Judge Richard Mrazik will keep control of Kouri Richins' murder case after a fellow judge found no evidence he was biased during her trial.

Third District Judge Kara Pettit issued the ruling Wednesday, July 29, rejecting a defense motion to disqualify Mrazik from the case. The decision clears the way for Mrazik to rule on whether Richins, 36, deserves a new trial for the 2022 fentanyl poisoning death of her husband, Eric Richins.

Richins is due in Third District Court in Park City on Friday, July 31, at 1:30 p.m. for a restitution hearing. Summit County prosecutors want Mrazik to order her to repay $1.3 million in life insurance money she collected after Eric Richins' death.

Defense argued trial videos showed hostility

Richins' attorneys argued that trial videotapes showed Mrazik was "impatient, critical, hostile, disparaging and condescending" toward defense counsel while being "friendly and helpful" to prosecutors, according to KPCW.

Pettit was unconvinced. In her ruling, she wrote that the video clips and trial transcript did not demonstrate extreme behavior or deep-seated antagonism toward the defense.

"Even if Judge Mrazik's conduct could be considered as showing anger or frustration with defense counsel, that is not grounds for disqualification," Pettit wrote.

Under Utah law, judicial bias must stem from an extrajudicial source, such as a personal relationship or financial interest, not from a judge's conduct during proceedings. Pettit also found two procedural failures: the defense did not file the required affidavit stating facts sufficient to show bias, and the motion came roughly three months past the 21-day filing deadline. That clock started March 16, the last day of Richins' trial, according to the Park Record. The motion was not submitted until June.

New trial decision months away

With Mrazik remaining on the case, the new-trial motion moves forward on a separate track. Prosecutors have until Friday, Sept. 4, to respond, and a decision is not expected until late September or October.

Richins was convicted by a Summit County jury in March of killing Eric Richins, 39, for monetary gain, according to KSL. She was not arrested until more than a year after his March 4, 2022, death. During that time, she hired a ghostwriter to publish a children's book about dealing with grief.

Mrazik sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole on May 13 in Park City. She is appealing the conviction in addition to seeking a new trial.

Richins also faces 26 felony charges for alleged financial crimes tied to her former real estate business.

Friday's restitution hearing will determine whether she must return the $1.3 million in life insurance proceeds to Eric Richins' estate.