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PROVO — One day before her preliminary hearing was scheduled to begin, prosecutors on Monday filed 28 new felony charges against the girlfriend of a man accused of killing a young Eureka couple and throwing their bodies into an abandoned mine.
Morgan Reannon Henderson, 34, of Mammoth, Juab County, was scheduled to begin her preliminary hearing Tuesday in 4th District Court on two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, for her role in allegedly covering up the deaths of Riley Powell, 18, and Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson, 17, by her boyfriend, Jerrod Baum.
But on Monday, prosecutors filed 28 additional counts of obstruction of justice, bringing the total number of charges to 30.
Fifteen counts are for covering up the death of Powell and 15 for Otteson, according to charging documents. Prosecutors charged her with one count for each alleged lie.
Investigators say that Henderson denied to police having knowledge of the young couple's disappearance or gave misleading information multiple times on Jan. 9, Jan. 25, and Jan. 30.
Baum, 41, is accused of tying up Powell and Otteson, slitting their throats and dumping their bodies in the abandoned Tintic Standard No. 2 mine early on the morning of Dec. 30. He didn't like Henderson having visitors when he wasn't there, the charges state.
It wasn't until two months later, on March 24, after Henderson was pulled over in Sanpete County and arrested on drug and weapons charges that she admitted she knew what had happened to Powell and Otteson, police say.
The bodies of the young couple were found two days later on a ledge 100 feet down the mine opening.
In May, Henderson pleaded guilty in Sanpete County to possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; unlawful possession of a weapon and drug possession, class A misdemeanors; driving on a denied license, a class B misdemeanor; and having an open container while driving, a class C misdemeanor.
But just 20 days after pleading guilty, Henderson filed a hand-written letter to the court requesting to withdraw her plea. In her letter, Henderson contends, "I had no understanding of the implications it would have on my Utah County cases."
The motion to withdraw her plea was denied. She is scheduled to be sentenced for that case Aug. 1, which is also the next scheduled court appearance for Baum.
