Utah woman accused of killing National Guardsman husband to face trial in December

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Jennifer Gledhill, the Utah woman accused of killing her husband — Utah National Guardsman Matthew Johnson — was in court for a pre-trial hearing on Friday, March 14.

Gledhill, 41, was first arrested in October 2024 for the alleged murder of her husband. On Friday, the judge set a date for her trial: Jury selection is expected to begin on Dec. 8, with the trial following immediately after, and possibly running through Dec. 15, 2025.

On Feb. 28, 2025, Gledhill was in court, asking to be released on bail. Jeremy Deus, Gledhill’s attorney, said that both Cottonwood Heights police and the Army Reserve have searched for Johnson with both drones and manpower.

“Still no body, no weapon,” Deus said.

Prosecutor Emily Paulos mentioned that the search for Johnson’s body is still ongoing.

“His family just wants to bring Matthew home,” Paulos said. “And they have concern that if the defendant is released, she will continue to obstruct those efforts.” 

The judge denied Gledhill’s bail request in February. Ahead of the December trial — which is scheduled to take place more than a year after the case was started — there will be two pretrial conferences: One on Nov. 6 and one on Dec. 4.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told ABC4.com that the case started with the Reserve and the Guard after Johnson was last seen in September 2024.

“They started looking for him. They were concerned because if they couldn’t find him or find out what was going on, he was going to be listed as AWOL,” Gill said.

The day after Gledhill was initially arrested, law enforcement began searching for Johnson’s body.

“We would really like to get this resolved. We would really like to find the victim,” Sgt. Gary Young with the Cottonwood Heights Police Department said. “Our hearts go out to the family. It’s got to be trying for the children and family members and friends. Our community has suffered a loss.” 

The search for Johnson eventually ended up in the wetlands surrounding the Farmington Bay area. Officials said they are “looking for a needle in a haystack,” and are hoping to find a shallow grave.

In Davis County, police found a mattress, pillows, and bloodstained carpet, which all used to be in the couple’s house. Johnson’s body has not yet been found.

Gledhill is facing several charges, including first-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and abuse or desecration of a dead body, among others.

Background

Gledhill’s husband, Matthew Johnson, was last seen on Sept. 20, 2024, according to the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.

Between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2024, police said witnesses reported an argument between Johnson and Gledhill. Officials believe Johnson died of a gunshot wound, and the alleged crime was first reported on Sept. 28.

Gledhill was taken into custody on Oct. 2, 2024, on preliminary charges of murder and obstruction of justice.

On Oct. 3, court documents said Gledhill “openly admitted” to a third party (a man with whom she was allegedly having an extramarital affair) that she had shot Johnson while he slept on Sept. 21. However, Gledhill did not confess anything to police as of Oct. 3, 2024.

On Oct. 15, Gledhill was charged with nine felonies — including first-degree murder and obstruction of justice — based on the testimony of the informant she allegedly confessed to earlier.

Based on initial details from that informant, after the incident, Gledhill reportedly put Johnson’s body in a storage container and slid it down the stairs and into the back of their minivan. Authorities then said Gledhill is accused of driving Johnson’s body north and burying it “in a shallow grave.”

On Oct. 24, Gledhill’s parents were both arrested for obstruction of justice after they allegedly came over to her home to help clean up in late September. On Oct. 25, Utah courts ruled to uphold a No Contact Order between Gledhill and her children.

In November 2024, additional items were turned over as potential evidence in the case. Among the items included for discovery in the case were “Jennifer’s Phones,” “Misc. Cell Phone Data,” photos and videos of several guns, and black boxes.

Aubree Jennings contributed to this report.