Family of slain Utah woman supports plea deal if it includes life without parole

SOUTH JORDAN — As the man charged in the 2024 New Year's Eve killing of a South Jordan woman prepares to return to court, the victim's family said they would support a plea agreement if it guaranteed he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The family of Summer Tatiana Roney, who was also known as Summer McKell, has spent nearly two years waiting for the case to move toward trial. Now, with 42-year-old Jacob Holt Johnson scheduled for a preliminary hearing, Roney's sister, Michelle Tischner, said she is prepared to accept a plea deal under one condition.

"Nothing less than life without parole," Tischner said. "Anything less than that would just, it would break me. It would break me for Summer. It would not be fair for Summer. And at the end of the day, this is about Summer."

On Dec. 31, 2024, 30-year-old Roney's body, 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.

Prosecutors previously described the condition in which her body was found as "especially heinous and cruel."

According to Tischner, the circumstances surrounding her sister's death remain difficult to process.

"We are talking about torture that went on for hours," she said. "And I have to live with that. Summer lived it. Jacob was the last person she saw and that breaks my heart every day."

Tischner said she believes Johnson took advantage of her sister during their relationship.

"He absolutely preyed on her," Tischner said. "He had so much strength over her."

Tischner said her sister had cognitive limitations and functioned at the level of a 12-year-old. Tischner said she served as Roney's legal guardian and described her as a vulnerable adult.

"She was forever 12," Tischner said. "She really was like an innocent child."

While nothing can bring her sister back, Tischner said justice would mean ensuring Johnson can never harm anyone else.

Related:

Sister of slain Utah woman shares emotional struggle 1 year later

The family of Summer Roney, who police found dead in her ex-boyfriend's car on New Year's Eve 2024, reflected on their loss and grief one year later.

"I hope she is flying high. I don't even want her there with me in the trial because I still don't want her in the same room as him. So, justice would be that he never gets to harm anybody again," Tischner said.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office declined to discuss the specifics of any potential plea negotiations. However, District Attorney Sim Gill said prosecutors remain open to all possible outcomes.

"On every prosecution, we are open to any outcome, anything from a trial to any disposition," Gill said in a statement. "It would be speculative for me to say at this moment what will happen tomorrow or the week after. We are always exploring all the options we have to bring a measure of justice for the prosecution and our victims."

Johnson is currently charged 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.

According to court records, Johnson's preliminary hearing is scheduled with Judge Richard Daynes on Oct. 22 at 8:30 a.m. at the Third District Court in West Jordan, located at 8080 S. Redwood Road.

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