Utah man pleads guilty to killing ex-girlfriend, will not contest sentence of life without parole

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A Herriman man pleaded guilty to the 2024 aggravated murder of his ex-girlfriend, Summer Roney, in a hearing on Thursday.
Jacob Holt Johnson agreed to a life sentence without parole as part of a plea, but will be sentenced on Dec. 17.

SALT LAKE CITY — A Herriman man pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, admitting to killing his ex-girlfriend, in a hearing on Thursday.

"I caused the death of Summer," he said when asked what he did on Dec. 30, 2024.

As part of a plea deal, Jacob Holt Johnson, 42, said he agreed to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing Summer Tatiana Roney, although the ultimate sentence will be given by the judge at his sentencing on Dec. 17.

He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday and Friday but decided to waive that right and instead enter a plea.

Roney's family told KSL ahead of Thursday's hearing that they would only support a plea deal that would come with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Multiple family members and friends of Roney were in tears at the hearing, including her sister Michelle Tischner, whose husband was comforting her.

Dayne Skinner, deputy Salt Lake County attorney, said prosecutors had agreed to not seek the death penalty and had consulted the victim's family.

Multiple members of Johnson's family were also at the hearing, including his parents.

Johnson admitted that he caused Roney's death by strangulation with an extension cord, and after previously being convicted of an aggravated robbery.

He was also charged with a second-degree felony of obstruction of justice, along with possession of a dangerous weapon as a restricted person and abuse or desecration of a human body, third-degree felonies. Those charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal.

A graphic eight-page probable cause statement outlined a horrific crime scene discovered by police, both at Johnson's house and in his Jeep Compass.

Roney, 30, was found in a box in the back of a Jeep parked at a 7-Eleven at 15871 S. Redwood Road in Bluffdale, with Johnson unconscious in the driver's seat, charges said. They said Roney was found cold with an extension cord around her neck and multiple bruises and lacerations.

Johnson's attorneys specified that they did not agree that Roney was killed by blunt force trauma, and he was only admitting to killing her by strangulation.

Contributing: Garna Mejia, KSL

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly said Roney's family did not plan to speak at the sentencing. They were not speaking at Thursday's hearing because they support the plea deal, but will speak at the December sentencing.

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