Jerrod Baum, 41, allegedly murdered Riley Powell, 18, and Brelynne Otteson, 17. He is accused of slitting their throats and dumping their bodies down a mine. Baum has several swastikas, demons and Norse imagery tattooed on his body. A white supremacist double murder suspect’s tattoos may hold the key to proving he slit the throats and dumped his victims’ bodies down a mine shaft. Investigator’s have issued a warrant for updated photograph’s of Jerrod Baum’s inkings, believing pictures of headstones with initials on are documents of his murders. The Utah County Attorney Bureau of Investigations has now served a search warrant to collect updated photographs of all of Baum’s tattoos. Investigator’s have issued a warrant for updated photograph’s of Jerrod Baum’s (pictured in the 4th District Court Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Provo, Utah) tattoos, believing pictures of headstones with initials on are documents of his murders. An investigator wrote in the warrant: ‘Just as Baum’s iron cross may have documented bravery in battle for his involvement in any number of acts, he may have documented his killing of Riley and Brelynne by way of tattoos as well.
‘My training and experience and consultation with experts leads me to believe that there is a reasonable probability that he has done so. ‘There is a strong likelihood Mr Baum may have recorded the deaths of Riley Powell and Brelynne Otteson in the form of another tattoo,’ reported DeseretNews. Baum is accused of killing the young couple and throwing their bound bodies into the Tintic Standard Mine outside Eureka, Juab County. Defense attorney Mike Brown and Utah County Attorney David Leavitt both declined to comment on Thursday. Baum, who is charged with two counts of capital murder and will face the death penalty if convicted, is known to have more than two dozen tattoos. Investigators became interested in his body art after listening to interviews with Baum’s ex-girlfriend Morgan Henderson, who was allegedly present at the killings. She referred to a swastika tattooed on Baum’s face and spoke about his tattoos as ‘records’, referring specifically to ‘headstones’ on his body symbolising people he had killed. Henderson said she witnessed Baum first kill Powell, repeatedly stabbing him. Henderson said Baum then slit Otteson’s throat and dumped both of the teens’ bodies in the shaft Henderson said she witnessed Baum first kill Powell, repeatedly stabbing him, before he slit Otteson’s throat and dumped both of their bodies in the shaft In addition to the ‘headstones and lettering’ on Baum’s arm and swastika on his face, his known tattoos include runes on his back stretching from his left shoulder to his right shoulder.
There is also an ‘unknown demon’ in the center of his back, a Viking or Nordic scene with an iron cross on the lower left side of his back and a swastika in the center of his chest. Henderson said Baum practiced Odinism, a religion worshipping Norse gods, and would perform rituals on her drawing runes and symbols on her with her own blood. She said he told her he would perform the ritual again with someone else’s blood if she left him, the warrant states.