Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — A man wanted in connection with a double homicide of a young West Jordan couple was arrested in California Wednesday morning, police said.
Albert Enoch Johnson, 31, was arrested in Stockton, California, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt confirmed Wednesday. Johnson was wanted in connection with the killings of Tony Butterfield, 31, and Katherine Butterfield, 30, which took place at the couple’s West Jordan home early Saturday morning.
Johnson was booked into San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp, California, shortly after 6 a.m. PDT, according to jail records. Those records state he was booked in relation to an outstanding warrant from an outside state and that no bail was set.
A court hearing for Johnson is scheduled Friday in a Stockton, California, court, officials said. Utah authorities will work to extradite him to the state after that, Holt said. Investigators in Utah plan to recommend Johnson be charged with two counts of aggravated murder, he added.
>Mr. Johnson was taken into custody early this morning in the Sacramento CA area. We appreciate the assistance from allied law enforcement authorities and the US Marshals Service in assisting with his apprehension. PIO will be avail for sound after 11am for further updates. pic.twitter.com/aQdvlxoDMA
— West Jordan Police Dept. (@WJPD_PIO) April 22, 2020
Johnson was arrested about 2 a.m. PDT Tuesday in Stockton, according to Holt. Some tips from the public, along with officers' investigative efforts led police to learn where he was, Holt added.
Johnson tried to evade officers, resisted arrest and received some injuries to his face in the process, but no law enforcement officers were injured, Holt said.
Police believe Johnson had some connections in California that may have led him there, Holt said. Johnson's car also was located in California.
Police found the Butterfields' bodies when they responded to a report of shots fired at a home near 3200 West and 6900 South shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday. They said it appeared that a door inside the home had been kicked in, as well.
"We do believe that there was some type of altercation between the suspect and one of those two homicide victims," Holt said on Saturday.
Three young children were in the home at the time of the killings but were not injured.
Holt did not know if a weapon had been recovered from the homicide scene as of Wednesday.
Johnson was first named a suspect in the double homicide on Monday. Police said he was known to the Butterfields, and they believed the killings were not random. Officials did not go into detail about how the Butterfields knew Johnson, and a possible motive for the attack wasn't known.
Holt declined to give further information Wednesday about Johnson's relationship to the Butterfields, but again said police are confident that the killings were a targeted act that was an isolated incident.
Holt said there are some other investigations being conducted in relation to the case but did not elaborate.
"We’re very grateful for this news this morning," he said. "There’s a lot more work to do."
Johnson's wife, Sina, 29, was arrested Monday on investigation of obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence.
Police wrote in an affidavit filed in 3rd District Court that Sina Johnson "had information regarding an aggravated murder involving two victims in the city of West Jordan." Salt Lake County Jail records show Sina Johnson remained in custody on Wednesday.
Holt said Wednesday police do not believe Sina Johnson has cooperated fully with investigators. He did not discuss any details about the evidence tampering investigation involving Sina Johnson.
Friends and family remembered the Butterfields as "incredible Christ-like, kind, happy, and loving parents, children, siblings and friends."
A vigil was held for the couple Saturday night. Visitors left flowers, notes and candles for the couple outside the home of one of Katherine Butterfield’s relatives.
“It was the least we could do. We all love them so much, and it was an unfathomable thing that happened,” said Molly McKeon, a family friend who helped organize the vigil, on Saturday. “It was our only way to really show support.”
A GoFundMe page* created to provide funds for the couple's three children has raised more than $200,000 since it was set up over the weekend.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
