Jason Aymami Et Jason White : Après Le Drame De Jonhia Berry
The savage slaying of Johnia Berry, who was a University of Tennessee star athlete and musical talent, shook Knoxville, Tennessee, and left two widely loved men – her roommate, Jason Aymami, and her fiancé, Jason White – as social pariahs scrambling to prove their innocence. This article examines their roles in the case, how they were exonerated, and where they are today.
It matters as a cautionary tale because it demonstrates the toll that trauma, forum shopping, and general public suspicion can exact on the innocent years after a crime and how they eventually brought it to a close. With a new generation’s interest piqued after the airing of ABC’s 20/20 episode “Blood on the Doors,” it’s a time for their stories to come to light and to be understood.
The Night That Turned Jason Aymami’s Life Upside Down
At his Knoxville apartment early the morning of Dec. 6, 2004, Jason Aymami awoke to a scream. He shared a home with 21-year-old Johnia Berry, a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. Jason headed to the bedroom to grab Timmy when he was attacked by a man wielding a knife.
Wounded, bleeding, and desperately afraid, he managed to free himself and ran over a mile to a nearby gas station. A clerk there called 911. When the police arrived, they found Johnia near the front of the complex, fatally shot. She later passed away at the hospital. Aymami’s testimony and DNA ultimately played a crucial role in the case.
Why Jason Aymami Was First Suspect And Later Cleared
At first, police suspected Jason Aymami. His injuries were less severe than Johnia’s, and his statements had minor discrepancies. Investigators wondered how the attacker got into the locked apartment. But blood served as the truth teller. The forensic analysis identified three distinct DNA profiles — Johnia’s, Aymami’s, and that of an unknown male. A bloody footprint was discovered in Aymami’s room.
He also took a polygraph examination. Although investigators exonerated him, rumors in the public persisted. In online posts, Aymami described the pain, the nightmares, and the stigma he carried.
He thought others would remember him only as a victim, as a man who was stabbed; instead, he said in an interview after the attack, “I’d like to be remembered as a survivor. I want my life back.”
From Pain To Purpose: The Whereabouts Of Jason Aymami
After the killing, Aymami went to live with his family in Colorado. He later transitioned to a career in finance and gradually got his life back on track. He worked at several companies, earned a master’s degree in accounting, and became a Certified Public Accountant.
Today, Jason Aymami is the Chief Financial Officer of AHG Management in Austin, Texas. Despite his professional success, he leads a private lifestyle and rarely dwells on the past. His experience is evidence that trauma doesn’t end with exoneration—it’s a prolonged process of recovery.
Jason
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: A Fiancé Who Will Mourn In Privacy
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Johnia Berry was engaged to Jason White, a law student in Michigan, at the time of her murder. They were madly in love and plotting a future. Jason was in shock when he found out that she had been murdered. He, like Aymami, was also investigated fairly early.
Police looked into the possibility of domestic violence, which is routine in such cases. But a full investigation cleared him. Jason White has kept a low profile ever since. He has not been a public speaker and has taken a private course on grief. His silence is a reflection of how profoundly the apparent sudden death of a beloved can affect you.
A Break In The Case Years Later
Johnia Berry’s killing went unsolved for years. Investigators chased down dead ends. Then in 2007, there was a break: a DNA match. The person who died was identified as Taylor Lee Olson. He was arrested and charged with the killing. But in 2008, Olson killed herself in jail.
He left letters blaming another man, Noah Cox, but there was no physical evidence to implicate Mr. Cox. For all those involved, even after Olson’s death, the Castaways case left searing scars, but especially White and Aymami, who had the challenge of rebuilding their lives after they were plunged into a tragedy they couldn’t control.
Demanding The Truth For Johnia Berry
The suicides of two fathers through Johnia Berry, a beautiful and bright young woman, fulfilled her dreams. Her family struggled to remember her and to promote an awareness of victims’ rights. Her story and those of Jason Aymami and Jason White are bleak reminders of how easily suspicion shadows the innocent.
Scientific evidence and thorough investigative work brought us back to this point, but the way there was painfully human. As ABC’s 20/20 takes another look at the case, it’s worth considering all three people involved—not just the victim but those seeking to prove they were not responsible.
FAQs
Who was Jason Aymami?
He was both the roommate of Johnia Berry and a man who survived the very same attack that claimed her life in 2004.
Was Jason Aymami a person of interest for the murder?
Yes, briefly. But he was later exonerated by DNA evidence and a polygraph exam.
What is Jason Aymami up to these days?
He is now a Chief Financial Officer and CPA who resides in Texas.
Who was Jason White?
Johnia Berry’s fiancé at the time of her murder was Jason White.
Did Jason White have anything to do with the crime?
No. Investigators completely exonerated him, and he now leads a private life.
Who killed Johnia Berry?
Taylor Lee Olson was identified as the assailant based on DNA evidence in 2007.
Final Words
The story of the murder of Johnia Berry isn’t just about a horrible crime — it’s also about what happened afterward, to those still living. Jason Aymami and Jason White were innocent, but their lives were never identical.
Their stories are worth telling clearly and respectfully. As 20/20 viewers reconsider the case, perhaps we can be reminded of the power of truth, the importance of due process, and the long shadow left behind by justice that is served.