When he's not driving a truck, Sanders studies police records looking for things investigators missed -- or possibly covered up. And, she said, she wouldn't have told him that she loved him. Henderson said in the letter, that he did not believe that Jessica's head injury was the result of a gunshot wound, and furthermore, questioned how she got the injury at all. His phone was given to someone else at Griffin PD, they put the phone in the thing because they knew GBI wanted it, and that's where we're gonna be while he was taken to the police department. 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.. Ashamed the FBI hasnt picked up on this yet . She's like 'I got you where I want you and you're gonna go down for this,' and he pulls his gun out and she runs into the closet to hide, and instead of shooting her, he hits her on the head with a baton," said the neighbor. In fact she claims Jessica was blissfully stockpiling ammunition to get full custody of their two little boys. On something like this, does it usually take a while?, Right now it depends on what happens with Jessica, too. "She's like, 'This is exactly what I need to get my divorce from him.'". 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. Her head shaved. But Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said, Officer Boynton was not the shooter and trusts the investigations outcome. "He believed that the shots he heard fired were fired from his duty weapon," said Sheila Mathews, publisher of The Grip. Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton was investigated in the case, but was only charged with making . Matthew admits to having an affair. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. She's having suicidal thoughts," he says calmly to the dispatcher. Matthew sends another text to his mistress, 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. He changed clothes yet lied and said he did not. Jones checks on a locked closet door between the master bedroom and hallway, across from the bathroom. They turn her over from her stomach to her back. That was the subject of his charges his statements and writings that we were able to prove were false, Yates said. "He stated that he was too frightened. It sounded like a gunshot. During my stay is when my personal belongings were taken and Matthew Boynton (3842) refuses to give them back, Lester stated. But Griffin Police are treating this as a suicide attempt. If someone from the GBI does not reopen this.. well, I have to get my ducks in a row before I open another huge can of worms.. He reads another text from mistress, while driving home at nearly 90 mph. The gun then landed underneath," said Tim Miley. This x cop needs to be tried for attempted murder. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. OR OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. He has been charged with false statements and writings and violating his oath of office. "I think it was in the heat of the moment, he was angry with me. It's locked. A bunch of CLOWNS!! Jessica is also slinging allegations at Matthew's brothers in blue at the Griffin Police Department, and Matthew's grandfather Sheriff Wendell Beam. I just came up the stairs, two rounds be advised I smell gun smoke, and I can't get an answer at the door, he says out of breath and panicked. He says, he got out of the shower and asked her for his phone back several times, but she refused, he says, until he admitted to her that he was cheating on her. On Dec. 19, 2016, Lester met with GPD Investigator Dexter McCune regarding property she alleged Boynton had stolen. Its so obvious a coverup. The remaining items such as a hope chest, clothing and other miscellaneous items were returned to Jessica. This is not the first time I have had suicide thoughts. For the next three and a half weeks, Jessica remains in a coma with a traumatic brain injurytubes protruding from her brain to alleviate pressure and fluid. That bastard is so guilty every time they show the door knob and any badge that doesnt know that shouldnt have one. The agent who told Mathews, Were gonna have a problem, apologized to the reporter and told her that he was answering questions about a case file that he had not reviewed for months. Furthermore, she said, there were too many errors and discrepancies for her to have sent a text like that. "He told 911 that he was so worried and he was trying to get back to the house as fast as possible. But this wasn't the end of Jessica's story, rather a new beginningbut not the one she was hoping for. McCune also had Lester write a victims statement. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. Everything, he says, led to him wanting out of the marriage. I mean, I'm sure there's a plausible explanation to it without trying to come up with some sort of, you know, theory that, 'Oh, he has to be here in the kitchen answering these text messages.'". 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. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that she's never handled a gun, nor shot one. With his gun raised and arms poised, he holds his weapon out in front of him with both hands. Griffin Police Capt. That's not what the surveillance tape shows. "They did not. Domestic violence has always been a precursor to violence in other areas. A request is made to notify the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I didn't wash may hands, nothing like that either, that way for GSR., There's a possibility that we might collect your clothes, OK. Eventually, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded what they believe happened inside that closet; Matthew Boynton was never charged with any connection in harming his wife. He cautiously went into the residence to try to make sure that the children were OK. "Here's where her head was laying. I do not have any other items of Jessicas.. They are 50% more likely to commit police brutality. Officer Adam Trammel reports to a non-emergency call from the Boynton residence at Ashford Place on Ashford Way, in Griffin, Ga. Then, a moment of hope from the 19-year-old mother: She's still breathing. With dark, latex gloves on, an officer kneels down and touches her neck with his fingers. The neighbor claims she had been with Jessica just hours beforehand, and says her friend would never have tried to take her own life. They investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessica's limp body. If not, get on a plane and go HOME.". (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) He calls out for Jessica, but no answer. Are you having trouble breathing?'" I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. Then he drops a shocker, claiming he wasn't the only one cheating, "She finally told me, she said 'Yeah, I had an affair,'" Matthew Boynton says in the GBI interview. Her head wound soaked into the green and white pillow, where her head rested. What! "In looking at this, this does not have the appearance of a suicide to me. The conversation bounces from officer to officer. After three weeks, she woke up. FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELF, CLICK HERE. Uh, just my service weapon, he responds, ending the call just a minute later. 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. I was, he says to the GBI agent. Show the world how smart you are and uncover what the Wannabe investigative reporters couldn't figure out. While she places a blood pressure sleeve around her arm, an officer stands over her, shining a flashlight on Jessica's face, revealing that it's covered in blood. Here recently she did confirm that the second baby's not mine. They're my everything. A lot, she said, doesnt add up, especially since, she said, she had reason to live. The glowing yellow and black, blocked letter sign illuminates his truck driving past. The doctor was not contacted by the GBI until July 20. My understanding of the laws of physics is that one person cannot be in two places at the same time," Mathews said in an interview with 11Alive. He grabs his police radio, stationed and charging on top of the white microwave in the kitchen, and leaves his phone on the counter. However, she was NOT shot. Matthew's hands were not tested for gunpowder either. "It was determined that he knowingly provided a false statement relating to the property in question and his possession of (it)," Natale said in a release .l Center. And he called the girlfriend, so Mays said to Mathews. I would have said, 'suicidal' not 'suicide thoughts.'. Her shoulder-length, blonde hair is saturated in red. They hit the top of the stairs knowing somebody's got a gun. A body-cam captures her inconsolable baby boy in the arms of an officer. A previous study found 41% of police admitted to being abusive to their spouses. ", Following that phone call, Mathews, perceiving that she was threatened, called the GBIs director of professional standards to file a formal complaint and to gain clarity about what he meant by, Were gonna have a problem.. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. GRIFFIN, Ga. - Matthew Boynton was arrested by his fellow Griffin Police officers and taken to the Spalding County Jail on . What Sanders found most alarming was the time frame Matthew Boynton says he heard those two gunshots. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. I was at Atlanta Medical Center for a month. Matthew's attorney, however, told the court that Jessica was the one who shot the gun and that initially, Matthew believed that she was shooting at him. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. Still lodged in Jessica's skull? "He believes that her injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma," said Sheila Mathews. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that shes never handled a gun, nor shot one. 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. Minutes later, just as Matthew pulls into the Waffle House parking lot, he says he receives a chilling message from Jessica, what he calls a "suicide text," that says: "I can't do this anymore. 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. That's the bottom line for me. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. Yancy also requested that Boynton write a statement pertaining to the allegation. For the wife of a Georgia police officer, answering that question is unfortunately turning out not to be so simple. Her limp body is on the floor, just behind the door. They're forced to kick it in. 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. It could have been simply that um, all his, he left his stuff there. She just said that she's been experiencing suicidal thoughts right now, she told me to take care of the boys. The babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. Law enforcement was in his genes. