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Suspect in Roy murder confessed to the killing, police say

Roy Homicide, April 2021
Posted at 7:15 AM, Apr 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-16 10:03:38-04

ROY, Utah — The man accused of murdering another man in Roy last week confessed to the killing, a court document shows.

Daniel Lee Johnson, 48, faces numerous felony charges in connection with the death of 38-year-old Steve Bailey.

Police believe Johnson and Bailey had been arguing about a financial matter prior to the shooting.

According to a probable cause statement, Johnson shot and killed Bailey on April 10, placed the body in a car and concealed the car in an obscure place.

RELATED: Police investigating homicide in Roy; suspect in custody

"Johnson never contacted the police nor did he seek medical attention for the victim," the statement says.

According to Roy Police, the body was discovered Tuesday in Ogden, in a parking lot in the 3200 block of Orchard Ave.

The death had been initially reported as a cardiac arrest. When officers arrived, they found Bailey deceased.

"The position, location, and condition of the body in the vehicle appeared suspicious, but no cause of death could be determined at the time," a news release from Roy PD says.

An autopsy conducted the next day revealed Bailey had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was likely the victim of a homicide.

Police arrested Johnson Wednesday afternoon.

Johnson faces a first-degree felony charge of murder, a second-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony charge of abuse or desecration of a body and a third-degree felony charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.

Police received a report that three children between the ages of nine and 15 were in the home at the time of the murder. Those children have been placed under the care of their mother.