That piece of evidence was a photo showing Matthew's cell phone next to the microwave inside the apartment. Police investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessicas limp body. But what started as a mutual, friendly divorce soon turned nasty. "During that time I investigated hundreds of cases with gunshots and many, many suicides.". It could, but it wont necessarily do it, Yates said. "Being in the closet," said Jessica. 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. After establishing her retainer was not community property, Boynton was arrested on two felonies false statements and writings and violation of his oath of office. Cops do find Jessica's DNA on the gun. Matthew, who's wearing a gray sweatshirt, says he called Lt. Curtis Keys and asked him what he should do. [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. The neighbor says Jessica started documenting all the sordid details of the affair in her secret red "divorce diary." And the second bullet went up at 25-degree upward angle 1'10 off the floor. "She suspected Matthew was cheating on her and so she dug for information, and we found it," the neighbor said. It appears it was self-inflicted. Having previously learned of the new evidence that was turned in to the Griffin Police Department May 11 and the Internal Affairs investigation that resulted, The GRIP on July 7 submitted an Open Records request for information in the case. During my stay is when my personal belongings were taken and Matthew Boynton (3842) refuses to give them back, Lester stated. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. There's little if any visible blood spatter inside the closet. said Sheila Mathews. It is unknown what effect his arrest may have on Boyntons criminal cases. I'll be back there in about two minutes. 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. That was the subject of his charges his statements and writings that we were able to prove were false, Yates said. Am I recording it? Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. On May 11, Will Sanders met withYancy and Sgt. That's the last thing the 19-year-old remembers. A bunch of CLOWNS!! In fact, 68 text messages are exchanged between him and his mistress. I can't keep doing this.. Matthew admits to having an affair. I hadn't really put much thought into it, Jessica told him. It's the second infidelity in their relationshipJessica admitted to cheating on him before they were married. Since both sides have their theories of what happened that night, Crime Watch Daily brought in an independent investigator to give us his unbiased opinion. She thinks he found it before the incident. But someone else did. "I think I was hit over the head with something.". This chilling police body camera footage shows the moment a cop's wife was found barely alive suffering from a gunshot wound to her head. A lot," said the neighbor. She loved me. So I'm trying to hurry and get back home just to make sure that nothing's going to happen to them.. The odd thing is a few pages have been ripped out. "The only thing that I can tell you is that Matthew Boynton's account of events are not correct.". Two shots have been fired from her husbands service weapon. (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) We're going to be doing that to do touch DNA on the gun, and um, and why we're doing that is obviously one to corroborate everything that's what believed happened, and that way it also, it also eliminates the possibility of her family saying, you had something involved in this, or whatever, the GBI agent said to him. Bring the little ones for a story every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to hear Sam's favorite tales. They were calling me the miracle child Because what I went through, not a lot of people survive through it, she told 11Alive's Brendan Keefe, nearly six months after the incidenther golden blonde hair now growing back. giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weekly. That's not what the surveillance tape shows. I havent listened to the actual investigation, but I dont believe so, that he gave any explanation that made any sense.. Just minutes after Jessica is airlifted to an Atlanta trauma center, Sheriff Beam asks deputies to deliver the devastating news to Jessica's family that she's dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Here's where things get blurry. It was actually from him. The GRIP has reported extensively on seeming inconsistencies and irregularities in that GBI investigation. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. His flashlight's beam reveals a smiling family of four. The neighbor claims she had been with Jessica just hours beforehand, and says her friend would never have tried to take her own life. So just one?" "It was. The crying officer tells Jones that he left the apartment and was meeting Guthrie at Waffle House, when he received a text from Jessica that indicated she was going to kill herself. Trammel records the 10:53 p.m., incident report from April 14. The police officer's wife was found with a bullet to the head, lying in their closet. The court ruled in his favor, giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weeklysupervised visitation. Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. Despite their problems, Matthew tells investigators he still loved Jessica and the boys, and he offers an explanation for why he didn't run in the apartment that terrible night to save them. One of her aunts is all over Facebook., GBI agent said, The bullet didn't even enter the skull. She's having suicidal thoughts. With the suicidal text message and Jessica's DNA found on her husband's gun, less than a month after her hospital bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to the chief, and as of June 6, Matthew returned to full duty with a new service weapon on his hip. A grandson of the county sheriff, a career in law enforcement was in his genes. "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. Excessive force. It could have been simply that um, all his, he left his stuff there. Her head shaved. Hike also includes a rare chance to tour inside the old powerhouse which provides great photo opportunities of the Towaliga River. They'd met in high school when Jessica was 15 and Matthew was 16. It can be inferred that approximately half or more cops are abusive husbands/wifebeaters. 