"They did not. Once the scene is secure, investigator Misty Gresham checks on Tollin, who's sleeping, and Tyler, who is awake and still crying in his cribboth unharmed. I was looking for a job and I finally found one. Matthew Boynton, 21, had just started work as a Griffin police officer. That stuff apparently, from what we were able to discover through our investigation, went through several different peoples hands, which taints our chain of custody, Yates said. The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a "civil matter." Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that she's never handled a gun, nor shot one. "I know for a fact that Jessica was not suicidal," said the neighbor. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does the GBI remain the last word on the case? Family and friends believe, in fact, they were married far too young. 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. Which is very off that this happened, because I never, ever had any thoughts like this before. That bullet ends up toward the top left of the closet. He grabs his police radio, stationed on top of the white microwave in the kitchen charging, and puts his phone on the counter. He's meeting his buddy at the local Waffle House. nd police notify Jessica's family that she has died. And its assigned to Matthew. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service weapon . But according to Mathews, that was not the last number dialed, so it could not have just been a redial accidently called through the evidence bag. And the doctor in the emergency room didn't find any bullet holes. Matthew interviews with the GBI early that morning. Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? They're forced to kick it in. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. I don't think he meant to do it, or at least that's what I like to think.". 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. But Yates told 11Alive, Matthew was not the shooter and trusts the investigation's outcome. Crime Watch Daily reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton and got no response. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. Man, look, she's still breathing. Ultimately, it came down to orthodontia Lesters retainer. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. 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. A bunch of CLOWNS!! They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. But Yates said the holster is designed to have some retention capability. She was leaving her husband of just six months. 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.. They're my everything. "Police department!" "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. Warner Bros. Entertainment | He reads another text from mistress, while driving home at nearly 90 mph. I'm prior military so to me it sounded like a gunshot, he tells DeMarco. 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. She just said that she's been experiencing suicidal thoughts right now, she told me to take care of the boys. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . Example video title will go here for this video. Crime Watch Daily investigates what really happened to Jessica Boynton, something even Jessica herself wants to know. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. OR OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. The chain of custody on that stuff is messed up. So just one?" And its inside that closet, where police found her seemingly shot in the head, laying on top of her husbands service weapon. As she continues to tinker with clothes, she notices that her red and black composition notebook, which is usually carefully tucked under a pile of clothes inside her closet, has been left on top of the clothes. Officer Matthew Boynton has never been charged with anything in connection with this case, but the Georgia Bureau of Investigation did question him. "Very explicit conversation," said the neighbor. Matthew Boynton is the grandson of Sheriff Beam. Matthew loved being part of the brotherhood. John Hayesto turn in many articles of womens clothing and other personal property including an orthodontic retainer. "The neighbors [said] somewhere around 11 p.m., and he is the only one who hears the gunshots at 1 a.m., and he calls it in," said Sanders. 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? 478-993-3053. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . "He never re-entered the apartment after that point," said Sheila. It's one of their owna police-issued .40-caliber Glock. Furthermore, he said, it's his observation that self-inflicted gunshot wounds are very unusual among women. "I'm guessing Matthew," said Jessica. The panicked cop grabs his police radio and runs outside to make the frantic call to dispatch. Take care of Tollin and Tyler, please tell them I love them every day. I have been suffering for a while now and no one has noticed. That phone never got back into the officer's hand. 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?" Uh, just my service weapon, he responds, ending the call just a minute later. 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. . A previous study found 41% of police admitted to being abusive to their spouses. Because if you go to the photographs that are part of your investigative case file, there's a photograph after the evidence report for his cell phone" she said. I would have said, 'I can't do this anymore, comma, take care of Tolin and Tyler, period.' But she doesn't buy it, especially since her head was perfectly laid on a pillow, she said after watching the bodycam footage. This is abuse of power. The shocking discovery comes when he shaves her head looking for bullet holes. His flashlight's beam reveals a smiling family of four. [] 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 []. Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. I do not have any other items of Jessicas.. Did he cause his estranged spouses injury? Those properties obtained during the marriage would be considered community property.. Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton was investigated in the case, but was only charged with making . December 20022 so heartless to show this right before Xmas. 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. Of course the Grandfather could not be reached for a comment, he had it covered up. 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. She had a job interview and it was going to be her first step to freedom. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. '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. But another heated argument goes down in the baby food aisle. She's got good pulse. "I said 'It's Jessica isn't it?' Do you know what she used? asks one of the emergency responders in the room. The ceiling fan's light shines down on Jessica's eyes. This is not the first time I have had suicide thoughts. Her body is on the floor, just behind the door. BROTHERHOOD does not mean coverup or being above the law. His phone is pretty active tonight. "It doesn't sound like anything I would say," said Jessica Boynton. But it was used after Matthew had said he left the apartment in fear of his life, and did not return. 