- Judge Richard Mrazik on Monday declined a motion to move Kouri Richins' murder trial to Salt Lake County.
- Jury selection is scheduled to begin Feb. 10 with trial starting Feb. 23.
- Richins faces charges including murder and forgery related to her husband's death.
PARK CITY — The murder trial for Kouri Richins is expected to begin this month after 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik denied a request Monday to move the trial to Salt Lake County.
Attorneys are reviewing questionnaires from potential jurors and lists of witnesses and exhibits as they prepare for jury selection to begin next week.
Richins' attorneys filed their renewed request Friday to move the trial to Salt Lake County, a request that had beene previously denied by the judge. The defense argued the questionnaires show even more people are familiar with the case than the survey their last motion relied on.
Prosecutors responded Sunday with a very different take from the questionnaire, which they say "strongly suggest(s)" the court will be able to find a fair and impartial jury. The state's motion said the questionnaire responses "largely track" the survey data Mrazik relied on when making his decision to not move the trial earlier.
The response said that a conversation between Richins' attorneys and the judge at the previous change of venue hearing — cited in their motion — did not create a legal standard or shrink the potential jury pool.
They called it a "misrepresentation" to say that the judge said it is appropriate to strike any jurors who have heard about Richins' case and to say there were only 251 potential jurors.
Citing different statistics from the jury questionnaires, prosecutors said 830 potential jurors — almost half of those who filled out the questionnaire — said they either have not heard of the case or have not followed it at all.
In Monday's hearing, attorneys were going through juror questionnaires and choosing which potential jurors to call in for questioning beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 10 and which potential jurors to eliminate.
In a hearing scheduled for Monday, Feb. 9, attorneys are expected to review jury instructions, and then six days are scheduled for jury selection before the trial begins on Feb. 23. Mrazik on Monday was firm that the trial would end by March 27.
Richins, a Kamas mother and realtor, is charged with murder and accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, 39 in March 2022. She is also charged with attempting to murder him weeks earlier on Valentine's Day.
Richins was ordered to stand trial on the charges of aggravated murder and attempted murder, both first-degree felonies; two counts of distributing a controlled substance, two counts of insurance fraud and two counts of filing a fraudulent insurance claim, all second-degree felonies; and three counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.
Richins will face a separate trial for two counts of mortgage fraud, a second-degree felony, and two additional counts of forgery, a third-degree felony.
Contributing: Adam Small
