Jennifer Gledhill: New court documents reveal she demanded $13k from her dad days before allegedly murdering her husband
Police executed search warrants in October; now that evidence is being publicly revealed
New court documents show that the parents of a woman accused of murdering her estranged husband in his sleep didn’t only allegedly help her clean the crime scene — they also gave her money in the days leading up to 51-year-old Matthew Johnson’s death.
While Thomas and Rosalie Gledhill haven’t yet been charged, KSL reports that investigators accuse them of being at the home of their daughter, Jennifer Gledhill, on the night of Sept. 24, 2024, two days after Jennifer reported her husband missing, claiming she hadn’t seen him since Sept. 20, when they had an argument.
Police allege that neighbor’s told them Jennifer’s parents were at the home, cleaning, between 5p.m. and 11 p.m. KSL quotes the arrest affidavit, which has been made public:
“Both Thomas and Rosalie stated they were only at the home for less than an hour. Thomas admitted to cleaning but stated he was in the garage. Thomas was asked if he had helped clean the master bedroom where Matthew and Jennifer sleep in. Thomas stated he did not go in the room where the ‘incident happened.’”
Some newly released search affidavits, obtained by KSL, reveal that police back in October believed Thomas to have assisted in daughter with the murder of her husband. These search warrants also gave investigators access to Thomas Gledhill’s phone. According to the affidavit:
“An initial search of his cellphone showed messages between him and Jennifer about money being transferred and purchases made. On Sept. 19, Jennifer sends a message to Thomas to ‘Don't forget to give me your card information.’ On Sept. 18, Jennifer messages Thomas and states, ‘I need 13K by Friday.’”
According to a Fox 13 report, the documents reveal that Thomas used Venmo to send Jennifer $1000 that day.
The affidavit also notes that data collected from Jennifer ‘s phone “shows she only contacts her father, Thomas Gledhill, when Matthew is last seen or heard from. On Sept. 22 in the afternoon, Jennifer's cellphone data shows her traveling up ‘north,’ which is consistent with the statement she made to (a witness). At 1:46 p.m. on Sept. 22, phone data showed Jennifer calling Thomas, and then her phone was off for more than two hours. Jennifer's phone then turns back on at 5:08 p.m. (and) she calls Thomas again.”
Fox News previously reported that the “witness” was a man with whom Jennifer was having an affair. Johnson found out about it, allegedly causing the argument the night he died. Jennifer allegedly told her lover about the murder, after which he went to police and reported it.
“On Sept. 22, the defendant confessed to the informant that she shot Matthew in the master bedroom with a gun as he slept. She also confessed that she loaded Matthew’s body into a rooftop storage container, slid him down the stairs, and loaded him into her minivan. She buried him in a shallow grave and cleaned everything up,” Salt Lake County prosecutor Emily Paulos said at the detention hearing in March 2025.
Police arrested 42-year-old Jennifer Gledhill on Oct. 2, 2024 after the informant told investigators that she had admitted to shooting her husband as he slept, according court documents cited by KUTV.
Matthew Johnson failed to report to work at the base of the Utah National Guard on Sept. 25, 2024 and was reported missing. On Sept. 28, Gledhill went to the Cottonwood Heights Police Department (CHPD) to “report an incident that occurred on or about September 20, 2024 to September 21, 2024 between her, and her estranged husband Matthew Johnson.”
Despite his body not being found, prosecutors allege that he is dead and his wife pulled the trigger.
“Matthew Johnson is not missing. Matthew Johnson was murdered by the defendant,” said Paulos.
Jennifer and Matthew were navigating a divorce at the time of his death. KSL notes that a judge has scheduled Jennifer’s trial to begin in Dec. 2025.
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