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The upcoming episode of 20/20 is all set to return with a new episode on Friday, May 9, 2025, bringing forth the brutal murder of Johnia Berry to the fore. This high-profile case shook the entirety of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2004, and remains relevant today due to some permanent changes it brought to the justice system.
The case will be covered in 20/20's upcoming episode, which is titled Blood on the Door, a reference to the stabbing murder of the young student. This episode airs at 9.00 PM EST on ABC on Friday, May 9, 2025. The episode will dive deep into the murder and give some never-before-seen insights into the crime.
Ahead of the episode, let us go over who Johnia Berry was and what happened to her.
Who was Johnia Berry, and what happened to her?
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Johnia Berry was born on August 26, 1983, in Lebanon, Russell County, Virginia, to Michael and Joan Trivett Berry. Johnia graduated from Bristol Tennessee High School, where she was also a cheerleader. She followed it up by enrolling for a diploma at East Tennessee State University. She was also studying for her Master's Degree at the University of Tennessee.
At the time of her unfortunate murder, Berry was living in a Knoxville apartment that she shared with Jason Aymami, who was dating one of Johnia's friends. Berry was also engaged at the time and was months away from getting married to Jason White.
When everything seemed to be going well for Johnia Berry, on the morning of December 6, 2004, someone entered her home and started brutally stabbing her. Aymami came hearing her screams, but was attacked by the intruder before he could do anything. He proceeded to flee and call 911.
When the first responders arrived, they found Berry in the front entrance of the apartment building. She had reportedly tried to crawl to the neighbor's door for help. She was immediately taken to the hospital but succumbed to the injuries. An autopsy later revealed that she was stabbed 20 times.
Johnia Berry's murder almost remained unsolved
After the murder, the police started looking at every possible suspect, including Aymami and White. However, as they looked deeper, it seemed that none of the suspects they had singled out were behind the murder. There was DNA evidence, but there was no match within the registry.
As the years rolled by, the case started growing cold, but Berry's parents never gave up and continued to advocate for justice. A composite sketch of the intruder was also circulated all around, and there were numerous tips over the years, but none seemed to lead the police to the perpetrator.
Finally, in April 2007, someone contacted the police claiming they knew the suspect. It turned out to be Taylor Lee Olson, who had a track record of petty crimes. Soon, his DNA was collected and tested, and it turned out to be a match. After intensive questioning, Olson finally confessed to the crime.
He revealed that he had entered Johnia Berry's home to steal a car. While attempting to do this, he ended up killing Berry. Olson never received his official punishment for the crime as he hanged himself to death in his jail cell.
Read More: 5 key details about Johnia Berry's Murder
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.
