Charges filed against Utah woman accused of murdering, burying husband

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A woman was charged Tuesday with nine felonies in connection to the disappearance and death of her husband in Cottonwood Heights after an informant allegedly told police she admitted to killing him.

According to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill , Jennifer Gledhill, 41, is facing several felonies including first-degree murder after she allegedly shot her husband, Matthew Johnson, and buried him in a shallow grave last month.

The charges hinge on a statement from a man who claims to have been having an extramarital affair with Gledhill. The informant alleges that Gledhill told him Johnson confronted her about having an affair on Sept. 20.

The informant told Cottonwood Heights police Gledhill admitted to shooting Johnson while he slept on Sept. 21, according to the district attorney.

Gledhill allegedly put Johnson’s body in a rooftop storage container and slid it down the stairs and into the back of their minivan, the informant said. She then allegedly smashed her husband’s phone and drove his truck to a different part of the neighborhood.

Gledhill is then accused of driving the body north and burying him “in a shallow grave,” authorities said. A car wash camera later filmed her “thoroughly” cleaning out her vehicle. Authorities have not yet located Johnson’s body.

“The informant said that he noticed bruises all over the defendant’s body, and when asked about them, the defendant said they were from moving Mr. Johnson’s body and cleaning their house,” the AG’s statement reads.

According to court documents, Gledhill told the informant “she assumed he would be like her and if her friend told her a hypothetical story, she would say, ‘Let me get my shovel!’ and take the information to her grave.”

The informant told police he didn’t come forward sooner because he didn’t know if she “was telling the truth.” He provided screenshots of messages and recorded phone calls to detectives.

Detectives said they searched the home and identified a brand-new mattress, “reddish-brown spots” on the wall and bed frame, bleach covering the wall behind the bed, and bleach stains on the stairs. They tested a section of the carpet behind the bedframe and it reportedly tested positive for male human blood, but detectives have yet to confirm the identity.

A witness allegedly told police they saw Gledhill’s relatives cleaning her house until 11 p.m. on Sept. 24, three days after Johnson’s death and two days after Gledhill spoke with the informant.

The relatives told police they were at her home that day but only for an hour. One family member said they bought Gledhill a new mattress after she asked her for one.

When police asked one of the family members involved if they were at her home and went into the master bedroom that day, they allegedly said, “I did not go in where the incident happened.”

Detectives searched the family members’ home and located a plastic tote with a gun box wrapped in an infant onesie. Authorities say the gun box was consistent with the model and color of a gun that she had shown the informant several days prior to the alleged murder.

Phone data shows Gledhill never attempted to contact her husband after Sept. 21. Friends and family told authorities they have not heard from Johnson since that day.

Documents say the missing person investigation began on Sept. 25 when the Utah National Guard called the police requesting assistance in locating Johnson after he did not come into work. When police contacted Gledhill, she reported her husband as missing, allegedly telling police they had a fight and he “told her he would be gone for a week and not to call him.”

In addition to first-degree murder, Gill said Gledhill is facing five counts of second-degree felony obstruction of justice, one count of second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute, one count of third-degree felony desecration of a human body, and one count of third-degree felony witness tampering.”

“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Mr. Matthew Johnson, not only a father and son but a member of the Utah National Guard. Our office will continue to work closely with investigators as we seek justice for Mr. Johnson,” Gill said.

Sorina Trauntvein contributed to reporting.

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