Kamas, Utah — A decision to appeal in Kouri Richins’ murder case has pushed her trial dates back by 10 months, with jury selection now set for February 10, 2026. Following a virtual hearing on Friday, the trial is slated to begin on February 23, 2026.
The timeline change comes after Richins’ legal team expressed a desire to contest a ruling that limited jury selection to residents of Summit County. The court denied requests to include jurors from Salt Lake County, prompting the delay in the previously scheduled April trial.
Richins, a mother and real estate agent, faces serious charges, including the aggravated murder of her husband, Eric Richins, who was found unresponsive in March 2022. She is also accused of attempted murder stemming from an alleged poisoning incident on Valentine’s Day of the same year. The charges were filed over a year after Eric Richins’ death.
To accommodate the shift in jury pools, Richins’ attorneys requested additional time for jury selection. They indicated that the trial would require an extra week due to the extensive list of witnesses, which includes potential testimony from Richins herself, estimated to be lengthy. Coupled with various video and audio evidence, the legal representatives stressed the need for adequate preparation time.
During the hearing, 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik established a timeline for pre-trial hearings and urged both sides to coordinate the filing of necessary documents. Currently, four motions are pending, including efforts to exclude certain expert witnesses and a request to omit the controversial “Walk the Dog!!” letter from the trial proceedings.
Richins’ defense team has signaled its intention to file additional motions regarding the admissibility of evidence. In preparation for jury selection, the court plans to send out questionnaires to 2,000 potential jurors, significantly more than in prior instances. The jury questioning process is scheduled over six days, with approximately 40 jurors to be questioned daily.
The prosecution alleges that Richins administered a fatal dose of fentanyl to her husband, adding further complexity to the case with charges encompassing various forms of fraud and forgery linked to insurance claims and mortgage documents.
Richins is set to stand trial separately on charges related to mortgage fraud and additional forgery counts. Following the hearing, her attorneys expressed relief over the newly set trial dates, reiterating their belief in her innocence and readiness to confront what they describe as misleading narratives surrounding the case.
The next scheduled hearing in Richins’ case will take place on August 1.
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