A Utah Mom Is Accused of Killing Husband in His Sleep Due to Her Affair. Why Were Her Parents Just Charged?
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10/25/2024 02:39 PM
Authorities allege Thomas Gledhill, 70, and Rosalie Gledhill, 67, helped their daughter, Jennifer Gledhill, cover up the September killing of her husband
KSLTV 5; Cottonwood Heights Police Department
Jennifer Gledhill; Matthew JohnsonThe parents of Jennifer Gledhill, a Utah mother accused of fatally shooting her husband in his sleep after he learned of her extramarital affair, were arrested after authorities allege they helped Gledhill cover up the killing.
Thomas Gledhill, 70, and Rosalie Gledhill, 67, were arrested during traffic stops in Salt Lake County on Thursday, Oct. 24, Cottonwood Heights police said in a press release shared with PEOPLE. They were both booked into jail on multiple felony counts of obstruction of justice in connection with the September death of Matthew Johnson, according to police.
It's unclear if they have entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.
The parents are accused of helping Jennifer clean up the home where authorities believe she shot Johnson on Sept. 21 and dispose of evidence related to the killing. Their arrests come just over a week after the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced that Jennifer had been charged with first-degree murder and other offenses related to her husband's killing.
Related: Utah Wife Accused of Shooting Guardsman Husband While He Slept, as Prosecutors Reveal Alleged Motive
Johnson, a member of the Utah National Guard, was reported missing by Jennifer on Sept. 28, prosecutors previously said in a statement. Jennifer was arrested in early October after an informant who claimed he was having an affair with her told police she allegedly confessed to fatally shooting Johnson in his sleep after he learned about the affair, per the prosecutors.
Utah Third District Court
Jennifer GledhillJennifer also allegedly told the informant that she put her husband's body in a storage container and placed it in their minivan before burying the body in a shallow grave, prosecutors said. When the informant asked her about the bruises on her body, Jennifer allegedly said she got them from cleaning the crime scene and moving the body.
According to two affidavits of probable cause, one for each parent, witnesses allegedly told police that Thomas and Rosalie were seen cleaning at their daughter's home over a five-hour period on Sept. 24, though Rosalie claimed to authorities they were there for about an hour. Both parents denied cleaning the home, according to the affidavits.
Thomas allegedly told investigators during questioning that he didn't remember much about the day, the district attorney's office previously said. Investigators also allege that cell phone data shows Thomas was the only person Jennifer called on the day she's believed to have buried Johnson's body, the affidavit claims.
After authorities searched Jennifer's home, they allegedly found a bloodstained spot on the carpet under the bed in the main bedroom, and noted the wall behind the bed was covered in bleach and that the mattress in the room was new, according to the release. Prosecutors said Gledhill's mother allegedly told investigators that she bought the mattress for Gledhill after she asked her to, the release states.
Prosecutors believe Johnson was killed on a mattress that had been thrown out and remains missing, along with the victim's body, according to the affidavits against the parents.
Testing shows the bloodstain on the carpet was from a "single male source," according to the release, but prosecutors have said further testing is still underway to confirm whether it's a match for Johnson's DNA.
Cottonwood Heights Police Department
Matthew JohnsonRelated: Utah Wife Allegedly Shot Serviceman Husband in Head as He Slept, Then Tried to Cover It Up
Authorities also executed a search warrant at Gledhill's parents' home in early October and claimed they found a plastic tote with a loaded gun similar to what she had allegedly shown to the informant on Sept. 19, according to the release.
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Authorities claimed in the affidavits that both parents have not cooperated with the investigation, nor provided any information leading to the location of Johnson's body.
"We urge the public to refrain from drawing any conclusions as this investigation and prosecution are ongoing," Cottonwood Heights police said in the release.
According to ABC 4 and KUTV, a judge has ordered Jennifer to not have contact with her three children. It's unclear if she has entered a plea and PEOPLE has not been able to identify an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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