COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (Scripps News Salt Lake City) — Court documents reveal why police believe the wife of a Utah National Guardsman killed him and tried to cover up his death.
Last week, authorities arrested Jennifer Gledhill on charges of murder and obstruction of justice. She’s accused of killing Matthew Johnson, who was reported missing Sept. 23 after he didn’t show up to work at his Utah National Guard base.
Police asked for the public’s help and said his disappearance appeared suspicious. His truck was found a few blocks from his home in Cottonwood Heights.
Matthew Johnson (Cottonwood Heights Police)
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Police determined that he was last seen on Sept. 20, and witnesses told investigators that Johnson and Gledhill had an argument sometime between Sept. 20-21. Cottonwood Heights Police also said officers had previously been called to the family’s home, and they knew the couple was considering a divorce. They have three kids together.
According to the court documents, on Sept. 24, Gledhill came into the Cottonwood Heights Police Department to report an incident that occurred on or about September 20 or 21 between her and Johnson.
Four days later, police came in contact with a confidential informant who reported speaking with Gledhill on Sept. 22. The informant claimed that Gledhill openly admitted to killing Johnson by shooting him in the head as he slept on a mattress inside the master bedroom of the home they shared.
Gledhill also allegedly revealed to the informant that she had removed Johnson’s body and relocated his remains to a shallow grave at an undisclosed location. She also allegedly removed items from the home and destroyed them to cover up the crime.
Investigators believe the remains of Johnson are at the same undisclosed location described by the informant. That location has not been released and police say Johnson’s body has still not been found.
During the search of their shared home, investigators found a large blood-stained spot in the master bedroom carpet underneath the bed. Blood was also found on the bed frame slats, which supports what the informant told police. Police said evidence found at the scene supports that significant clean-up had taken place following the alleged murder including bleaching of the walls, and using carpet cleaning supplies.
The mattress located in the bedroom was found to be a new one. Investigators say Gledhill’s phone records showed she had ordered a new mattress on Sept. 24 and it arrived two days later.
Police added that since Sept. 21, Johnson had no contact with anyone, including his children, and that his phone would go to voicemail. Johnson never returned to work and left no evidence that would lead investigators to believe he was still alive. Due to those factors, investigators were comfortable saying that he was deceased.
Police asked the court to deny bail to Gledhill as under the charges she currently faces she could spend the rest of her life in prison. They added that the criminal informant was told by Gledhill that she would shoot herself before going to jail. The court agreed to deny her bail.
“We want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the families, especially to the Johnson children. These unfortunate tragedies tear apart the fabric of our families,” the Cottonwood Heights Police Department said in the announcement. “We extend our gratitude to our partners at the DA Office, State Crime Lab, and Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office for their efforts.”
This story was originally published by Scripps News Salt Lake City, an E.W. Scripps Company.
