5 key details about Johnia Berry's murder
When Johnia Berry was stabbed to death in her own home in 2004, the entire town of Knoxville, Tennessee, was shaken to the core. But things only got worse when the police could not identify a killer, and the case started growing cold. Thankfully, Johnia's mother and the authorities never really gave up on the case, and eventually, though late, Johnia's murderer was arrested and charged.
This case will be the subject of the upcoming episode 20/20, which airs at 9 pm EST on ABC on Friday, May 9, 2025. The episode aims to delve into this complex case and give a better insight into what happened to Johnia Berry and how it was solved.
Due to the nature of this murder, there are a lot of intriguing details about the case. Let us go over five such details ahead of the episode's air time.
5 key details about the murder of Johnia Berry
1) Johnia was stabbed to death, and her roommate was injured in an attack by an intruder
On December 6, 2004, Johnia was peacefully sleeping in her Knoxville home, which she shared with Jason Aymami when she was suddenly attacked. An intruder repeatedly stabbed her. When Jason heard her screams and came to check, he was also attacked, and he allegedly fled the scene.
An autopsy later revealed that Johnia was stabbed 20 times. She had also allegedly tried to crawl to the neighbor's for help. She was taken to the hospital as soon as first responders arrived, but her injuries were too grave.
2) Johnia Berry's fiancé and even Jason Aymami were suspected of the murder
Johnia Berry's fiancé, Jason White, was among the first suspects, but he was cleared soon after when he was in law school in Michigan. As for Aymami, he was in the range of suspicion because it was odd that he sustained minor injuries while Johnia was brutally murdered.
Yet, DNA and Polygraph tests later confirmed that Jason Aymami was also telling the truth about what happened that morning.
3) It took years to uncover that it was indeed an intruder who killed Johnia Berry
After some false leads and years of search, the released composite sketch led to a tip in April 2007. A man claimed that he knew who the man in the sketch was. It turned out to be Taylor Lee Olson, a man with a history of petty crimes.
He was taken in, and his DNA sample was also acquired. It turned out that it was a match. After a couple of days of questioning, he admitted to the murder.
4) Taylor Lee Olson never got his punishment
Taylor Lee Olson was charged with the murder of Johnia Berry. Still, while he was in his cell, he hanged himself to death, thereby avoiding his legal punishment and ultimate resolution.
It has been alleged that he named Noah Thomas Cox as the one who killed Berry, though nothing of this sort has been confirmed.
5) Berry's murder led to the initiation of the Johnia Berry Act
After Berry's murder, her parents advocated for a change in the law, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Johnia Berry Act, which requires anyone arrested for a violent crime to have their DNA sample collected.
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.
