The headlines said Kouri Richins was fighting to move her trial. What they didn't tell you is that fight was already over.

Judge Mrazik denied the defense's second venue change request on February 2nd — the same motion Fox News reported on five days later as though it were still pending. The defense argued 85 percent of prospective jurors recognized the case and the pool had shrunk to roughly 72 viable candidates. Prosecutors fired back with different numbers from the same data: 830 potential jurors who said they either hadn't heard of the case or hadn't followed it. The judge sided with the state. Again.

But the venue motion may never have been about winning. Look at the defense's broader pattern heading into trial — Crozier's fentanyl recantation, the witness intimidation allegations against Detective O'Driscoll and investigator Hopper, the timeline objections, and now a second failed venue bid. Each motion builds a paper trail. Each denial becomes a potential appellate issue. The question isn't whether the defense expected to move the trial. The question is whether they're already building the record for what comes after a conviction.

Meanwhile, the reason this case is famous isn't media hype. It's a children's grief book, a jailhouse letter prosecutors call witness tampering, nearly $2 million in alleged insurance fraud, and a drug chain that's falling apart on the witness stand before trial even begins.

Kouri Richins has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Jury selection begins February 10th.

#KouriRichins #EricRichins #HiddenKillers #VenueChangeDenied #WitnessIntimidation #JeffODriscoll #RobertCrozier #FentanylCase #SummitCounty #TrueCrimePodcast

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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.