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. If I could have been here sooner, maybe I could have stopped her Matthew says, spiraling. Take care of Tollin and Tyler, please tell them I love them every day. Am I recording it? Until recently, Matthew's grandfather, Wendell Beam, reigned as Spalding County sheriff. She said there were too many errors and discrepancies for her to have sent it. "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. 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. McCune also had Lester write a victims statement. "That was when approximately 24 minutes into the conversation, his demeanor changed and everything flipped," she recalled. When the officers pull Jessica's body out of the closet, they find Matthew's gun right underneath her, a .40-caliber Glock. On Dec. 19, 2016, Lester met with GPD Investigator Dexter McCune regarding property she alleged Boynton had stolen. They call in Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who happens to be Matthew's grandfather, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 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. Matthew, grandson of then-sheriff of Spalding County, texts a fellow Griffin Police officer. Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton tells dispatch he has no idea what's happened to his wife or their two young sons. I mean that just doesn't happen," said Jessica. His flashlights beam reveals a smiling family of four. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. He's asked me to go get it out before. "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.". The devil is in the details. He says she started poking him in the chest with her finger, telling him that he had to admit there was another woman. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. It's just one piece of the brand new beginning the young mother and wife has been putting together for her and her sons. He checks the closet where he keeps his police-issued firearm, but the door is locked. She's having suicidal thoughts," he calmly says about Jessica to the dispatcher. RE-open the case Georgia!!!!!! That phone never got back into the officer's hand. I'll be back there in about two minutes. She made a full recovery, but doesn't remember a thing. Both Jessica and Matthew reportedly want a divorce. And its assigned to Matthew. In fact she claims Jessica was blissfully stockpiling ammunition to get full custody of their two little boys. Family and friends believe, in fact, they were married far too young. When they finally shove their way in, tragic heartbreak is lying in front of them. And Jessicas trauma surgeon was not interviewed by the GBI until July 20. I left a message with the lady that answered for her to call me. "Here's where her head was laying. But they have no idea what's waiting for them behind a locked closet door. However, Yates said, that's not that uncommon. But asking those questions resulted in a threat. Above Jessica, pinned to the wall, is a large black letter B for Boynton. Most of the cases that he would have made or would be involved in would also have, or should have, body worn camera video, car video, things of that nature, so the fact that his statement to us was compromised would not necessarily taint everything else. Yes, for an article, just to make sure I get quotes proper.". We asked retired homicide detective Tim Miley to review Jessica's entire case file and every crime scene photo. she asked. She had an appointment Monday.. 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. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE FBI???????? Stay outside.. Did he cause his estranged spouse's injury? Terms of Use | She just said that she's been experiencing suicidal thoughts right now, she told me to take care of the boys. My kids are at home with her, so I'm trying to hurry up and get back there., I'm driving. 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. It was sitting out in the open, caught on police body-camera when cops kicked in the closet door. When asked if Boyntons arrest has led him to believe that case should be reopened, Yates said, No. There were two bullets, on different walls inside the closet. Jones approaches Matthew to find out what happened. While sifting through pages and pages of the report, a GBI evidence photo caught her attention. Well I couldn't get it for him because I couldn't get it out of his gun holster, she said. The officer says he left it in the kitchen and ran outside. It's the second infidelity in their relationshipJessica admitted to cheating on him before they were married. 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. Cops do find Jessica's DNA on the gun. Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. Tyler, the 8-month-old baby, is the result of a relationship Jessica had with a mechanic while she and Matthew were temporarily separated. If I just would have left my f**king duty belt in the car.. Matthew reads a text from Lt. Curtis Keys, look for police car.. 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. Lt. Curtis Keys is dispatched to the scene. She spoke to the GBI, from her hospital bed. A grandson of the county sheriff, a career in law enforcement was in his genes. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. GRIFFIN, Georgia, April 15, 2016: Police are breathlessly racing to save a life. Officer Adam Trammel reports to a non-emergency call from the Boynton residence at Ashford Place on Ashford Way, in Griffin, Ga. 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. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton was investigated in the case, but was only charged with making . I mean you can't prove that," DeMarco. Griffin, Georgia is the kind of small Southern town where high school sweethearts stay married forever. And he called the girlfriend, so Mays said to Mathews. Collectively, they examine the bullets' trajectory from the closet, into the bedroom wall and ceiling. "I said 'It's Jessica isn't it?' She's breathing, but unresponsive. A message to Matthews phone is received and marked as read, from his girlfriend--from inside the evidence bag. Updated: 11:14 PM EDT July 28, 2017. Six months later, everything would changefor everyone. And that's all I needed, so I was on cloud nine.". 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. The baby's muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. It appears it was self-inflicted. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. Aft. DeMarco pressed Mathews. Jessica, on a few occasions, hit and slapped him, he tells the GBI. That's what Jessica and Matthew Boynton thought would happen when they said "I do.". The agent had that phone, I think DeMarco, Chris DeMarco had the phone and they was [sic] trying to get in the gate, and, uh, he accidentally hit, I guess, the last number dialed, called or whatever. The first bullet went upward at 54-degree angle. 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 this wasn't the end of Jessica's story, rather a new beginningbut not the one she was hoping for. 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. