Relatives of slain Utah teens call for death penalty
(Evan Cobb | Daily Herald file photo) Jerrod William Baum waits for the special setting waiver hearing at the 4th District Court on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in Provo. Baum is charged with killing two teenagers and dumping their bodies in an abandoned mine shaft.
Provo • Relatives of two Utah teenagers who were killed and dumped in an abandoned mine shaft are calling for prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against the man charged in their deaths.
Jerrod Baum pleaded not guilty Monday to aggravated murder and other charges in the deaths of 17-year-old Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson and 18-year-old Riley Powell.
Relatives of the victims said they were not surprised by the plea.
“We knew a long time ago he was going to plead not guilty,” Bill Powell, Riley Powell’s father, told KSL-TV. “He’s that kind of person. He won’t own up to what he did. He’s a chicken.”
The teens were missing for nearly three months before their bodies were found in the mine shaft near Eureka in March 2018.
Morgan Henderson testified earlier this year that Baum, 42, stabbed the two teens after tying them up and driving them to the mine. Her former boyfriend was upset that the teens had visited her, she said. She pleaded guilty to 10 counts of obstruction of justice and agreed to cooperate with authorities.
(Rick Bowmer | AP file photo) In this April 7, 2018, file photo, a reward poster is shown at a funeral service for Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson, 17, and boyfriend Riley Powell, 18, in Eureka, Utah. Prosecutors say an enraged man killed the teenage couple after they visited his girlfriend despite his warning her not to have male visitors. He dumped their bodies in the mine shaft, where they remained for nearly three months before being discovered in March.
(Paighten Harkins | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bill Powell (left) looks out across the hills outside Eureka during his search for Riley Powell and Breezy Otteson on Feb. 10, 2018. The two have been missing since Dec. 30, 2017.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Amanda Hunt, Breezy's Aunt, waits with and Bill Powell, as crews work to recover the two bodies that were found in an abandoned mine in Utah’s west desert near Eureka. Police believe the bodies are those of two teenagers that may be Brelynn “Breezy” Otteson, and Riley Powell, who have been missing for nearly three months. Wednesday, March 28, 2018.
(Paighten Harkins | The Salt Lake Tribune) Bill Powell shovels out a recently dug hole while searching for Riley Powell and Breezy Otteson in the hills outside Eureka on Feb. 10, 2018. Footprints nearby led searchers to two mounds of disturbed dirt. They found nothing inside the holes.
(Amanda Hunt via AP) This undated photo provided by Amanda Hunt shows a selfie of her niece Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson. Prosecutors said 17-year-old Otteson and 18-year-old Riley Powell were bound and stabbed after visiting a friend whose boyfriend become enraged she'd invited a male visitor into their home. Charging documents say 41-year-old Jerrod Baum killed both and tossed the bodies down an abandoned Utah mine shaft.
(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Amanda Hunt, left talks with the after the initial court appearance for Jerrod William Baum, who was formally charged Tuesday, April 3, 2018, with killing Hunt's niece 17-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson and her boyfriend 18-year-old Riley Powell, and dumping their bodies into an abandoned mine shaft.
(Kay Lin James via AP) This undated photo provided by Kay Lin James shows Riley Powell. Prosecutors said 18-year-old Powell and 17-year-old Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson were bound and stabbed after visiting a friend whose boyfriend become enraged she'd invited a male visitor into their home. Charging documents say 41-year-old Jerrod Baum killed both and tossed the bodies down an abandoned Utah mine shaft.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Charles Andersen, uncle to "Breezy" Otteson, hugs Kylysta Otteson at the funeral service for 18-year-old Riley Powell and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson, Saturday, April 6, 2018.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Charles Andersen, uncle to "Breezy" Otteson, spoke about her as photos of "Breezy" and Riley Powell played in a slide show behind him at the funeral service for 18-year-old Riley Powell and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Brelynne ÒBreezyÓ Otteson, Saturday, April 6, 2018.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Judge Christine S. Johnson, listens to proceedings as Jerrod Baum appears for a hearing in front of in the 4th District Court, in Provo, Thursday, April 26, 2018. Baum is accused of killing 18-year-old Riley Powell and 17-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson in December and dumping their bodies into an abandoned mine shaft.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune, via AP, Pool) Jerrod Baum appears for a hearing before Judge Christine Johnson, in the 4th District Court Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Provo, Utah. Prosecutors say 41-year-old Baum became angry after a young couple visited his live-in girlfriend. The victims, 17-year-old Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson and 18-year-old Powell, were missing for nearly three months before their bodies were found down an abandoned mine shaft.
Bill Powell and Amanda Hunt, the aunt of Otteson, said they want prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
"Their lives were taken from them, and he shouldn't get the right to be able to live," Hunt said.
Utah County Attorney David Leavitt said the death penalty is a possibility, but prosecutors are still examining evidence and factors in the case. The family will be factored into the decision, he said.
"Really, what the family wants is to have their family members back," Leavitt told the Daily Herald . "That will never happen. They know that, and we're forming a very good relationship between the police, the prosecution team and the families."
Baum is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Aug. 12.
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