'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Johnia Berry, a graduate student from East Tennessee State University, was brutally stabbed to death inside her Brandon Park Apartment during a botched robbery.
Her flatmate, Jason Aymami, who was also attacked that night, managed to escape and rushed to a local store to phone 911. Sources state that both tried to desperately seek help from neighbors, who failed to respond.
Nearly three years later, a convicted felon out on probation, named Taylor Olson, was arrested in connection to the case when DNA found at the crime scene connected him to the bloody December night in 2004. Unfortunately, Olson committed suicide while in custody, leaving letters alleging the involvement of another suspect.
While authorities may not have definitive answers regarding Johnia Berry's murder, her family believes that the accused was responsible for the killing.
Multiple stab wounds, a second suspect, and 3 other chilling details about Johnia Berry murder case
1) Authorities discovered Johnia Berry outside her apartment
Authorities found a horrific scene at Johnia Berry's house right after the incident, which included a blood trail leading from Berry's bedroom to a bloody pool in the living room. The police found her on the stairs beside the front door.
2) She was stabbed multiple times by one or more burglars
Reports state that Berry was fatally stabbed more than 22 times during the botched robbery in the face and upper body as she was sleeping in her Brandon Park apartment. Jason Aymami, who was her flatmate at the time, was also present when the crime occurred and was attacked by one of the burglars.
3) They tried to seek assistance from neighbors, but to no avail
Berry, who was viciously stabbed, stumbled out of her apartment and into the building's hallways where she knocked on the neighbors' doors seeking assistance. However, the neighbors didn't respond and she soon died of her injuries.
Johnia's flatmate, Aymani, who had managed to get away, rushed to the building next door, banging on doors in an attempt to get aid. He experienced the same poor luck as Berry. Eventually, he rushed to a neighboring shop and dialed 911.
4) A man was charged for Johnia Berry's 2004 murder but never made it to his trial
According to reports, a DNA test linked a Knoxville man named Taylor Olson to the case. Olson had a criminal background and was a convicted felon out on probation at the time. In 2007, almost three years after the crime originally occurred, the discovery led to the suspect and his ultimate arrest.
Olson's trial was set for July 28 of the following year. However, he was tragically 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.
5) A second suspect was named in Berry's case although he was never charged
Another prospective suspect, 24-year-old Noah Thomas Cox, was reportedly identified in the case but was never prosecuted. It also became clear that Olson's defense was developing a case based on allegations that Cox murdered Johnia Berry. Additionally, Taylor's letter allegedly mentioned the name of a potential suspect, who is believed to be Cox.
According to Augustine Joseph Leon, an associate of Olson and Cox, the latter admitted to stabbing Berry after breaking into her apartment. She allegedly cut Olson using a knife. It was then that Cox attacked her while Olson fled the scene, bleeding and leaving behind a trace.
Johnia Berry's case is set to air on Oxygen's upcoming true-crime series, Sleeping With Death, this Sunday, November 6, at 7 pm ET.