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE FBI???????? She says under the helm of Wendell Beam, the sheriff's department had a reputation for protecting its own. 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. A key piece of evidence was photographed inside the kitchen after officers arrived on the scene. 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. I'll be back there in about two minutes. The baby's muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. Police investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessicas limp body. Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was cleared in his wife's shooting, but his interrogation still cost him his job. This is abuse of power. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. [I miss] getting to see them every day and getting to watch them grow more and more into the boys and men that they're going to be someday, Jessica said sobbing. This stinks, and the fact remains, it appears he tried to kill his wife, so what are you guys going to do?? He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Did you all have sex?' The next action noted in the case occurred nearly two months later. What are my kids going to do? he pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion. Crime Watch Daily reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton and got no response. GSW, possible to the head. 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. She was leaving her husband of just six months. He's asked me to go get it out before. When asked if Boynton had explained why he allegedly kept his ex-wifes belongings, Yates said, No. It's just one piece of the brand new beginning the young mother and wife has been putting together for her and her sons. "And I talked to the guy and was like, 'Look man, you know, can you just be honest with me? He tells Trammel he left Walmart without Jessica. Sheila Mathews publishes The Grip, an independent newspaper in Griffin. The panicked cop grabs his police radio and runs outside to make the frantic call to dispatch. In partnership with As he drove he received a text message from Jessica's phone. GBI/Griffin Police Dept. She made a full recovery, but doesn't remember a thing. Jessica Boynton, once declared dead, is alive and talking. He said that she was so distraught that she was doubled over, and he said that she stood, closed the door in his face and then at that point he went ahead and left.". Published: 7/28/2017 6:16:14 PM. she asked. However, Yates said, that's not that uncommon. She also thinks Matthew read her diary and realized she was documenting his extramarital affair and secretly plotting to get full custody of their little boys. The chain of custody on that stuff is messed up. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. And neither is Will Sanders, the truck driver spearheading the drive to get justice for Jessica. Credit: GBI/Griffin Police Dept. nd police notify Jessica's family that she has died. Cops finally reach that locked closet door. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!, Jones advises Matthew over the radio, Stay outside. She rebukes the text message that was sent from her phone to Matthews that night and said she didnt have a lock on her phone, so anyone couldve sent it. I mean he might have grabbed my arm before, but I don't think he would intentionally do anything to hurt mebut like I said, he's changed so much here, lately, she said. . John Hayesto turn in many articles of womens clothing and other personal property including an orthodontic retainer. They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. "I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. Matthew, grandson of then-sheriff of Spalding County, texts a fellow Griffin Police officer. "He felt that perhaps it was maybe an anxiety attack. The officer says he left it in the kitchen and ran outside. Excessive force. This couldn't happen man. No it wasn't. "Being in the closet," said Jessica. As she continues to tinker with clothes, she notices that her red and black composition notebook, which is usually carefully tucked under a pile of clothes inside her closet, has been left on top of the clothes. They had Tollin soon after, and were married on Oct. 24, 2015. Jessica advised me that around 4.15.2016, when she and her ex-husband, Matthew Boynton, separated, he took several things that belongs to her without her permission, McCune reported. Thank God she fought and he was in there with her. Jessica's theory of what happened centers around her "dirty divorce diary." Matthew's fellow officers try to shield him from the sight of his gravely injured wife. Jessica Boynton, 19, was found lying in a pool of her own . They hoist her inside. She rebukes the text message that came from her phone to Matthew's that night and said she didn't have a lock on her phone, so anyone could've sent it. She wants to give her new employers the right impression, since tomorrow is her first day at a chiropractor's office. Barely clinging to life, Jessica spent three weeks in a coma before waking up, according to 11alive. Unfortunately Matthew Boynton didn't have anything to say. But did something else happen that spring night in 2016? And based on the totality of circumstances, all the facts and circumstances, all the forensics, and the conclusion of the case, as well as the GBI's and the district attorney's recommendation, is no, he did not cause her injuries, Yates concluded in an interview with 11Alive for"Trigger: Who shot the officer's wife.". She says there were pages missing. Jessica's two boys, Tollin, 2, and baby Tyler, are sound asleep in their rooms. 