The Murder of Brittany Royal
Warning, this case discusses the topic of suicide.
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder in Paradise. It’s season 2 episode 1, titled ‘Murder Isle.’
A young pregnant woman is found dead in Hawaii.
Background
Brittany Jane Royal was originally from California, but her free spirit led her to Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii. Big Island is home to Mt. Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano.
Brittany was a free spirit, and had goals to open up her own yoga studio one day. Brittany wasn’t afraid to be different, and often didn’t follow the usual rules of society.
Brittany Royal
A New Relationship
In January 2013, Brittany arrived in Hawaii. Soon after arriving, she met a young man named Boaz Johnson, who was 22. The two really hit it off, and soon they started dating.
Boaz was an arctic fisherman from Alaska. He was also a free spirit, and the two of them really enjoyed playing music together. Boaz came to Hawaii to look for land to purchase.
About two months into their relationship, Brittany discovered she was pregnant. They were both really excited to become parents, and their families were excited for them. It seemed like Brittany and Boaz were ready to settle, and start their family. However, things weren’t all rainbows and butterflies.
Brittany and Boaz Johnson
The Discovery
On May 28, 2013, a tour boat guide named Henry Pomroy, was out with a passenger around 6am. The two spotted a fisherman reeling something in, but it wasn't a fish. It was a body. The fisherman wanted nothing to do with it, so they fled. Henry called the local police.
While Henry and his passenger were waiting for the rescue helicopter, a large shark swam up near the victim. She had a large laceration on her head, so the two men feared that the shark would affect the crime scene. They tried to keep the shark away from the victim as long as they could by poking it with anything they had on the boat. The rescue helicopter arrived about 4o minutes after Henry contacted the police.
The two men, and the police described the victim as being a slender young woman, with short dark hair, and a tattoo on her lower back. The information was put out on their website in hopes that someone could identify her.
The Missing Boyfriend
That same day, Boaz was supposed to be meet with a relator about the land he wanted to purchase. Boaz never showed up for his 12pm appointment.
The relator contacted Boaz’s sister, Ruth, and told her that Boaz didn’t show up. The Johnson family was shocked. Boaz’s dad had spoken to him the previous day, and said he wouldn’t have missed the appointment.
Ruth decided to look at the local police website, and saw that the body of a woman had been found. It matched Brittany’s description. She sent Julie, Brittany’s mom, a Facebook message asking her to call her. Ruth described the woman they had found. Julie said when she heard the details about Brittany’s tattoo she knew it was her. The tattoo read ‘Veritas,’ which means truth in Latin.
Now, Brittany had been identified. Her mom contacted the police to identify her. But, Boaz was missing. The police put up posters around the area about Brittany and Boaz, and hoped that people would come forward with any information.
The Theories
The police were out searching the area, and came across a campsite. In the campsite, they found a backpack and Boaz’s ID. They saw what looked like drag marks that led to the ocean, and a cord. The police had also found hair and tissue, so it was pretty obvious that it was a gruesome crime scene.
Brittany’s autopsy revealed that she had been strangled. The cord was compared to Brittany’s ligature marks. It was determined that the cord could’ve been used to strangle her.
The news of Boaz’s disappearance spread all over the island. Many people thought Boaz was a victim, where as some thought he could have killed Brittany. There were rumors that a shark ate Boaz, and that they were killed because some of the local tour guides didn’t want any outsiders on their land.
There were many tips about possible sightings of Boaz, including a sighting of a man that resembled him at the airport.
One tip came from someone that said he had talked to Boaz on the morning that Brittany’s body was discovered. They said Boaz had answered his phone on May 28 around 8am. They said Boaz told them that they were having a good time.
The Johnson family believed Boaz was most likely a victim too. They didn’t believe the phone call occurred. They said if Boaz was alive, he wouldn’t have gone this long without speaking to them.
The Tour Guides
Many people came forward, including Boaz’s sister, Ruth, about how they were treated by the local tour guides.
Boaz had lived with his sister on the island when he first arrived. Ruth said she and Boaz had taken some friends to see the lava. She said that one of the tour guides showed up at her house several times to threaten her. The man claimed that they were stealing money from his pockets. Ruth said that they had taken their friends out, so they weren’t being paid for the tour.
Another man came forward and said he was also threatened. He said he had been assaulted by some locals. The Johnson’s wrote online that Boaz had probably been killed by the local tour guide that threatened him and his sister.
In mid September, a local woman named Tiffany received a strange letter. The letter detailed gruesome details that Boaz was killed by 5 people, and chopped up. The letter said that Boaz refused to pay $1,000 a month to the local tour guides. The letter also uses a racial innuendo, Puna is for the pono, which meant that the locals didn’t want any Caucasians around. The letter was handed over to the police, but nothing came of it.
Some strange posters were also put up. Someone had taken some pages from art history books, and wrote things like ‘Bo was killed,’ and ‘who killed Boaz and the baby?’
One of the strange posters that was put up in the area
The Truth is Revealed
On January 2, 2014, a man was walking in the woods, and made a discovery. It was a man hanging in the trees. The victim had obviously been out there awhile, and he was described as very gaunt looking.
The victim was identified as Boaz Johnson, through his dental records and DNA.
Near his body, the police found a suicide note that was 3 pages long. In the note, Boaz described what happened on May 27, 2013.
He said he and Brittany began arguing. He said she told him that she didn’t know if she wanted the baby. Boaz said Brittany started to walk away, and he snapped. He grabbed a cord, and strangled her with it. He then drug her over to the ledge, and pushed her into the ocean. He knew that there were rocks and sharks in the water, and believed no one would find her.
Boaz admitted that he did answer the phone call the next morning. He discovered that Brittany had been found. He said he was waiting in the bushes, and watched the police activity. He then made the decision to end his life.
Boaz had killed himself two days after he killed Brittany. He was 22, and she was 25.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Not only did he make the decision to kill Brittany, but he made the decision to kill their unborn child. He thought Brittany was going to leave him, and he was probably right. Brittany was a free spirit, but her family believes she didn’t want to live in a tent with a child on the way. It was hot, and she was uncomfortable from her pregnancy. I’m sure they could’ve either talked or worked things out, but instead, he decided to take both of their lives.
My heart breaks for both families. I wonder if the Johnson’s still think that Boaz was killed by someone else, or if they had come to terms with it. It’s a hard thing to come to terms with, but if we believe that the note was written by Boaz, then he admitted it.
Sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-dead-body-note-help-solve-hawaii-murder-case/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/24514672/brittany-jane-royal-murder-solved/
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brittanyjane-royal-solved-hawaii-20140122-story.html
https://bigislandnow.com/2014/01/21/police-say-boaz-johnson-killed-royal-then-committed-suicide/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/family-woman-murdered-hawaii-call-mystery-surreal/story?id=21224362
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brittany-royal-murder_n_4158828
