Police arrest parents of a Utah woman accused of killing her husband in his sleep

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (KSL.com) – The parents of a Cottonwood Heights woman accused of killing her husband in his sleep have been arrested and accused of helping their daughter solve the crime.

Thomas Gledhill, 71, and Rosalie Gledhill, 67, were arrested Thursday for investigation of obstruction of justice in Matthew Johnson's death.

The Gledhills lied to investigators, participated in the investigation of the death and got rid of evidence, police affidavits say.

Johnson's wife, Jennifer Gledhill, was charged Oct. 15 in 3rd District Court with 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 corpse and witness tampering and third-degree felonies.

She first reported her husband missing on September 20th. After police found his car nearby, the case became “suspicious” and Jennifer Gledhill was arrested on October 2nd.

An informant, Jennifer Geldhill's boyfriend, told police she admitted to him that she shot Johnson while he was sleeping and placed his body in a rooftop storage container, according to charging documents. Jennifer Gledhill then allegedly took his “body north, dug a hole and buried him in a shallow grave.”

A search warrant executed on September 28 revealed blood stains under the bed in the master bedroom. Police determined the mattress was new and had been purchased by Rosalie Gledhill, an affidavit said. The mattress on which the murder is believed to have taken place is still missing.

On October 2, police searched the home of Rosalie and Thomas Gledhill. During their stay, the couple told police that although they only went to their daughter's apartment for an hour on September 24, they refused to clean the apartment. However, witnesses who live nearby told police they observed the cleaning in Gledhills and realized they had been there for more than five hours, according to the affidavit.

Police confiscated Rosalie Gledhill's phone, but it was reset and all information stored on it was deleted, police said.

Cell phone records show Jennifer Gledhill called her father on Sept. 22, before and after her phone was turned off for a few hours while she was north of Salt Lake City. Thomas Gledhill “is the only call (Jennifer Gledhill) made while she was up north to dispose of the victim's body in a shallow grave,” the affidavit states.

Cell phone data also revealed that Thomas Gledhill was in contact with his daughter and discussed delivering and picking up a mattress on Sept. 26, according to police.

Investigators have searched near Farmington but have not yet found Johnson's body. Cottonwood Heights police Sergeant Panasai Soakai said officers were getting closer and were “definitely in an area where we think we'll find him.”

Gledhill and Johnson had a contentious relationship, which saw her request a restraining order from him – which was rejected – and she filed for divorce in July. On Monday, a judge ordered Jennifer Gledhill to have no contact with her children.