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. No one may have ever done anything to question this case again if not for Will Sanders. Police investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessicas limp body. 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. I was scared to death, because I couldnt find [Tyler]that she would shoot me, I mean shoot him, shoot me, and then kill herself.. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. [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. "I think it was in the heat of the moment, he was angry with me. There was most likely a struggle with the gun and he assumed she was dead. 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. Statements from Jessica Boynton and Matthew Boynton are logged into evidence, said a statement written by Yancy March 13. Man, look, she's still breathing. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. Just have a soul here please please please. Then-Griffin Police Department officer Matthew Boynton was arrested on July 28, 2017, for giving a false statement to his own department stating he was not i. Officer Robert Brian Jones is also dispatched to the Ashford Way apartment building. I wouldn't trade them for anything no matter the situation. 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. That's the bottom line for me. It entered at an upward leftward trajectory angle," said Sheila Mathews. "I was with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 33 years," said Tim Miley. Matthew begins calling his brothers in blue, telling them Jessica is physically abusing him -- not a standard way of reporting domestic abuse. 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. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. At about 10:45 p.m., he continues, he thought he heard a gunshot while they were lying in bed. John Hayesto turn in many articles of womens clothing and other personal property including an orthodontic retainer. "The only thing that I can tell you is that Matthew Boynton's account of events are not correct.". Matthew interviews with the GBI early that morning. 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. "Being in the closet," said Jessica. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who is also Matthew's grandfather and police notify Jessica's family that she has died. 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. "It was. But as luck would have it, suddenly he's right across the street on police business. After Jessica was shot, Matthew, then-20, was back on duty with his gun on his hip, before key interviews were conducted and the GBI director wrote an official letter about the cases conclusion, stating that the shooting was ruled a suicide.. Did you all have sex?' "It's just inconvenient. Clearly we touched a nerve in Griffin, but we're not about to be scared off. "He stated that he heard two shots fired, 'pop pop,' rapid succession," said Sheila Mathews. "Really somebody just needs to look at it, somebody of great knowledge of things like this, and then let them tell me what they think," said Jessica Boynton. Thats what we had to establish, Yates confirmed. 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. This is who he's sleeping with, points to the Facebook post that she says she was holding for Jessica for her divorce. 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. No. Once the investigation was closed, reporter and publisher, Sheila Mathews, investigated the shooting for her newspaper, The Grip. She wants to give her new employers the right impression, since tomorrow is her first day at a chiropractor's office. 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. She's like a sister to me, Browning says, her voice quivering. If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her monitoring her condition. 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. Furthermore, he said, it's his observation that self-inflicted gunshot wounds are very unusual among women. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. He reads another text from his girlfriend, while driving 90 mph. The only person who truly knows what happened behind that closet door was jessica -- and she's now out of her coma. Two shots had been fired. And I could have been the next target.. 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. Especially because of my children. There's little if any visible blood spatter inside the closet. Please wear sturdy shoes. It sounded like a gunshot. "I would not have said that to him," said Jessica. A DISGRACE! 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? "He never re-entered the apartment after that point," said Sheila. Listen. It was retrieved from the kitchen counter in front of the microwave oven," she probed further. He grabs his police radio from the kitchen counter and runs outside and makes a desperate call. A paramedic frantically fights to save Jessica's life. Hike also includes a rare chance to tour inside the old powerhouse which provides great photo opportunities of the Towaliga River. His phone is pretty active tonight. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. 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. Its so obvious a coverup. Jessica Boynton's head is perfectly positioned on a blood-soaked pillow. 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. She agreed to provide those items to Sanders, who then turned them in to the Griffin Police Department. Before he leaves, Matthew says Jessica makes a bizarre request: She asks him to call an ambulance. "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. From her hospital bed, she spoke to the GBI. Ad Choices, Griffin police Lt. Michael Natale said in a statement. In response to 11Alives questions about the case, the GBI said, We are confident in the investigation that was conducted., RELATED: Jessica Boynton says she's free as a bird', MORE | Watch the Facebook Live with Brendan Keefe. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. "No they did not because they assumed I was shot, because that's what Matthew said," Jessica said. Inside the closet they also discover Jessica's red "divorce diary." Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? 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.. I was, he says to the GBI agent. 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.". By the time Jessica was twenty, she'd had enough of Matthew, and their crumbling marriage had driven her to a dark place. Uh, just my service weapon, he responds, ending the call just a minute later. "Matthew. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, Matthews grandfather,and police notify Jessicas family that she has died. 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. So just one?" His phone was left inside their apt, yet he says he never entered it.. so many lies the grandfather called Jessicas family and informed them she was DEAD! We heard something and said 'what was that', recalls Browning. No bullet fragments were recovered from her head. giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weekly. I'll be back there in about two minutes. Stay out, Matt, one the officers advises his fellow officer. One of her aunts is all over Facebook., GBI agent said, The bullet didn't even enter the skull. "He tried to kill her.". "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. 