Woman connected with death of Eureka teens pleads guilty to charges in 6th District Court

By James Tilson

Staff writer

MANTI—A Juab County woman connected to the death of two Eureka teens entered her change of plea on May 9 in Sixth District Court in Manti.

            Morgan Reannion Henderson, 34, pleaded guilty to five counts of an 11 count information. She pleaded guilty to possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, a Class A misdemeanor, possession or use of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor, driving on a denied license, a Class B misdemeanor and having an open container in a vehicle, a Class C misdemeanor.

            Henderson could be sentenced up to five years in prison for a third-degree felony, and fined up to $5,000.

            Henderson was originally arrested on March 25, 2018, during a traffic stop. Sanpete County Deputy Sheriff Casey Mickelsen stopped Henderson on River Lane west of Manti for going 56 mph in a 40 mph posted area. During the stop, she was found in possession of a rifle, three boxes of ammunition, several knives and blades, an open bottle of wine, at least two prescription bottles and a plastic baggie of mushrooms. She was also found to have a suspended driver’s license and no insurance in her vehicle.

            After the traffic stop, Henderson was arrested and taken into custody. While in custody, she was questioned about the disappearance of the two teens, Riley Powell and his girlfriend Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, who had been missing since Dec. 30, 2017. Previously, in January, she had been questioned and had denied any knowledge of their whereabouts, although she admitted her and her boyfriend, Jerrod Baum, had seen them just before their disappearance.

            This time, Henderson admitted to the police she knew where the couple had been dumped by her boyfriend, and she led them to their bodies. Afterwards, she also admitted that Baum had killed the two with a knife, because he did not allow her to be alone with another man.

            Henderson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, at 11 a.m. in Sixth District Court. Handerson’s and Baum’s cases in connection to the murder of the two teens are still pending in Utah County.