SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Kouri Richins will remain behind bars in the Summit County Jail until she faces a jury in her murder trial next year, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Last month, Richins and her defense team filed an appeal asking for her bail conditions to be reconsidered to allow her release from jail.
Richins was originally denied bail in 2023 by Judge Richard Mrazik when she originally faced the death penalty. The state announced months later that it would no longer seek that punishment, leading Richins to request the opportunity to be released until her trial.
In his ruling, Mzarik commended Richins for using her time in jail "as productively as possible," but said due to her facing lengthy prison sentences which could lead to her "dying in prison," the situation "creates a powerful incentive for [Richins] to harm herself or witnesses in this case, and to flee the jurisdiction of the court" if she was released on bail.
Earlier Tuesday, Judge Mzarik also denied a motion from Richins' defense team to split her attempted murder charge from an aggravated murder charge that would have forced her to face justice in separate trials. The defense team was also denied the opportunity to seat 12 jurors for trial, with Mzarik sticking to eight.
Richins is charged with poisoning her husband, Eric, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022.