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. Despite what many think is a smoking gun, the GBI agent asking questions proceeds as if Jessica shot herself. 11Alive reached out to the GBI and Officer Matthew Boynton, however, neither returned our phone calls. "Well, how do you come to that conclusion?" 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. Boynton was released from the Spalding County Jail Friday night on a $4,806 cash bond. Guthrie calls Matthew and they chat for two minutes. Which I knew that.. She was hit over the head. Because she owned the retainer prior to her marriage, it would not be considered community property. And Jessicas trauma surgeon was not interviewed by the GBI until July 20. Does she believe that this was just sloppy work or does she believe that this is a cover-up? And based on the totality of circumstances, all the facts and circumstances, all the forensics, and the conclusion of the case, as well as the GBI's and the district attorney's recommendation, is no, he did not cause her injuries, Yates concluded. I left a message with the lady that answered for her to call me. In it, she logs Matthew Boynton's every move, including his unexplained disappearances with their two boys. I mean he might have grabbed my arm before, but I don't think he would intentionally do anything to hurt mebut like I said, he's changed so much here, lately, she said. He grabs his police radio from the kitchen counter and runs outside and makes a desperate call. Less than a month after her hospital-bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to his chief. Her bright blues eyes glisten as they well with emotion. 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.. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. She told the agent, they were at home when they argued about his mistress and the photo that Jessica found on his phone that night. Jessica was still in a coma with a traumatic brain injurytubes stemming from her brain to alleviate pressure and fluid. They did not swab me or Matthew, nor did they take his clothes," said Jessica. No bullet fragments were recovered from her head. After Jones pushes the gun away from underneath Jessica's bodyplacing it inside the bedroom, he and Officer Josh Howell move Jessica from the closet to the bedroom floor next to the foot of her bed so that EMS can begin working on her. (He resigned) about the time they brought him in. Reliving his steps inside the apartment after he heard gunshots fired, he said, My whole upper body went numb. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested and taken to the Spalding County Jail on multiple charges. Family and friends believe, in fact, they were married far too young. I was looking for a job and I finally found one. Collectively, they examine the bullets' trajectory from the closet, into the bedroom wall and ceiling. "She was actually happy, she was thrilled because she finally got that closure that she needed," says the neighbor. The July 29 arrest of former Griffin Police Department Officer Matthew Boynton stemmed from a theft report filed Dec. 19, 2016, by his former wife, Jessica Lester. Uh, just my service weapon, he responds. "I don't want to put all the blame on him but he's the only person that could have done it," said Jessica Boynton. Ultimately, it came down to orthodontia Lesters retainer. I'm prior military so to me it sounded like a gunshot, he tells DeMarco. "He said 'What's wrong? The police officer's wife was found with a bullet to the head, lying in their closet. Who does the neighbor think sent that text message to Matthew's phone from Jessica's? And would a dad leave his kids inside with a suicidal woman and a loaded gun? If I just would have left my f**king duty belt in the car.. provided images. Jones removes the gun, which has a tactical flashlight attached to the bottom of its barrel, and places it on the kitchen counter and heads outside. "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. I wouldn't trade them for anything no matter the situation. 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. "What you're saying to me, that's not, you know, I don't see anything he did wrong by saying that," Fred Mays told Mathews. In fact, 68 text messages are exchanged between him and his mistress. provided images. And, the first officer on scene, as recorded by body cam footage, was not interviewed by the GBI for months after the incident. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. Eventually, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded what they believe happened inside that closet; Matthew Boynton was never charged with any connection in harming his wife. Cops do find Jessica's DNA on the gun. Hahaha you about have me a heart attack freak!! And the second bullet went up at 25-degree upward angle 1'10 off the floor. Theres a lot of speculation and a lot of theory, but evidence is not there to cause me to do that., When told The GRIP had received information that the Griffin Police Department had contact the GBI Friday morning prior to Boyntons arrest, and asked the basis of that call, Yates said, That would be just to let them know what were doing..