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. An officer tries to console his grieving coworker. And would a dad leave his kids inside with a suicidal woman and a loaded gun? The paramedic begins accessing her head wound, but they're having a hard time finding it through her hair and thick blood. That phone never got back into the officer's hand. Thank God she fought and he was in there with her. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. "I was with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 33 years," said Tim Miley. Somewhere in proximity to his arrest. 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. Domestic violence has always been a precursor to violence in other areas. Matt shouldnt be allowed to ever be a cop anywhere else. Did investigators look for a blunt object? No one may have ever done anything to question this case again if not for Will Sanders. OR OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. From her hospital bed, she spoke to the GBI. 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? A Griffin cop finally arrives to take Matthew's formal domestic violence complaint. In partnership with Still peering down at his phone, Matthew also sends a text to his girlfriend, a Spalding County dispatcher. He's hoping if the case gets reopened, any possible clues will be preserved. If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. GBI agents, however, have closed her case. She was hit over the head. The ambulance pulls away with Jessica in critical condition, to the fire station located on Carver Road, where the medical helicopter picks her up and takes her to an Atlanta hospital. Donald Britt, Lt. Darrell Dix, Lt. Keys and Beam are also present. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. Matthew claims they returned home just after 11 p.m. His proof? A body-cam captures her inconsolable baby boy in the arms of an officer. However, the GBIs own photographs, search warrant and evidence log all corroborate that the officers phone was on the kitchen counter after Matthew had already left the apartment. 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.. Take care of Tollin and Tyler, please tell them I love them every day. 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. This is abuse of power. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that she's never handled a gun, nor shot one. Stay outside.. This all follows a Georgia Bureau of Investigation case that ultimately ruled Lester had attempted suicide in April 2016. Just have a soul here please please please. Jessica Boynton, once declared dead, is alive and talking. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. Lt. Curtis Keys is dispatched to the scene. Less than a month after her hospital-bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to his chief. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was cleared in his wife's shooting, but his interrogation still cost him his job. Six months later, everything would changefor everyone. "I didn't know if I was dealing with a possible active scenario where she still had the gun, and she had shot Tyler, and then I could have been the next target," Matthew says in the interview. This activity on his cell phone had to have taken place inside the kitchen inside his apartment," Mathews said to DeMarco in a recorded phone conversation. Matthew's hands were not tested for gunpowder either. I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. That bullet ends up toward the top left of the closet. In it, she logs Matthew Boynton's every move, including his unexplained disappearances with their two boys. However, this does not surprise me how they covered this up and they wonder why good citizens dont come forward when a crime takes place.HUMMMMM, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/07/what-if-your-abusive-husband-is-a-cop. Jones shouts as he travels deeper insidehis weapon drawn. "The Officer's Wife" is a new podcast that will examine the evidence in the 2016 shooting of a 19-year-old mother and ask: Who pulled the trigger? "And I talked to the guy and was like, 'Look man, you know, can you just be honest with me? But many believe Jessica holds the only key as to what really happened inside that closet. Her condition.. Agent DeMarco approaches Meagan Browning, who's joined by Eric Kshywonis, at 61 Ashford Waythe apartment just downstairs from Jessica and Matthew. When asked if Boyntons arrest has led him to believe that case should be reopened, Yates said, No. 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. He's meeting his buddy at the local Waffle House. I had a friend who was a girl, or is a girl, he answers, further admitting that the relationship had become sexual. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. Will Sanders also has questions about a crime scene photo showing Matthew's cellphone. "Matthew," said Jessica. I was looking for a job and I finally found one. UPDATE: This story was originally published in November 2016. 