Defense again seeks to move Kouri Richins murder trial out of Summit County

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three, who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Park City, Utah. Photo: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool

PARK CITY, Utah — Attorneys for Kouri Richins are again asking a judge to move her murder trial out of Summit County, arguing that jury questionnaire responses show widespread familiarity with the case and leave too small a pool to seat an impartial jury.

The renewed request, filed Friday in 3rd District Court, comes about 10 days before jury selection is scheduled to begin Feb. 10.

“Now that the court has the responses to the jury questionnaire it is obvious that Ms. Richins does not have a reasonable likelihood of a fair trial in Summit County,” defense attorneys wrote in the motion.

Richins, a Kamas mother, is accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022 and later writing a children’s book about coping with grief. She has pleaded not guilty.

According to the filing, 1,723 jury questionnaires were returned, and 1,472 respondents — about 85% — said they recognized the case. Of those, roughly 60% reported following it somewhat or very closely. Defense attorneys said that leaves 251 potential jurors who said they were unfamiliar with the case.

The defense argued that most of those remaining jurors would still be disqualified for other reasons, such as hardship or bias, leaving an estimated pool of about 72 potential jurors.

Attorneys said that number is insufficient to reliably seat a jury of eight with four alternates, which typically requires qualifying at least 43 jurors.

The motion did not include specific examples from the questionnaires but argued it would be “nearly impossible” to ensure a fair trial with such a limited pool. Attorneys also cited expert testimony presented during a prior hearing, which suggested that some jurors may not realize they are familiar with a case until they are confronted with specific facts during jury selection.

“Although there is no magic number as to how small a potential jury pool can be under Utah law, the jury pool must represent a fair cross-section of the community,” the defense wrote.

Judge Richard Mrazik previously denied an earlier request to move the trial, ruling that Richins could receive a fair trial in Summit County. The defense appealed that decision to the Utah Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.

Richins is charged with aggravated murder in her husband’s death and with attempting to murder him weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day. She also faces charges including distributing a controlled substance, insurance fraud, filing fraudulent insurance claims and forgery. A separate trial is scheduled later for mortgage fraud and additional forgery charges.

Prosecutors had not filed a response to the latest motion as of Monday. The court has not yet ruled.