SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 22, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Jennifer Gledhill, the Cottonwood Heights mother accused of killing her husband, Matthew Johnson, 51, has been ordered not to have contact with the couple’s three children.
Gledhill, 41, may not contact her children, either in person or electronically, 3rd District Judge Todd Olsen said. The children are ages 5, 7 and 11.
Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Shantelle Argyle said there have been similar cases in which defendants later harmed or killed their children due either to mental health issues or a desire to prevent cases from moving forward.
Argyle said it would be difficult to assess increased anxiety or emotional harm resulting from any meetings between Gledhill and her children.
“It is concerning that additional trauma may arise,” she said.
Witness tampering also has been raised as a concern.
The temporary order will remain in place at least until it can be reviewed by Judge Adam Mow, assigned to handle the case moving forward. Gledhill has a scheduling hearing set for Friday with Mow.
Gledhill is charged with murder, obstruction of justice, drug possession with intent to distribute, abuse or desecration of a dead body, and witness tampering.
A man who contacted Cottonwood Heights police said he was having an affair with Gledhill, and she confessed to him she had shot and killed her husband, and buried his body, court documents say.
Johnson’s body has not yet been found.
Court documents say Gledhill allegedly told the informant she had shot her husband as he slept on Sept. 21, and buried him in a shallow grave, believed to be in Davis County. A search of the couple’s Cottonwood Heights residence determined the master bedroom’s mattress had recently been replaced and walls had been washed, and a substance consistent with blood was found in the carpet under the bed.
Gledhill appeared before the judge Monday, remotely, from the Salt Lake County jail. She has a scheduling hearing set for Friday.
