UPDATE! Nathan Sloop Changes His Plea To Guilty In The Death Of Ethan Stacy~ Sentenced To 25 Years~ Trial Still Pending For Ethan's Mother, Stephanie Sloop

Friday, at a court hearing for Nathan and Stephanie Sloop, the current lawyers told 2nd District Judge David Connors that court officials have not found suitable lawyers to defend the Sloops. Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said that asking for the death penalty in this case is likely, but the motion hasn’t been filed yet.
Court officials have a list of attorneys to call that must meet the Rule 8 attorney selection process and they are having a difficult time finding suitable attorney’s for the Sloops. The lawyers must have the experience and qualifications to defend someone in a capital case, and they have to want to take the case, as explained by Fox News 13 in the video below.
"[It is] very difficult to find defense attorneys who are both capable and willing to take on these cases. There are many lawyers, actually who are able and willing, in theory, to take on the cases. But, because of the caps on fees and the nature in which fees are provided, it is incredibly costly for lawyers to take on these cases," said Daniel Medwed, a University of Utah law professor (see Fox News 13 video below).
Nathan and Stephanie Sloop have been charged with the murder of 4-year-old Ethan Stacy. Stacy arrived in Utah around May 1 to spend the summer with his mother and stepfather, Nathan and Stephanie Sloop.
Friday, the Sloops appeared in court briefly for the hearing and then left. Nathan mouthed the words I love you to his mother who was in the courtroom. The court date was rescheduled for June 11 at 1 p.m.

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Nathaniel Sloop, right, walks into 2nd District Court in Farmington, Utah, Friday, June 4, 2010. Nathanael and Stephanie Sloop, who made separate appearances in court, are being held without bail in the death of Stephanie Sloop's son, Ethan Stacy.

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Are those rosary beads around his neck? If so, it's going to take a lot more than that!

BJ reported:

Friday, at a court hearing for Nathan and Stephanie Sloop, the current lawyers told 2nd District Judge David Connors that court officials have not found suitable lawyers to defend the Sloops. Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said that asking for the death penalty in this case is likely, but the motion hasn’t been filed yet.
Court officials have a list of attorneys to call that must meet the Rule 8 attorney selection process and they are having a difficult time finding suitable attorney’s for the Sloops. The lawyers must have the experience and qualifications to defend someone in a capital case, and they have to want to take the case, as explained by Fox News 13 in the video below.
"[It is] very difficult to find defense attorneys who are both capable and willing to take on these cases. There are many lawyers, actually who are able and willing, in theory, to take on the cases. But, because of the caps on fees and the nature in which fees are provided, it is incredibly costly for lawyers to take on these cases," said Daniel Medwed, a University of Utah law professor

What a crock!!!! The reason the Sloops cannot find a DP lawyer to defend them (and I doubt one would defend both) is because they are indigent - JUST LIKE CASEY - but because this case isn't all over the media, no DP lawyer w/take this case pro bono, like "The Angel of Death", Andrea Lyon.

This really pisses me off. This poor boy was literally tortured to death while "mommy" (TM Nancy Grace) stood back and watched.

These damned attorneys only care about the money and fame.

So, now what? They just sit in jail till they figure something out? This is ridiculous!!!

Sloop attorneys appointed / Hearing June 14 for Nathanael, June 18 for Stephanie


Judge Thomas L. Kay has appointed two attorneys to defend Stephanie and Nathanael Sloop.

The orders were filed in 2nd District Court on Thursday. Court hearings for the Sloops, which were scheduled for today, have been canceled.

Kay appointed Richard P. Mauro to defend Nathanael Sloop and Mary Corporon to defend Stephanie Sloop.

A hearing for Nathanael Sloop is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday before 2nd District Court Judge Michael Allphin in Farmington. Stephanie Sloop is to appear before Allphin at 1:30 p.m. June 18.

The Sloops are both charged with aggravated murder, second-degree felony child abuse, second-degree felony obstruction of justice and third-degree felony abuse or desecration of a body in connection with the death of 4-year-old Ethan Stacy.

Nathanael Sloop has also been charged with third-degree felony damaging of a jail.

Ethan Stacy's body was found buried near Powder Mountain on May 11. Ethan had come to Utah on May 1 to spend the summer with his mother, Stephanie Sloop, and his stepfather, Nathanael Sloop, following a divorce settlement.

