While Jessica believes someone tried taking her life from her, she refuses to allow anyone to take her kids away from her. Six months later, everything would changefor everyone. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best friend, Officer Joshua Guthrie--leaving his service weapon at home, in its holster and in the closet. They are 50% more likely to commit police brutality. I'm prior military so to me it sounded like a gunshot, he tells DeMarco. After studying Jessica Boynton's case, Miley sides with Jessica. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service. After you got on the radio and you were outside communicating on the radio, you never went back in to actually check, check on the kids, the agent questioned Matthew about once he removed himself from the apartment. According to a press release issued by the Griffin Police Department, Boynton was on Friday arrested without incident and transported to the Spalding County Jail. 11Alive reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton, however, phone calls were not returned. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that she's never handled a gun, nor shot one. As he drove he received a text message from Jessica's phone. "I believe it's both, it's sloppy and a cover-up," said Jessica. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. Listen. Investigators confirmed at least some of this evidence did belong to Lester, but along with questions regarding the chain of custody was the issue of whether the belongings were personal or community property. Did he cause his estranged spouses injury? Barely clinging to life, Jessica spent three weeks in a coma before waking up, according to 11alive. And would a dad leave his kids inside with a suicidal woman and a loaded gun? But long hours on the force took its toll on his marriage. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. It could have a negative effect on them, but those things have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Making his way outside, he calls for assistance over his radio. I'm sure as you've heard, I'm getting a divorce. [I'm] gonna have to kick that door in Jones relays to the other officers standing on the other side of the closet, barreling through it in just two swift and deliberate kicks. I didn't bring any other ones with me. Five days after his wife was shot, Matthew talked with the GBI again. But another heated argument goes down in the baby food aisle. Just days after running into Officer Boynton, I received a threatening email that reads in part: "Are You An Intelligent Enough Investigative Journalist To Know When You Are Being Conned or Do You Have To Be Spoon Fed? Boynton in January denied being in possession of any of Lesters personal property. No, never. There was a question of what was and was not community marital property, so that took some doing to sort that out, also, Yates said, adding that many of the items reported as stolen including the clothing, computer and household items had been cited as community property during the couples divorce. It's a question 11Alive investigators asked a few months ago, when Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton's wife, Jessica, allegedly shot herself in the head with his service weapon,. She was hit over the head. Her head shaved. "Her hands appeared to be pristine, but also he noted that she had no gunpowder burns.". "He told 911 that he was so worried and he was trying to get back to the house as fast as possible. The police department should be ashamed of themselves for trying to cover this up!!! Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. A grandson of the county sheriff, a career in law enforcement was in his genes. Just have a soul here please please please. A lot, she said, doesn't add up. She would never have done this. Jessica Boynton's husband says he gets a suicidal text from his estranged wife, so he rushes home, only to hear two gunshots. If you play with it a little bit, it's not hard.. He reads another text from his girlfriend, while driving 90 mph. Id be afraid to luve in that town until that poluce brotherhood is abolished. Terms of Use | Once he arrives on the scene, Trammel makes contact with Matthew, who tells him that he and his wife got into an argument. But here's the thing that has everyone shaking their heads: In the bureau's final report, dated months after Jessica was released from the hospital, they still declare Jessica dead. They hit the top of the stairs knowing somebody's got a gun. If his wife, Matthew's attorney continued, was capable of attempting to take her own life, there's a chance that she might do something to their children. ', Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. Once established as her personal belonging, this one piece of physical evidence contradicted Boyntons January written civil statement in which he denied possessing any of Lesters property. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. Example video title will go here for this video. And it's assigned to Matthew, her husband, the cop. Because she owned the retainer prior to her marriage, it would not be considered community property. Lt. Curtis Keys is dispatched to the scene. When they finally shove their way in, tragic heartbreak is lying in front of them. He changed clothes yet lied and said he did not. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . Do you know what she used? asks one of the emergency responders in the room. But the report and follow-up interviews with the lead investigator make the case as clear as mud to one reporter in the small town where it happened. The agent then probes Matthew, asking if he has a girlfriend. Around 9 o'clock on the night of Thursday, April 14, 2016, Matthew Boynton calls a lieutenant on duty and reports Jessica is hitting him again. How does Jessica explain the "suicide text" sent from her phone less than 10 minutes before her husband Matthew called 911 in a panic? The air is thick with mystery, as the officers approach the locked closet. SHE WAS NOT SHOT.and do they really think that she would have hit herself hard enough with any object to cause the damage that was done? "There was no testing done on his clothing," said Sheila Mathews. Matt shouldnt be allowed to ever be a cop anywhere else. I don't know if it's just his job or what, but like I said I don't think he would intentionally hurt me.. Uh, just my service weapon, he responds, ending the call just a minute later. "Well listen, if you're going to start quoting, you gonna start recording these things, you need to let me know ahead of time before you do, before I'm starting answering questions," DeMarco ordered the reporter. She had an appointment Monday.. To stage a suicide," said the neighbor. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. "Next thing I remember was I wake up and I'm in a hospital.". This screams cover up. Cops finally reach that locked closet door. Warner Bros. Entertainment | The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. And its inside that closet, where police found her seemingly shot in the head, laying on top of her husbands service weapon. Matthew, 20, quickly called 911 and said he had received an alarming text message from his wife, claiming she was going to commit suicide, cops said. Shortly afterward, Matthew begins texting Jessica about going to Walmart to pick up baby formula. Click here for "Trigger: The Last Word" | And we talk to Jessica Boynton again here: "Trigger: Free as a Bird" | Anda story when the officer was arrested and kicked offthe force (but not for shooting his wife ). But the story is far from over: Jessica now claims the April 15 incident was a staged suicideconstructed by her husband. It appears she's been shot in the head. There's little if any visible blood spatter inside the closet. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Hike also includes a rare chance to tour inside the old powerhouse which provides great photo opportunities of the Towaliga River. Am I recording it? I just came up the stairs, two rounds," Boynton says on the recorded call. And that's all I needed, so I was on cloud nine.". Why did no one ask about the comment Matthew made about the kids being in the closet too? I thought he hadnt gone inside the apartment until backup arrived, so how would he know Jessica was in the closet unless he put her there? I know that we got into an argument, but that's about all," she said, not remembering much of what had happened on April 15. He enters, checking the master bedroom. "The Walmart surveillance camera shows that they did exit the building together, and it does show her re-entering and, it shows her leaving again later," said Sheila Mathews. Matthew Boynton, 21, had just started work as a Griffin police officer. It's back in the headlines with the "Mystery in the Closet" story on the HLN network s well as "The Officer's Wife" podcast from Vault Studios.. "If they put out a report I spend a lot of time fact-checking it and making sure what they're telling is the truth," said Sanders. nd police notify Jessicas family that she has died. I'll be back there in about two minutes. There were two bullets, on different walls inside the closet. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. The agent asked her if she had ever held her husbands service weapon. DeMarco pressed Mathews. I was excited I wasn't going to have to put up with him anymore because honestly I felt like his maid, and that's all I felt like.. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. Especially because of my children. But asking those questions resulted in a threat. It entered at an upward leftward trajectory angle," said Sheila Mathews. No bullet fragments were recovered from her head. The devil is in the details. Cops do find Jessica's DNA on the gun. Is there a loaded pistol with a hair-trigger on the other side? GSW, possible to the head. A phone that text messages were sent and received to/from following his recollection of hearing,POP-POP! and running out of the apartment. Reliving his steps inside the apartment after he heard gunshots fired, he says, My whole upper body went numb. They wanted me to come back Friday for orientation for the job, she said. Unfortunately Matthew Boynton didn't have anything to say. Jessica, then-19, had just put her two young sons to bed and was getting her clothes ready in the closet for the next day. On something like this, does it usually take a while?, Right now it depends on what happens with Jessica, too. No. Since the original publication of this story, 11Alive's Brendan Keefe and Jessica Noll have taken another look at the evidence in this story, and talk to one reporter who said she was threatened when she had questions about the investigation. (He resigned) about the time they brought him in. Join our naturalist on a short walk and learn about the history of the once-prosperous town of High Falls. She told me she loved me right before she did it," Matthew says, sobbing, as the paramedics roll her gurney into the ambulance and slam the doors shut. A Griffin Police Officer's wife herself, the reporter called DeMarco, on Sept. 28, the investigator who was in charge of the investigation for the GBI, to question him about the case and the photo that nagged her, and that for her, called into question how anything they investigated was trustworthy. It could, but it wont necessarily do it, Yates said. "He stated that he heard two shots fired, 'pop pop,' rapid succession," said Sheila Mathews. Her body is on the floor, just behind the door. Geez, im no cop , no investigator and know absolutely nothing on how investigations are even done but if the doctors say she wasnt shot what more do they need..that little punk got away with it.please tell me im missing a story and he has been arrested for the attempted murder of his wife.please.and please tell me that every stupid ass cop that had any involvement with this case is no longer a cop..oh and his Grandpa, well i think he needs a little jail rehabilitation as well..i could go on and on, but obviously they wouldnt understand anyway..what a disgrace to all REAL POLICE OFFICERS, https://the-grip.net/2016/10/18/gbi-completes-boynton-investigation-requested-by-gpd/ this says she was SHOT!!! As part of that case, Lt. Karen Yancy, who leads the GPD Criminal Investigation Division, spoke with Boynton and on Jan. 5, reported, On Dec. 19, 2016, I spoke with Matthew Boynton about these items. The police officer's wife was found with a bullet to the head, lying in their closet. "I know what happened," said the unidentified neighbor. Jessica Boynton, 19, was a stay-at-home mom to 8-month-old Tyler and 2-year-year old Tollin. They call in Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who happens to be Matthew's grandfather, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. By the time Jessica was twenty, she'd had enough of Matthew, and their crumbling marriage had driven her to a dark place. