Wednesday June 25, 2024

Murder-Suicide in American Fork Utah Leaves Community Questioning Motive

American Fork Police released information regarding a murder-suicide incident they say happened on June 20 in the afternoon hours. Police say it happened at a house near 1400 North and 100 East.

Police allege that the business owner of Simtek Modular, LLC, 57-year-old Olin Johnson had shot and killed his wife, 52-year-old Kerilyn Johnson and then shot himself. The State Medical Examiner is still conducting tests of the evidence.

The couple have 6 children that range in ages from late teens to adults. Police say one of the children found the bodies and called police. Police advised they did not find any signs that there was a struggle.

On Olin Johnson’s final Facebook post days before the killing, he said he wrote on being a “crappy person.” However, police said they have not yet determined a motive. They questioned their family and neighbors who said they were just playing softball with then the night before the shooting. They did not observe anything wrong, and Ollie was making future plans to play softball.

The American Fork Police advised the family requests privacy during this hard time.

Kerilyn Johnson was a faculty member at the Brigham Young University of Music and has taught several courses over the years. While she was earning her bachelor’s degree, she performed several main stage productions in the United States, Russia and Baltic States. Her neighbor and friends describe her being a very generous, supportive, and kind person.

A vigil was held on Sunday at Art Dye Park to support the 6 children.