COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (ABC4) — The Utah woman accused of killing her missing husband allegedly “openly admitted” to shooting him while he slept, according to court documents.
Jennifer Gledhill, 41, was taken into custody on Wednesday, Oct. 2, on one count of first-degree felony murder and one count of second-degree felony obstruction of justice. Formal charges have yet to be filed.
Newly released court documents claim Gledhill told a third party that she had shot her estranged husband in the head in the master bedroom of their Cottonwood Heights home. Gledhill allegedly told the third party she then buried Matthew Johnson in a shallow grave at an undisclosed location before removing and destroying items in the house in an attempt to cover up the crime.
Sgt. Gary Young with the Cottonwood Heights Police Department said detectives have not received a direct confession from Gledhill and officers are still working on locating Johnson’s body.
“Detectives are diligently following [a] myriad [of] leads,” Young told NewsNation affiliate KTVX.
Johnson, a member of the United States Military Special Operations Unit with the Utah National Guard, was reported missing and last seen “on or about” Sept. 20, according to a press release from the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.
Through their investigation, detectives reportedly found a large blood-stained spot underneath the bed in the master bedroom and blood on the bed frame slats. Detectives say evidence collected on the scene also suggests a “significant clean up” including bleaching walls and using carpet cleaning supplies.
A new mattress was also reportedly ordered on Sept. 24, days after Johnson was reported missing.
“It is known that the couple had been considering divorce since July of this year and that they have three minor children, aged 11, 7, and 5 years,” Cottonwood Heights Police said in the release.
Court records show Gledhill had previously filed for a protective order from Johnson. However, on Sept. 16, days before Johnson was allegedly murdered, a court commissioner found there were no cases of domestic violence or abuse that warranted a protective order and the matter was dismissed.
Gledhill has been ordered to be held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.