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. Jessica has given Will every piece of evidence in her case, including that divorce diary. Even though doctors were able to save her life, they couldn't save her from what was about to happen to her familylosing custody of her children. Jones checks on a locked closet door between the master bedroom and hallway, across from the bathroom. But he's also texting her before he called 911," said Sanders. The report states Matthew left Walmart without Jessica. His flashlight's beam reveals a smiling family of four. Dispatcher: Any weapons inside the house? She tells the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the Matthew Boynton is cheating on Jessica with another woman. The glowing yellow and black, blocked-letter Waffle House sign illuminates his truck as he drives by, turning around to head back home. GRIFFIN, Ga. - Matthew Boynton was arrested by his fellow Griffin Police officers and taken to the Spalding County Jail on . It could have been simply that um, all his, he left his stuff there. Lester recovered from the shooting but doesn't remember any of it. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. After just six months of marriage, the Boyntons' one-time neighbor says she saw their young love grow toxic. . Matthew Boynton allegedly deprived ex-wife Jessica Lester of her belongings and lied to the authorities about doing so, Griffin police Lt. Michael Natale said in a statement. Still lodged in Jessica's skull? The specific items Lester alleged Boynton had stolen included a Toshiba laptop valued at $500; clothes valued at $300; jewelry valued at $50; kitchen items valued at $500; and a retainer valued at $150. Well I couldn't get it for him because I couldn't get it out of his gun holster, she said. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. (whit his baton I would guess) ..is every person in the police department total idiots? That's right. After getting Matthew's phone records, Sanders discovers during that same time Matthew was making calls to 911, he was texting his mistress. But many believe Jessica holds the only key as to what really happened inside that closet. Aft. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. McCune also had Lester write a victims statement. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, Matthews grandfather,and police notify Jessicas family that she has died. Those properties obtained during the marriage would be considered community property.. In April 2016, the wife of a Griffin, Ga. police officer is found inside a locked closet. We put it on the counter to take a picture of it," he confirmed to Mathews. Jessica's theory of what happened centers around her "dirty divorce diary." I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. A bunch of CLOWNS!! Dr. Vernon Henderson, chief of Trauma and Critical Care at Atlanta Medical Center was on-call the morning Jessica came in and treated her for the next month while she was in the hospital. Privacy Policy | In it, she logs Matthew Boynton's every move, including his unexplained disappearances with their two boys. But it's what those body cameras don't record that's raising eyebrows. So just one?" I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. Matthew claims they returned home just after 11 p.m. His proof? She says there were pages missing. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her, in an effort to monitor her condition. Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? To text back long story I'll tell you later.. Matthew's fellow officers try to shield him from the sight of his gravely injured wife. The one seen in the police body-cam is not the same gray sweatshirt he was wearing at Walmart earlier that night. I know eventually the chief would eventually like to get his officer back as well as his service weapon back as well, so we're going to try to expedite this as fast as possible, and when I mean expedite you know, within the next few weeks to a month, the agent said. She's breathing, but unresponsive. giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weekly. Sheila Mathews publishes The Grip, an independent newspaper in Griffin. The only person who truly knows what happened behind that closet door was jessica -- and she's now out of her coma. Matthew Boynton along with Lee Boynton, Josh Guthrie and Courtney Callaway moved all of my personal belongings from the residence. Jessica, on a few occasions, hit and slapped him, he tells the GBI. They wanted me to come back Friday for orientation for the job, she said. What he finds turns this case of a suicide upside down. I attempted to contact Jessica Boynton via telephone to advise her that this is a civil matter. Matthew, a police officer in a small town called Griffin, in Georgia, rushed home. "It was. "If he would have just been a regular person he would have been taken to jail," said Jessica. "I don't really know what happened in the closet, I just know that I did not try to kill myself," said Jessica Boynton. I'll be back there in about two minutes. But she doesn't buy it, especially since her head was perfectly laid on a pillow, she said after watching the bodycam footage. Jessica Boynton was just 19 years old when she was found inside a locked closet with a gunshot wound to her head. Matthew sends another text to his girlfriend, a Spalding County dispatcher, Give me a few. Matthew Boynton allegedly deprived ex-wife Jessica Lester of her belongings and lied to the authorities about doing so, Griffin police Lt. Michael Natale said in a statement. provided images. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Especially because of my children. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested and taken to the Spalding County Jail on multiple charges. Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. Still peering down at his phone, Matthew sends a text to his mistress. said Sheila Mathews. "Very explicit conversation," said the neighbor. "I have occasional headaches, but other than that everything's good," Jessica Boynton said. He checks the closet where he keeps his police-issued firearm, but the door is locked. UPDATE: This story was originally published in November 2016. A Griffin cop finally arrives to take Matthew's formal domestic violence complaint. Example video title will go here for this video. GBI conducts canvas and begins interviewing neighbors. