PROVO, Utah — Nearly three years after two toddlers were killed while playing in an Eagle Mountain corral, the jury is now deliberating in the trial of Kent Cody Barlow.
Judge Derek Pullan started the day by giving the jury its instructions before the prosecution began its closing statement.
Barlow's defense team has never denied that their client was driving under the influence when he crashed into the Cedar Valley Stables in May 2022, killing 3-year-old boys Odin Ratliff and Hunter Jackson. The defense has argued that the crash was an "unintentional accident" and not murder.
The Provo courtroom was full Friday, the first time it had been that way throughout the trial, which has lasted just over a week.
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Attorney Michael Starrs began his closing arguments by saying the boys were innocent victims of a man who was high on methamphetamine while driving towards the corral at a high rate of speed.
"They were there, chasing cats, grabbing chicken eggs, getting fruit snacks from their moms and playing with their tractors in the place that should have been safe for them," said Starrs.
Starrs ended his statement just after 10 a.m., followed by Barlow's attorney Justin Morrison, who began his closing argument by saying, "My client was high and having too good a time, but he is not a cold-blooded killer."
On the second day of the trial, Michael Higbee, a passenger in Barlow's car, testified that he was "afraid of dying" with his friend's reckless driving, as were others in the vehicle who claimed to have told Barlow to stop.
Morrison ended by saying that his client should be held accountable, but that emotions should not determine the outcome or the jury's verdict.
"That's what the law is for," he said.
