Prosecutors: Man forced girl to watch killing of boyfriend

Prosecutors: Man forced girl to watch killing of boyfriend

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Prosecutors say a Utah man accused in the death of a teenage couple forced the girl to kneel and watch her boyfriend being beaten and stabbed before she was killed and thrown down an abandoned mine shaft in Utah.

Charging documents filed Tuesday say 41-year-old Jerrod W. Baum killed the pair moments after congratulating them because he believed they were expecting a baby.

However, authorities say 17-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson was not pregnant.

Baum is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, desecration of a human body and other charges. His attorney has not returned calls seeking comment.

Baum could face the death penalty if convicted in the deaths of Otteson and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Riley Powell.

Police say Baum killed the couple after they visited his girlfriend despite Baum’s warning against her having male visitors.