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service weapon . Her neighbor, who asked us to protect her identity, says she knows the motive: Jessica had uncovered Matthew's dark secret. She's having suicidal thoughts," he says calmly to the dispatcher. I think it just kind of happened. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. She told the agent, they were at home when they argued about his girlfriend and the photo that Jessica found on his phone that night. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service weapon, Jessica and his sleeping sons at home. He was there to tell the court that he wanted to keep Jessica away from him and their two sons, because he said, he feared for their safetybecause she allegedly fired his gun in the house while their boys were home. When asked to confirm that a July 26 appointment with Lesters orthodontist was pivotal in the Internal Affairs case, Yates said it was. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service. She was leaving her husband of just six months. "Be advised I smell gunsmoke, and I can't get an answer to the door," Boynton says on the call. According to Sanders, these items were obtained from a woman who contacted him and claimed to be Boyntons girlfriend. She's like a sister to me, Browning says, her voice quivering. The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a civil matter. However, with the later discovery of previously-unknown evidence, it evolved into an Internal Affairs investigation resulting in two felony charges against the former law enforcement officer. She alleged that many of Lesters belongings remained in Boyntons residence. He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. However, she was NOT shot. Is that what you're saying?" She wants to give her new employers the right impression, since tomorrow is her first day at a chiropractor's office. Once the scene is secure, investigator Misty Gresham checks on Tollin, who's sleeping, and Tyler, who is awake and still crying in his cribboth unharmed. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. From her hospital bed, she spoke to the GBI. Unfortunately, the only person who may be able to answer that question is Jessica, and she was in a coma. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. The babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. Matthew immediately calls a friend at dispatch. "Another reasonable explanation is that there was a fight over the gun and during the course of that she was injured, Matthew thought she was dead and put the gun underneath.". "Most people would not view it as such, I don't believe," said Sheila Mathews. Matthew, grandson of then-sheriff of Spalding County, texts a fellow Griffin Police officer. They turn her over from her stomach to her back. I dont have the authority under our charter to hire or fire; it has to go to the city manager, so when you move toward a termination, it has to go through a process. There's so many useless words thrown in there, then there's so many words left out, she said. Less than a month after her hospital-bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to his chief. After you got on the radio and you were outside communicating on the radio, you never went back in to actually check, check on the kids, the agent questions Matthew about once he's out of the apartment. Her head wound has soaked into the green and white pillow her head is resting onher blood is contained to that one stain and a few nearby drops. A message to Matthew's phone is received and marked as read, from his mistress. Here recently she did confirm that the second baby's not mine. I know that we got into an argument, but that's about all," she said, not remembering much of what had happened on April 15. 'We're not going to do this in Georgia anymore' | Prosecutor fighting to stop animal abuse, NASCAR star Chase Elliott hurts leg in snowboarding accident, Forecast | Cooler air moving in for the weekend, Metro Atlanta, north Georgia hit with widespread damage after storms produce powerful winds, Who shot the officer's wife? An officer tries to console his grieving coworker. Despite what many think is a smoking gun, the GBI agent asking questions proceeds as if Jessica shot herself. But Griffin Police are treating this as a suicide attempt. The other problem: she said she didn't know how to get his gun out of his holsternor has she ever held or shot a gun. A lot of times, what happens, especially if theyre involved in something very serious, they throw in the towel before it can go through the citys process of termination.. Jessica Boynton, once declared dead, is alive and talking. BREAKING | Matthew Boynton, who was under investigation and cleared by the GBI last year for his wife's shooting, was charged with one felony count of false statements and writings, and one felony count of violation of oath of office. Immediately following that flip, Mathews said, DeMarco asked if she was recording their conversation. That stuff apparently, from what we were able to discover through our investigation, went through several different peoples hands, which taints our chain of custody, Yates said. It's just one piece of the brand new beginning the young mother and wife has been putting together for her and her sons. To text back long story I'll tell you later.. corrupted cops, he and his grandfather! It's like I tell them, they make it twice as bad because I'm a cop, Matthew said. I told him, You're going to have to go get it, because I cant get it out of the case., Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. No. He's not a cop or even a private investigator. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. Boynton was placed on administrative leave Thursday, July 28, and the Chief said his intent was to terminate the officer, but Boynton resigned before that process could be completed. "The second shot that was fired, it entered the back wall of the closet approximately a foot, no more than a foot off the ground. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!.