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. A previous study found 41% of police admitted to being abusive to their spouses. 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. I was looking for a job and I finally found one. She also stated that she just wanted her things back, so I informed her that I would do a report on the incident.. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton tells dispatch he has no idea what's happened to his wife or their two young sons. At that time, the city of Griffin reported the investigation was ongoing and was not expected to be completed for another month to six weeks. 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. That's what Jessica and Matthew Boynton thought would happen when they said "I 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. I'll be back there in about two minutes. Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? So just one?" Lester recovered from the shooting but doesn't remember any of it. '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? Cops do find one bullet. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. A key piece of evidence was photographed inside the kitchen after officers arrived on the scene. She says there were pages missing. No. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. Like, how hours after the shooting, the phone was put into an evidence bag, sealed and logged into GBI evidence, it was still calling Matthew's girlfriend. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. Listen. "I would not have said that to him," said Jessica. A text messages is sent to his phone from Jessica's phone. Boynton in January denied being in possession of any of Lesters personal property. Bring the little ones for a story every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to hear Sam's favorite tales. Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. RELATED: Who shot the officer's wife? Running across the parking lot and up the stairs, responding officers, Keys, Jones and Gresham head toward the apartment. To text back long story I'll tell you later.. Jessica's alive, but barely. No bullet fragments were recovered from her head. How did his phone get in there and how was there activity on his phone if he was not in the kitchen with his phone?" I figured out what happened. 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. A lot, she said, doesn't add up. Fast forward to May 11, the day numerous items that reportedly belonged to Lester were turned in to the Griffin Police Department. When they finally shove their way in, tragic heartbreak is lying in front of them. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. Clearly we touched a nerve in Griffin, but we're not about to be scared off. The air is thick with the trepidation, as officers approach the locked closet. That's fine. This x cop needs to be tried for attempted murder. Armed with body camera attached to their uniforms, the officers burst through the door, quickly passing Matthews phone, a black and grey Verizon LG smartphone, on the kitchen counter. 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. Inside their apartment Matthew Boynton hears crying. "Most people would not view it as such, I don't believe," said Sheila Mathews. According to Sanders, these items were obtained from a woman who contacted him and claimed to be Boyntons girlfriend. 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. She alleged that many of Lesters belongings remained in Boyntons residence. The air is thick with mystery, as the officers approach the locked closet. Boyntons statement, dated Jan. 9, said, I was advised to complete a statement on a previous date by Lt. Yancey. 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. Despite Jessica Boynton's fiery allegations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation closed her case, clearing Matthew to return to work. "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. But he's also texting her before he called 911," said Sanders. "It's just inconvenient. "She was actually happy, she was thrilled because she finally got that closure that she needed," says the neighbor. He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. $5 plus $5 parking. A paramedic frantically fights to save Jessica's life. And he said 'Yeah, we did.'". And their "War of the Roses" was about to explode. But Yates told 11Alive, Matthew was not the shooter and trusts the investigation's outcome. They discover two shell casings and two bullet holes in the closet wall. 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. What! I love you and the boys.". It could have been simply that um, all his, he left his stuff there. But Jessica's trauma surgeon, a 30-year veteran in the field, had a few thoughts of his own about what could have happened and what likely did not happen that night. It's locked. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. 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. "Well, how do you come to that conclusion?" 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. No bullet entered her body anywhere. "During that time I investigated hundreds of cases with gunshots and many, many suicides.". He checks the closet where he keeps his police-issued firearm, but the door is locked. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. The first bullet went upward at 54-degree angle. Yes, I didn't have time, you know with everything going on, I didn't think anything about getting any other clothes, so I didn't know if y'all would want these or not. 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 was the best physical evidence that we had, Yates said. "Very explicit conversation," said the neighbor. And it's assigned to Matthew, her husband, the cop. Hewrote a letter to Jessicas attorneyon June 10, in which he questioned the finding that Jessicas head injury was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, indicating that there was no investigation conducted by authorities at the hospital. That is not a reaction that I can relate to.". 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. And, unfortunately it appears those questions will never be answered," Mathews said. I was scared to death, because I couldn't find [Tyler]that she would shoot me, I mean shoot him, shoot me, and then kill herself.. It seems both Matthew and Jessica were secretly stockpiling ammunition for a bitter custody fight. She had a job interview and it was going to be her first step to freedom. He's meeting his buddy at the local Waffle House. 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? Jessica Boynton was initially . They're forced to kick it in. 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 ). Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. While sifting through pages and pages of the report, a GBI evidence photo caught her attention. My kids are at home with her, so I'm trying to hurry up and get back there., I'm driving. The GRIP has reported extensively on seeming inconsistencies and irregularities in that GBI investigation. 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. There were two bullets, on different walls inside the closet. Matthew loved being part of the brotherhood. 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. ", 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.. Once the investigation was closed, reporter and publisher, Sheila Mathews, investigated the shooting for her newspaper, The Grip. Jessica's two boys, Tollin, 2, and baby Tyler, are sound asleep in their rooms. He's hoping if the case gets reopened, any possible clues will be preserved. 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's asked me to go get it out before. 11Alive reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton, however, phone calls were not returned. (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) 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.. Her neighbor, who asked us to protect her identity, says she knows the motive: Jessica had uncovered Matthew's dark secret. 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 Sanders found most alarming was the time frame Matthew Boynton says he heard those two gunshots. Jessica Boynton's head is perfectly positioned on a blood-soaked pillow. That bastard is so guilty every time they show the door knob and any badge that doesnt know that shouldnt have one. They call in Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who happens to be Matthew's grandfather, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 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 have been suffering for a while now and no one has noticed. "He said 'What's wrong? 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. Which I knew that.. Did she try to kill herself or shoot herself in the head? Jessica Boynton is found unconscious, her body on top of her husband's service revolver. And with that Matthew Boyton's questioning was over. The doctor believes Jessica's injuries may have been caused by blunt-force trauma. Ashamed the FBI hasnt picked up on this yet . Stephen Kruspe, 65, appears at his first appearance before a judge after the March 27, 2017, shooting of his wife, Pamela, at a Boynton Beach assisted living facility. 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. The neighbor claims she had been with Jessica just hours beforehand, and says her friend would never have tried to take her own life. The conversation bounces from officer to officer. As he drove he received a text message from Jessica's phone. "To help cover his tracks.". 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. A message to Matthews phone is received and marked as read, from his girlfriend--from inside the evidence bag. No, never. The baby's muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. "Here's where her head was laying. I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. 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. 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. But she doesn't buy it, especially since her head was perfectly laid on a pillow, she said after watching the bodycam footage. Griffin Police Capt. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!, Jones advises Matthew over the radio, Stay outside. But, Jessica said regardless of her knowledge of guns, she had every reason to live. If America is really a first-world country, it will enact legislation that takes this issue seriously, and fund more studies and programs to preventing domestic violence and identifying and protecting victims. But many believe Jessica holds the only key as to what really happened inside that closet. They are 50% more likely to commit police brutality. It's just one piece of the brand new beginning the young mother and wife has been putting together for her and her sons. Matthew makes it back to the apartment before help arrives and hears baby Tyler crying -- and then heartbreak. A tactical sweep finds an 8-month-old baby screaming. Ultimately, it came down to orthodontia Lesters retainer. If I could have been there 10 minutes earlier I could have jumped in front of the gun and try to get it from her man., Where did she shoot herself at? Strangely, they never test her hands for gunshot residue. Chris DeMarco, GBIs assistant special agent in charge, arrives on the scene and meets with Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates for a briefing. The neighbor says Jessica came over to her apartment with the kids, clearly upset about the fight. "How did his phone get in there? 478-993-3053. Agent DeMarco approaches Meagan Browning, who's joined by Eric Kshywonis, at 61 Ashford Waythe apartment just downstairs from Jessica and Matthew. Here lately I have not been able to recognize the person I see in the mirror. '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, calls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. Ironically Jessica first met that man while she was out scouting for a wedding venue to marry Matthew. She's moaning.. If that's what you want to do. "I believe it's both, it's sloppy and a cover-up," said Jessica. Six months later, everything would changefor everyone. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. 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. She loved me. I'll be back there in about two minutes. The report states Matthew left Walmart without Jessica. Two shots have been fired from her husbands service weapon. The next action noted in the case occurred nearly two months later. Shortly afterward, Matthew begins texting Jessica about going to Walmart to pick up baby formula. Officer Adam Trammel reports to a non-emergency call from the Boynton residence at Ashford Place on Ashford Way, in Griffin, Ga. 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? The neighbor believes Matthew Boynton discovered the divorce diary and simply snapped. 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. 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. Collectively, they examine the bullets' trajectory from the closet, into the bedroom wall and ceiling. No one may have ever done anything to question this case again if not for Will Sanders. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does the GBI remain the last word on the case? the GBI agent posed a return question. And that's all I needed, so I was on cloud nine.". But what about that 911 call Matthew made just minutes before the shooting, claiming he got a text from Jessica saying she was going to kill herself? When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does theGBI remain the last word on the Jessica Boynton case? The panicked cop grabs his police radio and runs outside to make the frantic call to dispatch. 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. Jessica Boynton was just 19 years old when she was found inside a locked closet with a gunshot wound to her head. Matthew, grandson of then-sheriff of Spalding County, texts a fellow Griffin Police officer. But another heated argument goes down in the baby food aisle. "Happy," said the neighbor. "The only thing that I can tell you is that Matthew Boynton's account of events are not correct.". It appears it was self-inflicted. On something like this, does it usually take a while?, Right now it depends on what happens with Jessica, too. She had always kept it hidden, but now, there it is for everyone to see. 11Alive reached out to the GBI and Officer Matthew Boynton, however, neither returned our phone calls. No, never. 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. said Sheila Mathews. Im not sure about that. 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. RE-open the case Georgia!!!!!! GRIFFIN, Ga. - Matthew Boynton was arrested by his fellow Griffin Police officers and taken to the Spalding County Jail on . The glowing yellow and black, blocked-letter Waffle House sign illuminates his truck as he drives by, turning around to head back home. He tells Trammel that he was in the shower, using his cell phone, when Jessica walked into the bathroom, pulled the shower curtain back and snatched his cell phone. 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. He drove back to the apartment, he tells Jones, but it was too late. She spoke to the GBI, from her hospital bed. The next door neighbor interview was conducted after Matthew returned to full duty. "I have occasional headaches, but other than that everything's good," Jessica Boynton said. Her head shaved. 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. Jessica, on a few occasions, hit and slapped him, he tells the GBI. Crime Watch Daily's security team tracked the email address, only to find it was from an anonymous server. I would have said, I can't do this anymore, comma, take care of Tolin and Tyler, period. I would have said, suicidal not suicide thoughts.. I f***ing love her. Shame shame. Security camera captures the family walking in around 10:15 p.m. How did Jessica react when she saw those messages? A phone that text messages were sent and received to/from following his recollection of hearing,POP-POP! and running out of the apartment. "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. That's what they're all assuming, Matthew said. Jessica and Matthew Boynton got married at an extremely young age. In turn Jessica begins keeping a so-called "dirty divorce diary," a red notebook she kept carefully hidden in a closet. It is unknown what effect his arrest may have on Boyntons criminal cases. John Hayesto turn in many articles of womens clothing and other personal property including an orthodontic retainer. An officer tries to console his grieving coworker. Excessive force. But Yates said the holster is designed to have some retention capability. A bunch of CLOWNS!! His tone changes. Its one of their owna police-issued .40-caliber Glock. Jessica has given Will every piece of evidence in her case, including that divorce diary. Crime Watch Daily reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton and got no response. I hadn't really put much thought into it, Jessica told him. 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. This case stinks to hi-heaven of a cover-up..if not, its a group of the most incompetent people ever to wear a Law enforcement uniform. Especially because of my children. "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.". They're my everything. Since his bodycam wasn't charged, it doesn't record this call. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . 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. Matthew makes it home, jumps out of his truck, races through the breezeway of his apartment building and bolts up the stairs. Matthew interviews with the GBI early that morning. 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. Matthew Boynton interrogation video with Griffin Police Department. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, Matthews grandfather,and police notify Jessicas family that she has died. 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.. Who does she think hit her over the head? provided images. From her hospital bed, she spoke to the GBI. 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. "I know for a fact that Jessica was not suicidal," said the neighbor. Reliving his steps inside the apartment after he heard gunshots fired, he said, My whole upper body went numb. "She suspected Matthew was cheating on her and so she dug for information, and we found it," the neighbor said. 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. 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. This is who he's sleeping with, points to the Facebook post that she says she was holding for Jessica for her divorce. Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton was investigated in the case, but was only charged with making . He says she started poking him in the chest with her finger, telling him that he had to admit there was another woman. Inside the closet they also discover Jessica's red "divorce diary." "I hope she didn't shoot my kids," he says to one officer. They'd met in high school when Jessica was 15 and Matthew was 16. I think it just kind of happened. She's got good pulse. December 20022 so heartless to show this right before Xmas. But what started as a mutual, friendly divorce soon turned nasty. | Examine the evidence yourself. There was most likely a struggle with the gun and he assumed she was dead. "He believed that the shots he heard fired were fired from his duty weapon," said Sheila Mathews, publisher of The Grip. I said 'Is she still alive?' The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. Haha I'm sorry I didn't think about that lol he sends to her after receiving a text from her--moments following his text from his wife. While GPD Chief Mike Yates said he is unable to release specific information due to the criminal nature of the case, he did confirm information The GRIP provided during a July 31 interview. "I said 'It's Jessica isn't it?' I attempted to contact Jessica Boynton via telephone to advise her that this is a civil matter. It doesn't sound like anything I would say. 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.