PARK CITY, Utah (KUTV) — One of Utah’s highest-profile murder trials begins Monday in Summit County. Kouri Richins, accused of poisoning her husband, will finally face a jury after nearly three years in jail.
Richins has pleaded not guilty to killing her husband.
Defense attorney Suzanne Gustin, who is not connected to the case, explained what happens on the first day of a criminal trial.
“They’re going to read preliminary instructions, and then they will jump right into opening statements,” Gustin said.
She noted that attorneys spend significant time before trial arguing over what jurors can and cannot hear.
“One of the issues with a high-profile case is that a lot of people have heard some evidence that isn’t even going to be admitted at trial,” Gustin said.
Gustin said jury selection took time because of the case’s publicity.
“You’re not just trying a case, which is stressful enough, but you have to factor in that, in this case, the country is watching, the world is watching,” she said.
No trial goes exactly as planned, she said.
“There are always surprises during trial. I don’t care how buttoned up you have your opening there are always surprises,” Gustin said.
One critical decision in any trial is whether the defendant will testify.
“That’s the biggest decision, usually, that you have to make during a trial: Is your client going to testify or not?” she said.
Gustin also discussed the first-day strategy.
“Well, the strategy on the first day is you’re just going to give your opening statement. And so the defense attorneys and the prosecutors are already prepared to do that. They know what they’re going to say at this point, and they’ll deliver the opening statements, and then you go right into calling witnesses,” she said.
The trial is scheduled to run through late March.
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