Wasatch County sheriff faces calls for resignation, seeks new judge in Richins investigation case

PARK CITY — Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby is seeking to disqualify the judge in his pending felony case, claiming the judge has "personal knowledge of facts that are in dispute."

Rigby is one of two Utah sheriffs charged earlier this month for allegedly interfering in the Richins investigation. The Wasatch County Council will be considering a resolution in its meeting Wednesday to call for the resignation of Rigby.

Rigby was elected in 2022 as the county sheriff and is not seeking another term in next month's general election. Because of the pending criminal charges, Rigby's access to the Utah Criminal Justice Information System was disabled which has "material impacts on the ability of the sheriff to perform statutory duties," the county said.

"The county offered to pay out Sheriff Rigby for any compensation that he would accrue the remaining time of his term … if he would resign, and Sheriff Rigby has refused that offer," the resolution states.

While Rigby is entitled to "the presumption of innocence," his case being heavily covered in the news combined with the serious charges "are hurting the public faith in the office and negatively impact the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office, even if Sheriff Rigby were to be found not guilty at some future date," the resolution said.

The allegations

Rigby is charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, and making a false written statement, a class B misdemeanor. He and former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds are accused of failing to follow the federal Brady-Giglio policy, which requires prosecutors to share any evidence the defense may find advantageous.

In a motion filed Monday, Rigby asks for 3rd District Court Judge Richard Mrazik to be removed from the case. Mrazik also presided over Richins' murder trial and is currently presiding over her mortgage fraud trial.

Kouri Richins, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing her husband, has also sought to disqualify Mrazik in her case, which was denied. She is currently seeking a new trial in part because of alleged favoritism to the prosecution from the judge.

Rigby's motion claims Mrazik's personal knowledge of the case would cause a "reasonable person to question his impartiality."

That alleged knowledge comes from an anonymous letter sent in January to the Summit County attorney which expressed "serious concern" regarding Detective Eric Mainord's "credibility and reliability as a witness" in the Richins case, Rigby's motion said.

Rigby says the charges against him claim he wrote the anonymous letter and "intended to hinder … the Richins prosecution," he wrote in his motion.

Rigby's attorney, R. Blake Hamilton, submitted a declaration in support of the motion for disqualification, stating that he appeared for Rigby before Mrazik at an April hearing. That hearing was for a separate sealed case, different from the obstruction of justice investigation or the Richins case.

"At that hearing, Judge Mrazik and I discussed the letter," Hamilton said. "(Mrazik) then stated, in words or substance, 'We're going outside the content of the state's response and outside my interactions regarding the issue in the Richins case.'"

Mrazik's "direct knowledge" of the state's communications over the anonymous letter makes him a potential witness, and his prior role presiding over the Richins trial makes him "privy to facts at issue in this matter," Rigby's motion claims.

The decision to remove Mrazik from Rigby's case has been referred to another judge for review. Mrazik is also overseeing the case against Edmunds, who is charged with obstruction of justice.

Richins' attorneys also cited the charges against Rigby and the former sheriff, which are primarily sealed, saying she cannot yet determine how they affected her trial and the court's bias. Her attorneys said the letter outlined "numerous allegations of improper conduct" against Mainord, who was "pivotal in the investigation and ultimately the charges brought against Ms. Richins," a motion for a new trial said.

She asked for her motion for a new trial to not be ruled on until there is more information available claiming she "continues to be prejudiced."

The Kamas mom, real estate agent and children's book author is still facing fraud charges, and brought up the allegations against the county sheriffs in a recent letter to the judge requesting a new attorney in that case. She said with all that has happened in her case she cannot overlook relationships between her attorney and the judge or prosecutors.

—Contributing: Emily Ashcraft and Devin Oldroyd, KSL

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