Attorney representing Kouri Richins on fraud charges asks to withdraw

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Kouri Richins will be given a new attorney to represent her on 26 fraud-related felony charges.
Her attorney Amy Fowler asked to withdraw on Monday, citing communication breakdown with Richins.
Richins cited Fowler's relationships with a witness in her other case, the judge and a prosecutor in a letter asking for a new attorney.

PARK CITY — Kouri Richins will be getting another attorney to represent her while facing 26 felony charges related to fraud and forgery.

Richins, 36, sent a letter to the court asking for a new attorney which was filed last week, and in a hearing on Monday her attorney, Amy Fowler, formally asked to withdraw citing a "breakdown of communication."

When asked by 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik, Fowler said she could not give more information without breaching attorney-client privilege, but that she is unable to represent Richins as required by the rules of professional conduct.

Kouri Richins attended the hearing virtually from prison, wearing a maroon uniform with some of her hair pulled back into a white claw clip. She gave a thumbs up to let them know she could hear the audio and nodded when she was told a new attorney would be assigned.

In the letter, Richins said that Fowler represented a key witness in her murder trial, Carmen Lauber, and did not disclose it. She also claimed the attorney "maintains close personal relationships" with the judge and a deputy Summit County prosecutor.

"Given everything that has happened in my case, these relationships are not something I can simply overlook," she said.

Mrazik said Monday that he would grant the request from Fowler, but not immediately. Instead he said he would wait for another attorney to be assigned to Richins first.

"I can't have Ms. Richins be unrepresented during a period of time," he said.

Richins is represented by conflict counsel rather than someone from the public defender's office, so the county will need to get a contract in place with a new attorney. Another hearing was scheduled for Nov. 6, when the new attorney could be assigned.

When Richins' attorneys asked to withdraw in her murder case in 2024, Mrazik acted similarly not allowing Skye Lazaro to withdraw until she had new attorneys. In that time, however, Richins sent voice recordings to multiple national media outlets proclaiming her innocence before her new attorneys were assigned.

Richins was later found guilty of the murder and attempted murder of her husband, Eric Richins, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

She was convicted in March of killing Eric Richins on March 4, 2022. She was not arrested or charged until over a year after his death, and during that time, she hired a ghostwriter to help her publish a children's book about dealing with grief.

Kouri Richins is charged in the ongoing case with five counts of mortgage fraud, seven counts of money laundering, three counts of issuing a bad check or draft, communications fraud, and pattern of unlawful activity, second-degree felonies, five counts of forgery and four additional counts of issuing a bad check or draft, third-degree felonies.

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