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SALT LAKE CITY — Spending the holidays with family can make it the most wonderful time of the year for some.
But for others, the holiday season can be a harsh reminder of loved ones who are no longer with you.
That’s the case for the family of Jason Royter, a 33-year-old man who was murdered in 2005.
Royter was found beaten and stabbed in his Magna home, 7383 W. Paine Road, where he lived with his girlfriend and her children.
You’ve taken away something from myself and my family, something very dear to us and we deserve answers.
–Stephani Perschon, sister of Jason Royter
His girlfriend and her children were not home at the time of the incident, according to Unified police.
On Christmas Eve, Unified police shared a heartfelt video of Royter’s sisters pleading for answers in their brother’s unsolved murder.
“I feel somedays I do better not missing him so much and then something will happen and you know it comes back that Jason’s gone,” a tearful Niki Price, Royter’s sister, says in the video.
Certain times of year are more difficult for Price, including around Christmastime, she said.
“It’s harder this time of year,” she said in the video. “It just doesn’t get easier.”
Royter was a father of two, who have since grown up and had children of their own. Stephani Perschon, Royter’s older sister, said Jason's grandchildren would have loved to know their late grandfather.
“We all miss him so much,” Perschon said in the video. “We’re still working on trying to get the answers that we’ve been looking for for all these years “
Fourteen years have passed since Royter’s death and his case still remains cold. Unified police are asking anyone with information on his murder to call 385-468-9816.
“I wish, I hope there’s somebody that knows something that will just say something,” Price said.
The agency is also offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Royter’s death.
In the video, Perschon directly speaks to the person or persons responsible for her brother’s death.
“You’ve taken away something from myself and my family, something very dear to us and we deserve answers,” she said.