Both Sloops could receive the death penalty if they are convicted of the aggravated murder charges.

Both are accused of abusing Ethan for days in their Layton apartment before he died May 9, which was Mother's Day.

The next day, the couple took the child's body to a wooded area near Powder Mountain, desecrated it and buried it, according to court documents.

They then called Layton police to report that the boy had wandered off.

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Stephanie Sloop, who is suspected of helping abuse and kill her son and mutilate his body, claims she was forced to marry her co-defendant and wants the marriage annulled.

In a court petition, Sloop says her participation in the May 6 marriage ceremony “was not voluntary, and was the result or product of physical duress by” the groom, Nathan Sloop.

The couple were charged with aggravated murder, abuse and other felonies for the death of Stephanie Sloop’s 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy, a few days after they were married. Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty. The Sloops remain in the Davis County jail without bail.

Stephanie Sloop’s annulment petition was filed Friday in state court in Farmington. It was written and submitted by Mary Corporon, one of Stephanie Sloop’s criminal attorneys. Corporon declined to comment on the petition Friday.

Nathan Sloop could fight the request for an annulment. The petition does not specify how Nathan Sloop might have coerced his bride.

The couple had been engaged for months and was planning an Independence Day ceremony in Golden, Colo. They even created a website for the event and a bridal registry at stores.

In a call to her half-brother in Michigan on May 5, Stephanie Sloop said she and Nathan Sloop were getting married in Utah the next day so they could qualify for public aid, but the “real” wedding was still on for July Fourth in Colorado. The ceremony occurred at the old memorial courthouse in Farmington.

In the petition, Stephanie Sloop also requests her name be changed to a previous surname. Although she did not specify which surname, she once used the name of her first husband, Joe Stacy.

Joe Stacy on Friday said he does not want his ex-wife using his surname. He speculated Stephanie Sloop wants “to have the same last name as her son, but I would be real surprised if a judge accepts that.”

“She looks like a complete idiot because she’s the one who set that website up, and said all those things about how in love with Nathan she was,” Joe Stacy added.

Stephanie Sloop also is asking for the personal property she owns at the Layton apartment she shared with Nathan Sloop and Ethan and that Nathan Sloop pay any debts the couple accumulated.

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You've got to be kidding me. Married or not, she is in jail for killing and mutilating his body. I don't give a rat's ass if she is or was married, gets an annulment or whatever. This IMHO has nothing to do with what she and Nathan Sloop did to poor little Ethan!!

Greg Croft knew his half-sister, Stephanie Sloop, was high-strung and excitable, but nothing prepared him for the sickening news that she may have watched her 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy, slowly die after being beaten and burned.

“I never got the impression she would be capable of something like this,” says Croft, 35, who first met Sloop, 27, three years ago when she found him on the social networking site MySpace. “I just keep asking ‘Why? Why did it have to come to this?’ ”

Croft and Sloop have the same father, who Croft described Wednesday as “a rolling stone” who had little involvement in either of their lives.

Both are natives of Michigan, though Sloop moved as a young child with her mother to Florida. Except for a short stint in Florida as a boy, Croft, a computer systems support engineer and part-time photographer, has always lived near Detroit.

Sloop and her husband, Nathan Sloop, 31, are in the Davis County Jail on suspicion of child abuse and murder in the May 9 death of Ethan Stacy. The youngster had been with the couple for just over a week, the start of a summer in his mother’s custody, which was the result of a divorce agreement.

Ethan was buried Wednesday in Richlands, Va., near the hometown of his father, Joe Stacy.

Croft said he is still trying to absorb the news of his nephew’s death and the authorities’ belief that his sister was complicit in the boy’s death and its cover-up.

“I know I could not sit back and allow anyone, including my own spouse, to abuse my children,” said Croft, who has been married 12 years and has two children. “A part of me wants to say she had nothing to do with this, but the reality is a whole different thing.”

When Croft thinks back to that day in 2007 when Sloop first left a message for him on the networking site, he remembers it as “a pretty joyful experience.”

He always knew he had a younger sister and that she lived in Florida, but he had seen her only once when she was an infant.

Just the year before, he had lost his beloved mother. “For a long time, I felt alone because I’m an only child.”

After a few messages back and forth, Sloop gave him her phone number. They talked through the night, hanging up around 7 a.m.

