Kouri Richins was appointed a public defender, who appeared to represent her for the first time in Summit County’s Third District Court during a status hearing on Friday afternoon.
Her previous defense attorney, Skye Lazaro, told the court Kouri “does not have access to financial resources sufficient to retain private counsel” during a hearing on Monday, according to court records. Judge Richard Mrazik determined Kouri is unable to pay for an attorney.
Lazaro did not provide financial documents detailing Kouri’s resources or lack thereof because doing so revealed privileged information. She previously cited “an irreconcilable and nonwaivable situation” for the law firm’s withdrawal.
The Kamas mother of three is charged with 11 felonies, including the murder of her husband, Eric Richins, and other financial crimes like mortgage fraud and forgery.
Mrazik appointed Salt Lake City-based law firm Nester Lewis, led by attorneys Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester. Lewis plans to meet with Kouri in person on Monday to review the case.
The criminal defense lawyers didn’t have an indigent defense service contract in the county, but the approved providers had conflicts that prevented them from representing Kouri.
Nester Lewis meets all the requirements in Rule 8 of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure. It states: “A defendant charged with a public offense has the right to self-representation, and if indigent, has the right to court-appointed counsel if the defendant faces any possibility of the deprivation of liberty.”
A 1963 Supreme Court decision, Gideon v. Wainwright, established a constitutional right for court-appointed legal counsel. Summit County will fund the defense. The County Attorney’s Office did not object to the appointment.
Lewis confirmed that the new defense counsel would not be ready to proceed with a preliminary hearing set for next month. She could not say how much time the law firm would need.
“I do not see June 18 being a viable date,” Lewis stated. She said there is at least a terabyte of data for the defense team to work through.
Mrazik set a scheduling conference for 3 p.m. on June 21 and canceled the three-day preliminary hearing.
The court hopes to set a new timeline for the preliminary hearing and schedule a court date for pending motions to disqualify the prosecution and to remove the “Walk the Dog” letter from the public docket.
Lazaro accused Chief Prosecutor Brad Bloodworth of “severe violations that compromise the integrity of adversarial fairness” and said the County Attorney’s Office involvement could complicate the case. She also argued the letter was obtained illegally.
Prosecutors filed an extension to respond to the motion. The state has until June 21 to reply.
Eric Richins died of a fentanyl overdose in early March 2022. Prosecutors allege Kouri poisoned him with a Moscow Mule laced with fentanyl and that she attempted to do it a month earlier with a drug-laced sandwich on Valentine’s Day.
Prosecutors say Kouri felt trapped in her marriage and had a financial motive to kill her husband. She has been held in the Summit County Jail since her arrest in May 2023.
Kouri faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. The case is not up for capital punishment. She and her family have maintained her innocence.