And I could have been the next target.. 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.. Furthermore, she said, there were too many errors and discrepancies for her to have sent a text like that. The neighbor says Jessica came over to her apartment with the kids, clearly upset about the fight. Matthew immediately calls a friend at dispatch. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. A key piece of evidence was photographed inside the kitchen after officers arrived on the scene. Ironically Jessica first met that man while she was out scouting for a wedding venue to marry Matthew. They hit the top of the stairs knowing somebody's got a gun. I havent listened to the actual investigation, but I dont believe so, that he gave any explanation that made any sense.. "Next thing I remember was I wake up and I'm in a hospital.". 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. No, never. Matthew, a police officer in a small town called Griffin, in Georgia, rushed home. "Well I don't know. The court ruled in his favor, giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weeklysupervised visitation. GRIFFIN, Ga. Who shot the officers wife? Statements from Jessica Boynton and Matthew Boynton are logged into evidence, said a statement written by Yancy March 13. She made a full recovery, but doesnt remember a thing. But long hours on the force took its toll on his marriage. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. I don't think he meant to do it, or at least that's what I like to think.". Crime Watch Daily reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton and got no response. He enters, checking the master bedroom. Did investigators look for a blunt object? This time for a DNA consent. "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. Yancy also requested that Boynton write a statement pertaining to the allegation. A request is made to notify the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 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,. He bangs on the locked closet door. "In looking at this, this does not have the appearance of a suicide to me. Around 9 o'clock on the night of Thursday, April 14, 2016, Matthew Boynton calls a lieutenant on duty and reports Jessica is hitting him again. The glowing yellow and black, blocked letter sign illuminates his truck driving past. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does the GBI remain the last word on the case? Jones passes by a framed portrait hung on the wall. This, Matthew says to Trammel, is the precursor to an argument the couple also had at Walmart later that night, just after 10 p.m. Once outside, he tells Trammel Jessica refuses to get into the car to go hometelling him she would find another way home and walked back into Walmart. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!. GBI didn't report finding any blood spatter on the closet wall. And would a dad leave his kids inside with a suicidal woman and a loaded gun? Jessica Boynton was initially . Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service weapon . "I was scared to death that she would shoot me and then kill herself," Matthew tells investigators. I mean that just doesn't happen," said Jessica. The chain of custody on that stuff is messed up. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. A paramedic frantically fights to save Jessica's life. nd police notify Jessicas family that she has died. 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. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. "That was when approximately 24 minutes into the conversation, his demeanor changed and everything flipped," she recalled. 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!!! The way our charter is structured, termination takes two or three days. Still lodged in Jessica's skull? 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.. 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. Does she believe that this was just sloppy work or does she believe that this is a cover-up? 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.. 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. What did Matthew do that he needed covering up? (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) Hike also includes a rare chance to tour inside the old powerhouse which provides great photo opportunities of the Towaliga River. To text back long story I'll tell you later.. Of course the Grandfather could not be reached for a comment, he had it covered up. Did he cause his estranged spouses injury? He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. Jones shouts as he travels deeper insidehis weapon drawn. 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. The one seen in the police body-cam is not the same gray sweatshirt he was wearing at Walmart earlier that night. The first bullet went upward at 54-degree angle. 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.. The dining room table along with other items were picked up by Cathy Zellner for Jessica. I didn't bring any other ones with me. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. 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. A text messages is sent to his phone from Jessica's phone. If that's what you want to do. The agent asked her if she had ever held her husband's service weapon. And they said yes. Jessica Boynton is found unconscious, her body on top of her husband's service revolver. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. It appears she's been shot in the head. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. The second bullet hole is more of a mystery. DeMarco pressed Mathews. "She logged on to his Facebook, we got his Facebook messages and printed them out and started reading the messages between him and the lady from the dispatch," said the unidentified neighbor. But what started as a mutual, friendly divorce soon turned nasty. What are my kids going to do? he pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion. But he's also texting her before he called 911," said Sanders. I was at Atlanta Medical Center for a month. "Matthew. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. GBI/Griffin Police Dept. A tactical sweep finds an 8-month-old baby screaming. 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. Man that young girl deserves justice, it really smells like the cop snapped and tried to kill her, especially during the night of interview when he starts talking fast and over explaining his actions like I didnt even wash my hands. Jessica and Matthew's neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous for her own safety, sees the lights from her apartment and runs outside. He was going to clean his gun and he asked me to go get it for him. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. [Im] 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. So Crime Watch Daily went out and got one of the best in the business. "It's just inconvenient. "Another reasonable explanation is that there was a fight over the gun and during the course of that she was injured, Matthew thought she was dead and put the gun underneath.". He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. He advised that he does not have any of the items listed in this report.. ', Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. But where's the second round? I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. "It doesn't sound like anything I would say," said Jessica Boynton. Jones approaches Matthew to find out what happened. Her shoulder-length, blonde hair is saturated in red. She alleged that many of Lesters belongings remained in Boyntons residence. FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELF, CLICK HERE. While Jessica believes someone tried taking her life from her, she refuses to allow anyone to take her kids away from her. 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. On something like this, does it usually take a while?, Right now it depends on what happens with Jessica, too. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!, Jones advises Matthew over the radio, Stay outside. in the head..in hospital for a month..just an FYI. And it's assigned to Matthew, her husband, the cop. I'll be there in about two. Join our naturalist on a short walk and learn about the history of the once-prosperous town of High Falls. So if there is no gunshot wound, what really happened inside that closet? A lot, she said, doesn't add up. "No they did not because they assumed I was shot, because that's what Matthew said," Jessica said. 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. Jessica Boynton was found shot in the closet with her. "Nobody ever asked him about why he changed clothes," said Sanders. [] 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 []. After three weeks, she woke up. Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. I left a message with the lady that answered for her to call me. The shocking discovery comes when he shaves her head looking for bullet holes. Meet at the Visitor Center. However, Yates said, that's not that uncommon. In any case GPD/GBI are an absolute embarrassment to the state of GA! The only person who truly knows what happened behind that closet door was jessica -- and she's now out of her coma. That question lingers--but not for Georgia Bureau of Investigations, who said the case is closed--repeatedly stating that they are satisfied with their findings. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service. 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. Her shoulder-length, blonde hair was saturated in crimson. No. "He didn't know if her intent was to kill their child, kill him and then commit suicide," said Sheila. Thats what took so long to get it sorted out.. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. Does Jessica know whether the cops ever swabbed her hands? 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. They're my everything. The police department should be ashamed of themselves for trying to cover this up!!! It could have been simply that um, all his, he left his stuff there. That's what Jessica and Matthew Boynton thought would happen when they said "I do.". That's what they're all assuming, Matthew said. We put it on the counter to take a picture of it," he confirmed to Mathews. "You know, you're trying to match up times of where he is getting these text messages or how he's responding to them, that he has to be in the kitchen. 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 was looking for a job and I finally found one. Jessica Boynton says she's free as a bird'. Matthew interviews with the GBI early that morning. And I could have been the next target.. "Her hands appeared to be pristine, but also he noted that she had no gunpowder burns.". I had a friend who was a girl, or is a girl, he answers, further admitting that the relationship had become sexual. His flashlights beam reveals a smiling family of four. She's still breathing. 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. This screams cover up. '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. If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. And Jessicas trauma surgeon was not interviewed by the GBI until July 20. A bunch of CLOWNS!! 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. GSW, possible to the head. Jessica's alive, but barely. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. Then he hits investigators with a jaw-dropper. Officer Robert Brian Jones shouts, as he travels deeper inside the two-bedroom apartmenthis weapon drawn. 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. She had always kept it hidden, but now, there it is for everyone to see. 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. Womens clothing items and an orthodontic retainer turned in to the Griffin Police Department by Will Sanders has been established to have belonged to Jessica Lester, the former wife of Matthew Boynton. Did you all have sex?' I don't know why. GRIFFIN, Ga. Standing inside her closet, wearing tan slippers adorned with fur, black yoga pants and a red T-shirt, Jessica Boynton contemplates what to wear. It's the journal where she's been keeping detailed notes about divorcing Matthew. A phone that text messages were sent and received to/from following his recollection of hearing,POP-POP! and running out of the apartment. "There was no testing done on his clothing," said Sheila Mathews. Stay out, Matt, one the officers advises his fellow officer. Before he leaves, Matthew says Jessica makes a bizarre request: She asks him to call an ambulance. 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. Im not sure if it was slightly before or slightly after. Less than a month after her hospital-bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to his chief. I just came up the stairs, two rounds be advised I smell gun smoke, and I cant get an answer at the door, he says out of breath and panicked. The GRIP has reported extensively on seeming inconsistencies and irregularities in that GBI investigation. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who is also Matthew's grandfather and police notify Jessica's family that she has died. Matthew claims they returned home just after 11 p.m. His proof? 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. I can't keep doing this.. The notification was made following an April 15, 2016, shooting incident - ruled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to be a suicide attempt - at the home of Jessica Boynton and her now-estranged husband, Griffin Police Department Officer Matthew Boynton. She told me to take care of the boys, so I'm trying to hurry up and get back home just to make sure nothing is going to happen to them. She says there were pages missing. Her complaint, which she checked on, was never filed. Which is very off that this happened, because I never, ever had any thoughts like this before. Matthew's fellow officers try to shield him from the sight of his gravely injured wife. 