11Alive reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton, however, phone calls were not returned. However, she was NOT shot. A message to Matthew's phone is received and marked as read, from his mistress. Jessica is also slinging allegations at Matthew's brothers in blue at the Griffin Police Department, and Matthew's grandfather Sheriff Wendell Beam. He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. Thats what we had to establish, Yates confirmed. 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. Does she believe that this was just sloppy work or does she believe that this is a cover-up? Her limp body is on the floor, just behind the door. Stay out, Matt, one the officers advises his fellow officer. 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. In April 2016, the wife of a Griffin, Ga. police officer is found inside a locked closet. "She was actually happy, she was thrilled because she finally got that closure that she needed," says the neighbor. What! Tyler, the 8-month-old baby, is the result of a relationship Jessica had with a mechanic while she and Matthew were temporarily separated. 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. He said that she was so distraught that she was doubled over, and he said that she stood, closed the door in his face and then at that point he went ahead and left.". Lt. Curtis Keys is dispatched to the scene. "I hope she didn't shoot my kids," he says to one officer. 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. Jones checks on a locked closet door between the master bedroom and hallway, across from the bathroom. Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. 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. Making his way outside, seconds later, he calls for assistance over his radio. It doesn't sound like anything I would say. In 2016, something terrible happened to Jessica Boynton, a 19-year-old mother of two. 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. "How did his phone get in there? Cops do find one bullet. She's breathing, but unresponsive. ! his girlfriend texts him. 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 finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. According to a press release issued by the Griffin Police Department, Boynton was on Friday arrested without incident and transported to the Spalding County Jail. Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. He drove back to the apartment, he tells Jones, but it was too late. I think it just kind of happened. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. I don't know why. One of her aunts is all over Facebook., GBI agent said, The bullet didn't even enter the skull. The next action noted in the case occurred nearly two months later. 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. She grabs his arm with her left hand, while her other arm falls to the ground. When asked if Boynton had explained why he allegedly kept his ex-wifes belongings, Yates said, No. But asking those questions resulted in a threat. There's so many useless words thrown in there, then there's so many words left out, she said. Matthew Boynton is clearly hysterical. 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.. That's the bottom line for me. Moments later Matthew's fellow officers from the Griffin, Georgia Police Department arrive on scene with body-cameras recording. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service. Its one of their owna police-issued .40-caliber Glock. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. Privacy Policy | Jessica and Matthew's neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous for her own safety, sees the lights from her apartment and runs outside. There are a lot of questions that I would love to have answered. Agent DeMarco approaches Meagan Browning, who's joined by Eric Kshywonis, at 61 Ashford Waythe apartment just downstairs from Jessica and Matthew. It's the journal where she's been keeping detailed notes about divorcing Matthew. Sanders says there are a few things that really stand out: The red sweatshirt Matthew offered police to test for gunshot residue. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested and taken to the Spalding County Jail on multiple charges. 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. When asked to confirm that a July 26 appointment with Lesters orthodontist was pivotal in the Internal Affairs case, Yates said it was. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. A text messages is sent to his phone from Jessica's phone. I didn't bring any other ones with me. ', Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. And that's all I needed, so I was on cloud nine.". She found a photo on Snapchat of another woman wearing nothing but a towel, with the caption: Shower time.. 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? RE-open the case Georgia!!!!!! 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. Well I couldn't get it for him because I couldn't get it out of his gun holster, she said. One, investigators said penetrated Jessica's head and the other the wall. Jessica's hair is so matted with blood no one can find the actual gunshot wound to stop the bleeding. Jessica, then-19, had just put her two young sons to bed and was getting her clothes ready in the closet for the next day. If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. I f***ing love her. Did you all have sex?' Im not sure about that. "It's just inconvenient. "Nobody ever asked him about why he changed clothes," said Sanders. So I'm trying to hurry and get back home just to make sure that nothing's going to happen to them.. The doctor was not contacted by the GBI until July 20. I left a message with the lady that answered for her to call me. It can be inferred that approximately half or more cops are abusive husbands/wifebeaters. 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. GBI agents, however, have closed her case. I didn't try to wash my hands, anything, because I knew GSR and all that would be involved.. I didn't know if I was dealing with a possible active active scenario where she still had the gun and she had shot Tyler, he replies. The only person who truly knows what happened behind that closet door was jessica -- and she's now out of her coma. Her blond hair is now red from what cops assume is a self-inflicted gunshot wound. When asked if Boyntons arrest has led him to believe that case should be reopened, Yates said, No. He says she started poking him in the chest with her finger, telling him that he had to admit there was another woman. 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. "No they did not because they assumed I was shot, because that's what Matthew said," Jessica said. A Griffin cop finally arrives to take Matthew's formal domestic violence complaint. There's little if any visible blood spatter inside the closet. It's the second infidelity in their relationshipJessica admitted to cheating on him before they were married. "I think what happened after they come home from Walmart, Jessica and Matthew got into an argument. 