A Utah mother allegedly shot her missing husband to death in his bed in September and tried to destroy the evidence, according to Cottonwood Heights police.
Salt Lake County authorities charged Jennifer Gledhill with first-degree murder, five counts of obstruction of justice, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, abuse of a person and tampering with a witness.
A Salt Lake County judge also said in court documents obtained by FOX News Digital that prosecutors were “very calculated in committing the crime in that they arranged for the children to stay with their parents the night Matthew was murdered.” The prosecutor ordered him to be held without bail. . ”
Gledhill's husband, Matthew Johnson, was initially thought to be missing for several days when the Utah National Guard contacted the Cottonwood Heights Police Department on Sept. 25 and asked for a welfare check because Johnson had not shown up for work. It was getting worse. is unusual,” the probable cause affidavit states.
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Matthew Johnson's friends and family last heard from him on September 21, and he is now presumed dead. (Cottonwood Heights PD)
Gledhill reported her husband missing to police on September 28th and said she had not heard from him since September 20th. He also claimed that “Matthew asked me not to call him because he would be away for a week.'' She appeared “distracted and nervous at times” during the call, according to court documents.
A informant then came forward to police with information about Gledhill, saying he was having an affair with her. An informant told Cottonwood Heights police that Gledhill came to his home on Sunday, Sept. 22, and told him he was “probably going to be gone for a long time.”
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She told the informant that she had gotten into an argument with Johnson on Sept. 20 because “he knew she was sleeping with another man,” and that on the night of Sept. 21, she had gotten into an argument with Johnson. Johnson also allegedly admitted to the altercation. She shot her husband in the head with a 9mm Glock while they were “sleeping in their shared bed.”
She also told the informant that she “loaded Matthew's body into a storage container on the roof, slid it down the stairs by herself, and placed it in the back of a minivan.”
Gledhill said he took Johnson's body “north, dug a hole and buried it in a shallow grave,” court documents state.
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Police said Jennifer Gledhill apparently told her boyfriend that she shot her husband in the head. (FOX 13 Salt Lake City)
Johnson's body has not yet been recovered, but detectives found his truck a half-mile from his home with a cell phone inside.
The probable cause affidavit says Gledhill told the informant in text messages and WhatsApp messages that if he heard a story like the one he told, he would “take it to his grave.”
“I washed and vacuumed everything, so it's no longer a problem.”
Neighbors told police they saw Gledhill's parents inside the house on September 24th “cleaning out” the garage and “moving things around.”
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While serving a search warrant at the Gledhill residence, detectives noticed that the mattress in the master bedroom “appeared to be new.”
Gledhill allegedly told the informant that he loaded Matthew's body into a storage container on the roof, slid it down the stairs and into the back of his minivan. Gledhill said he took Johnson's body “north, dug a hole and buried it in a shallow grave,” court documents said. (FOX 13 Salt Lake City)
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“Additionally, the entire wall behind the master bed appeared to have fresh cleaning marks. There were some reddish-brown spots on the master bedroom wall, bed frame, and blinds. Detective. noted that the wall behind the master bed was dirty and “covered in bleach,” court documents state.
Investigators also noted a “strong odor of chlorine in the basement” and bleach stains on “several staircases” with black carpet.
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Upon searching the suspect's vehicle, detectives found bags of what appeared to be narcotics packaged for “personal sale” and approximately $200 in cash.
Police also executed a search warrant at Gledhill's parents' home and found a tote bag containing a “Glock 19X gun box (green/tan color) with one of the handles broken” near Gledhill's sleeping room. Wrapped in a child's costume. ”
Jennifer Gledhill previously tried unsuccessfully to obtain a restraining order against Matthew Johnson. (FOX 13 Salt Lake City)
Prosecutors said Gledhill's cell phone records show that her husband “has not attempted to contact Johnson at any time” since September 21, when he last contacted friends and family. It has been shown that
Gledhill's mother admitted to detectives that she went to her daughter's home on September 24 and purchased a new mattress from Amazon at Gledhill's request.
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When police asked the suspect's father if he went into the master bedroom, he replied, “I did not go into the area where the incident occurred.”
According to the records obtained, Gledhill had previously tried unsuccessfully to obtain a non-disclosure order against Matthew during their marriage, but was deemed by the court to be an instigator and a person who provoked responses in order to embarrass Matthew. certified” by the prosecutor.
“The evidence that the defendant obstructed the investigation by removing the mattress that he admitted to an informant that he shot Matthew while he was sleeping and replacing it with a new mattress a few days later is important,” prosecutors said.
Investigators have collected samples of the carpet that tested positive for human blood droplets and are awaiting DNA test results. FOX News Digital reached out to the Gled Hill Law Offices.
“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Matthew Johnson, a member of the Utah National Guard as well as the father and son. Our office will continue to work with the investigation to seek justice for Mr. Johnson. We will continue to work closely with the authorities,” Salt said. Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in an Oct. 15 statement. “I would like to thank the Cottonwood Heights Police Department detectives for their efforts in working with prosecutors to gather the evidence necessary for prosecution. All those accused of wrongdoing will not be proven guilty in court. presumed innocent.”
