What happened to Taylor Lee Olson? Details explored ahead of 20/20 on ABC
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will delve into the 2004 murder of Johnia Berry at the hands of Taylor Lee Olson in a sort of burglary gone wrong. The case received national attention and even led to a big change in the state's laws. This murder shook the entirety of Knoxville, Tennessee.
This case will be covered in detail in the upcoming episode of 20/20, which airs on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 9.00 PM EST. The episode is titled Blood on the Door and aims to uncover the case in great detail with insights from those involved in the murder.
After Johnia Berry's murder, a DNA sample of an unknown male was found, but there was no way to locate Taylor Lee Olson. After years, a tip finally led the authorities to Olson, whose DNA matched that found at the crime scene. After intensive questioning, Olson finally admitted to killing 21-year-old Johnia, who was sleeping in her room.
He was arrested and charged with the crime, but he did not go to trial. Instead, he killed himself in his jail cell awaiting trial, putting an end to the story.
Who was Taylor Lee Olson, and what did he do?
Taylor was born in Eugene, Oregon, on April 3, 1985, and attended Bearden High School. Those who knew him described him as a free spirit who loved spending time with his family and friends. He grew up in an affluent environment but soon got embroiled in petty crimes.
On the morning of December 4, 2004, Taylor Lee Olson and his friend were simply around Johnia Berry's Knoxville house when they decided to steal a car. His friend eventually left, but he continued his quest and found the back door of Johnia's house open. He went inside and in the process of finding the keys, he ended up brutally stabbing Johnia Berry 20 times.
When Berry's roommate, Jason Aymami, heard her screams and came to help, Taylor stabbed him as well, though non-fatally. Aymami proceeded to flee. He called 911 from a nearby store.
By the time the authorities arrived, Taylor Lee Olson had fled the scene, and there was no way of identifying him. It took years before the police could finally reach him.
How was Taylor Lee Olson caught?
After initially looking at the people who knew Johnia, the police expanded their search and distributed a composite sketch that they had made with the help of Aymami. But all the tips that came over the years led nowhere.
Finally, in April 2007, a passerby saw the composite sketch on a billboard and informed the police that he knew the individual. It turned out to be Taylor Lee Olson. He was soon brought in for questioning, and his DNA was collected. The DNA sample matched the one from the crime scene, confirming that Taylor was the one behind the murder.
After a couple of days of questioning, Olson finally admitted to the murder. While awaiting his trial, he hanged himself in his prison cell.
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.
