- Matthew Jacob Leonard, 28, is accused of killing his mother and another man.
- The Utah County Attorney's Office has requested more time to file formal charges.
- Reports say Leonard had been "acting paranoid" in the weeks before the deaths.
PROVO — The Utah County Attorney's Office says it needs a little more time to file formal charges against a Springville man accused of killing his mother and another man.
Matthew Jacob Leonard, 28, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Saturday for investigation of two counts of aggravated murder.
In Utah, prosecutors have 72 hours to file formal charges after a person is arrested or that person will be released from jail. The Utah County Attorney's Office says it has requested an extension to file until Monday to gather additional evidence — including forensic test results — and to review the "substantial amount of evidence gathered so far."
Leonard is accused of killing his mother, Sarah Johnson, and John Waldron Handricks, 50, of Salt Lake City. At the time of Leonard's arrest, the bodies of the two victims — who are missing and presumed dead — had not been found and police have not provided any updates on the search for the bodies as of Wednesday.
Court documents already filed, however, show an increasing pattern of concerning behavior by Leonard in the weeks leading up to his mother's disappearance.
On March 9, Leonard was arrested and subsequently charged in Springville Justice Court with electronic communication harassment, a class B misdemeanor. In that case, Leonard's girlfriend, with whom he shares a child, was having problems with Leonard, who was calling her and sending her multiple messages, a police booking affidavit states.
"Leonard was told to stop attempting contact with victim. After being told to stop, Leonard sent 11 messages and made 11 phone calls to victim. These messages and phone calls were all made within an hour and a half after being told to stop," the affidavit states. "In the messages, Leonard makes suicidal comments and says he wants to say goodbye to victim and their child."
Leonard then went to the home of one of the woman's relatives looking for her.
"(The) victim is fearful of her safety due to Leonard's behavior," according to the affidavit.
Police spotted Leonard driving away from the residence and stopped him. He told them that "he has lost everything. When officers made contact with Leonard he was found with a firearm" in a holster, the arrest report says. "(The) victim and her family stated Leonard has been acting paranoid and they fear for their safety."
The woman filed for a protective order against Leonard on March 13.
On March 23, Handricks was reported missing to police. On March 26, Springville police took a report that Johnson was missing. Johnson was last seen with Handricks on March 20, police say. After taking the reports, detectives spoke with Leonard, who filled out a "missing person's packet" so his mother's information could be put in a national database. He told police that it was "normal" for his mother "to disappear," according to a second police booking affidavit.
On April 7, Leonard pleaded guilty to electronic communication harassment. He was placed on probation and the plea was to be held in abeyance for one year, according to court records. A "domestic violence evaluation" was also ordered by the court and was due by his next court hearing on May 26.
That same day, Springville police posted on their Facebook page that his mother, Johnson, was missing "and possibly endangered." Police had received unconfirmed information on April 6 "that Sarah Johnson and John Handricks had possibly been shot and killed," according to a statement from police.
That information came from Johnson's father, who told investigators his granddaughter had received text messages from a "friend" that Johnson "had been shot and the body had not been located. The granddaughter was told by the friend the missing female had passed away and the body was not yet recovered," the affidavit states. The document does not indicate how the friend had this information.
But according to police, "witnesses" told investigators that Handricks and Johnson were at Leonard's Springville home on March 20.
"There were witnesses outside the residence, one of whom heard possible gunshots inside the residence," according to police. An arrest report further states that "the witnesses report that while at the doorstep of (Leonard's) residence, they believed they heard multiple gunshots inside the residence."
One of those witnesses told police that the next morning, Johnson's phone was turned off and she had not been able to contact Johnson.
On April 11, Springville police and a SWAT team served a warrant on Leonard's residence. During the search, officers "located evidence of blood, shell casings, and a bullet slug," police said.
Blood was located in Johnson's room, according to the affidavit, including "in the grooves between flooring planks."
"As detectives continued to remove the flooring, they located a large pool of blood on the east wall and a pool of blood on the north wall. Detectives observed evidence of attempts to clean up blood. Detectives observed holes in the drywall that appeared consistent with a .22 bullet being lodged into," the affidavit says. "Due to the large amounts of blood, detectives find it probable that the missing female and male are deceased. Detectives find it probable Matthew disposed of the bodies and (made) obvious attempts to clean up or conceal the scene of the crime."
After Leonard was arrested, police searching his residence also reported finding evidence of drug distribution and drug use.
"Leonard admitted to distributing these illegal drugs to multiple individuals within his home. Leonard admitted to using these illegal drugs with the individuals inside his home," the affidavit alleges.
Leonard said there were two guns inside the home, but after March 20, he gave one to a relative, according to police.
