Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
The two men accused of attempted murder in a brutal beating this summer who allegedly used a battle-ax in the attack are heading to trial, and a friend is coming to their defense.
The friend admits the two suspects went too far on the night of July 29, but believes they are guilty only of assault and that attempted murder charges are extreme, even though the victim was critically injured.
Police say the attack was the result of a fight over text messages involving a girl. Cody Augustine and Scott Stapley, who are both 21 years old, are charged with attacking Justin Ennis with a knife and a battle-ax.
Stapley's friend, Chris Bird, believes all of the injuries were the result of the knife being used as a weapon and insists the ax is nothing more than a display prop. "It's a petty toy you could buy at a collectors shop. It has no edge, no blade. It's just made to look beautiful and to look scary, but as an actual weapon, it's about the equivalent of a roll of aluminum foil," he said.
But the victim's family has a much different perspective after Justin Ennis was hospitalized for several days and needed 300 stitches. A couple of days after the attack, the victim's father, in reference to the attempted murder charge, said, "That's what I believe they deserve. I feel for their families, but they made a bad decision, and they have to answer for it."
A jury will decide what really happened on that night. The trial for the two men begins in January. For now they both remain in jail with bail set at $500,000 each.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
