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Ogden • A trial for Eric Millerberg — accused in the 2011 drug-related death of his children's 16-year-old babysitter — is on track to begin in February.
Millerberg appeared in Ogden's 2nd District Court on Tuesday morning, where his attorney, Randall Marshall, and Weber County Attorney Dee Smith discussed various housekeeping manners in advance of the trial, including the logistics of calling 100 potential jurors to the Ogden courthouse.
Millerberg, 38, of North Ogden, is charged with first-degree felony child-abuse homicide in the September 2011 death of Alexis "Lexi" Rasmussen. He is also charged with felony counts of obstructing justice, desecrating a body and having unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Smith told reporters outside of court by calling a large number of jurors they hope they can find eight impartial jurors to hear the case. Marshall had previously filed a motion to move the case to Salt Lake or Summit county, arguing that pre-trial publicity would make it impossible for Weber County jurors to be unbiased.
"It seems that everybody knows someone who knew "Lexi" or her mother or someone involved in this story," defense attorneys wrote in the motion, which was denied by 2nd District Court Judge Scott Hadley.
Millerberg's wife, Dea Millerberg, 40, is charged with desecration of a human body related to the girl's death. A two-day trial for her is scheduled in April.
Her attorney said she plans to testify against her husband at his trial, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 10, and that she is planning to divorce him.
Dea Millerberg testified last April at her husband's preliminary hearing that he injected a fatal mix of heroin and methamphetamine into the teen and that the couple, in a panic, then dumped the girl's body in a remote part of Morgan County.