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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.