Soon they were visiting each others’ homes, including Thanksgiving week in 2008 when the Stacy family of five, including Joe Stacy’s two teenagers, stayed with the Croft family in Michigan.

Croft and Sloop even tracked down their father and for the first time met their half-brother, a teen who lives with their father in Michigan.

Sloop apparently met her former husband, Stacy, while the two were in the U.S. Army, Croft said. She was no longer enlisted in 2007.

By all appearances, she loved her son, he said. She often captured photos and occasionally videos of Ethan acting silly and texted them to her brother, he said.

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A judge on Wednesday appointed additional attorneys to represent Nathan and Stephanie Sloop.

Lawyers Scott C. Williams and Heather Harris will assist Richard Mauro in defending Nathan Sloop. Attorney Mark Flores will assist Stephanie Sloop’s lawyer, Mary Corporon.

The Sloops each are facing aggravated murder charges for the early May beating death of Stephanie Sloop’s 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy. The two could each face the death penalty.

The Sloops were scheduled to appear back in 2nd District Court on Sept. 10. Nathan Sloop could be heard yelling “I love you Stephanie” in the holding area just before his court appearance.



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Croft said he is still trying to absorb the news of his nephew’s death and the authorities’ belief that his sister was complicit in the boy’s death and its cover-up.

“I know I could not sit back and allow anyone, including my own spouse, to abuse my children,” said Croft, who has been married 12 years and has two children. “A part of me wants to say she had nothing to do with this, but the reality is a whole different thing.”

This is how a sane family reacts to news that a close loved one abused and killed a child. So not like the Anthony's.

Ethan was buried Wednesday in Richlands, Va., near the hometown of his father, Joe Stacy.

RIP Ethan.

Although I believe that Stephanie was as guilty as her husband in this terrible crime, I do think that Ethan would still be alive if she hadn't been with Nathan Sloop. He definitely influenced her thinking, which in turn influenced her actions! I hope that she is constantly reminded of the suffering poor little Ethan went through.

knowing what ethan went through will forever affect me. poor ethan didn't stand a chance with that monster that his mother married! they should both rot in jail! i still cannot understand how a mother could just loose love for her child like that!

Months after the mother of Ethan Stacy asked for her short marriage to Nathan Sloop to be annulled, the decision to split has been abandoned.

Stephanie Sloop will remain married to Nathan after 2nd District Court Judge David M. Connors ruled the proposed annulment case would be made available for public scrutiny. Lawyers for both parties had argued for sealing the case, as it contained personal details about their marriage that they said could cause them harm.

Both are in jail on charges of capital murder in the beating of 4-year-old Ethan, who was found dead in May. The Sloops were married five days before police discovered Ethan's body buried in Ogden Canyon.

Stephanie petitioned for the annulment in June claiming she married Nathan under physical duress and not by her own choice.

A police report says at the time of the marriage, Ethan was locked in a bedroom in the Sloops' apartment because "they were afraid to take him out in public with the swelling and bruising to his face, and that someone would call police."

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I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but I'm just hoping that their case will soon be sent to trial. They both deserve the DP... IMO!!

Conversations with Stephanie Sloop
Feb 8, 2011



"Will you accept a collect call from the Davis County Jail?" the operator asked after I picked up the ringing telephone on my desk. Within a moment, I knew the caller was the woman I had been writing to for eight months. The woman accused of killing her 4-year-old son, Stephanie Sloop.

"Hello, Stephanie?" I asked. She replied, "Hi Kelli, I got your package today and I wanted to say thank you."

I had previously done a series of stories on Stephanie Sloop, a woman many of our viewers commented on though emails, phone calls, and on our website.

I sent Sloop the responses to the story that had aired initially in November, a story covering her jailhouse letters to me, never expecting to hear from her again.

I didn't know what to ask someone I had waited nearly a year to speak to. I started with one of the first things that came to mind.

"Did you kill your son?"

"No," she replied. I asked, "Then who did?"

Stephanie said, "It was accidental."

Stephanie and Nathan Sloop (pool, Standard Examiner)
"As far as what happened with Ethan, I can't get into that but as far as I'm always concerned I thought he'd always stop." - Stephanie Sloop
Sloop and her husband, Nathan, are accused of the May murder of her 4-year-old son Ethan Stacy. Ethan was Stephanie's son from a previous marriage and Ethan was set to spend the summer with his mother and her new husband.

