Kouri Darden Richins, the Kamas mother of three convicted of killing her husband, Eric Richins, has requested a new trial after alleging the judge who oversaw her case displayed signs of bias favoring prosecutors. Darden Richins’ defense attorneys filed the motion requesting a second trial on Tuesday, saying Darden Richins was “deprived … of a fair trial” because Third District Judge Richard Mrazik chastised the defense and sided with prosecutors while the jury was present in the courtroom. “Throughout the trial, (Mrazik) repeatedly interrupted defense counsel, corrected counsel in ways that suggested to the jury that counsel was mishandling witnesses, assisted the prosecution with its objections and curtailed the defense’s objections,” the motion said. “On at least one occasion, (Mrazik) did so in a manner that made clear to the jury that it was offended by defense counsel.” The document claimed Mrazik violated Darden Richins’ constitutional right to have an impartial judge by being “impatient, critical and hostile toward the defense and only the defense.” On the fourth day of the trial, as an example in the court filing, Mrazik allegedly interrupted the defense on 24 separate occasions while only interrupting prosecutors 13 times. “This normally may not show bias, but the interruptions of defense were curt, cutting off statements and arguments while interruptions of the prosecution were followed by apologies, were often to help with logistical issues or to aid them with objections,” the motion said. “This pattern followed throughout the trial.” Darden Richins’ attorneys said Mrazik helped prosecutors reframe their arguments to be more effective while blocking the defense team’s attempts to object, often in a “disparaging and condescending manner.” The motion claimed Mrazik’s behavior was especially damaging because conflicts between the judge and the defense team happened in front of the jury, potentially influencing jurors to think the defense was incompetent or failing to follow courtroom procedures. When Darden Richins’ defense attorneys objected, Mrazik would tell them they could call their own witnesses, according to the court document. But the American legal system puts the burden of proof in a murder case on the prosecution, with the assumption that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. “At times, (Mrazik) went so far as to tell the defense to put the defendant on the stand rather than allowing certain lines of questioning,” the motion said, adding that Mrazik’s actions gave the impression that prosecutors had his approval but the defense “warranted judicial intervention.” “That appearance of alignment with the prosecution is precisely the type of conduct that can infect the fairness of the trial and requires a new trial,” the court document stated. The defense team also decried prosecutors’ “repeated reliance” on other crimes or “bad acts” conducted by Darden Richins, saying the evidence they presented was outside the scope of the murder charges, which violated an agreement made before the trial started.  Specifically, the court document said Mrazik had given prosecutors guidelines to stay away from Darden Richins’ alleged financial misdeeds. But at least two witnesses were called to testify exclusively on Darden Richins’ business dealings, including “bounced checks, false bank statements, misleading communications with lenders, mismanagement of business affairs (and) sloppy accounting.” The defense claimed they objected to the financial information’s inclusion at trial, but Mrazik continuously overruled them. Mrazik recused himself from the case on Wednesday after the document was filed. Another judge in the Third District will review the motion for a new trial and issue a ruling. Information on when a ruling may be expected was not available as of Thursday morning. Darden Richins was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, forgery and two counts of insurance fraud earlier this year. She is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The post Kouri Richins requests new trial, accuses judge of favoring prosecutors appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less