Utah Mom Accused of Fatally Shooting Husband in His Sleep After Her Alleged Affair Pleads Not Guilty

Mar. 15, 2025

Jennifer Gledhill in court; pictured alongside a photo of her husband Matthew Johnson.Photo:FOX 13 News Utah/Youtube; Cottonwood Heights Police Department

FOX 13 News Utah/Youtube; Cottonwood Heights Police Department

A Utah mom of three accused offatally shooting her husband in his sleepafter he learned of her alleged extramarital affair has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

The informant told police that Gledhill visited his home on Sept. 22 and allegedly told him that Johnson had come home two days prior and “yelled at her because he knew she had been sleeping with someone else.” “The defendant told the informant that she shot Mr. Johnson on September 21, 2024, as he slept in their bed,” the release added.

Prosecutors allege that Gledhill shot Johnson in his sleep before putting his body in a “rooftop storage container” and transporting it in their minivan before burying him in a shallow grave. According to local media outletFox 13 News Utah, Johnson’s body is yet to be found, but Gledhill allegedly told the informant he was buried somewhere north of their Cottonwood Heights home.

Jennifer Gledhill in court in February 2024.FOX 13 News Utah/Youtube

FOX 13 News Utah/Youtube

Cottonwood Heights police spokesman Sgt. Gary Young told the outlet that a group of 70 law enforcement officers and Utah National Guard soldiers searched near the Utah-Idaho border for Johnson’s body on the weekend of Feb. 1-2.

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Johnson’s family shared a statement with the outlet through their victim representative, Brandon Merrill, executive director of the Utah Homicide Survivors.

“We thank the people of Utah for all of their support, especially Matt’s military unit for all their hard work on our behalf,” the statement concluded.

source: people.com