Jury finds Kent Cody Barlow guilty on all counts

UPDATE: 4/25/25 at 8:32 p.m.

PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — A jury has found Kent Cody Barlow guilty on all charges, including two counts of murder, and one count of use of a controlled substance. Sentencing is scheduled for a future hearing.

After deliberating for over nine hours, the jury in the Barlow trial, that has populated headlines for the last two years, found Barlow guilty on all counts.

“It was our pleasure and our privilege to bring some measure of justice to Odin and Hunter’s families,” Ryan McBride and Michael Starrs, prosecutors in the case, said in a statement. “While these verdicts cannot begin to make those families whole, we hope that they can find some peace knowing that a jury has held Barlow accountable under the law.”

Theresa Ratliff, mother of Odin Ratliff, spoke to press after the verdict was read. She thanked the prosecution for their work on the case, and expressed comfort in the verdict that was given.

“We trusted the jury, we let the process do what it needed,” an emotional Ratliff told reporters. “But hearing the words ‘guilty of depraved and indifference murder’ is what we have been fighting for, and that is what we got because that is what he was guilty of. So we are very happy with our prosecution team and the effort and work they put in.”

Now that Barlow has been found guilty, his sentencing has been set for June 30, where it will be decided how long he will serve for his sentence. According to the Utah County Attorney’s office, Barlow is facing 15 years to life in prison for each count.

“Utah County has unfortunately experienced an increasing number of tragic and unnecessary deaths from excessive speeds, distracted driving, road rage, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” The Utah County Attorney’s office said in a statement. “Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is committed to holding fully accountable all those who, like Mr. Barlow, so flagrantly violate the law and endanger others.”

ORGINAL ARTICLE

PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — The trial of Kent Cody Barlow, the man accused of killing two Eagle Mountain toddlers after crashing his car at high-speeds while high on meth, is now in the hands of the jury.

Attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense rested their case on the 15th and final day of the trial. Both sides acknowledged that Barlow allegedly caused the deaths of Hunter Jackson and Odin Ratliff, two three-year-olds, on May 2, 2022.

While the two sides are asking the jury for a guilty verdict, what is left to be determined is the charge Barlow will be found guilty of.

During his closing arguments, state attorney Michael Starrs argued Kent Barlow should be found guilty as charged with depraved indifference murder. Starrs said that while Barlow did not intend to kill Hunter Jackson and Odin Ratliff, his actions knowingly put human life in grave danger and ultimately led to the deaths of the two three-year-old boys.

“It does not matter that he did not see them,” argued Starrs. “What matters is the depraved indifference aspect of it. The signs of life. We’re dealing with risks here. Grave risks of death. Not certainties, but risks. The risk with the signs of life in front of him.”

Barlow’s attorney, Justin Morrison, disagreed. While conceding a homicide did take place, the case more appropriately fits an automobile homicide charge, rather than depraved indifference murder.

“My client got high, and he was having too good of a time, but he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. He wasn’t engaging in an act that was designed to inflict grave harm and just didn’t care who lived or died,” said Morrison. He later added, “Automobile homicide fits this case like a glove. A tragic, unintentional, and unfortunate killing that was born out of human frailty.”

About 10:30 a.m., the jury began deliberation on whether he was guilty of the charges as charged, guilty of a more negligent crime such as automobile homicide, or not guilty. As of noon the same day, the jury had not returned from their deliberations.

ABC4 will monitor the case and provide an update when it is available.