Trial In Tewksbury Teen's Death Set For Aug. 9, Delay Possible

TEWKSBURY, MA — The trial of the two men charged in the 2016 death of Tewksbury boy Ethan Costello is set to begin Aug. 9, but more delays could come, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said.

Joseph Zagarella is charged with manslaughter and Joseph Ogden is accused of providing alcohol to minors at the Oct. 2016 Halloween party where prosecutors say Zagarella slammed Costello onto a concrete floor.

The trial was initially scheduled to open in Nov. 2018 but has gone through years of delays, including the State Medical Examiner's Office report taking nearly a year. The coronavirus also postponed the trial, with many court processes including trials shut down for a large part of the pandemic.

Prosecutors confirmed that another motion to continue was recently filed, as previously reported by the Town-Crier. The District Attorney's office had no further updates.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.