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. Cops find 8-month-old Tyler visibly upset but thankfully uninjured. Jessica and Matthew Boynton got married at an extremely young age. She had a job interview and it was going to be her first step to freedom. Because she owned the retainer prior to her marriage, it would not be considered community property. "He tried to kill her.". No it wasn't. The conversation bounces from officer to officer. "How did his phone get in there? [] of this document: BREAKING NEWS: GPD Officer Matthew Boynton arrested, charged with two feloniesM Matthew Boynton: The evidence and investigation that led to his arrest Matthew Boynton criminal []. The chain of custody on that stuff is messed up. 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. The glowing yellow and black, blocked-letter Waffle House sign illuminates his truck as he drives by, turning around to head back home. A Griffin police officer who was investigated in his ex-wife's shooting was charged Friday, July 28, 2017, with making false statements and violating oath after officials say he took her belongings, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. His phone is pretty active tonight. 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. 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.. Cops finally reach that locked closet door. How does Jessica explain the "suicide text" sent from her phone less than 10 minutes before her husband Matthew called 911 in a panic? Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. "There was no testing done on his clothing," said Sheila Mathews. The purpose of it, is when you're fighting with somebody to keep the weapon from coming out of your holster, but it's certainly easy to take it out under most cases. Making his way outside, he calls for assistance over his radio. Armed with bodycams attached to their uniforms, the officers burst through the door, quickly passing Matthew's phone, a black and grey Verizon LG smartphone, on the kitchen counter. She's like a sister to me, Browning says, her voice quivering. Jones checks on a locked closet door between the master bedroom and hallway, across from the bathroom. Listen. "When the GBI concluded their case they gave it back to Jessica, and I got it from Jessica," Sanders said. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does the GBI remain the last word on the case? 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. Four days later, he appeared in court, wearing his police uniform, and testified that he had been cleared by the GBI in a custody hearing. He advised that he does not have any of the items listed in this report.. The shocking discovery comes when he shaves her head looking for bullet holes. Jessica was still in a coma with a traumatic brain injurytubes stemming from her brain to alleviate pressure and fluid. 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. There are a lot of questions that I would love to have answered. Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. 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. Published: 7/28/2017 6:16:14 PM. Blood pressure.. Her head shaved. the GBI agent posed a return question. As he drove he received a text message from Jessica's phone. And they said yes," the neighbor said. "According to my interview with Griffin police chief, that second shot had to have been fired while the gun was either on the floor or almost on the floor very close to that wall.". Ive seen no evidence to indicate that would be necessary, but that does not preclude the GBI or anybody else from doing it if they choose. Law enforcement was in his genes. "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. Based on that acknowledgement, The GRIP asked if it would not alleviate legal concerns pertaining to the chain of custody, and furthermore, why Boynton was not also charged with theft. Jessica Boynton was just 19 years old when she was found inside a locked closet with a gunshot wound to her head. If the phone was found by the GBI in the kitchenif the phone is on police body camera footage sitting on the counter by the microwave, and he was outside never returning insidehow is it possible for Matthew to text his girlfriend, while he's calling in shots fired while outside of the apartment? A paramedic frantically fights to save Jessica's life. So I'm trying to hurry and get back home just to make sure that nothing's going to happen to them.. Jones checks on a locked closet door between the master bedroom and hallway, across from the bathroom. This is who he's sleeping with, points to the Facebook post that she says she was holding for Jessica for her divorce. ", 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.. "He told 911 that he was so worried and he was trying to get back to the house as fast as possible. The GBI is a joke as well Around midnight Matthew says he leaves Jessica and the kids to meet fellow Officer Joshua Guthrie for a late-night snack at Waffle House. GRIFFIN, Georgia, April 15, 2016: Police are breathlessly racing to save a life. Despite what many think is a smoking gun, the GBI agent asking questions proceeds as if Jessica shot herself. Inside their apartment Matthew Boynton hears crying. Clearly we touched a nerve in Griffin, but we're not about to be scared off. She's having suicidal thoughts," he says calmly to the dispatcher. His tone changes. Hahaha you about have me a heart attack freak!! Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? Griffin Police Department Officer Matthew Boynton has been arrested and charged with two felonies. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE FBI???????? The one seen in the police body-cam is not the same gray sweatshirt he was wearing at Walmart earlier that night. What did Matthew do that he needed covering up? Now she lives in terror every day because she can't remember who attacked her. I said 'Is she still alive?' The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a "civil matter." On Dec. 19, 2016, Lester met with GPD Investigator Dexter McCune regarding property she alleged Boynton had stolen. A tactical sweep finds an 8-month-old baby screaming. She spoke to the GBI, from her hospital bed. "He stated that he was too frightened. "It's just inconvenient. 