The disappearance and suspected murder of Jason Johnson in September 2012 shook the community of Tempe, Arizona. Jason, the Scottsdale Auto Collision Center co-owner, was last seen at work when he vanished. The case turned sinister when investigators started suspecting his business partner, Chad Norris, of foul play.
Despite never recovering Jason Johnson's body, Norris was convicted of allegedly murdering him, and his wife, Tamara, was charged with helping cover up the crime. Feuds Turned Fatal: Body Shop of Horrors on Investigation Discovery delves into the case of the sudden disappearance and murder of Jason Johnson in 2012.
The show delivers the viewers an account of the case and the subsequent investigation with the help of insightful interviews from both sides of the coin. The episode is set to air on November 27, 2024, at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Investigation Discovery.
5 shocking details about Jason Johnson's murder
1) A lost partner and suspicious refusal to cooperate
Jason Johnson had last been seen on September 14, 2012, at the Scottsdale Auto Collision Center business he co-owned with Chad Norris at the Tempe location. His family reported him missing after he failed to come to work or attend personal appointments.
Tempe police quickly began to focus on Norris and his wife, Tamara. But both refused to cooperate in the investigation, immediately asserting their right to an attorney. This rejection sparked warning signs and paved the way for what would become an intense investigation.
2) Suspicious activities: Trash bags and erratic movements
While keeping surveillance, the police found the Norris couple packing several large trash bags into his SUV very early one morning after Johnson disappeared. Later that day, he and Tamara later attached the trailer to the vehicle.
The couple made several stops across Phoenix and Tempe in the day before abandoning the trailer in a parking lot. When police brought cadaver dogs to the scene, they alerted only on the trailer, so suspicions of foul play became sharpened.
3) Blood, bullet casings, and a driver's license in a trailer
The search extended further to the box trailer which the Norrises own. In the said trailer, police found traces of blood, a casing of a bullet, and the license of Jason Johnson.
Further forensic examination reveals that a bullet hit the trailer and indicates a dire scenario of events that might have transpired. Despite these findings, Jason Johnson's dead body was nowhere to be found.
4) A gun and a chilling confession
During the search of the home of Norris, the police discovered a gun that matched the caliber of the bullet casing located in the trailer. This, in essence, added another incriminating item against Chad Norris.
Meanwhile, Tamara's mother had told investigators that the daughter had visited her several times and confessed to having "done something bad." Adding this, there was more incriminatory evidence against Chad and Tamara for the alleged murder and cover-up.
5) Conviction without a body
Although there was no body, the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming enough to lead to the conviction of Chad Norris. In 2015, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for second-degree murder.
The judge took into account the fact that Norris had no criminal history and was a father, which slightly reduced the sentence. Tamara pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and admitted her role in covering up the crime.
The episode of Feuds Turned Fatal, titled "Body Shop of Horrors", is set to air on November 27, 2024, at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Investigation Discovery.