Sheriffs charged for allegedly interfering with Kouri Richins investigation

PARK CITY — Criminal charges have been filed against Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby and former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds for allegedly interfering in the Kouri Richins investigation.

Rigby was charged by a grand jury on Sept. 24 in Summit County's 3rd District Court with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, and making a written false statement, a class B misdemeanor. Edmunds was charged on Sept. 24 with obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony.

The charges were unsealed on Wednesday, but the indictments outlining the allegations remained redacted. A hearing regarding whether those redactions should also be made public is scheduled for Nov. 4.

"This case presents uncommon circumstances requiring a charging document to be made public only after targeted redaction: an indictment containing inflammatory and uncharged allegations, identifying information concerning non-parties, sensitive investigative material, and contested assertions about a highly publicized prosecution. The public has a legitimate interest in knowing the charges and the operation of the criminal justice system. That interest can be honored without publishing material that would expose uncharged individuals, breach grand-jury secrecy, disclose privileged material, or unfairly prejudice Sheriff Rigby," Rigby's attorney wrote in his motion to release only a redacted indictment.

"The indictment is not a succinct charging document. It contains uncharged conduct attributed to third parties, uncharged allegations against Sheriff Rigby unrelated to either count, legal commentary, identifying details about non-defendants, and argumentative conclusions rather than merely stating the charges. Public dissemination of those portions before trial would threaten Sheriff Rigby's fair-trial rights," the motion continues.

Likewise, attorneys for Edmunds filed a similar motion asking that the unredacted indictment against their client not be made public.

"Mr. Edmunds requests that the court deny unrestricted unsealing at this time, maintain the existing seal pending a prompt hearing, and determine whether continued sealing is justified under the governing standards. Alternatively, he requests a public version of the indictment with only those narrative passages redacted that the court finds necessary to protect his fair-trial rights. Any order should specify the scope and duration of the restriction, the supporting findings, and the basis for concluding that less restrictive measures are insufficient," the motion states.

Rigby and Edmunds are accused of interfering with part of the investigation surrounding Kouri Richins, who was convicted of murdering her husband in 2022.

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