Man charged in Eagle Mountain crash will face trial in April for murder of 2 boys
Nov 4, 2024, 8:28 PM
Kent Cody Barlow is charged with two counts of murder after a crash killed two boys in Eagle Mountain. On Monday, a judge scheduled his trial to begin in April 2025. (Salt Lake County Jail)
(Salt Lake County Jail)
PROVO — A judge has scheduled a jury trial for Kent Cody Barlow to begin April 14, 2025, after there have been multiple delays.
Fourth District Judge Derek Pullan said this trial date is firm, and would not move unless there is a compelling circumstance that would be unforeseeable. He encouraged attorneys to work as if the jury trial would not be moved.
Barlow is accused of causing a crash that killed two 3-year-old boys, Odin Jeffrey Ratliff and Hunter Charlie Jackson, while they were playing in a horse corral in Eagle Mountain on May 2, 2022.
Three others who were in the car with Barlow testified during preliminary hearings that he was driving at a high rate of speed and ran a stop sign before the car hit a bump that sent it off the road and out of control, causing it to veer into Cedar Valley Stables.
The 2025 trial for Barlow is scheduled to end on the third anniversary of the crash.
Change in defense attorneys
During the hearing, Barlow’s new attorney, Justin Morrison, dropped multiple motions filed in the case before he was involved. He is no longer contesting whether prosecutors can use a 911 call, some evidence from the aftermath of the crash, or DNA evidence found on a belt buckle at the jury trial.
Morrison said he has 11 expert witnesses to call during the trial — more than he has had at any other trial.
Barlow will appear before the court again on Dec. 19 for arguments on a few remaining motions, including one regarding whether a few images of the boys can be shown at trial that Barlow’s attorneys claim are prejudicial and one in which Barlow’s attorneys are asking the judge to dismiss the charges.
Barlow, 28, is charged with two counts of murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor.
Pullan recently ruled that the Utah County Public Defenders Association could continue representing Barlow after attorneys with the association who previously represented Barlow claimed they did not have the resources to be ready for the jury trial as scheduled.
Morrison said at a previous hearing he would be able to prepare for trial by April.
