A Tragic Turn: Herriman Man Charged with Murder in Fatal Stabbing

The quiet of a Herriman home was irrevocably shattered on the evening of February 24th. It was Adam Omar Tawasha, then 30 years old, who placed the frantic 911 call, reportedly telling dispatchers that 26-year-old Alexus Danesha Lavell Johnson was "bleeding badly." A phrase that, in hindsight, starkly understated the grim reality emergency responders would soon encounter.

Upon arrival, the scene that greeted law enforcement officers and paramedics was one of profound tragedy. Alexus Johnson was found lifeless in the living room, having sustained multiple sharp-force injuries. It was immediately clear that this was far more than a simple assault; indeed, a homicide investigation was swiftly launched, casting a somber shadow over the Herriman community.

Tawasha, identified as the reporting party and initially a person of interest, was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail that very same night on suspicion of domestic violence aggravated assault. However, as investigators began to piece together the harrowing story behind Alexus's death, the charges against him escalated dramatically. On March 4th, Adam Omar Tawasha was formally charged with murder, a first-degree felony.

The path to these murder charges was paved with shifting narratives from Tawasha himself. Initially, he allegedly told detectives a somewhat bizarre story: that Johnson had been injured by falling glass after he had thrown a "dab rig" – a device used for consuming cannabis concentrates. He claimed this had caused her injuries. Yet, this account seemed to unravel under scrutiny, especially when faced with the nature of Johnson's wounds and, notably, injuries found on Tawasha's own hands and fingers.

As the investigation progressed, Tawasha's story reportedly changed. He then claimed that he had acted in self-defense, asserting that Alexus had been the aggressor, allegedly attacking him first with a knife. He portrayed himself as merely defending his own life in a desperate struggle. However, the severity and number of Alexus's sharp-force injuries, when contrasted with the relatively minor wounds Tawasha sustained, raised significant questions about the credibility of his self-defense claim.

Adding another layer of troubling context to the case, a friend of Alexus Johnson's provided statements to police, describing a history of alleged violence from Tawasha towards Alexus. Furthermore, it came to light that Alexus had previously sought a protective order against Tawasha, an attempt that was, heartbreakingly, denied. This prior history paints a picture of a relationship potentially fraught with peril, culminating in this devastating outcome.

With the formal charge of murder now filed, Adam Omar Tawasha awaits the legal process. This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the often-hidden struggles within relationships and the profound ripple effects of violence, leaving a family grieving and a community searching for answers and justice.