FILE 400 / 24 June 2023 / 73 MIN / express

The Bad Seed

Eureka, UtahListen

The town

N ↑Public placePublic placeTown centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

400 in Utah, and this is Eureka, Utah; the review is for the county it is in, Juab County about 0:02:48

History, in brief

Town note

Originally known as Ruby Hollow; renamed Eureka once mining started.

about 0:04:17

Town note

Became the financial centre for the Tintic mining district, which had a lot of gold and silver mining.

about 0:04:29
All 10 history facts

Town note

Originally known as Ruby Hollow; renamed Eureka once mining started.

about 0:04:17

Town note

Became the financial centre for the Tintic mining district, which had a lot of gold and silver mining.

about 0:04:29

Town note

The second ever JC Penney store was in Eureka, then called the Golden Rules store.

about 0:05:04

1905

The high school soccer team won the state title in 1905, 1907 and 1909.

about 0:05:42

1979

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 because of its mining history.

about 0:05:53

Town note

Frank Zamboni, the inventor of the Zamboni ice machine, was from Eureka.

about 0:06:01

Town note

Town motto: a historic town with a bright future.

about 0:04:08

1869

Silver City, about two and a half miles south, was once a big mining town of 1,500 people; silver was discovered there in 1869 and the mines hit water in 1890, after which it faded into a ghost town.

about 0:07:53

The figures, as told

Crime / national average

Convictions between the ages of 10 and 15
43

about 0:16:00

Convictions among Utah's top ten worst youthful offenders
180

about 0:30:32

Sex crimes among Utah's top ten worst youthful offenders
69

about 0:30:32

's rank on Utah's list of 5,000 worst youthful offenders
fifth

about 0:30:45

Days spent in punitive isolation
315 days

about 0:32:39

Stab wounds inflicted on Lonnie Blackman
67

about 0:35:09

Depth of the mine shaft
two thousand feet

about 0:51:06

Obstruction of justice counts was facing
30 counts

about 1:07:43

Obstruction of justice counts pleaded to
ten counts

about 0:58:49

Money

Median home value$217,000
Median household incomeabout $45,000
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2023

Median household income

"about $45,000"

Comparison: "just less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2023 about 0:03:40

Median home price

"$217,000"

Comparison: "less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2023 about 0:03:46

Convictions between the ages of 10 and 15

"43"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:16:00

Convictions among Utah's top ten worst youthful offenders

"180"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:30:32

Sex crimes among Utah's top ten worst youthful offenders

"69"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:30:32

's rank on Utah's list of 5,000 worst youthful offenders

"fifth"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:30:45

Days spent in punitive isolation

"315 days"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:32:39

Stab wounds inflicted on Lonnie Blackman

"67"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:35:09

Depth of the mine shaft

"two thousand feet"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:51:06

Obstruction of justice counts was facing

"30 counts"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 1:07:43

Obstruction of justice counts pleaded to

"ten counts"

No direction stated.

As told in 2023 about 0:58:49

The reviews

5.0 / 5 · average of 1

5 stars

“Loves the small town feel; the area is still growing, with a lot of potential in the schools and jobs.”
about 0:06:37

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The story

Eureka, Utah, is a former silver and gold mining town of about 596 people in Juab County, a little over an hour from Salt Lake City. It was originally called Ruby Hollow, was incorporated in 1892 and became the financial centre of the Tintic mining district. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and its best known native is Frank Zamboni.

His father was absent and his mother was an alcoholic teenager, and he was adopted and raised by his grandparents, Billy and Maxine. He was never manageable. He failed every grade at school, fought with other children and drew guns constantly. In October 1991, on his fifteenth birthday, he walked away from an appointment with his probation therapist and began a three-day crime spree, stealing cars and guns, burgling houses and robbing a Burger King in Orem at gunpoint. He fired at the staff from the window of a stolen pickup as he drove away.

The couple had been visiting Otteson's family in Tooele and stopped in Spanish Fork on the way home to Eureka. He then taped the teenagers' hands, feet and mouths, put them in the back of a Jeep and drove them to the Tintic Standard mine.

Otteson begged to be untied and said she was pregnant, which she was not.

The couple were reported missing on 2 January 2018. Powell's pickup was found on 11 January, a mile south of Cherry Creek Reservoir, covered with trees and with two slashed tyres. On 25 March 2018 she was stopped for speeding with drugs and a weapon in the car, on her way to kill herself. Both had their hands tied behind their backs and stab wounds.

Prosecutors sought death but withdrew it. He told the court he was not a monster; the judge told him that he was the most violent, selfish and senseless offender he had ever dealt with, and that he might fuck off.

The case

Murders of Riley Powell and Breezy Otteson

Victims

Riley Powell (18). Breezy Otteson's boyfriend, a plumber who lived with his father in Eureka
Breezy Otteson (17). Riley Powell's girlfriend, known as Breezy, who thought she might be pregnant

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 24 June 2023.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Breezy Otteson's aunt. said the family had run through every scenario but not this one
Riley Powell's family. asked for the death penalty
Breezy Otteson's family. asked for the death penalty

The timeline

  1. December 29, 2017 Riley Powell and Breezy Otteson leave Tooele after visiting her family, heading home to Eurekaabout 0:40:28
  2. December 29, 2017 They stop in Spanish Fork and then at house in Mammoth to smoke marijuana ( house)about 0:40:54
  3. December 29, 2017 comes home furious and tells he warned her about having male friends ( house)about 0:43:38
  4. December 29, 2017 duct-tapes the couple's hands, feet and mouths and puts them in the back of the Jeep ( house)about 0:49:38
  5. December 29, 2017 drives them to the Tintic Standard mine and forces and Otteson to kneel (Tintic Standard mine)about 0:51:35
  6. December 29, 2017 beats and repeatedly stabs Riley Powell, who is tied up, then throws him down the shaft (Tintic Standard mine)about 0:51:51
  7. December 29, 2017 slits Breezy Otteson's throat and throws her down the shaft too (Tintic Standard mine)about 0:53:00
  8. December 29, 2017 On the way home blames for the deaths and threatens herabout 0:53:40
  9. December 29, 2017 bleaches and burns the clothes they had been wearingabout 0:54:27
  10. January 2, 2018 Breezy Otteson and Riley Powell are reported missing by their familiesabout 0:45:03

Murder of Lonnie Blackman

Victims

Lonnie Blackman. a black inmate, jailed over a $40 gas station robbery

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 24 June 2023.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

The timeline

  1. July 8, 1994 stabs Blackman 67 times on camera while screaming white power; Blackman bleeds to death within minutesabout 0:34:55
  2. after the murder gives the shank back to , who had supplied itabout 1:04:38

1991 Orem crime spree and Burger King robbery

Victims

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 24 June 2023.

Accused

Outcome

Other people

police officer trainee. pulled over the stolen pickup and disarmed him

The timeline

  1. 1976 is born; his father is absent and his mother is an alcoholic teenagerabout 0:10:11
  2. 1976 He is adopted and raised by his grandparents, Billy and Maxineabout 0:10:29
  3. October 1991 On his fifteenth birthday he walks away from an appointment with his probation therapist and starts a three-day crime spreeabout 0:17:53
  4. October 1991 He robs a Burger King in Orem at gunpoint, flees in a stolen pickup and fires at the employees (Burger King)about 0:18:27
  5. before trial He is certified as an adult and found competent to proceedabout 0:23:25

Places and phrases

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Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode