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PROVO — A woman accused of killing six of her newborn babies and storing the bodies in her Pleasant Grove garage waived her preliminary hearing on Monday.
The hearing for Megan Huntsman, 39, was scheduled to begin Thursday.
Courtroom observers believe the move opens the door to a possible plea deal to be worked out before a trial is scheduled.
Utah County attorney Jeff Buhman would only say outside of the courtroom Monday that he will probably be talking to Huntman's defense team.
"We're hopefully looking to some sort of resolution," he said.
Buhman called the Huntsman case "unique" for the county both in its heinousness and the number of victims.
Huntsman is charged with six counts of murder, all first-degree felonies.
From 1996 to 2006, prosecutors believe after giving birth, Huntsman choked or smothered each of her children. A seventh baby was determined to be stillborn.
The gruesome crime was discovered in April when Huntsman's estranged husband, Darren West, found the body of a baby inside a box labeled "Baby Stuff" in the garage of the home the couple had shared in Pleasant Grove, 536 E. 200 North.
DNA tests showed West was the father of all seven children, though he did not know his wife was pregnant or had given birth seven times.
In July, police said Huntsman was addicted to drugs and couldn't financially afford to have children and drugs, so she chose drugs.
Huntsman's next scheduled court date was set for Jan. 26.
