabridged copies of the indictments are needed because the information could help her get a new trial.
As KPCW has reported, a grand jury charged Rigby after he allegedly sought to discredit a political opponent who also is a detective with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors accuse Rigby of interfering with the Richins trial in the process, since his opponent was a potential witness.
Edmunds is one of three Wasatch Back law enforcement leaders who prosecutors say helped Rigby.
Search warrant affidavit and public court documents show prosecutors also investigated whether Kouri Richins’ “admirer and media advisor” Greg Hall was helping to hinder her trial.
Hall has not been charged with a crime, but a newly public search warrant affidavit contradicts statements he made to KPCW in August.
Rigby and Hall met in early January. Hall told KPCW in an Aug. 31 text exchange he offered to help the Wasatch County sheriff with his bid for a third term in office.
“I left it up to him to contact me in the future if he chose to, which he never did,” Hall said. “We met in early January and that was the only time I talked with him… He and I have not communicated in any way since then.”
The new affidavit suggests Hall or Rigby later exchanged text messages.
Investigators say they analyzed Hall’s phone and found that texts between the two men dated Jan. 21 were deleted.
The affidavit contains no details about those communications. Hall didn’t respond to requests for comment.
