Kouri Richins is scheduled to appear in court for a four-week criminal trial at the end of the month, but first a judge must decide whether the case will still be heard by Summit County jurors.The Summit County Attorney’s Office formally opposed the change of venue request filed by the Kamas mothe r of three’s defense attorneys last month, asking for her aggravated murder trial to be moved from the Third District Court to a Salt Lake County courthouse, though court filings indicate the defense may actually ask for the trial to be held in Summit County and the jury to come from Salt Lake.Either way, the County Attorney’s Office said Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik should deny the request. While Kouri’s legal team has argued it would be difficult to seat a fair and impartial jury in Summit County, prosecutors asserted that voir dire — the process used to question and select prospective jurors — works.The Utah Supreme Court ruled in February that the two sides could not expand the jury pool in the case nor question the prospective jurors in person. Justices cited state code, which says jurors will be called from the county where the trial is held. Prosecutors argued that decision affirms Salt Lake County jurors can’t be pulled if the trial is still held in Summit County. The County Attorney’s Office also asserted Kouri isn’t seeking to move the trial location to the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City because she doesn’t want to be held at the Adult Detention Center in Salt Lake County.Court documents indicate the defense is worried about whether a jury made up of Summit County residents is more biased or more likely to convict Kouri than one consisting of Salt Lake residents. Defense attorneys Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester argued that widespread, inflammatory coverage surrounding the case has “permeated Summit County” and impacted Kouri’s right to a fair trial.However, the County Attorney’s Office said publicity doesn’t necessarily lead to an unfair trial — especially with robust and thorough voir dire.There are around 32,000 eligible jurors in Summit County, and 1,500 potential jurors will be summoned. If those called are deemed inadequate, many others could be called. Yet prosecutors said they are confident in the court’s ability to seat a fair jury. Their polling data projects that 600 of the 1,500 summoned are unfamiliar with the case and that between 915 and 975 would have no opinion or an unformed one about the case, making them impartial.“Over two-thirds of those summoned likely do not have a fixed opinion, if they have an opinion at all,” the opposition to the change of venue states.The Third District Court also published an extensive juror questionnaire developed with input from both parties, and counsel will be permitted to question potential jurors further. Eight people will be seated on the jury, with four alternates, after multiple days of voir dire.Kouri Richins, the Kamas mother of three who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a May hearing in the Third District Court. Credit: Rick Bowmer, AP PoolProsecutors are adamant that if prejudice exists, it will be discovered during the jury selection process. They cited several egregious cases in which a fair, impartial jury was seated without a change of venue even with extensive pretrial publicity, including the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart and the Boston Marathon bombing.The County Attorney’s Office said the alleged crime in this case — Kouri is accused of using a “fast-acting poison” to kill her husband, Eric Richins, who died after ingesting five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022 — did not have a profound impact on the community or cause significant outrage. Eric’s death was not widely covered until Kouri began promoting a children’s book about grieving almost one year after his death. She was arrested and charged with aggravated murder as well as several financial crimes in May 2023.Kouri’s legal defense also raised concerns that the prominence of Eric Richins’ family name in the Summit County community would create a negative bias against Kouri, whom they characterized as a transplant from a low-income, non-LDS family.The County Attorney’s Office rebutted those claims, saying Eric and Kouri had similar community standing and both grew up outside of Summit County. The couple moved to their Francis home in 2012, and Kouri took the Richins name after marrying Eric the following year, according to court documents. Prosecutors also said Richins is a common last name in Utah.“.The Defendant is a white, 35-year-old, married, mother of three, middle-class, master’s degree educated, realtor and entrepreneur. She could not possess any better or more common standing in Summit County,” court documents stated.Mrazik is set to rule on several motions hearings over the next few weeks, including whether to grant the defense’s request to change the venue or the prospective pool. Court dates are scheduled for April 7, 8, 14 and 15.Jury selection is slated to run from Tuesday, April 22, to Friday, April 25, in the Third District Court. The trial would begin the following week, and it’s expected to last until the week of May 19. The jury could deliberate through Memorial Day week, too.However, there would likely be delays if the motion to change the venue is granted. Kouri faces nine felony charges stemming from the death of her husband, including aggravated murder and attempted criminal homicide. The County Attorney’s Office alleges Kouri felt trapped in her marriage and had a financial motive to kill her husband.Kouri Richins and her family have maintained her innocence.The post Summit County Attorney’s Office opposes venue, jury changes in Kouri Richins case appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less