The parents of a Utah woman accused of murdering her husband have been arrested for allegedly helping her clean up the crime scene. Thomas Ray Gledhill, 71, and Rosalie Christianson Gledhill, 67, were taken into custody on four felony counts of first-degree obstruction of justice. They are accused of assisting their daughter, Jennifer Gledhill, in cleaning her home after she allegedly shot her husband, Matthew Johnson, following a confrontation about an affair.
Witnesses placed the elder Gledhills at their daughter’s home for a five-hour period around the time of the killing. Jennifer Gledhill reported Johnson missing on September 28, but a man came forward claiming to have had an extramarital affair with her and that she confessed to killing her husband. The man stated that Gledhill shot Johnson as he slept in their bed after he confronted her about the affair.
According to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Gledhill put her husband’s body into a rooftop storage container, slid him down the stairs, loaded his body into the back of their minivan, and buried him in a shallow grave. She allegedly destroyed Johnson’s phone, moved his truck, and thoroughly cleaned her car at a car wash. Police were able to track Gledhill’s phone to the location where the truck was found, but Johnson’s body has not yet been located.
Jennifer Gledhill was arrested and charged with nine felonies, including first-degree murder. Her parents denied assisting her in cleaning the crime scene, but evidence from their seized cellphones showed that information from before Gledhill’s arrest had been lost.
The investigation into this tragic incident continues as authorities work to locate Matthew Johnson’s body. Jennifer Gledhill remains in custody facing serious charges related to the murder of her husband.