In court papers filed days after the crime, prosecutors stated that Sloop and her husband "beat, burned, drugged, isolated and essentially starved Ethan to death while depriving the child of needed medical attention."

"What happened, Stephanie?" I asked. "Why did you report him missing? What really happened to Ethan?"

Sloop couldn't tell me, saying those details of the alleged crime could hurt her defense.

The 28-year-old woman could face the death penalty under the charges she is currently facing. The Layton woman said she understood the seriousness of the charges facing her, along with the consequences of what allegedly happened.

In more than two hours of phone conversations, Sloop did admit to some knowledge of the events in those days leading up to Ethan's death.

"As far as what happened with Ethan, I can't get into that but as far as I'm always concerned I thought he'd always stop," Sloop told me.

Ethan Stacy
"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. Ethan was the best thing that ever happened to me." - Stephanie Sloop
The "he" Sloop was referring to is her newlywed husband, Nathan.

Prosecutors believe Sloop and her husband locked Ethan in his bedroom while dying. The couple then went to the courthouse to get married. Ethan died a few days later.

"I don't think Nathan meant for it to happen either. He just got out of control, things just got out of control… and," she paused and then muttered, "it happened."

In the six conversations between Sloop and I, she said again and again that she was innocent. She said, "There's a lot more when the trial comes up. People are going to find out and people are going to see and have a different reaction."

"Cell phone records will prove that I wasn't there at the time some of this stuff was occurring. And he (Nathan Sloop) would always have a story for me, telling me you know, he did this and he did that. It's not that I didn't want to believe him, I didn't know who to believe," Sloop said in another conversation.

Sloop said her son's memory haunts her. She told me, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. Ethan was the best thing that ever happened to me."

I asked her, "Do you pray?"

"Yes," she said and continued, "I pray everyday to God and ask Ethan not to be angry with me for all of this."

Sloop is currently behind bars. The County Attorney's office said her preliminary hearing was recently delayed due to possible new evidence.

Stephanie Sloop is set to be back in court June 27th.
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Thanks for the update, BJ! I am sure that SS does feel remorseful (she's been locked in prison since May 2010), but that doesn't take away what she did and/or allowed to happen to Ethan. She was his mother & should have stopped the abuse, and left with him. Her failure to protect her son from this abuser, and instead get married to him, is unforgiveable & I still believe she should get the DP along with the "monster" she married!!

Why is it that the accused always says the REAL story w/come out when the case goes to trial?

I doubt she w/get the DP, I don't know WHY I doubt it..just a gut feeling. However, I think Nathan probably will.

I have not one ounce of sympathy for her. There was another story I think in Florida I read about yesterday when searching for something on the Anthony case about a couple that beat their little boy to death for wetting his pants and then went on to eat pizza for dinner.
I didnt post it, it made me too ill. Im sick of all of these people - I liked it better when they called them psychopaths because thats what they are but make no mistake they arent crazy - they just need to be isolated from society and other children - forever.

artgal16 wrote:I have not one ounce of sympathy for her. There was another story I think in Florida I read about yesterday when searching for something on the Anthony case about a couple that beat their little boy to death for wetting his pants and then went on to eat pizza for dinner.
I didnt post it, it made me too ill. Im sick of all of these people - I liked it better when they called them psychopaths because thats what they are but make no mistake they arent crazy - they just need to be isolated from society and other children - forever.

I agree with you. What the hell is going on with these "sperm doners/egg doners"? It is Never-Ending and usually involves a boyfriend that either beat the child to death or convinced the "mother" to join in. Then, there is "remorse". I cry b.s.!!!!!

BTW, here is the thread on the poor little boy who was beat and burned for wetting his pants.
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Ethan Stacy is remembered by group fighting child abuse
Story Comments Share Print Story
Updated: 5/14 5:23 am | Published: 5/13 10:54 pm

Ethan Stacy is remembered by group fighting child abuse
OGDEN, UTAH (ABC 4 News) -He was only four when he died, and police say Ethan Stacy died a terrible and tragic death at the hands of those who should have protected him. Saturday, the little boy was remembered by those who love him, although most had never met him.

Anissa Martinez and the group that calls themselves Ethan’s Army gathered at the site near Powder Mountain where Ethan Stacy’s body was found. He was found murdered and buried in a shallow grave. Police say his mother, Stephanie Sloop, and his Step Father, Nathan Sloop, killed him; not long after he arrived at their apartment for a summer visit with his biological mother. She said he wandered away, but investigators say Ethan was tortured, and then killed.

