Man convicted of murder of two Utah teens requests retrial

UTAH COUNTY, Utah — Jerrod Baum, a man convicted of murder for the killings of 17-year-old Breezy Otteson and 18-year-old Riley Powell, has requested a retrial.

Court documents state, “At present, the defense continues to investigate a number of potential irregularities that may justify granting a new trial.”

A hearing will be held Nov. 21, 2022 in the 4th district court.

TIMELINE: Investigation, trial in the killings of Breezy Otteson and Riley Powell

The Facebook Page, Remembering Breezy and Riley made the following post, “A motion has been filed by Baum’s defense team requesting a new trial. A hearing will take place November 21st, 2022 at 1 PM in the 4th District Court. At this time our families don’t have any additional information and will provide updates as we are able to do so. Thank you all for the continued love and support for Breezy and Riley.”

Baum was found guilty on eight counts: 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.

The two teens were killed and dumped in Tintic Standard Mine, an abandoned mine in a remote area of Utah County in 2018.  Their bodies were found in this mine several months later after Baum’s girlfriend told police about the killings and led them to the mine.