Attorney contract issues push back hearing for Ogden death penalty case
By Jacob Scholl
Standard-Examiner
OGDEN — A couple accused of killing their 3-year-old child appeared in court Thursday for the first time since prosecutors filed their intent to seek the death penalty against them.
Miller Costello, 26, and Brenda Emile, 23, appeared in court but didn’t say much, as most of the chatter was between attorneys.
Defense attorneys asked to continue the hearing so they could sort out the issue of contracts with the state. One attorney stated that the typical contracts for public defenders do not extend into capital cases unless the state approves a new agreement.
Judge Michael DiReda agreed and continued the hearing to another date.
DiReda also suggested that prosecutors move quickly toward securing a mitigation expert that will meticulously comb through the case.
No trial dates were set during the Thursday morning hearing, but the court will discuss scheduling when they meet for their next hearing on Aug. 13 in Ogden.
On July 6, 2017, police responded to a 911 call about a 3-year-old who was unconscious and not breathing.
The two were arrested and charged with aggravated murder just days after the severely malnourished child was found with injuries to her head, chest, wrists, legs and a “piece missing” from her nose, according to an Ogden Police detective.
Her injuries ranged from brain hemorrhages to cigarette burns, according to the medical examiner.
http://www.standard.net/Courts/2018/...al-murder-case
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