facebook-pixel

Utah County attorney will no longer seek the death penalty. This family calls him a ‘coward.’

David Leavitt is reversing his decision in a double-homicide case, saying the “costs far outweigh its benefits.”

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt holds a press conference Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Provo, Utah. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for a Utah man accused of killing two teenagers and dumping their bodies in an abandoned mine shaft. Jerrod Baum has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder in the deaths of 17-year-old Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson and 18-year-old Riley Powell. Leavitt on Wednesday reversed that decision, saying he will no longer seek the death penalty for Baum or anyone else while he's county attorney. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)