Current:Home > StocksUtah woman arrested after telling informant she shot her estranged husband in his sleep -MoneyBase
Utah woman arrested after telling informant she shot her estranged husband in his sleep
View
Date:2025-04-16 00:16:52
A Utah woman has been arrested for investigation of murder after she told a confidential informant that she shot her estranged husband in his sleep and buried him in a shallow grave but did not disclose the location, police said.
Jennifer Gledhill, 41 of Cottonwood Heights, was arrested Wednesday and is jailed in Salt Lake County without bond, according to court records.
The body of Matthew Johnson, 51, had not been found as of Thursday, police said. The Utah National Guard member was reportedly shot late Sept. 20 or early Sept. 21, the informant told police Sept. 28 — six days after Gledhill “openly admitted” to killing Johnson, police records said.
Gledhill said she shot Johnson on the bed, buried his body and removed items from the house and destroyed them to cover up the crime, the informant said.
A search of the house found a bloodstain on the carpet under the bed, blood on the bed frame and evidence the wall had been bleached. Gledhill also had a new mattress, according to documents supporting her arrest.
Johnson has had no contact with anyone since Sept. 20, and he did not report to work Sept. 23, officials said. Investigators believe he is dead.
Other court records indicate the couple was going through a contentious divorce and a custody dispute involving their three children. Gledhill had obtained a temporary protective order against Johnson in late August, but a permanent order was denied Sept. 16 — just days before the shooting — after the court commissioner watched videos that Gledhill had taken of arguments and reviewed text message exchanges between the two.
Commissioner Russell Minas determined that no abuse had occurred. Glehill was equally confrontational, Minas said, and seeking a restraining order appeared to be “a litigation tactic” in their pending divorce, which had been filed in July.
“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,” Minas wrote.
Gledhill’s attorneys in the restraining order and divorce cases declined to comment Thursday. No attorney is listed for her in court records.
veryGood! (37)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Surprise snow? Storm dumps flakes over about a dozen states.
- An ecstatic Super Bowl rally, upended by the terror of a mass shooting. How is Kansas City faring?
- Spring sports tryout tips: Be early, be prepared, be confident
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Alabama Barker Responds to Claim She Allegedly Had A Lot of Cosmetic Surgery
- In MLB jersey controversy, cheap-looking new duds cause a stir across baseball
- Explosion at Virginia home kills 1 firefighter and hospitalizes 9 firefighters and 2 civilians
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- When does The Equalizer Season 4 start? Cast, premiere date, how to watch and more
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Prosecutor: Grand jury decides against charges in troopers’ shooting of 2 after pursuit, kidnapping
- Officer shot and suspect critically wounded in exchange of gunfire in Pennsylvania, authorities say
- George Kliavkoff out as Pac-12 commissioner as the full conference enters final months
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Albuquerque Police Department Chief crashes into vehicle while avoiding gunfire
- Will NFL players participate in first Olympics flag football event in 2028?
- Derek Hough 'can't wait' to make tour return after wife Hayley Erbert's health scare
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Albuquerque Police Department Chief crashes into vehicle while avoiding gunfire
Before Katy Perry's farewell season of 'American Idol,' judges spill show secrets
A man in Iran guns down 12 relatives in a shooting rampage with a Kalashnikov rifle
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
Leaking underground propane tank found at Virginia home before deadly house explosion
UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers is returning for another season: 'Not done yet'
Sleater-Kinney talk pronouncing their name the secret of encores