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ROY — A man previously convicted of child abuse has been arrested in Roy and accused of abusing 2-year-old twins over an extended period of time while babysitting them, killing one boy and seriously injuring his twin sister.
Johnathan Allen Dunn, 36, was arrested Thursday and by Friday afternoon he was charged in 2nd District Court with aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies; and aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony. In the court order to hold Dunn without bail pending trial, it states that his "current offense is a capital felony" while charging documents add that "he is charged with aggravated murder, which can carry with it the possibility of the death penalty."
His initial court appears is scheduled for Tuesday.
The disturbing series of events began about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday while Dunn was playing a game with the children, he told investigators according to a police booking affidavit.
"He began to punch the male and female child repeatedly in the back and sides and chest. Jonathan stated that he was hitting them harder than he should have," the affidavit states. Dunn then "began to pinch the children repeatedly all over their body," including pinching their genitals hard, and threw the children on a bed multiple times.
He continued abusing the siblings by shooting them with a Nerf gun and hitting them multiple times with the butt end of the gun, pushing their heads into a closet door frame, and using a "mallet which he stated was made of hard foam" to strike each child in the back of the head multiple times, the affidavit alleges.
He then gave the children Tylenol and cough syrup, police say. Sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thursday, Dunn noticed the boy had stopped breathing.
About 10 a.m. Thursday, Dunn called 911. Roy police say they received a report of a boy in cardiac arrest near 1950 W. 4450 South. When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive 2-year-old boy laying on the front porch. The girl was found on the couch with several visible bruises to her face.
Police spokesman Stuart Hackworth said the boy and girl sustained "severe injuries from child abuse." Both children were taken to a hospital, where the boy died from "injuries consistent with physical abuse."
The girl was treated for a brain bleed and extensive bruising, the arrest report states.
"Based off of the injuries observed by officers on the scene, there was a suspicion that they were injuries sustained from an assault of some sort," Hackworth said.
The family of the twins released a statement Friday night.
"We as a family are grieving the devastating loss of sweet Aleister, and the severe injuries of his twin sister. As we attempt to put our lives back together after this unbelievable tragedy, we are choosing to honor Aleister's life and memory as we process our grief," the family statement said. "The support we have felt by many is appreciated more than we can express! Thank you!"
Early Friday, a memorial fund was started for Alesiter and his family on GoFundMe*.
"Our sweet Aleister passed away at the hands of a complete monster. His twin sister was also injured and is currently hospitalized at Primary Children Hospital! I am raising funds to help cover the cost of funeral services, medical bills, and so Aleister's sisters can get the help that they are going to need to process this devastating loss," the fundraiser states.
Police say Dunn is a friend of the victims' parents and was babysitting at the time of the abuse. Hackworth said other children, not related to the twins, were also in the home. They were taken into state protective custody.
"Jonathan Dunn severely injured two separate 2-year-old children in his care, killing one of them. He has multiple other children, including another 2-year-old in his home. He has a prior conviction for a serious child abuse case where he broke another 2-year-old child's arm and caused bruising to his face. He admitted that he lost control and his anger got the best of him and he caused these injuries to small children," police noted in the affidavit.
In 2017, Dunn pleaded guilty in 1st District Court to child abuse, a second-degree felony, and was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. After his conviction in that case, Dunn wrote a letter that was submitted to the court in which he apologized and took "full responsibility" for his actions, court records show.
"I'm deeply sorry for the trouble I've caused," the letter states, according to court documents. "I wish I could take it all back and should of stayed home."
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
