Page 7 - aruba-today-20180407

A7
U.S. NEWS Saturday 7 april 2018

Teenagers dreamed of future

together before their grisly deaths

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Hunt, after learning the she found something spe-
Associated Press fates of her 17-year-old cial in Powell, her aunt said.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — They niece, Brelynne "Breezy" Ot- Over Thanksgiving the teen
were teenagers in love, teson, and 18-year-old Ri- was telling her family she
bonding after overcom- ley Powell. might be pregnant.
ing personal struggles and A man enraged that his "She struggled with that af-
dreaming of a family and girlfriend had welcomed fection, she struggled with
future together. When they her friends into their home feeling that people loved
vanished days after Christ- bound, beat and stabbed her, and the same with Ri-
mas, friends and family Powell to death as Otteson ley," Hunt said. This undated photo provided by Amanda Hunt shows a selfie of
combed Utah's west desert watched in horror before "I think they both wanted to her niece Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson, left; and an undated photo
provided by Kay Lin James shows Riley Powell.
for months in search of an- he cut her throat, prosecu- be loved." Associated Press
swers. tors said this week. Powell had his own chal-
What police eventually "It's as bad as anything I've lenges. He'd been sent to sandy-colored hills pock- The two remained friends,
discovered was more un- ever seen," said Utah Coun- a boys' home after bring- marked with hundreds of and made plans to meet
speakable than anyone ty Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer ing a gun to his high school, abandoned mine shafts at her house and smoke
had imagined: The teens' Cannon. "They just seem though Hunt said he only about 75 miles (120 kilome- marijuana at around mid-
bound and stabbed bod- like decent kids ... they nev- intended to take it rab- ters) south of Salt Lake City. night on Dec. 30, police
ies were 100 feet (31 me- er did anything to deserve bit hunting. He changed Sturdily built with glasses say, after Powell and Otte-
ters) down an abandoned this." schools, graduated and and a goatee, Powell of- son wrapped up Christmas
mine shaft. Otteson, an outspoken found work as a plumber. ten played basketball or celebrations with her fam-
"We had every scenario run teenager with side-swept The couple was living with went riding off-road grow- ily. He'd been in and out of
through our heads, but for hair and bright hazel eyes, Powell's father in Eure- ing up. At one point, Hunt jail since robbing a Burger
the events that truly took had been wrestling for ka, a former silver mining said he'd briefly dated a King at age 15, said Can-
place, words can't even years with her mother's town with a wind-swept woman named Morgan non, who booked him into
describe it," said Amanda death in a car crash. But main street surrounded by Henderson. jail back then.q

Police: Man acted alone to set off explosives in store

By MICHAEL BALSAMO said. over, said Officer Eliseo sion, sending frantic shop-
Associated Press Gonzalez is suspected of Guerrero, a police spokes- pers fleeing from the area,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A detonating two explosive man. before smoke filled several
man suspected of setting devices inside the Sam's Investigators found addi- aisles.
off explosives in a store in Club store in the city of tional materials that were Gonzalez was questioned
Southern California was Ontario, which is about 45 "similar to those used in by investigators, but his
booked on suspicion of ig- miles (72 kilometers) east the devices" when they motive remains unknown,
niting a destructive device of Los Angeles. searched his car and police said. He was not a
but was not believed to be The explosives went off apartment in the neigh- Sam's Club employee and
connected to any criminal on opposite sides of the boring city of Fontana, po- did not appear to have
or extremist groups, police store and ignited products lice said in a news release. any connection to the
said Friday. around them, but employ- Police released surveil- store, authorities said.
Hugo Gonzalez, 49, was ees quickly doused the lance video Friday show- Prosecutors said Gonzalez
being held on $1 million flames, police said. No in- ing Gonzalez walking into is expected to appear in This Thursday, April 5, 2018
bond after being arrested juries were reported. the store wearing a white court next week. police photo released by the
on several charges, which Gonzalez led police on a surgical mask and pushing A telephone number listed Ontario Police Department
also included suspicion short chase after officers a shopping cart. Another for Gonzalez in public re- shows suspect Hugo Gonzalez
of arson and possessing a spotted him leaving the video showed what ap- cords was not in service of Fontana, Calif.
destructive device, police store and tried to pull him peared to be an explo- Friday.q Associated Press