Trial of Kent Cody Barlow begins, accused of killing toddlers in car crash

Nearly three years after two toddlers were killed after a car crashed into the Eagle Mountain corral where they were playing, the trial of the man driving the vehicle has begun.Kent Cody Barlow was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree felony murder in the May 2022 deaths of Hunter Jackson and Odin Ratliff. He is also being tried on one count of possession or use of a controlled substance.Jury selection was completed early Thursday, and the trial began inside a Provo courtroom with Barlow's attorney immediately making a plea to jurors that the incident was not murder but an "unintentional accident."In their opening statement in front of Judge Derek Pullan and the jury, lead prosecutor Ryan McBride said Barlow "left a wake of destruction" in his path, adding that the three-year-old friends were doing what they always did: they "went to play."Charges upgraded to murder for man accused of killing two toddlers in Utah County:As the opening statement continued, McBride shared how Jackson's sister was the first one to see the boys who were trapped underneath the collapsed roof of the corral. Ratliff's mother then began CPR on Odin, but both boys had no vital signs.Law enforcement had previously explained that Barlow's car did not actually hit the two boys directly. Instead, the vehicle hit the corral they were playing in, causing the roof to collapse.McBride said police "were racing against time" as the sun went down and prioritized the lives of the boys over collecting evidence, admitting some evidence was missed at the time.Community gathers for candlelight vigil to honor two boys:After the prosecution finished, Barlow's defense attorney said his client's case was "unique" and that he "would not say my client is innocent," asking jurors to hold Barlow accountable.The defense said they do not dispute the facts of the case that will be brought up, but hopes jurors will "look beyond the heartbreak, emotion and tragedy." Barlow's attorney said the incident was not murder but an unintentional accident.Just before he finished his opening statement, Barlow's attorney admitted that his client was driving too fast and that he was under the influence, and that he lost control and crashed into the stable."I know this case pulls at your heartstrings," the attorney said. "I feel it, too."