A mother from Utah, Jennifer Gledhill, has been denied bail following serious accusations regarding the death of her husband. Gledhill, 42, was charged with killing her husband, 51-year-old Utah National Guardsman Matthew Johnson, after it was alleged he uncovered her affair.
During a detention hearing on February 28, prosecutor Emily Paulos revealed that Gledhill confessed to an informant about the murder. She reportedly stated that she shot Johnson while he was asleep in their bedroom on September 22, 2024, just days before he was reported missing.
Paulos described in court how Gledhill supposedly told the informant that she moved Johnson’s body, placing it in a rooftop storage container, and then loading it into her minivan. She allegedly confessed to later burying him in a shallow grave and cleaning up the scene.
According to the prosecutor, the informant recorded the conversation, where Gledhill expressed concern about how the informant might view her, saying she didn’t want to be seen as a “monster.” She also mentioned feeling heartbroken that the informant was now “scared” of her and attempted to justify her actions by indicating that Johnson was no longer the person he used to be.
Additional evidence presented in court included maps showing Gledhill’s movements after the alleged crime and images displaying traces of Johnson’s blood in a storage container.
The defense attorney, Jeremy Deus, commented that there might be more aspects to the story than what has been presented, suggesting that every story often has two sides.
Gledhill was charged in October 2024, and she has pleaded not guilty to nine felony counts, including first-degree murder. Notably, her husband’s body has not yet been located, and Gledhill reportedly indicated it was buried near their home in Cottonwood Heights.