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. What you have from a close range press contact wound is high-velocity blood spatter, which is very small, and it might not be very visible with the naked eye, or easily visible from photographs. Making his way outside, he calls for assistance over his radio. They'd met in high school when Jessica was 15 and Matthew was 16. He lied about the lock then he says he kept his gun in there hmmm. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't try to brush off anything. Matthew calls another officer and reports Jessica is refusing to leave with him. Example video title will go here for this video. Officer Robert Brian Jones shouts, as he travels deeper inside the two-bedroom apartmenthis weapon drawn. "Police department!" Guthrie calls Matthew and they chat for two minutes. 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. Fast forward to May 11, the day numerous items that reportedly belonged to Lester were turned in to the Griffin Police Department. "He stated that he was too frightened. 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. 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. 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. Its a question 11Alive investigators asked a few months ago, when Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boyntons wife, Jessica, allegedly shot herself in the head with his service weapon, inside the master bedroom closetlocked from the inside. Everybody clear out, says Jones, who has Keys call for an EMT. But where's the second round? Does she believe that this was just sloppy work or does she believe that this is a cover-up? 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. 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. There's no way I could have shot myself in the top of the head and not kill myself. "He does report an incident that would be considered domestic violence, that she was poking him in the chest with her finger," said Sheila Mathews. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. And the second bullet went up at 25-degree upward angle 1'10 off the floor. And that's all I needed, so I was on cloud nine.". The conversation bounces from officer to officer. "She was actually happy, she was thrilled because she finally got that closure that she needed," says the neighbor. "He said 'What's wrong? The court ruled in his favor, giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weeklysupervised visitation. 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? Despite what many think is a smoking gun, the GBI agent asking questions proceeds as if Jessica shot herself. I told him, 'You're going to have to go get it, because I can't get it out of the case. The glowing yellow and black, blocked-letter Waffle House sign illuminates his truck as he drives by, turning around to head back home. Did investigators look for a blunt object? Matthew admits to having an affair. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. I just came up the stairs, two rounds," Boynton says on the recorded call. 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. They're my everything. Jessica Boynton is found unconscious, her body on top of her husband's service revolver. He changed clothes yet lied and said he did not. The gun then landed underneath," said Tim Miley. Then, a moment of hope from the 19-year-old mother: She's still breathing. Chris DeMarco, GBIs assistant special agent in charge, arrives on the scene and meets with Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates for a briefing. 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.'". In turn Jessica begins keeping a so-called "dirty divorce diary," a red notebook she kept carefully hidden in a closet. 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. The next door neighbor interview was conducted after Matthew returned to full duty. A request is made to notify the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. That piece of evidence was a photo showing Matthew's cell phone next to the microwave inside the apartment. I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. The agent continues to interview Matthew, who's wearing a red hoodie, asking him if the clothes he was wearing were the ones he was wearing the entire night. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. Jessica Boynton says she's free as a bird'. It is unknown what effect his arrest may have on Boyntons criminal cases. 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,. It doesn't sound like anything I would say. And, unfortunately it appears those questions will never be answered," Mathews said. (whit his baton I would guess) ..is every person in the police department total idiots? "Police department!" Because she owned the retainer prior to her marriage, it would not be considered community property. The way our charter is structured, termination takes two or three days. (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) "My wound was on the top of my head. 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. Does Jessica know whether the cops ever swabbed her hands? 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? "He believes that her injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma," said Sheila Mathews. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . It's the journal where she's been keeping detailed notes about divorcing Matthew. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. Matthew's hands were not tested for gunpowder either. Matthew claims they returned home just after 11 p.m. His proof? Jessica Boynton, 19, was a stay-at-home mom to 8-month-old Tyler and 2-year-year old Tollin. an officer questions the others. Cops do find one bullet. 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.. 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. 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. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. "During that time I investigated hundreds of cases with gunshots and many, many suicides.". Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. That's not what the surveillance tape shows. She remembered an instance when Matthew asked her grab his gun. 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. 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. And, the first officer on scene, as recorded by body cam footage, was not interviewed by the GBI for months after the incident. 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!!! It appears to be either an assault or maybe something accidental," said Miley. Which I knew that.. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. With his gun raised, holding it out and in front of him with both hands, Jones passes by a framed portrait hung on the wall. According to the report, GBI investigators never conducted a re-canvass of the apartment complex, and did not talk with the immediate next door neighbor for four and a half months, despite reports from other residents that they heard a single gunshot hours earlier than the officers call claiming shots had been fired. 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. And he said 'Yeah, we did.'".