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. Hahaha you about have me a heart attack freak!! "Be advised I smell gunsmoke, and I can't get an answer to the door," Boynton says on the call. Above Jessica, pinned to the wall, is a large black letter B for Boynton. I'm sure as you've heard, I'm getting a divorce. If I could have been here sooner, maybe I could have stopped her Matthew says, spiraling. Get him downstairs. Matthew's mistress worked as a dispatch officer, reporting to Sheriff Wendell Beam, who just happens to be Matthew Boynton's grandfather. 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.. 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. That's right. 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 tells Trammel he left Walmart without Jessica. Which is very off that this happened, because I never, ever had any thoughts like this before. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. There's so many useless words thrown in there, then there's so many words left out, she said. For the wife of a Georgia police officer, answering that question is unfortunately turning out not to be so simple. I love you and the boys.". They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. '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? She had an appointment Monday.. Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? "My wound was on the top of my 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? Griffin Police Department Officer Matthew Boynton has been arrested and charged with two felonies. 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. Credit: GBI/Griffin Police Dept. 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. And he called the girlfriend, so Mays said to Mathews. Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. And now Jessica is telling a completely different story. Matthew met Jessica during her sophomore year of high school at open house in 2012. 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. Matthew Boynton is the grandson of Sheriff Beam. "He stated that he heard two shots fired, 'pop pop,' rapid succession," said Sheila Mathews. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. Officer Adam Trammel reports to a non-emergency call from the Boynton residence at Ashford Place on Ashford Way, in Griffin, Ga. He was able to confirm that they were all right.. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. "I know what happened," said the unidentified neighbor. We had to establish a timeline for when that property was possessed before the marriage or after it. Matthew Boynton along with Lee Boynton, Josh Guthrie and Courtney Callaway moved all of my personal belongings from the residence. She made a full recovery, but doesn't remember a thing. My kids are at home with her, so I'm trying to hurry up and get back there., I'm driving. The air is thick with mystery, as the officers approach the locked closet. Matthew loved being part of the brotherhood. OR OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. "When the GBI concluded their case they gave it back to Jessica, and I got it from Jessica," Sanders said. I think it just kind of happened. RE-open the case Georgia!!!!!! Chris DeMarco, GBI's assistant special agent in charge, arrives on the scene and meets with Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates for a briefing. Aft. Still inside, some of the officers look closer and find two bullet holes inside the closet. ", "There are two theories in this case, the first is that she shot herself and on the way to the ground she accidentally fired the gun a second time. 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.. This is not the first time I have had suicide thoughts. 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. He also reported hearing two gunshots and. "Recently she did confirm that the second baby is not mine," Matthew tells the GBI investigator. I was looking for a job and I finally found one. I do not have any other items of Jessicas.. The agent asked her if she had ever held her husbands service weapon. A lot of times its two or three or more days, Yates said. "They did not. They're forced to kick it in. I told him, You're going to have to go get it, because I cant get it out of the case., Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. 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. She just said that she's been experiencing suicidal thoughts right now, she told me to take care of the boys. Furthermore, he said, it's his observation that self-inflicted gunshot wounds are very unusual among women. The neighbor claims she had been with Jessica just hours beforehand, and says her friend would never have tried to take her own life. On Dec. 19, 2016, Lester met with GPD Investigator Dexter McCune regarding property she alleged Boynton had stolen. The ceiling fan circles on high speed. 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. Please wear sturdy shoes. 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. But DeMarco insisted to Mathews during their phone conversation, that the timeline was not relevant. Donald Britt, Lt. Darrell Dix, Lt. Keys and Beam are also present. He drove back to the apartment, he tells Jones, but it was too late. And, unfortunately it appears those questions will never be answered," Mathews said. Officer Boynton hung up and did not respond to multiple messages, while the GBI refused to talk about the closed case. Here lately I have not been able to recognize the person I see in the mirror. 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. She was leaving her husband of just six months. It was retrieved from the kitchen counter in front of the microwave oven," she probed further. They hoist her inside. While sifting through pages and pages of the report, a GBI evidence photo caught her attention. He said the description of a self-inflicted gunshot wound didn't fit, noting her pristine and unmarked hands and calling it a very unusual direction in which to point the gun at one's self with the intention of committing suicide., First of all, the wound that she suffered was toward the vertex of her skull on the right side of her head; this would imply that she shot herself with a gun pointed downward near the top of her skull., The second most striking observation he said he made while assessing Jessica was neither of her hands had any evidence of any gunpowder stippling from gunpowder blowback.. And its assigned to Matthew. Matthew Boynton, 21, had just started work as a Griffin police officer. In fact, 68 text messages are exchanged between him and his mistress. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. In fact he's collected almost every piece of evidence from the case. "Here's where her head was laying. According to Sanders, these items were obtained from a woman who contacted him and claimed to be Boyntons girlfriend. Photos | Jessica and Matthew Boynton wedding. She's breathing, but unresponsive. We heard something and said 'what was that', recalls Browning. (He resigned) about the time they brought him in. "I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. 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. 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. Or was it? 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.