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MAGNA, Utah (ABC4) — Nearly 20 years after Jason Royter was found dead inside his Magna home, police have made an arrest.
Royter was found beaten and stabbed on an August day in 2005. DNA evidence was collected from the scene but was inconclusive at the time. In 2024, that same DNA evidence led to an allegedly positive match with the Combined DNA Index System.
Detectives worked with the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services on the positive match and conducted several interviews eventually leading to the arrest of Mark Nelson Munoz.
Detective Ben Pender, who was one of the first to arrive on the scene back in 2005, reported in arresting documents that Munoz, 51, was not easy to track down. Munoz is reportedly not employed, is homeless, and has a history of leaving the state. He reportedly does not have a phone nor does he have regular contact with his family or friends.
He was finally found on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, nearly 20 years after the murder, and taken into custody. He is not being held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail, pending a pretrial hearing. He faces a first-degree felony murder charge.
ABC4’s Marcos Ortiz spoke with Pender in 2019 when covering the cold case for The Justice Files. At the time Pender believed Royter may have known his would-be killer. Pender told Ortiz that the suspect may have gone to Royter’s house to confront him and not necessarily kill him but then “things got out of hand.”
It is currently unclear if there was a relationship between Royter and Munoz. The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a press conference at 11 a.m. where ABC4 will learn more.
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available.