A Utah man forced a teenager to watch him murder her boyfriend before killing her, according to prosecutors.
Jerrod Baum, 41, allegedly stabbed 18-year-old Riley Powell to death while 17-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson watched.
Baum then killed Otteson.
But Otteson was not pregnant when she died, according to prosecutors. It’s not clear why Baum thought she was.
Baum then tossed the bodies into a mine shaft.
The jeep the teens were driving was found in Juab County with the rear tires punctured. Officers believed foul play was involved.
Two weeks after the initial questioning, on Jan. 25, Henderson admitted that she met the teens but that they left 40 minutes later after smoking weed with her.
After being arrested on March 25, Henderson admitted she withheld information on the disappearance and that her boyfriend had murdered the teens.
Baum may face the death penalty.
In that case, Baum stole three vehicles in succession, and drove to a Burger King and robbed it using a handgun he'd found in one of the vehicles. At one point, Baum fired shots at two employees but missed.
While incarcerated at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison in 1994, Baum was charged with more than 30 felonies, along with five others, in connection with a five-hour riot that caused around $40,000 worth of damage.
Baum was released in 2004 but was back in jail soon after for violating parole, although he was ultimately released again in 2005.
Baum was on probation at the time of the teen’s deaths for drugs and gun-related convictions.
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