Martinez says they remember Ethan because they don’t want any Utah children to endure the same treatment. “If you suspect child abuse in any way shape or form please notify the authorities"

Ethan’s Army placed balloons, flowers, and toys where Ethan lay, and offered a prayer on his behalf. They say it doesn't matter that they never had a chance to meet. He died on Mother’s Day, and these moms say he has become their child. “The heartache is too much to deal with sometimes, when you know what he went through, and he didn't have anybody to protect him.”

Stephanie and Nathan Sloop could both face the death penalty if convicted.

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by Wrapitup Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 22:33

Ethan’s Army placed balloons, flowers, and toys where Ethan lay, and offered a prayer on his behalf. They say it doesn't matter that they never had a chance to meet. He died on Mother’s Day, and these moms say he has become their child. “The heartache is too much to deal with sometimes, when you know what he went through, and he didn't have anybody to protect him.”

Stephanie and Nathan Sloop could both face the death penalty if convicted.

What a caring group of people to remember little Ethan. He died on Mother's Day. I hope they do get the death penalty or maybe it would be better to be left to sit in prison the rest of their lives in seclusion to be forced to think about what they did to little Ethan. These people make me

Courts » Prosecutors have 60 days to decide whether to pursue death penalty.
First Published Jul 10 2012 02:26 pm • Last Updated Jul 10 2012 11:33 pm
Farmington » Nathan Sloop, charged in the slaying of 4-year-old Ethan Stacy, has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge against him.

Sloop, 33, appeared in 2nd District Court and conditionally waived his preliminary hearing, moving the capital murder case closer to trial.
"This case is moving forward," Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings told reporters after the brief hearing. "Progress is being made. We’re going to the next stage."

Prosecutors now have 60 days to file a notice if they intend to seek the death penalty, a topic Rawlings said he was not ready to discuss Tuesday.

Sloop and Stephanie Sloop, 29, are both charged with aggravated murder in connection with the boy’s 2010 death.

Charging documents allege the Layton couple engaged in multiple acts of "severe abuse" between April 29 and May 8 in 2010, which led to Ethan’s death, including "beatings, burning, drugging, isolating, malnourishing, leaving the child alone and unattended while suffering, and refusing to seek vital life-sustaining medical attention."

At preliminary hearings, prosecutors must show enough evidence to a judge to demonstrate there is sufficient cause for a defendant to stand trial. Defense attorneys have the opportunity to challenge that evidence and seek a dismissal or reduction of the charges. Rawlings would not say on what conditions Sloop waived his preliminary hearing.

His next court date was set for October.

A status hearing for Stephanie Sloop has been set for July 31.

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"beatings, burning, drugging, isolating, malnourishing, leaving the child alone and unattended while suffering, and refusing to seek vital life-sustaining medical attention."

All of these should be done to them, but of course that would be cruel and inhumane punishment...

I agree lisette.

I agree too Lisette.

8/14
Stephanie Sloop’s attorney wants to wait before she and her client move forward, to make sure Nathanael Sloop is not going to ask for a preliminary hearing.

Nathanael Sloop’s preliminary hearing “went away with a conditional waiver, and it remains to be seen if it will be gone permanently or if it will come back,” said Mary C. Corporon, Stephanie Sloop’s attorney.

Stephanie Sloop and Corporon appeared before Judge Glen C. Dawson in 2nd District Court on Tuesday. Dawson set another roll call hearing for Oct. 12.

Stephanie Sloop, 29, and her husband, Nathanael Sloop, 33, both of Layton, are each charged with aggravated murder, second-degree felony child abuse, second-degree felony obstruction of justice and third-degree felony abuse or desecration of a body.

Both are being held in Davis County Jail on no bail. The charges stem from the death of Ethan Stacy, Stephanie Sloop’s 4-year-old son, in 2010.

Both could face the death penalty if convicted.

Nathanael Sloop appeared in court in July, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Another hearing is set for Nathanael Sloop on Oct. 9.

Corporon said Tuesday in court that she requested documents concerning the case, but those documents were given to her blank, with only words describing the documents as “privileged.”

“That issue must be resolved,” Corporon said.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said he understands Corporon’s strategy and believes, under the circumstances, it is the right thing to do.

