The final suspect in the disappearance and homicide of a 38-year-old Salt Lake City man was charged in 3rd District court on Friday.
Allison Wells, 37, was one of five suspects arrested and charged following the disappearance of Jason Nakonechni and the discovery of his remains in Tooele County on Nov. 22. A warrant had been issued for Wells but she was not arrested and charged with the four other suspects last month.
Wells, of Salt Lake City, was charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping last Friday. It is the same charge leveled against the four other suspects: Corey Lee Petersen, 53, of West Valley City; Marilee Joann Borden, 43, of Salt Lake City; Michael Shaine Snyder, 40, of Salt Lake City; and Rodney Maxwell, 35, of West Jordan.
The Salt Lake City Police Department was investigating the disappearance of Nakonechni, who was last seen by his mother on Sept. 2, when a confidential informant said his body could be found in Tooele County. His body was recovered about 200 yards off of Mormon Trail Road near the intersection of Box Elder Canyon Road in an excavation site, according to Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer.
After Nakonenchni’s body was recovered, the four suspects were put in custody and a warrant was issued for Wells; they were subsequently charged in Salt Lake District Court.
Police believe that Nakonechni was murdered sometime around when he was reported missing, which is nearly two months prior to the recovery of his body in Tooele County.
According to a probable cause statement from Salt Lake City police, Nakonechni planned to meet with Borden at a Salt Lake County motel on Sept. 4. His vehicle had been found abandoned and set on fire the following day, three days after his mother last saw him.
Borden told police she met Nakonechni at the motel and when they entered the room, Nakonechni was attacked by three individuals waiting inside, the statement said. Nakonechni nearly escaped but was pulled back into the room and beaten, leaving him bleeding and missing several teeth, Borden told police.
The assailants then brought Nakonechni to Petersen’s home in Salt Lake County to “get it straightened out,” according to the probable cause statement. A witness in Petersen’s home said they saw an injured man identified as Nakonechni and they had heard Petersen say Nakonechni owed him money previously.
Salt Lake City police detectives found social media messages between Nakonechni and Petersen in which Petersen accused Nakonechni of stealing from him, the probable cause statement said.