PARK CITY, Utah — Kouri Richins faced another day in court Thursday, as details were ironed out for her upcoming trial where she faces charges including aggravated murder in the death of her husband. She gained notoriety after authoring a children’s book on coping with grief post his demise.
Richins’ defense team, led by attorney Kathy Nester, emphasized the breadth of their planned defense during the pretrial conference, indicating that they may bring up to 20 witnesses to the stand. This strategy is expected to extend the duration of the proceedings, especially if Richins opts to testify, which Nester noted would be a comprehensive account.
The complexity of the case also seemed a concern for the prosecution. Deputy Summit County attorney Brad Bloodworth questioned whether the initial eight-day trial span would suffice. Following this, an extra week was added to the calendar, moving jury selection from April 28 to April 21.
Several hearings are now scheduled for the upcoming months to tackle preliminary matters such as jury questionnaires and various pretrial motions concerning evidential discussions.
A logistical challenge arose when the presiding 3rd District Court judge, Laura Scott, turned down an agreement for in-person jury selection involving jurors from both Summit and Salt Lake counties. Nester announced plans to appeal this decision, although she affirmed there is no interest in further delaying the trial, signaling a commitment to proceed in April and May.
Richins will stand trial not only for the alleged aggravated and attempted murder of her 39-year-old husband, Eric Richins, but also for multiple felonies including two counts each of filing fraudulent insurance claims and forging documents, as well as mortgage fraud.
These charges stem from an incident reported on March 3 or 4, 2022, when Kouri Richins called emergency services to report her husband was unresponsive. She is accused of administering a fatal dose of fentanyl to him. Earlier allegations also include her giving Eric Richins a lethal dose of drugs on Valentine’s Day of the same year.
The legal process will include a separate trial concerning the accusations of mortgage fraud and additional forgery counts, as ruled by 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik, to segregate them from the murder trial due to their differing nature.
As the legal processes unroll, the community and legal observers are keenly watching what promises to be a heavily scrutinized trial, considering both the severe allegations and the defendant’s subsequent venture into discussing grief through literature.
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