The Murder of Jace Ernst
For this case I watched an episode of Fear Thy Roommate. It’s season 1 episode 8, titled ‘Not in My House.’
A 25 year old man is killed after having a fight with his roommate.
Background
Jace Trevon Ernst had just recently moved back to Las Vegas after a breakup. He was excited to go back to school, earn his GED and find a new job.
Jace was described as funny, loud and outgoing. He loved to make people laugh, but could sometimes offend people with his words. He didn’t try to, but he could be abrasive.
Jace Ernst
Roommates or More Than Friends?
When Jace moved back to Las Vegas, he moved in with a friend and her mom, in a home on Cheyenne Avenue. Another friend that Jace knew when he was younger named Dymund Ellis also moved in with them.
Dymund and Jace hit it off. They would joke around together, and flirt, but they also knew how to push each other’s buttons. Many of their friends believed something was going on between them, but they always denied it.
Jace was known to talk to several other girls, and some believed it was so he wouldn’t catch feelings for Dymund. Dymund became infatuated with Jace, and would often try to see who he was texting on his phone. Jace’s uncle David Drew, said that Jace was often very paranoid, and believe Dymund was following him everywhere he went.
The Situation Escalates
There weren’t too many rules for Dymund and Jace while they were living with their friends. The only rules were that they needed to cook and clean once in awhile. However, neither one seemed to like to do that. They were told many times that they needed to do more around the house.
Jace and Dymund had a “Jekyll and Hyde” relationship. They would go from fighting to smiling and laughing, like nothing ever happened. This soon changed when Dymund locked Jace out of the home one day, and hit him with a frying pan on a separate occasion.
Jace felt like the living situation was becoming too claustrophobic. He was often blamed for a lot of the incidents that happened. He and Dymund were both told that they needed to stop the fighting or find somewhere else to live.
Jace became more unfocused, and his grades began to slide. He told his uncle that he wanted to live with him, and he was preparing to pack his things and leave once and for all.
The Murder
On May 4, 2018, Dymund was at home watching tv with her friends. Jace walked into the room, and was talking loudly on the phone. Dymund asked Jace if he could be quiet, and when he didn’t she threw a cup of water at him.
Jace called Dymund a bitch, and according to her friend, she went ballistic. She left the room, and came back with something in her hand. It was a knife, and she stabbed Jace once in the chest.
The friends called the police, and told them that Jace was lying in a pool of blood and foaming at the mouth. The 911 call was played, and the friends can be heard telling the dispatcher to “send a f****** ambulance.”
Dymund then hid the murder weapon in her bedroom, and changed her clothes before the police arrived.
Jace died on the way to the University Medical Center, and Dymund was taken into custody.
Dymund’s Story
At the police station, the police asked Dymund what happened. She said she and Jace always argued, but that it never went that far. Dymund said she grabbed a knife to scare him, but felt disrespect when he called her a bitch.
The friends in their interview told a different story. According to them, Dymund told Jace that she would end his life, and he told her to do it. She stabbed him, and he paced back and forth until he passed out. He then hit the stove and landed on his stomach.
Dymund told the police that she had anger issues, and always tried to work on them. She finally realized after she stabbed Jace that she was going to jail.
Trial and Sentencing
Dymund was charged with murder with a deadly weapon.
At her trial, she pleaded insanity. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and murder with a deadly weapon. She was charged with 5-20 years, and will be eligible for parole in 2028.
The sentencing put a strain on Jace’s family and friends. They think Dymund’s punishment should be much more severe.
Dymund Ellis
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don’t believe she was insane when she killed him. I don’t think it was premeditated, but I believe that she was angry enough at him to stab him and kill him. They shouldn’t have been living in the same home, and should have been separated after the first violent fight.
I understand that their friend wanted to help them, and I don’t blame anyone but Dymund. She deserves to be in prison a lot longer than the sentence she is going to get. I hope she can control her anger when and if she does get out, otherwise someone else will be in danger.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-jace-ernst-die-who-killed-him-where-is-dymund-ellis-now/
