Jerrod Baum sentenced to 4 life sentences for murders of Breezy, Riley
Jun 9, 2022, 6:18 PM | Updated: Jun 10, 2022, 10:33 am
Jerrod Baum was sentenced in court Thursday to four life sentences without the possibility of parole for the aggravated kidnapping and murders of 18-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson and 17-year-old Riley Powell.
Baum was previously found guilty on eight counts, including aggravated murder in the 2017 deaths of Otteson and Riley Powell.
The counts included two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead human body, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of possession of a weapon by a restricted person.
In late December, 2017, victims Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, then 17 and Riley Powell, then 18, visited Morgan Lewis Henderson.
Henderson had previously been in a relationship with Baum and the couple lived together.
Powell and Otteson were last seen together in Spanish Fork on their way home to Eureka, where they lived with Powell’s grandfather. By Jan. 2, 2018, the teens were reported missing and detectives investigated the home where Baum and Henderson lived.
Powell’s jeep was found and Juab County Sheriff Doug Anderson released a statement that said the condition and location of the Jeep is “highly suspicious” and foul play is “strongly suggested.”
In March of 2018, Henderson was pulled over for speeding and arrested on suspicion of drug and weapons charges. She said she felt “tremendous guilt” and told police how Baum killed the teens and where he dumped the bodies, at the Tintic Standard mine. With the aid of a camera, two bodies were located about 100 feet down the mine shaft. The victims had their hands tied and appeared to have stab wounds.
In the trial, Lewis described watching Baum throw the teens’ bodies down the mineshaft. She said he then forced her to bathe in bleach and burned her clothing in a barrel to destroy evidence.
The complete timeline of the teens disappearance and deaths can be found here:
TIMELINE: Investigation, trial in the killings of Breezy Otteson and Riley Powell
