COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — The parents of a Cottonwood Heights woman accused of killing her estranged husband are still under investigation for allegedly assisting her, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Jennifer Gledhill, 42, is charged with murder in the death of Matthew Johnson, 51, a member of a Special Operations Unit in the U.S. military, from whom she had filed for divorce in July 2024. Last month, a judge scheduled a weeklong trial to begin in December.

Gledhill is accused of shooting and killing her estranged husband in his sleep in her Cottonwood Heights home, then trying to cover up the crime by cleaning the master bedroom — including purchasing a new mattress — and disposing of Johnson's body in an unknown location. As of Monday, his body has not been found.

The Utah National Guard first contacted police on Sept. 25 to report that Johnson had not returned to work. A few days later, on Sept. 28, Gledhill reported her estranged husband as missing while stating that she had not seen or heard from him since Sept. 20, when they had an argument, charging documents allege.

The focus of the investigation shifted, however, after Gledhill allegedly confessed her alleged crime to a man she was seeing at the time, who then went to police, the charges state.

Her parents, Thomas Gledhill, 71, and Rosalie Gledhill, 67, were arrested in October for investigation of obstruction of justice and accused of helping their daughter clean up the crime scene. As of Monday, no criminal charges have been filed against them.

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Police arrest parents of woman charged with killing husband in his sleep

The parents of a Cottonwood Heights woman who has been charged with killing her husband have been arrested and accused of aiding their daughter in cleaning up the crime.

However, according to several newly unsealed search warrant affidavits, Cottonwood Heights police believe Thomas Gledhill assisted his daughter in attempting to cover up the crime.

"Based on the evidence and statements made by Jennifer and Thomas, I determined Thomas is involved in assisting his daughter, Jennifer, with the disposal of evidence and information leading to the disappearance of Matthew Johnson," an officer wrote in one of the warrants.

The warrants were served in October but were not made public until last week. One of the warrants was to search Thomas Gledhill's phone.

"An initial search of his cellphone showed messages between him and Jennifer about money being transferred and purchases made," the warrant states. "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.'"

Neighbors told police that they saw the parents and their daughter in the home "cleaning" on Sept. 24, according to the warrant. The parents allegedly arrived at the house about 5 p.m. and did not leave until 11 p.m.

"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,'" the affidavit states.

Data collected from Jennifer Gledhill'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," the warrant states.

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