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. He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. Matthew's hands were not tested for gunpowder either. I hadn't really put much thought into it, Jessica told him. Sanders wants to know how Matthew was texting his mistress from this very phone if he never reentered the apartment. While sifting through pages and pages of the report, a GBI evidence photo caught her attention. And they said yes," the neighbor said. "Well I don't know. And they said yes. He asked her what she thought could've happened. "If he would have just been a regular person he would have been taken to jail," said Jessica. She's like a sister to me, Browning says, her voice quivering. A lot, she said, doesn't add up. Crime Watch Daily's security team tracked the email address, only to find it was from an anonymous server. Two shots have been fired from her husbands service weapon. She wants to give her new employers the right impression, since tomorrow is her first day at a chiropractor's office. What he finds turns this case of a suicide upside down. OMG this is a total disgrace to the Uniform.I have looked over several different articles and maybe im missing something here but, in all that i had seen it states that he was questioned in his wifes shooting what the hell folks.SHE WAS NOT SHOT!!!!! '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? 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. "Most people would not view it as such, I don't believe," said Sheila Mathews. Jessica Boynton says she's free as a bird'. Clearly we touched a nerve in Griffin, but we're not about to be scared off. Bring the little ones for a story every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to hear Sam's favorite tales. Matthew calls another officer and reports Jessica is refusing to leave with him. 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. "In looking at this, this does not have the appearance of a suicide to me. Minutes later, at around 10:45 p.m., Jessica storms out. I had a friend who was a girl, or is a girl, he answers, further admitting that the relationship had become sexual. Jessica Boynton's husband says he gets a suicidal text from his estranged wife, so he rushes home, only to hear two gunshots. No. They discover two shell casings and two bullet holes in the closet wall. Yes, for an article, just to make sure I get quotes proper.". They turn her over from her stomach to her back. The odd thing is a few pages have been ripped out. Two shots had been fired. And neither is Will Sanders, the truck driver spearheading the drive to get justice for Jessica. So I'm trying to hurry and get back home just to make sure that nothing's going to happen to them.. Cops do find Jessica's DNA on the gun. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. The neighbor believes Matthew Boynton discovered the divorce diary and simply snapped. Running across the parking lot and up the stairs, responding officers, Keys, Jones and Gresham head toward the apartment. Jessica's two boys, Tollin, 2, and baby Tyler, are sound asleep in their rooms. 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. He checks the closet where he keeps his police-issued firearm, but the door is locked. However, he did not confirm that sequence. Yates said, Yes, but that doesnt overcome the civil side of it whether it was or was not marital property, and even if it was, it would have been a misdemeanor as opposed to the two felonies.. "Being in the closet," said Jessica. 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. He was able to confirm that they were all right.. 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. 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. [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. "During that time I investigated hundreds of cases with gunshots and many, many suicides.". No, never. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her, in an effort to monitor her condition. 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. 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. Matthew begins calling his brothers in blue, telling them Jessica is physically abusing him -- not a standard way of reporting domestic abuse. But Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said, Officer Boynton was not the shooter and trusts the investigations outcome. She tells the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the Matthew Boynton is cheating on Jessica with another woman. Matthew Boynton, 20, discovered his wife Jessica, 19, lying in a pool of blood in a closet. Boynton in January denied being in possession of any of Lesters personal property. Furthermore, she said, there were too many errors and discrepancies for her to have sent a text like that. She says there were pages missing. No. GRIFFIN, Georgia, April 15, 2016: Police are breathlessly racing to save a life. She thinks he found it before the incident. She alleged that many of Lesters belongings remained in Boyntons residence. While Trammel's body cam is out of juice tonight, Jones's bodycam spots Trammel as the other officers enter the apartment. Cops finally reach that locked closet door. He bangs on the locked closet door. Dispatcher: Any weapons inside the house? Jessica Boynton, 19, was a stay-at-home mom to 8-month-old Tyler and 2-year-year old Tollin. 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. Matthew runs inside to the closet where he keeps his service gun. That's not what the surveillance tape shows. Matthew immediately calls a friend at dispatch. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. After three weeks, she woke up. 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. Then-Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested on July 28, 2017 for giving a false statement to his own department about having possession of a gym bag full of clothes, underwear. A lot, she said, doesnt add up, especially since, she said, she had reason to live. It could have a negative effect on them, but those things have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. 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. The babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. Updated: 11:14 PM EDT July 28, 2017. "Recently she did confirm that the second baby is not mine," Matthew tells the GBI investigator. "Next thing I remember was I wake up and I'm in a hospital.". Excessive force. He's hoping if the case gets reopened, any possible clues will be preserved. 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 gun then landed underneath," said Tim Miley. GBI director Vernon Keenan wrote a letter indicating the gunshot wound was self-inflicted by Jessica, closing the case. When he's not driving a truck, Sanders studies police records looking for things investigators missed -- or possibly covered up. 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. And with that Matthew Boyton's questioning was over. Security camera captures the family walking in around 10:15 p.m. He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. 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. The second bullet hole is more of a mystery. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. "And I talked to the guy and was like, 'Look man, you know, can you just be honest with me? Running across the parking lot and up the stairs, responding officers head toward the apartment. The air is thick with mystery, as the officers approach the locked closet. They hoist her inside. McCune also had Lester write a victims statement. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. She's having suicidal thoughts," he says calmly to the dispatcher. Ironically Jessica first met that man while she was out scouting for a wedding venue to marry Matthew.