11Alive reached out to the GBI and Officer Matthew Boynton, however, neither returned our phone calls. He grabs his police radio, stationed and charging on top of the white microwave in the kitchen, and leaves his phone on the counter. But long hours on the force took its toll on his marriage. After getting Matthew's phone records, Sanders discovers during that same time Matthew was making calls to 911, he was texting his mistress. 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 can't even get it out of its case, she replied. 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. I love you and the boys.". Unfortunately, the only person who may be able to answer that question is Jessica, and she was in a coma. When he's not driving a truck, Sanders studies police records looking for things investigators missed -- or possibly covered up. "He believed that the shots he heard fired were fired from his duty weapon," said Sheila Mathews, publisher of The Grip. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. The babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. But, Jessica said regardless of her knowledge of guns, she had every reason to live. Then, a moment of hope from the 19-year-old mother: She's still breathing. 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. 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. 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. GSW, possible to the head. 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,. The report states Matthew left Walmart without Jessica. Of course the Grandfather could not be reached for a comment, he had it covered up. Matthew makes it home, jumps out of his truck, races through the breezeway of his apartment building and bolts up the stairs. And it's assigned to Matthew, her husband, the cop. You want to start recording me, and started quoting me, you'd better let me know ahead of time, or we're gonna have a problem. 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. The first bullet went upward at 54-degree angle. 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. 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. He grabs his police radio, stationed on top of the white microwave in the kitchen charging, and puts his phone on the counter. This stinks, and the fact remains, it appears he tried to kill his wife, so what are you guys going to do?? The way our charter is structured, termination takes two or three days. She tells the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the Matthew Boynton is cheating on Jessica with another woman. Example video title will go here for this video. HERE IS THE NEWS STORY OF THE SHOOTING.. https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/trigger-over-and-out/85-8ab82530-da07-492b-9a3c-c20d5e7f50b3. This couldn't happen man. Jessica Boynton's husband says he gets a suicidal text from his estranged wife, so he rushes home, only to hear two gunshots. 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. Courthouse Annex, Solomon Street, Griffin, Six-year-old fire victim will give life to others through organ donation, Cause of fatal Saturday morning fire determined, https://the-grip.net/2016/10/18/gbi-completes-boynton-investigation-requested-by-gpd/, https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/trigger-over-and-out/85-8ab82530-da07-492b-9a3c-c20d5e7f50b3, GPD Chief fabricated, released record identifying Will Sanders as Matthew Boyntons father The Grip. 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. After just six months of marriage, the Boyntons' one-time neighbor says she saw their young love grow toxic. There was most likely a struggle with the gun and he assumed she was dead. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. "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. I told him, 'You're going to have to go get it, because I can't get it out of the case. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. No, never. Yeah, if we've got to get the clothes, obviously we'll bring you back up to the apartment for you to get some clothes obviously, says the agent. If I could have been here sooner, maybe I could have stopped her Matthew says, spiraling. He tells Trammel he left Walmart without Jessica. "No they did not because they assumed I was shot, because that's what Matthew said," Jessica said. 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. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. Five days after his wife was shot, Matthew talked with the GBI again. Making his way outside, seconds later, he calls for assistance over his radio. And their "War of the Roses" was about to explode. He reads another text from his girlfriend, while driving 90 mph. an officer questions the others. 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. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . She had an appointment Monday.. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't try to brush off anything. They hoist her inside. No. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. Jessica Lester-Boyntons property has already previously been returned to her by my step dad (Charles McDaniel Jr.) shortly after Jessica got out of the hospital. "The stuff that he was texting her was, you know, 'LOL's," said Sanders. | Examine the evidence yourself, calls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. RELATED: Who shot the officer's wife? I left a message with the lady that answered for her to call me. [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. Especially because of my children. "I hope she didn't shoot my kids," he says to one officer.
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