A mother-of-three has been accused of shooting her husband dead while he slept in their bed and then covering her tracks by reporting him missing and buying a new mattress – before allegedly confessing to an informant to committing the grisly crime.
Jennifer Gledhill, 41, of Cottonwood Heights, Utah, was arrested on Wednesday and booked under investigation for the murder of her estranged husband Matthew Johnson, 51.
Gledhill allegedly killed Johnson – a Utah National Guard member – late on September 20 or early on September 21, by shooting him in the head while he slept in the master bedroom of their home, according to an affidavit, seen by The Associated Press.
Witnesses told police that the couple – who began divorce proceedings in July – had been heard arguing on the night of September 20, reported KSL.
According to the affidavit, an informant told police Gledhill had “openly admitted” to killing Johnson, before burying his body in a “shallow grave” in an undisclosed location.
She then allegedly tried to cover up the crime by bleaching the walls and buying a replacement mattress.
Johnson never showed up to work on September 23 and Gledhill reported him missing to Cottonwood Heights Police.
His disappearance was marked as “suspicious” after his red truck was discovered close to the family home, reported KSL.
After the informant came forward to police, a search was carried out on the family home.
Inside, police found “a bloodstain on the carpet under the bed”, blood splatters on the bed frame and evidence that someone had tried to scrub the walls clean, the documents state.
Johnson’s body has not been found.
Court records, seen by KSL, reveal that Johnson and Gledhill had been going through a contentious divorce and were fighting over custody of their three kids, aged 11, 7, and 5.
Gledhill had sought a temporary restraining order against her husband at the end of August – but it was denied on September 16.
Utah State Courts Commissioner Russell Minas determined that there was no evidence of abuse in the relationship and that Gledhill was equally confrontational. According to the court records, Gledhill had recorded videos of the couple arguing and sent text messages to Johnson “repeatedly berating, belittling and demeaning… if not outright attempting to goad him into a violent response.”
Her attempt to seek a protective order was perceived to be “a litigation tactic” during the divorce process, Minas found.
He said: “The conduct of the parties over the past several months is representative of a highly dysfunctional marriage bringing out the worst in the parties – clearly suggestive that an action for divorce should have been filed long before reaching the current state of affairs.”
Gledhill is now being held without bond at Salt Lake County Adult Detention Center on charges of murder and obstruction of justice.
“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,” Cottonwood Heights Police Department said.