Both attorneys said the delay is not due to any lack of preparation.

Rawlings said after the hearing that he expects both cases to be resolved next year, if evidentiary and legal issues are resolved.

Because of constitutional issues and bar rules, Rawlings said he could not discuss the specifics of those issues.

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Stephanie Sloop, the Davis County mother charged with killing her own son, appeared Tuesday in 2nd District Court.

Sloop, 29, faces a charge of aggravated murder in the May 2010 death of her 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy. Nathan Sloop, 33, the boy’s new stepfather at the time, faces the same charge.

Charging documents allege the Layton couple engaged in multiple acts of "severe abuse" between April 29 and May 8 in 2010, which led to Ethan’s death, including "beatings, burning, drugging, isolating, malnourishing, leaving the child alone and unattended while suffering, and refusing to seek vital life-sustaining medical attention."

Nathan Sloop appeared in court last week, where Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said "significant progress" was being made on the case. Nathan Sloop is scheduled to next appear in court Dec. 11.

Stephanie Sloop’s attorney continues to want to follow Nathan Sloop’s proceedings for "strategic" reasons. She will next appear in court Dec. 14.

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This is one of many that is very hard to read.

Thanks for the update, BJ.

07/31/2013

A four-day preliminary hearing has been set for Stephanie Sloop, accused of killing her 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy.

Judge Glen Dawson set Dec. 10-13 for the preliminary hearings for the 30-year-old woman.

“For a variety of reasons, including witness availability and time to get discovery, we’re requesting a preliminary hearing sometime in November or December,” said Mary Corporon, Stephanie Sloop’s defense attorney.

Dawson said at the beginning of Tuesday’s status conference hearing that it was time to set a preliminary hearing.

A preliminary hearing is where a judge hears testimony and evidence and determines if there is enough to send the case to trial.

Stephanie Sloop and her husband, Nathanael Sloop, 34, are both accused of murdering Ethan and burying his disfigured body near Powder Mountain in May of 2010.

The boy had come to Utah from Florida to spend the summer with Stephanie Sloop on May 1, 2010.

Nathan Sloop appeared in court on Thursday. At that time Judge Glen Dawson ruled there was enough evidence for Nathan Sloop’s case to move forward. A felony arraignment hearing is set for Aug. 13. The Davis County Attorney’s Office has filed its intent to seek the death penalty for Nathan Sloop.

The Davis County Attorney’s Office has not filed any motion at this time to seek the death penalty for Stephanie Sloop.

The Sloops are each charged with aggravated murder, second-degree felony child abuse, second-degree felony obstruction of justice and third-degree felony abuse or desecration of a body.

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Aug 13 2013

Nathan Sloop talks to defense lawyer Richard Mauro during his arraignment at Davis County Justice Court Tuesday August 13, 2013. Sloop, 34, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to felony counts of aggravated murder, intentionally inflicting serious injury on a child, obstructing justice and abuse or desecration of a human body. Sloop will be tried in the 2010 death of his 4-year-old stepson Ethan Stacy on March 17 of next year.

After more than three years of delays, Nathan Sloop, the man accused of contributing to his stepson’s death and disfiguring the boy’s body after filing a false missing child report, will have his day in court.

Sloop, 34, will be tried on March 17 of next year for the 2010 death of his 4-year-old stepson Ethan Stacy.

He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to felony counts of aggravated murder, intentionally inflicting serious injury on a child, obstructing justice and abuse or desecration of a human body.

Shackled and dressed in a county jail jumpsuit, Sloop slowly scanned the courtroom’s gallery as he said his name aloud for the court record. When entering his plea to the charges, he loudly and emphatically pronounced each syllable of his words: "Not guilty."

Prosecutors, meanwhile, are arguing that Sloop should be eligible for the death penalty in Ethan’s death. While Sloop’s attorneys argue that Sloop never intended to kill the child, the Davis County Attorney’s office has invoked Shelby’s Law, which allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty without having to prove a killing was intentional when a child dies during an act of abuse. Sloop’s attorney, Richard Mauro, has argued that Shelby’s Law, a 2007 amendment to Utah’s homicide statute, is unconstitutional.

"We’ll continue to look at whether or not that law applies, whether its constitutional," Mauro told reporters after the hearing. "He shouldn’t get the death penalty because he didn’t commit an intentional killing."

