Naman Shrestha
A 21-year-old college student named Johnia Berry was looking forward to her bright future, not only in terms of her ambitions but also on a personal level, as she was going to marry the love of her life. Unfortunately, fate intervened, and the nightmares of her loved ones turned into reality in late 2004. When she met her demise, the community of Knoxville, Tennessee, was shaken to its core as the authorities followed up on every lead they could get. It took the investigators more than two years to catch the perpetrator responsible for the brutal crime. In the episode titled ‘Blood on the Doors’ of ABC’s ’20/20,’ all the intricate details of the crime and the investigation that ensued are covered.
Johnia Berry Was Ambushed While She Was Asleep in Her Own Apartment
Johnia Hope Berry was born on August 26, 1983, in Lebanon, Virginia, to Michael and Joan Trivett Berry. Her loving household also consisted of two brothers, Tim and Kelly Burke, a half-sister named Emily Tiller, and a half-brother named Christopher Tiller. Described as a vibrant and energetic person, Johnia was also known for being ambitious and compassionate. While she was studying at Bristol Tennessee High School, she was also a cheerleader, allowing her to gain immense popularity among her peers. After graduating from high school, she earned her diploma from East Tennessee State University in December 2004. It was at ETSU where she met Jason White, whom she began dating soon after.
For higher studies, she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, and attended the University of Tennessee, where she pursued her Master’s Degree in Psychology in order to help children. On the side, she worked part-time jobs at Peninsula Hospital and Zales Jewelers in West Town Mall. The 21-year-old woman was not only a daughter, a sister, and a friend, but also a soon-to-be wife as she got engaged to her college sweetheart, Jason, in December 2003. The couple was only a few months away from taking the next step in their relationship, as they had been planning their wedding and even selecting the names of their future children. Unfortunately, before she could walk down the aisle towards her soulmate, her life was snatched away. On the fateful night of December 6, 2004, an individual broke into her Brendon Park Apartment, where she lived with her roommate, Jason Aymami.
Johnia was stabbed to death, and her roommate was awakened by her scream. Later, he was also attacked but managed to flee to a convenience store, from where he called 911. Meanwhile, after the attacker had left, the 21-year-old severely wounded woman crawled out of her apartment and knocked on her neighbors’ doors to ask for help. When the first responders arrived at the scene, she was still alive and was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead. The autopsy revealed that she was stabbed about 20 times, which was the cause of her death. Upon inspecting the crime scene, the authorities noticed signs of struggle but no sign of a break-in. Other pieces of evidence that they found were a bent, bloody knife in the living room, a bloody footprint, and a blood trail leading out the back door of the apartment.
Johnia Berry’s Roommate and Fiancé Were Considered Possible Suspects
In the initial phase of the investigation, the detectives suspected Johnia Berry’s fiancé, Jason White, a law student in Michigan. Once they eliminated him as a suspect, they focused on her roommate, Jason Aymami, who managed to survive the attack. During his interview, he claimed that he was stabbed by the attacker, but he found a window of opportunity to escape the apartment. The investigators found his story suspicious as there were a few inconsistencies here and there. However, upon consulting a licensed psychologist, they realized that Aymami was still in shock and confused about the tragic incident.
With his help, the authorities were able to make a composite sketch of the killer, which was released to the public. Although they were led to a few suspects, nothing concrete came out of it. In January 2005, the police made Aymami take a few polygraph tests, which came out to be inconclusive. When the blood on the murder weapon found at the crime scene was tested, it belonged to Johnia, Aymami, and an unknown male, which confirmed the roommate’s claims about there being an intruder in the apartment that night. Thus, he was ruled out as a suspect. Upon running the unknown male’s DNA through the national database, they could not get a match.
The Killer Was Apprehended Thanks to DNA Evidence Found at the Crime Scene
Despite the case receiving a significant amount of publicity, the detectives were not able to find a break in the case for months, which turned into two years. Finally, around April 2007, new developments in the case were made when an individual claimed to have recognized the suspect by looking at his composite sketch and informed the police. He identified the suspect as a man named Taylor Lee Olson, who also had an outstanding arrest warrant for one of the many petty crimes he had been involved in. Taylor was brought in for questioning, but he denied being involved in the brutal murder of Johnia Berry. Co-operating with the authorities, he also gave them a DNA sample and was then taken into custody for the outstanding warrant against him.
In addition, a new law called “The Johnia Berry Act 2007: DNA Fingerprinting” was also passed on May 9, 2007. According to it, the person arrested for a violent felony in Tennessee should be automatically swabbed for DNA for further analysis. By September of the same year, Taylor was tied to the murder of Johnia Berry as his DNA matched with the blood of the third individual found on the murder weapon. The investigators interrogated him again and managed to get a confession out of him after a couple of days. He claimed that he went inside the college student’s apartment through the unlocked back door with the intention of stealing her car keys and then her car. Claiming that the murder was an accident, he stated, “I can’t believe this happened.”
On September 24, 2007, he was officially indicted on charges of felony murder, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated burglary, and held on a $1 million bond. In the early hours of March 24, 2008, just a few months before his trial, Taylor Lee Olson took his own life in his prison cell, leaving behind a suicide note. In the note, he shifted the blame to another man named Noah Thomas Cox and claimed that he was the one responsible for killing Johnia Berry in 2004. Her father, Michael Berry, did not buy into his claims, as he emphasized that his DNA was present on the murder weapon.
Read More: Where is Jason Aymani Now? What Happened to Jason White?
