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- Jennifer Gledhill, accused of murdering her estranged husband, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday.
- She pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
- The Cottonwood Heights woman is accused of shooting Matthew Johnson in his sleep.
SALT LAKE CITY — Cottonwood Heights mother Jennifer Gledhill waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday and pleaded not guilty to charges accusing her of murdering her husband.
Third District Judge Adam Mow ordered her to stand trial for murder, a first-degree felony; five counts of obstruction of justice and drug possession with intent to distribute, second-degree felonies; plus abuse or desecration of a dead body and witness tampering, third-degree felonies.
Defense attorney Jeremy Deus said although they were ready for a preliminary hearing, Gledhill wanted to waive that right after he explained to her that at this stage all inferences would be made in favor of prosecutors.
"Obviously, there are still facts that are alleged that we would contest," he said.
Gledhill, 42, is suspected of killing Matthew Johnson, 51, a member of a Special Operations Unit in the U.S. military, whom she had filed for divorce from in July. Johnson's body has never been found.
A man whom she was having an affair with contacted police after she told him she had shot and killed her husband in his sleep, charging documents state.
The Utah National Guard first contacted police on Sept. 25, 2024, 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, according to charges.
When detectives obtained a warrant and searched the marital home, they reported discovering that the wall behind the master bed had appeared to have been recently cleaned and was covered in bleach. They also said they found several reddish-brown spots on the walls, bedframe and blinds.
The carpet below the bed tested positive for blood, and there was a strong smell of chlorine in the basement and bleach discoloration on some stairs, the charges allege. Surveillance video from Sept. 22, 2024, also shows Gledhill "thoroughly cleaning" her vehicle at a gas station in Centerville.
She was charged with murder on Oct. 15, 2024.
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 alleged crime. However, no charges have been filed against them.
Jennifer Gledhill's next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28. It will include a pretrial conference and a detention hearing, so her attorney plans to ask the judge to reconsider holding her in jail without bail ahead of trial.
She has been ordered not to have any contact with her children, but the judge said he would reconsider if attorneys could agree to a contact method.
