Kent Cody Barlow ordered to stand trial for two counts of murder for 2022 case
UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — Kent Cody Barlow — the Utah man accused of hitting and killing two three-year-old boys while driving high on meth in 2022 — was ordered on Monday to stand trial for two counts of murder.
Barlow, 27, is charged with two counts of depraved indifference murder and one count of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). The murder charges are first-degree felonies and the possession of meth is a class A misdemeanor.
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The murder charges against Barlow were originally two counts of second-degree felony manslaughter, but the charges were upgraded in March 2023.
The order for Barlow to stand trial on the upgraded depraved indifference charges was signed by Judge Robert A. Lund on May 20, 2024 — just one day after Barlow’s defense filed a motion to disqualify Lund as the judge for the case.
In part, the motion said “the currently assigned Judge in this case holds a bias against Mr. Barlow and against Mr. Barlow’s current defense team,” saying probable cause has not yet been determined and claiming Lund “prejudged the case.”
According to court documents, in 2022, Barlow ingested “a large amount” of meth before speeding on a road near Eagle Mountain, where he ran stop signs and eventually lost control of his car and crashed into covered horse stalls.
His crashing into the horse stalls caused the structure to collapse and kill two three-year-old boys, Hunter and Odin, documents said. Passengers who were in the car with Barlow sustained minor injuries and said they urged him to slow down.
Court documents said Barlow’s vehicle was traveling at 117 miles per hour when he crashed, even though the speed limit on the road was 45 miles per hour.
Court documents said that “the court finds that the State presented sufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause as to all three counts” before listing the two counts of depraved indifference murder and the one count of possession of a controlled substance.
Depraved indifference is when a person demonstrates “an utter callousness toward the value of human life” as well as “a complete and total indifference” regarding their own conduct and whether it will risk the death of another person, according to court documents.
Documents also explained that there are four factors used to determine whether a defendant acted with depraved indifference, including the utility of their conduct, the “magnitude of the risk,” their knowledge of the risk and what precautions they took to minimize the risk.
The documents concluded by saying “the court binds the Defendant over to stand trial on those charges.”
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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