Olin Johnson, American Fork, Utah father of 6 shoots wife, Kerilyn Johnson dead then self at their well to do family home in murder suicide days after final cryptic social media post. No known motive.
A self identified Mormon and his wife were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide on Thursday afternoon, days after the father of six reflected on whether he was a ‘crappy person’ in a final social media post.
Olin Johnson, 57, is alleged to have fatally shot Kerilyn Johnson, 52, before turning the gun on himself inside their $1.34-million American Fork, Utah home, according to KUTV.
Notice of the murder-suicide came after a family member discovered their parents’ bodies.
‘No matter how crappy a person I am…’
Neighbors of the couple said they were playing softball with them the night before the shooting, and didn’t notice any problems as Olin hinted at future plans, the outlet reported.
The couple celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in April.
Days earlier, Olin took to Facebook to voice his thoughts and concerns.
‘No matter how crappy a person I am, motorcycles always love me back. Oh and skiing. Skiing loves me too,’ a post on June 18 read alongside pictures of Olin riding his bike and skiing.
Olin’s account featured a bio that read ‘father to 6 great kids and one Beautiful wife,’ and also featured his family, especially Kerilyn.
According to his LinkedIn, Olin is listed as the owner of Simtek Modular, a ‘service company that makes modular panels for force-on-force training.’
The page states the company having worked on projects with the US Border Patrol, FBI and Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Both husband and wife were living accomplished lives
Olin was also known to be into outdoor pursuits enthusiast with a love of mountaineering, climbing, caving, mountain biking and riding dirt bikes.
His job involving the building of firing ranges also saw him acquire a large weapon collection much of which was also photographed and displayed on his Instagram account.
Recent posts showcased the couple’s trip to Australia, where they celebrated Kerilyn’s birthday and a separate post praising her breadmaking.
Kerilyn Johnson was an adjunct faculty member at the BYU School of Music where she taught several courses over the last two years.
She is credited with performing in multiple main stage productions and performed in throughout the US, Russia and Baltic States while completing her bachelor’s degree.
‘Currently, she does studio work locally and maintains her private studio at home, in addition to being a mother of six,’ her bio read.
She was remembered as a generous friend that would be missed.
‘Kerilyn was literally one of the most generous, kind, supportive people that I have ever known,’ Gayle Lockwood told KUTV.
A GoFundMe was created by a family friend to raise funds for the Johnson children who have to make funeral arrangements.
‘With the sudden passing of Olin and Kerilyn Lowe Johnson many are devastated and desire to show love and support to their six children as they navigate this tragedy,’ the fundraiser stated.
‘It is hoped that they would not need to shoulder the financial burden of paying for funeral expenses and other unexpected costs over the coming weeks and months.’
No known motive for the murder-suicide was immediately released.
