Kouri Richins’ murder trial postponed following Court ruling on jury selection

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Supreme Court has rejected two appeals from both prosecutors and defense attorneys in the murder case of Kouri Richins, ruling against challenges to the jury selection process and the proposed expansion of the jury pool.

Richins, a mother from Kamas, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl before authoring a children’s book about coping with grief. Her trial was originally scheduled to begin on April 28 but was postponed while the state’s highest court reviewed the appeals.

Attorneys on both sides had requested to expand the jury pool to include Salt Lake County, citing widespread media attention and concerns about finding an impartial jury within Summit County. They also argued for in-person questioning of jurors due to what they described as “extraordinary circumstances” surrounding the case.

The appeals claimed that Trial Judge Richard Mrazik and Presiding Judge Laura Scott had erred in denying their initial motions. However, the Utah Supreme Court found no fault in the judges’ decisions. In a unanimous ruling issued Thursday, April 24, the Justices determined that the attorneys had not demonstrated the need to expand the jury pool or to deviate from standard jury selection procedures.

Specifically, the Court noted that Utah law does not support summoning jurors from two counties for a single trial without extraordinary justification. ABC4 News reported, “We disagree,” the Court stated. “Importantly, there is a difference between summoning jurors from a county other than the one in which the trial will be held and summoning jurors from two counties for one trial.”

Regarding concerns about media coverage, the Court sided with Judge Scott, who had previously ruled that the publicity did not rise to the level of creating exceptional circumstances. “The Presiding Judge did not abuse her discretion, and we affirm her order,” the ruling read.

As of midday Thursday, a new date for Richins’ trial has not been scheduled. She has remained in custody since her arrest in May 2023.