Guilty verdict in deaths of Utah teens found in mine shaft

SALT LAKE CITY — The case of a teenage couple killed and tossed down an deserted mine shaft culminated in homicide convictions Friday for a Utah man who prosecutors mentioned killed the pair as a result of he discovered them hanging out together with his girlfriend.

Jarrod Baum, 45, faces as much as life in jail after a jury discovered him responsible of two counts of aggravated homicide, aggravated kidnapping and different counts within the 2017 slayings after a monthlong trial.

Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, 17, and Riley Powell, 18, disappeared days after Christmas. Their sure and stabbed our bodies had been discovered months later in Utah’s west desert, 100 toes (30 meters) down an deserted mine shaft.

Prosecutors mentioned they died after assembly up with a pal, Morgan Lewis, on Dec. 30 at her dwelling in Eureka, a former silver mining city. Whereas they had been there, her boyfriend, Baum, returned dwelling. He grew offended as a result of he had forbidden Lewis from having male buddies over, and he or she beforehand dated Powell.

Lewis informed police her boyfriend tied up Otteson and Powell, duct-taped their mouths and threw them at the back of Powell’s Jeep. Then he drove them, together with Henderson, to the positioning of an deserted mine exterior city.

There, he beat and stabbed Powell earlier than slicing Ottenson’s throat, then tossed them down.

“He retaliated towards Riley and Morgan and made her watch so she would know that is what occurs while you break my guidelines,” mentioned prosecutor Ryan McBride, Fox13 reported.

The couple’s household and buddies looked for months earlier than Lewis was pulled over throughout an unrelated site visitors cease on March 25. She ultimately agreed to cooperate with police.

A lot of the prosecution’s case was primarily based on her testimony, which was questioned by the protection. Legal professional Dallas Younger mentioned there was a scarcity of DNA proof linking the slayings to Baum

“You can not imagine (Lewis), and also you can’t be satisfied past an inexpensive doubt,” he argued, in accordance with KSL.

Prosecutors countered that Lewis and Baum had burnt and bleached necessary proof, obliterating DNA.

Prosecutors initially sought the loss of life penalty, however Utah County Legal professional David Leavitt later took it off the desk as he vowed to now not pursue capital punishment.