Sloop’s wife and Ethan’s mother, Stephanie Sloop, 30, faces essentially the same charges in her son’s death. A preliminary hearing in her case has been set for December.

Charging documents allege Sloop and his wife severely abused Ethan between April 29 and May 8 in 2010. The alleged abuse included "beatings, burning, drugging, isolating, malnourishing, leaving the child alone and unattended while suffering, and refusing to seek vital life-sustaining medical attention," according to court documents.

The couple allegedly left the injured boy by himself in a locked bedroom while they got married on May 6, 2010. After that, Ethan allegedly suffered second- and third-degree burns after being scalded with hot water, but the couple did not seek medical attention. The boy died sometime on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2010.

After Ethan’s death, the couple allegedly buried the boy’s body in a shallow grave near Powder Mountain Ski Resort and reported him missing. On May 11, 2010, Sloop led police to Ethan’s maimed body. Sloop allegedly told investigators that he tried to disfigure the boy’s face and teeth so he would be harder to identify.

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Feb 05 2014



Nathan Sloop walks into court before pleading guilty to the charges of aggravated murder and aggravated assault, during what was originally scheduled to be a pretrial conference in Judge Glen Dawson's courtroom, February 4, 2014 in Farmington, Utah. Sloop is accused of killing his stepson Ethan Stacy in 2010.

Farmington • Nearly four years after the body of Ethan Stacy was found buried on a mountainside in Weber County, the child’s stepfather — Nathan Sloop — admitted Tuesday that he played a role in the 4-year-old’s death.

Sloop, 35, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to aggravated murder — a capital offense — for the 2010 death of Ethan Stacy.

"That boy died on my watch, and I’m horribly sorry," Nathan Sloop told 2nd District Judge Glen Dawson.
Nathan Sloop told the judge that "reckless indifference" described his state of mind in the months before Ethan’s death. He said he wanted to plead guilty on Tuesday to accept responsibility for his actions.
"I want to apologize to all those who were affected by my reckless indifference to Ethan Stacy," Sloop said.

Sloop also pleaded guilty but mentally ill to aggravated assault by a prisoner for attacking a David County jail officer. A number of other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal, which also spared him from facing the death penalty.


Sloop was immediately sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on the murder count, and 1 to 15 years for the aggravated assault. The judge ordered the two sentences to run concurrently.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings told Dawson on Tuesday that while Ethan’s father, Joe Stacy, was in the courtroom, he was too emotional to make a statement before the sentence was handed down.
"It was a very traumatic experience for them to come on a plane and come to Utah," Rawlings said of Joe Stacy and his wife, who live in Virginia. "He felt the need and desire and the want to be here for his son."

Rawlings told the judge that the plea negotiation minimizes the risk of appeal, adding that evidence suppression issue and constitutionality issues also played a part in fashioning the plea deal.

Sloop’s attorney, Richard Mauro, said his client’s mental illness coupled with a high number of prescription painkillers and other medications Sloop was taking at the time led to his indifference to the child’s life.

"I do not think that Mr. Sloop wanted Ethan Stacy to die or intended for him to die," Mauro told the judge.

The courtroom Tuesday was filled with Layton City police officers — who investigated the child’s 2010 death. Chief Terry Keefe said outside of court that this was an extremely difficult case for the law enforcement involved.
"We were here to support Joe and his wife," Keefe said. "This was a horrendous case … There are some things in law enforcement you don’t forget."

Sloop was originally charged with aggravated murder, intentionally inflicting serious physical injury on a child, obstructing justice and abuse or desecration of a human body.

Sloop’s wife and Ethan’s mother, Stephanie Sloop, 31, has been charged with essentially the same counts as her husband, but prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek the death penalty for her. She is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday for a status conference. Prosecutors would not discuss Tuesday afternoon whether a plea deal was in the works for the woman.

Charging documents state the Layton couple engaged in multiple acts of "severe abuse" between April 29 and May 8 in 2010 that led to Ethan’s death, including "beatings, burning, drugging, isolating, malnourishing, leaving the child alone and unattended while suffering, and refusing to seek vital life-sustaining medical attention."


The couple — who said they left the injured boy in a locked bedroom while they got married on May 6 — reported Ethan missing to police on Mother’s Day, May 10, after discovering the boy was dead. But after a 12-hour search, police say the couple confessed to burying the boy near Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Weber County.

