Jury selection is finally underway in the long-delayed trial of Kent Cody Barlow, nearly three years after a crash that killed three-year-olds Hunter Jackson an
Exactly two years ago, an SUV ran off the road in Eagle Mountain, hitting and killing two 3-year-olds, Hunter Jackson and Odin Ratliff , who were playing in the sand with toy tractors in a round pen at Cedar Valley Stables.
Jury selection is finally underway in the long-delayed trial of Kent Cody Barlow, nearly three years after a crash that killed three-year-olds Hunter Jackson and Odin Ratliff. Barlow is accused of driving more than 120 mph while under the influence of methamphetamine on May 2, 2022, when his vehicle careened off the road and struck the boys as they played in the sand, where law enforcement has said “they should have been safe”. He now faces two counts of first-degree murder. Jury selection began Monday at the 4th Judicial District Court in Provo, with eight jurors and three alternates expected to be seated. After years of delays, the families of the victims are not just ready for the trial to begin — they’re ready for it to end.In the years since the crash, both families have spoken publicly about their grief and the emotional toll of the legal process. “We take it one day at a time,” Jackson said. “We talk with Odin’s family often so we’re not exactly alone in it.”“The only thing I can say is that it’s heartbreaking,” she said. “The end result is that I held my son dead in my arms, and no parent should ever have to go through that.” Retired Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon, who responded to the crash that day, said he’s relieved the case is moving forward at last. “It was a really challenging experience for many people that were there,” Cannon said. “It’s unusual to see a case take this long to get to this point. There were a lot of motions in this case, a lot of grief through the continued grief.” Since Barlow’s arrest, the case has seen a series of delays. The defense filed dozens of motions, a new prosecutor was elected and upgraded the charges, and the lead defense attorney withdrew from the case after experiencing deaths in his own family. A new judge was also assigned after the original judge retired. “I think what we all end up wanting is something that’s going to make us finally feel better,” Cannon said. “Well, that’s not going to happen. These families have suffered an unimaginable loss.” “My thoughts are with the families of Odin and Hunter and the people that were out there that day to have to witness something like that,” Cannon continued. “I was in law enforcement for 34 years before retiring and saw a lot of things like this. And this was one of the more tragic scenes that I’ve ever been involved in.”
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