Johnia Berry Was Murdered In Her Sleep: What Happened To Her?
The episode “Left for Dead” of Sleeping With Death features the Johnia Berry murder case.
In this episode, the authorities investigate the story of a person who woke up to find that a friend or family member had been murdered while they slept in the same house.
This new episode premiered on Sunday, November 6 at 7/6c on Oxygen.
December 2004, Johnia Berry, 21, a graduate student at the University of Tennessee was found brutally stabbed to death inside her Brandon Park Apartment in Knoxville, TN.
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Her flatmate, Jason Aymami, who was also attacked that night, managed to escape and rushed to a local store to phone 911.
Sources stated that both tried to desperately seek help from neighbors, who failed to respond.
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While authorities may not have definitive answers regarding Johnia Berry’s murder, her family wanted to know who was responsible for her murder.
The investigation into her death led authorities to believe that she was killed by someone she knew, as there was no sign of forced entry into the apartment.
How Was Johnia Berry Killed?
On December 6, Johnia Berry was tragically killed in her home by an intruder.
Berry was stabbed more than 20 times in her face and upper body as she slept, and her body was found by authorities on the stairs leading to her front door.
Neighbors report that Berry knocked on their doors after the attack, seeking help, but they did not respond in time.
This tragic incident highlights the importance of being aware of your surroundings and being prepared to take action in an emergency situation.
Berry’s apartment showed signs of a struggle, with a bent and bloody knife in the living room believed to be the murder weapon.
No indication of a break-in was found, but several key pieces of evidence were collected from the scene. This information will be critical in helping to solve the case.
Who Killed Johnia Berry?
Taylor Lee Olson, 22, of Knoxville, was indicted Monday on charges of felony murder, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated burglary in connection with the December 2004 stabbing death of 21-year-old Johnia Berry.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that a grand jury heard three days of testimony before issuing the indictment.
Olson is accused of breaking into Berry’s home and stabbing her to death.
In 2007, reports surfaced that a DNA test had linked a Knoxville man named Taylor Olson to a crime that occurred almost three years earlier.
Olson had a criminal background and was a convicted felon out on probation at the time of the crime.
The discovery led to Olson’s arrest, and his trial was set for July 28 of the following year.
However, tragedy struck when Olson was found hanging inside his prison cell while in custody in March 2008.
He reportedly used a bed sheet to hang himself and left behind letters.
This happened despite the fact that Olson was confined to a cell by himself, was being checked every hour, and didn’t exhibit any suicidal inclinations.