Nathan Sloop, who led officers to the body on May 11, told police he used a hammer to disfigure the boy’s face and teeth in an effort to hinder identification.

Sloop had initially faced the possibility of the death penalty because Davis County prosecutors had invoked Shelby’s Law and filed amended charges against Sloop, alleging he was "a major participant" in Ethan’s death, and that he acted with "reckless indifference to human life."

But defense attorney Mauro had planned to challenge the constitutionality of Shelby’s Law. He has contended that the death penalty is reserved for only "the most heinous" murderers, adding that not every murder case is eligible for the death penalty unless there is some aggravating factor.
"Somebody that didn’t intend to kill somebody can’t be in that category with the heinous murderers," Mauro has said.

Shelby’s Law was named after 10-year-old Shelby Andrews, who died in 2006 in Syracuse after a year of abuse at the hands of her parents.

In an effort to control and discipline the girl, her father and stepmother beat her, forced her to eat her own feces and shut her inside a cramped linen closet.

Ryan and Angela Andrews did not face a potential death sentence because existing law didn’t allow prosecutors to file aggravated murder charges unless they could prove the girl’s death was intentional. The couple pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and each was sentenced to spend 15 years to life in prison.

Outrage over Shelby’s death spurred Utah lawmakers to toughen the penalties for murdering a child, and in 2007 Shelby’s Law was signed into law by Gov. Jon Huntsman.

Nathan Sloop’s plea to aggravated assault by a prisoner stemmed from an unrelated case in which Sloop was accused of assaulting a deputy on Nov. 21. He was accused of punching the deputy in the face twice, attempting to gouge out the deputy’s left eye and biting into the deputy’s thumb. Charging documents said the deputy’s thumb injury required "multi-layer sutures."

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Feb. 12 2014



Stephanie Sloop, listens to her attorney Mary Corporon in Judge Glen Dawson's courtroom during her status conference at the Davis Justice Center in Farmington, Utah Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Sloop is charged in the death of her son Ethan Stacy.

The case against a Layton woman accused of killing her 4-year-old son is on hold while attorneys determine how to handle "exculpatory" information in the case.

Stephanie Sloop, 31, is charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and other charges in the 2010 death of Ethan Stacy. On Tuesday, defense attorney Mary Corporon told a judge that prosecutors have information that could potentially exonerate her client.

Attorneys did not specify what kind of information they were talking about.
"There is a competing constitutional claim as to whether that can be released or not," Corporon said, asking for a court order to have the information released.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said prosecutors are willing to hand the materials over, but that the conflict is with attorneys for Sloop's husband, Nathan Sloop.

"(Corporon) has accurately stated the dilemma," Rawlings said. "We disclosed it. She ought to have access to it. Quite frankly, the state of Utah also would like to seek an order from the court ordering us or allowing us to turn the material over."

Second District Judge Glen Dawson said he didn't think that he could make that decision, but said he would set an evidentiary hearing after Nathan Sloop's attorneys become involved.

Stephanie Sloop's case had been trailing the case of Nathan Sloop, who pleaded guilty but mentally ill last week to aggravated murder, a capital offense, in Ethan's death. He was immediately sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Corporon said Tuesday that the "outstanding issues" in her client's case and her knowledge about the exculpatory materials kept her from being able to proceed with the case.

"We have no choice but to waive the right to speedy preliminary hearing and trial and request this material," she said. Sloop, who cried after entering the courtroom, confirmed before the judge that she would waive those rights.

Ethan died in 2010, just days after he arrived in Utah from Virginia to spend the summer with his mother and her then-fiancé, as part of a court-ordered custody agreement. Prosecutors said the child was severely abused, scalded, beaten, overmedicated and not given the medical care that he needed between April 29 and May 8.

After Ethan died and was buried, Sloop reported to police that her son had slipped away from their Layton apartment in the middle of the night. After searches were conducted, officers noticed inconsistencies in their stories and later located his body buried near Powder Mountain.

The 4-year-old's body had been disfigured with a hammer and the shallow grave had been sprinkled with dog food. Ethan had been burned over 17 percent of his body.

In addition to aggravated murder, Stephanie Sloop is also charged with inflicting serious injury on a child and obstructing justice, second-degree felonies, and abuse or desecration of a human body, a third-degree felony.

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