Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

The death of Summer Roney, a woman found dead inside of a car at a Bluffdale gas station reportedly at the hands of her boyfriend, has left her family members, loved ones and friends grieving.

It also has prompted the ex-wife of the man accused of the act to speak out regarding the abuse she claims she faced during their marriage.

Last Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced four felony charges against Jacob Holt Johnson for his alleged role in the death of Roney, including aggravated murder.

On Dec. 31, 2024, shortly after midnight, police in Bluffdale arrested Johnson, 40, of Herriman, for suspicion of murder while conducting a DUI investigation.

According to a probable cause statement, Johnson is accused of killing Roney, whom he was involved in an intimate relationship with, at his home, putting her body in a cardboard box in the back of an SUV, then driving to a 7-Eleven located at 15871 S. Redwood Road.

Courtesy Christina Owens

An autopsy performed by the Utah State Office of the Medical Examiner’s found Roney’s entire body was covered in bruises, the probable cause statement said, concluding that “The likely cause of death is the totality of injuries from blunt force trauma.”

Multiple acquaintances of Roney told police that she previously had told them about verbal and physical abuse by the defendant, the district attorney’s office release said.

But even before that night, Christina Owens of Saratoga Springs, Johnson’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, says she endured years of emotional abuse during their marriage.

Owens said the pair were married for nine years and things started off well in the beginning.

“He was very nice to me for those first six years or so,” she said.

Courtesy Michelle Tischner

But as time went on, she said his demeanor shifted and things became rocky.

Owens claims Johnson struggled with addictions to alcohol and drug use, which she believes prompted some of his behavior toward her.

“He would say cruel things, or he would accuse me of different horrifying things, or accuse me of affairs that were just completely outlandish — crazy things that didn’t make any sense at all,” Owens told the Daily Herald.

She describes the experience as a cycle of verbal and emotional abuse followed by a string of apologies.

Owens recounted instances in which she says she was gaslighted and controlled. At one point, she alleged, Johnson put a camera in her vehicle to monitor her travels and who she was talking to.

“He would apologize and do 50 other things to make up for it,” Owens said. “He loved his kids and he loved me, and he wanted to do anything to be able to fix things, but that’s part of the abuse cycle that only lasts so long, and then they make the choice again.”

Owens said, initially, she didn’t recognize the actions as abuse.

“I was just blinded. I couldn’t see past what was right in front of my face,” she said.

She described “feeling physically beaten” from the emotional manipulation and confusion she claims she experienced.

“I would wake up in the morning after he cried by my bed for, you know, six hours, begging me to just tell him about the imaginary affairs that I was having and manipulating me,” Owens said. “I would wake up the next day and feel like I had been beaten all night or hit by a truck.”

Owens said she endured these actions because she hoped Johnson would change and that things would get better.

“I also wanted to protect my kids. Like, the thought of not having them half of the time and him drinking disturbed me,” she said.

However, the two separated in 2021 and their divorce was finalized in 2022.

The two agreed to split custody, but Owens filed for a protective order to gain full custody of her children last August and again in December after he reportedly drove under the influence while the kids were with him, Owens said.

Though Owens said the Utah Division of Child and Family Services opened an investigation into the allegations of her ex-husband’s drinking with their children in the car, she says the 4th District Court in Provo so far has denied granting her request for the protective order.

The news of Roney’s death also has left Owens and her children devastated. She encourages others who may feel they are in abusive relationships to recognize the signs and seek out resources.

“You don’t even have to label the person as an abuser, because you can see the good in them too. But recognizing abusive behaviors and what it’s doing to your brain and what it’s doing to your sight, taking off the rose-colored glasses to have truth-colored lenses,” she said.

Michelle Tischner, Roney’s older sister, has been grappling with the reality of her sibling being gone. She said her sister wanted to see the good in everyone despite any past concerning behaviors.

In light of the recent events, Tischner and Owens share the same hope that potential victims in relationships that are abusive — whether physically or emotionally so — are able to gather up the courage to leave.

“The best outcome would be to leave and walk away,” Tischner said. “The closure that you’re going to try and find in one last goodbye or picking up, you know, your curling iron that you left over there, or something … is not worth it.”

In many cases, the signs of abuse may not be as apparent.

Ultimately, domestic abuse is any behavior a person uses to gain control or power over an intimate partner and isn’t specific to one action.

“That can look like isolation from friends and family, or it might be controlling finances and not allowing them access to money,” said Ashlee Taylor, executive director at The Refuge Utah. “We’ve even seen medical abuse, where they (a partner) stop someone from being able to access medical care or take certain medications again just because they want to access that or they want to have power and control over the other person.”

Taylor says the signs can be subtle at first but can become more glaring over time.

Confiding in a loved one or anti-abuse advocate about any possible warning signs in the relationship can aid in accessing what’s happening in the relationship and determining when or if a safe exit plan is necessary, she added.

“Talk through what you’re seeing in the relationship. If it feels like it’s a warning sign or a red flag, talk through what that looks like, so that you’re able to understand better how to protect yourself from abuse,” Taylor said.

Domestic violence advocates across the state have launched efforts to boost the voices of those experiencing domestic abuse, in a campaign called Dear Utah.

The goal is to bring awareness to the issue and allow those with a connection to share their stories in hopes that other potential victims and survivors will do the same.

“Giving people a chance to be able to speak up about what’s happened to them, to be able to try and break down some of the shame that they might feel in coming forward, and allowing them to see that the community is really there to support them and to help them,” Taylor explained of the campaign.

According to a 2023 survey done by the Utah Women & Leadership Project, only 26% of people surveyed believe domestic violence is a problem in Utah.

The data also found that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

As for Owens, by sharing her story, she hopes to shine a light on abuse and help provide support for victims.

“There are so many people suffering and struggling, and so many people have my exact same story. But especially in Utah, we just smile and keep going,” Owens said. “We can live different lives, we can shine a light in the darkness, and we can get a new world for our children and for our families.

Resources for people experiencing domestic abuse

National Domestic Violence Hotline

thehotline.org

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Text “START” to 88788

Utah Department of Human Services

dcfs.utah.gov

Utah Domestic Violence Coalition

udvc.org

1-800-897-LINK (5465)

The Refuge Utah

therefugeutah.org

801-377-5500