The Tragic End of Jackie Johns
A Small-Town Beauty, a Brutal Crime, and a 25-Year Search for Justice
In the small town of Nixa, Missouri, Suker Day Queen, Jackie Johns, got into her black SS Camaro to head home after a long shift at the cafe. She stopped by the convenience store only five minutes from her home. She was never seen alive again.
The 20-year-old cheerleader and beauty queen was found floating naked in Lake Springfield by two fishermen.
The Car
Police found Jackie’s black Camaro with her distinctive vanity plate, Jacki 1, sitting at the side of the road. While the outside of the vehicle looked normal, the inside looked like a scene out of a horror film.
The car was splattered with blood. The steering wheel was bent. One of the seats was also bent. They found a pair of women’s jeans with one leg turned inside out, and a pair of women’s underwear. Investigators said that the volume of blood found inside the vehicle indicated that she was murdered inside her car.
Investigators determined that Jackie died of blunt force trauma, and she had been raped. Her body had two puncture marks from the lugs on the bumper jack inside her car trunk. The jack had blood and hair on it. Medical examiners were also able to obtain a semen sample from her body.
The Suspects
The first suspect investigators questioned was Jackie’s boyfriend, Cody. He was a cowboy and a ranch hand. People who knew Cody never believed he had anything to do with her murder. They described him as non-violent and not the type to be jealous. His alibi was solid.
Investigators soon learned about a regular customer of Jackie’s at the diner where she worked. He would bring her flowers and candy. Coworkers of Jackie stated that he “kind of freaked them out”. However, the suspect was in jail at the time of Jackie’s murder and was eliminated as a suspect.
Another suspect was Gerald Carnahan, another regular of Jackie’s at the cafe. A tip had come through the tip line that stated around the time Jackie was seen at the convenience store; another distinctive vehicle was seen nearby. A blue 1960’s 1960s-era Chevrolet. Like Jackie’s own distinctive car, everyone in the small town of Nixa knew who owned that Chevrolet. Gerald Carnahan, a well-known man from a wealthy family. Interestingly, everyone also knew that Gerald was the real owner of Jackie’s Camaro.
When Gerald Carnahan was questioned, he told investigators that he knew of her and that she had even worked for him for a short time, but that he was having dinner with his stepdaughter until around 10:45 pm that night.
When Jackie worked for Gerald Carnahan, he repeatedly asked her on dates and flirted with her. It made her extremely uncomfortable, so she quit. Gerald still pursued her despite her many attempts to dissuade his interest.
Eventually, Carnahan’s brother reported to authorities that he saw his brother’s Chevrolet parked next to Jackie’s Camaro around 11 pm the same night of her murder.
However, investigators did not have any evidence linking Gerald Carnahan to the murder. They arrested him at the airport when he was fleeing to his family’s foundry in Thailand for withholding evidence. Police charged him because he lied about knowing Jackie. The charges didn’t stick, and he was released. He was also arrested, later, for attempted kidnapping of a woman in Springfield. He only served two years.
“He was born in a wealthy family and could hire the best defense attorneys you could find,” Darnell Moore, former prosecutor for Greene County
Justice for Jackie
In 2006, prosecutors took another look at the Jackie Johns case. They knew with the advancements in DNA research, the semen sample that was recovered from her body could be tested. Prosecutors obtained a search warrant for Gerald Carnahan’s DNA. When the two samples were tested, they knew who killed Jackie. Gerald Carnahan.
In 2010, Gerald went on trial for the rape and murder of Jackie Johns. The DNA evidence, the witness statements about seeing his vehicle next to hers, and his stepdaughter’s statement that she was wrong about him being home led to his conviction. He received a life sentence without parole.
Sources:
Oxygen True Crime
A&E: 25-Year Mystery Murder Finally Solved- Cold Case Files
Trying to flee to Thailand was so dumb. Might as well be saying "hey I did it! And I am trying to get away."
I wonder about the Camero though, a bent seat AND steering wheel. Man.... That must have been a terrible attack to have that kind of damage in such a small cab.
Gross. Glad he got a life sentence. Poor Jackie. Thanks for telling us about this twisted story.