Roy, Utah resident Jonathan Allen Dunn, 36, faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, following an incident resulting in a toddler’s death and severe injury to his twin sister.
Court documents reveal that Dunn, previously convicted of child abuse in 2017, was babysitting the twins on the evening of December 20 when he began assaulting them. The affidavit of probable cause states Dunn confessed to excessively hitting, pinching, throwing the children onto a bed, and pushing them into a door frame, as well as administering children’s Tylenol and sleep medicines.
The affidavit also alleges Dunn pinched the genitalia of both children and struck their heads with a hard foam mallet and a Nerf gun’s butt. Dunn contacted emergency services on the morning of December 21 after finding Aleister Kunzler unresponsive and his sister critically injured. Police found Aleister lifeless on the porch and his sister on the couch with significant facial bruising. Aleister was declared dead, and his sister was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage.
In response, the community has shown support for the family. A GoFundMe campaign led by Shaylee Lindsey aims to cover funeral costs, medical expenses, and support for Aleister’s sisters. The fundraiser has raised almost $10,000.
Dunn, potentially facing the death penalty, has a prior child abuse conviction. In 2016, he was sentenced to two years in prison for breaking a child’s arm and was released in April 2019. He was under parole until December 2021, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.
This case has heightened concerns about child safety under the supervision of individuals with abuse histories. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with more details expected.