SALT LAKE CITY — A Cottonwood Heights woman accused of killing her husband as he slept in their home in 2024 now knows when the trial against her will begin.
The court ordered that jury selection for Jennifer Gledhill's trial will begin on December 7 at 9:30 a.m. The trial was scheduled to begin in June; however, both prosecutors and defense attorneys filed a joint motion to continue the trial to December.
Gledhill was charged in 2024 with Murder and Obstruction of Justice for the death of her husband, Matthew Johnson, weeks after he failed to show up for work as a member of the Utah National Guard.
Johnson's body is still missing despite a large search across the state. The 51-year-old was last seen on September 20, 2024, with Gledhill reporting him missing days later.
Johnson's pickup truck was found near the couple's Cottonwood Heights home.
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The couple, who have three children, were reportedly considering a divorce and had been fighting in the days leading up to Johnson's disappearance.
A man who was having an extramarital affair with Gledhill told police that days after Johnson was last seen, Gledhill openly admitted to killing her husband by shooting him in the head as he slept on a mattress inside their bedroom.
According to the man, Gledhill also revealed that she had removed Johnson's body and relocated his remains to a shallow grave at an undisclosed location, and that she had removed items from the home and destroyed them to cover up the crime.
During a search of the home, investigators found a large blood-stained spot in the master bedroom carpet underneath the bed. Blood was also found on the bed frame slats, which supports what Gledhill's former lover told police. Police said evidence found at the scene supports that a significant clean-up had taken place following the murder, including bleaching of the walls, and using carpet cleaning supplies.
Gledhill's parents, Rosalie and Thomas Gledhill, were also arrested and face multiple first degree felony charges of Obstruction of Justice for allegedly helping their daughter cover up the murder.
Gledhill has two more pre-trial conferences ahead of jury selection. The judge scheduled those for November 5 and December 3, both at 9:00 a.m.
