Kouri Richins' Murder Case Was Allegedly Leverage for What

Prosecutors have a duty to tell the defense about anything that makes one of their own witnesses look dishonest. Prosecutors say two Utah sheriffs turned that duty into a weapon against the Kouri Richins prosecution, and the target was a detective who had the nerve to run for office. Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby is charged with second-degree felony obstruction of justice and making a written false statement. Former Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds is charged with felony obstruction. Both pleaded not guilty.

The sequence investigators laid out in sworn affidavits runs like this. In December, a public records request for Detective Eric Mainord's personnel file went to Heber City police in Edmunds' name. On January 7, Mainord filed to run against Rigby. On January 8, Rigby allegedly met Mainord's boss in a hospital cafeteria with thirteen allegations about him, and she came away believing the Richins case would pay the price if he stayed in the race. Weeks before trial, an anonymous letter with the same thirteen allegations landed at the Summit County Attorney's Office, and a court filing from Rigby's own lawyer says the charges accuse Rigby of sending it.

The office that was about to try Kouri Richins for murder investigated the letter instead of using it. It seized the phone records of Rigby, Edmunds, and a police chief twelve days before opening statements, and when Rigby asked a judge to remove that office from his case, he lost.

Mainord never testified, and Kouri was convicted on every count. She is serving life without parole. Her lawyers are using the sheriffs' case to argue for a new trial, with a filing deadline of October 16. Tony Brueski explains why the detective who never took the stand still matters, and how far this can reach.

Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292

Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1

Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod

X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

#KouriRichins #JaredRigby #HiddenKillers #EricRichins #DaveEdmunds #EricMainord #SummitCounty #WasatchCounty #TrueCrime #ObstructionOfJustice