DUI Check Found His Ex in a Box. He Admits Murder

Police checking an unconscious driver found his former girlfriend in a box in the back of his Jeep. Nearly two years later, Jacob Holt Johnson has admitted killing Summer Tatiana Roney.

Johnson, 42, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder October 22 in Utah’s Third District Court. He agreed to a sentence of life without parole, although the judge will formally impose punishment at a December 17 hearing.

Roney’s sister, Michelle Tischner, had said the family would support a plea only if it meant Johnson could never be released. She had also served as Roney’s legal guardian and described her sister as a vulnerable adult.

The Discovery Began in a Gas Station Parking Lot

On December 31, 2024, Bluffdale officers found Johnson unconscious in a Jeep Compass at a 7-Eleven. The vehicle was parked across several spaces, according to KUTV’s account of the investigation.

What began as a suspected impaired-driving investigation changed when an assisting officer looked into the rear of the vehicle. Inside a cardboard box was Roney, 30, who was unresponsive.

Officers checked on her, and investigators subsequently determined she had been killed. Roney was from South Jordan; Johnson lived in Herriman, where detectives traced the crime.

In court, Johnson acknowledged causing her death on December 30, the day before the discovery. His admission resolved the murder charge that had followed the investigation of the Jeep and his home.

Detectives Searched His Herriman House

Police obtained a search warrant for Johnson’s residence. According to the prosecution’s account, they found evidence throughout the house and indications that someone had tried to clean the scene.

Investigators also documented cleaning supplies and other items in the vehicle. Charging records described the house and the Jeep together in an eight-page probable cause statement.

During the plea hearing, Johnson admitted killing Roney by strangulation. He also acknowledged a previous aggravated-robbery conviction, KSL reported. His attorneys disputed the prosecution’s separate allegation about blunt-force trauma, specifying that his admission concerned strangulation. That disagreement remained on the record when he entered the aggravated-murder plea.

He had initially faced obstruction of justice, unlawful weapon possession as a restricted person and abuse or desecration of a body in addition to aggravated murder. KSL reported that those additional charges were dismissed under the agreement.

Her Sister Set One Condition for a Deal

Before the hearing, Tischner spoke with KSL about the family’s wait for the case to move toward trial. Roney also used the name Summer McKell, but her family said she preferred Roney.

Tischner said she could accept a negotiated outcome if it kept Johnson imprisoned for the rest of his life. She described the circumstances of her sister’s death as something she continued struggling to process.

Her role as guardian had made her responsible for helping Roney during her life. In discussing punishment, Tischner said her concern was both justice for Summer and preventing Johnson from harming anyone else.

Family members and friends attended the October 22 proceeding. KSL reported that several were in tears as Johnson entered his plea, including Tischner, who was comforted by her husband.

Formal Sentencing Is Still Ahead

Johnson had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing over two days. Instead, he waived that proceeding and entered the guilty plea, removing the need for the planned evidence hearing.

Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Dayne Skinner said prosecutors had consulted Roney’s family and agreed not to seek the death penalty. Johnson, in turn, agreed to life without the possibility of parole.

That agreement is now before the sentencing judge; it is not a prison term already pronounced in court. The December hearing will provide the formal sentencing decision and an opportunity for Roney’s relatives to speak.

Roney’s relatives did not give victim-impact statements at the plea hearing because they supported the agreement. They plan to address the court in December, when they will be able to speak about Summer’s life and the effect of her death on their family.

References: Utah man pleads guilty to killing ex-girlfriend, will not contest sentence of life without parole | Family of slain Utah woman supports plea deal if it includes life without parole | Utah man found guilty of aggravated murder, agrees to life sentence without parole | Herriman man charged in ‘heinous and cruel’ killing of ex-girlfriend

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