CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
Family of murdered teens still call for death penalty
Apr 26, 2018, 11:52 AM | Updated: 1:23 pm
PROVO – The families of a murdered teenage couple are trying to keep positive in a court process they know will be long and arduous.
But they tell Utah County prosecutors they want no less than the death penalty for their teens’ suspected killer.
“There’s no reason for a plea bargain,” said Riley Powell’s father, Bill, dismissing life in prison without parole for Jerrod Baum.
“Absolutely not,” added Breezy Otteson’s aunt, Amanda Hunt. “There’s no settling for this. The kids need justice.”
The families will celebrate what would have been Riley’s 19th birthday Saturday, something Riley and Breezy did not live to see.
Utah County deputy attorney Chad Grunander says he hears the families, but he’s weighing options.
“The strength of the case is the first factor we would look at,” Grunander said. “We would look at the individual and the kind of alleged crime that’s been committed.”
Grunander accuses Baum of kidnapping, killing and leaving the teens in a mine outside of Eureka.