Herriman man charged in 'heinous and cruel' killing of ex-girlfriend

HERRIMAN — Prosecutors say Summer Tatiana Roney's death and the condition in which her body was found was "especially heinous and cruel."

On Friday, Roney's ex-boyfriend, Jacob Holt Johnson, 40, of Herriman, was charged in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and abuse or desecration of a dead body and possession of a weapon by a restricted person, third-degree felonies.

A graphic eight-page probable cause statement outlines a horrific crime scene discovered by police, both at Johnson's house and in his Jeep Compass. Roney's legal last name is McKell, but her family says she preferred to go by Roney.

The body of 30-year-old Roney, of South Jordan, was found in a box in the back of a Jeep parked at a 7-Eleven at 15871 S. Redwood Road in Bluffdale. Johnson was found unconscious in the driver's seat, according to charging documents.

The first officers who found Johnson's vehicle looked into "the rear compartment of the vehicle from the rear window and observed a female in a cardboard box. Officers opened the trunk to check on the welfare of the female and found that the female had an extension cord around her neck and multiple bruises and lacerations to her head, arms and legs. The female was unresponsive and cold to the touch," the charges state.

A hammer with blood on it was also found in the vehicle. Detectives later determined Roney was killed in Herriman and served a search warrant on Johnson's residence at 13364 S. Stone Hayes Court. Blood was found throughout the house, including in the bedroom and kitchen, the charges state. A bat was found with smudge marks that had recently been washed.

Detectives also found smudge marks "on the kitchen floor that appeared to be left from something being dragged from the entrance to the basement toward the garage door, and blood traces were located in multiple areas on the stairwell including the wall, baseboards and stair posts," according to the charges.

"Detectives located a mattress in the garage wrapped in plastic with blood stains, as well as a paper towel with hair and what appeared to be a small piece of skin," the charges continue. "Two large black trash bags were located with multiple items inside that had blood stains, to include a karaoke machine, lamp shade and a body weight swing. Also inside the trash bags were multiple towels that were beginning to crust and appeared to have bleach stains."

Police say there was a strong odor of bleach in the kitchen, garage and basement.

Home surveillance videos from neighbors showed Johnson in his driveway on Dec. 30 just after 2 p.m. trying to organize the trunk area of his car, according to the charges.

"At 2:22 pm, Johnson's car was backed into the driveway, the garage door was open, and Johnson is attempting to close the lift gate to his car. Johnson is able to get the lift gate most of the way closed but is unable to get it to latch closed," the charges state.

Johnson was discovered at the 7-Eleven just after midnight on Dec. 31.

Friends of Roney told police they last saw her on Dec. 28. They told investigators she and Johnson "had an on-and-off again relationship over the past four years and described Johnson as a hothead" while describing Roney "as a kind and uplifting girl who had a difficult childhood and learning disabilities. They estimated her mental function to be around the age of 16, despite her being 30 years old," charging documents state.

Another friend told police in October that Roney "confided in him that she was having trouble with Johnson and described Johnson as verbally abusive and mentioned that he had hit her multiple times," the charges state. Another friend told police that Roney told her in November that "Johnson had recently put her in a chokehold, nearly killing her" and "frequently spoke about the abuse she endured from Johnson."

An autopsy found Roney's "entire body was covered in bruises" as well as open wounds believed to be caused by a claw hammer, according to the charges. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office noted that the trauma suffered by Roney "was extreme, and the likely cause of death is the totality of injuries from blunt force trauma."

"Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the victim in this alleged murder. If you are experiencing domestic violence or are aware of someone who may be experiencing it, please report it, so it can be investigated. If it is not reported it cannot be investigated and if it is not investigated, it cannot be prosecuted. Early intervention can help prevent an escalation of violence," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a prepared statement.

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