Utah mom accused of killing National Guard husband enters plea as police search for body

Fox News

18-02-2025

A Utah mom accused of killing her husband in September 2024 pleaded not guilty to nine counts earlier this month as officials continue to search for the Utah National Guardsman's body, according to local news.
Jennifer Gledhill pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, five counts of obstruction of justice, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, abuse of a human body and tampering with a witness, filed in Salt Lake County , in connection with Matthew Johnson's disappearance and presumed death.
Gledhill appeared in court on Feb. 6, wearing a navy jumpsuit and shackles with her hair tied in a bun. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing, FOX 13 Salt Lake City reported.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital last year state that Gledhill was "very calculating in her crimes in that she arranged for the children to stay with her parents during the evening Matthew was killed" around Sept. 20, 2024, when he was last seen.
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Her parents, Thomas and Rosalie Gledhill, face obstruction of justice charges.
Johnson was initially considered missing for days when a member of the Utah National Guard contacted the Cottonwood Heights Police Department on Sept. 25 asking for a wellness check on Johnson, stating he had not come into work, "which was very unusual," a probable cause affidavit states.
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On Sept. 28, Gledhill reported her husband missing to police, saying she had not heard from him since Sept. 20. She also claimed "Matthew told her that he was going to be gone for a week and not to call him." She seemed "distracted and at times nervous" during the call, according to court documents.
An informant then came forward to police with information about Gledhill, saying he was having an extramarital affair with her. He told Cottonwood Heights police that on Sunday, Sept. 22, Gledhill came over to his house and told him that she was "likely going away for a long time."
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Gledhill apparently told her lover that she and Johnson had gotten in a fight on Sept. 20 "because he knew she had been sleeping with someone else," and allegedly went on to admit to the informant that on the evening of Sept. 21, she shot her husband in the head with his 9 mm Glock "as he slept in their shared bed."
She allegedly further told her lover "that she loaded Matthew's body into a rooftop storage container, slid him down the stairs by herself, and loaded him into the back of her minivan." She said she then transported Johnson's body "north, dug a hole, and buried him in a shallow grave," court documents state.
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Johnson's body has yet to be recovered, though detectives found his truck located 0.3 miles from his home with his cellphone inside the vehicle.
In text and WhatsApp messages, Gledhill allegedly told her lover that if she were told a story like the one she told him, "she would take it to the grave," the probable cause affidavit says.
A neighbor told police that on Sept. 24, she saw Gledhill's parents inside the home "cleaning" the garage and "moving things around."
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While serving a search warrant at Gledhill's residence, detectives noticed that the mattress in the master bedroom "appeared to be brand new."
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"Additionally, the entire wall behind the master bed appeared to have fresh wipe marks from cleaning. Several reddish-brown spots were located on the walls, bed frame, and blinds of the master bedroom. Detectives noted that the wall behind the master bed was covered in bleach," court documents states.
Investigators also noted "a strong smell of chlorine in the basement" and bleach stains on "several stairs" with black carpeting.
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During a search of the suspect's vehicle, detectives located bags of what appeared to be drugs that were packaged "for individual sale" and about $200 in cash.
Police also served a search warrant at Gledhill's parents' home, where they located a tote bag by the room she would sleep in containing "a Glock 19X gun box (green/tan in color) with one of the handles broken," which was "wrapped in a child's onesie."
Gledhill's cellphone records show that "at no point" after Sept. 21, when her husband last communicated with friends and family, "did she ever attempt to contact" Johnson, prosecutors said.
The suspect's mother told detectives she went to her daughter's home on Sept. 24 and admitted to purchasing a new mattress from Amazon at Gledhill's request.
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When police asked the suspect's father if he entered the master bedroom, he responded, "I did not go in where the incident happened."
Gledhill previously made "unsuccessful attempts to secure a protective order against Matthew during the course of their marriage and was found by the Court to be an instigator and one to goad Matthew into a response in order to get him in trouble," according to records obtained by prosecutors.
Gledhill's attorney, Jeremy Deus, could not immediately be reached for comment.