Wife of missing National Guard member arrested after telling informant she shot ex-husband while he slept

(AP) – A Utah woman was arrested for investigation of murder after telling a confidential informant that she shot her ex-husband in his sleep and buried him in a shallow grave, but had not revealed the location, police said.

Jennifer Gledhill, 41, of Cottonwood Heights, was arrested Wednesday and jailed without bail in Salt Lake County, according to court records.

The body of Matthew Johnson, 51, had not been found as of Thursday, police said. The Utah National Guard member was allegedly shot in late September 20 or early September 21, the informant told police on September 28 – six days after Gledhill “openly admitted” to Johnson’s killing, according to police records.

Gledhill said she pulled Johnson onto the bed, buried his body, removed items from the house and destroyed them to cover up the crime, the informant said.

A search of the house revealed a blood stain on the carpet under the bed, blood on the bed frame and evidence that the wall had been whitewashed. Gledhill also had a new mattress, according to documents supporting his arrest.

Johnson has not had contact with anyone since Sept. 20 and he did not report to work on Sept. 23, officials said. Investigators believe he is dead.

Other court documents indicate the couple was dealing with a contentious divorce and custody dispute over their three children. Gledhill had obtained a temporary protection order against Johnson in late August, but a permanent order was denied on September 16 – just days before the shooting – after the court commissioner watched videos in which Gledhill took arguments and examined text message exchanges between the two.

Commissioner Russell Minas determined no abuse occurred. Gledhill was just as confrontational, Minas said, and seeking a restraining order appeared to be “a litigation tactic” in their pending divorce, which had been filed in July.

“The conduct of the parties over the past several months is representative of a highly dysfunctional marriage bringing out the worst in the parties – which clearly suggests that a divorce action should have been initiated well in advance of reaching this state. current situation,” Minas wrote.

Gledhill’s attorneys in the restraining order and divorce cases declined to comment Thursday. No attorney is listed for her in court records.