Trial postponed for man accused of killing two toddlers in Eagle Mountain
Sep 16, 2024, 4:55 PM | Updated: Sep 17, 2024, 11:39 am
Odin Jeffrey Ratliff and Hunter Charlie Jackson were playing in a horse corral in Eagle Mountain and were killed when a car left the road and veered into Cedar Valley Stables on May 2, 2022. (Go Fund Me)
(Go Fund Me)
PROVO, Utah — The trial of Kent Cody Barlow was scheduled to begin Monday, but on Friday, Sept. 13, the Utah Supreme Court granted a request from Barlow’s attorney to be removed from the case involving a fatal crash in Eagle Mountain.
The attorney, Benjamin Aldana, had previously asked the 4th District Court to remove him from the case for personal reasons. When denied that request, Aldana appealed to Utah’s high court.
Two children died in May, following a car crash when a vehicle lost control and crashed into a corral where they were playing. On Tuesday, a judge ruled statements made by the suspect Kent Cody Barlow will not be kept private. (Utah County Sheriff’s Office)
According to KSL.com Aldana had made previous attempts to delay the trial. In June he had taken an extended leave due to his father’s terminal illness. He argued that the defense ‘could not adequately prepare for trial as scheduled without extra time.’
Aldana appealed to Utah’s high court asking to allow him “time away from this profession to properly grieve his father’s unexpected death.”
KSL.com also reported that Aldana quoted a Utah rule to the high court that requires an attorney to withdraw if his “mental competence compromises the representation” and claimed he does not feel like his normal self.
Barlow is accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle traveling more than 100 miles per hour and crashing into the Cedar Valley Stables. Along the way, he is suspected of hitting and killing two three-year-old boys who were playing near the stables.
He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According to KSL.com, there is no new trial date.
Suggested related reading:
- Arraignment for driver accused of killing two boys in Eagle Mountain on Wednesday
- Parents of boy killed in meth-fueled, high speed crash sue Utah state agencies
- Manslaughter charges filed in deaths of Eagle Mountain children
