The trial for a man accused of hitting and killing two boys in Eagle Mountain while allegedly high on methamphetamine nearly three years ago got underway Thursday.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office says Kent Cody Barlow was traveling at a high rate of speed on May 2, 2022, when he somehow veered off the road and crashed into a horse stable.

The collision killed Odin Ratliff and Hunter Jackson, both 3 years old, who were inside the corral playing with their toy trucks.

Barlow, 28, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the death of the two boys. He’s also being tried on one count of drug possession.

After numerous setbacks and delays, jury selection began Monday. Prosecutors and Barlow’s defense team worked with Judge Derek Pullan to select eight jurors and three alternates.

The process was completed early Thursday morning shortly before the hearing at the 4th District Court in Provo.

Barlow was guided into the courtroom around 10:30 a.m., arriving in shackles. Pullan gave a list of instructions to the jury and the opening arguments began.

Lead prosecuting attorney Ryan McBride asked the jury to find Barlow guilty of depraved indifference murder.

“Depraved indifference murder requires the state to prove that the defendant acted under circumstances that show a depraved indifference to human life, and that he knowingly caused a grave risk of death to another and that he caused the death of another,” McBride explained before the jury.

According to the prosecution, on the day of the alleged incident in 2022, Ratliff and Jackson were playing with their Tonka trucks in the dirt. The “round arena” in which they were in was far from the paved road near the intersection of 16000 West and Tiffany Lane in Eagle Mountain and was separated by a large fence.

“They had always been perfectly safe doing this,” McBride said.

The prosecutor went on to detail the moments leading up to the crash.

Evidence was presented before the jury, including GPS data, blood tests and a broken pipe with Barlow’s DNA.

“We don’t know what time, but at some point, he uses methamphetamine and chooses to drive,” McBride said.

Further evidence revealed Barlow had driven past the Cedar Valley Stables several times that day before the collision, so an argument was presented that he was aware of the home and its surroundings.

That evening, Barlow was reportedly challenged to a street race, according to the prosecution.

At one point, a witness who was traveling to Cedar Fort claimed Barlow’s car sped past her at around 100 miles per hour, McBride shared as part of his opening remarks.

Passengers in the car with Barlow had reportedly told him to slow down, which he disregarded, according to McBride.

Minutes later, at 7:16 p.m., Barlow reportedly crashed through the corral and into the stable where the two toddlers were playing and then rolled.

“We don’t know exactly where the boys were when his car came through there at 117 miles an hour,” McBride said.

The intensity of the crash from the car ripped out the stable’s metal fence, the prosecution said.

The car landed upside down and the boys were found on the ground underneath the roof of the vehicle, the prosecution added.

As the Daily Herald reported in December, McBride noted the chaotic crime scene at the time of the crash, which may have made it difficult for evidence to be collected.

He echoed that again during Thursday’s hearing, saying deputies with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office were in a “race against time” due to the time of the day the incident occurred.

“The sun is setting and their ability to see the evidence is going to go down as the sun sets and the light fades,” McBride explains. “It’s a very chaotic scene, and the police make a conscious decision that they’re trained to make — you prioritize preserving life over preserving evidence, and that’s what they did.”

Cedar Valley Stables Manager Barb Brooks gave her witness testimony recounting the moments during the incident and described hearing a “god-awful metal crushing sound.”

Brooks and the families of the victims got another grim reminder of May 2, 2022, when audio from the 911 call was played before the jury.

However, the defense argued that Barlow did not intentionally commit a crime.

Defense attorney Justin Morrison claims Barlow was unaware of the boys’ presence, as they were hidden behind stable walls.

“Can a person be a risk they didn’t know existed,” he asked.

But Morrison didn’t dispute the fact that two young lives were lost that evening or that his client was driving under the influence and speeding.

“I’m going to ask you to hold my client accountable, and yes, find him guilty, but not of what the state has charged him with,” Morrison said before the jury.

Morrison said he looks to challenge the depraved indifference charge and pleaded with the jury to consider the accidental nature of the crash.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, but it was not depraved indifference murder,” Morrison said.

He said the incident is either manslaughter or automobile homicide, but not murder.

The trial will last over the next several weeks, with anticipation that the jury will reach a verdict by early May, three years after the crash.