"Nobody would shoot themselves like this," said retired homicide detective Tim Miley. It could have a negative effect on them, but those things have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Yancy also requested that Boynton write a statement pertaining to the allegation. The conversation bounces from officer to officer. I figured out what happened. Furthermore, he said, it's his observation that self-inflicted gunshot wounds are very unusual among women. She says there were pages missing. Two-year-old Tollin is sleeping soundly in his bed as cops try not to wake him in the chaos. The air is thick with mystery, as the officers approach the locked closet. One of those bullets went through the roof, the other lodged into the baby's bedroom wall. With his gun raised and arms poised, he holds his weapon out in front of him with both hands. A woman who lived across from the couple, who works with law enforcement, agreed to a Crime Watch Daily interview if we protect her identity. "The stuff that he was texting her was, you know, 'LOL's," said Sanders. The next action noted in the case occurred nearly two months later. 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. "Well, how do you come to that conclusion?" Maybe Jessica would remember why and when the door knob was swapped because it happened before that night. "He tried to kill her.". Matthew calls another officer and reports Jessica is refusing to leave with him. A tactical sweep finds an 8-month-old baby screaming. There's no way I could have shot myself in the top of the head and not kill myself. Lester recovered from the shooting but doesn't remember any of it. Which I knew that.. ", "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. Family and friends believe, in fact, they were married far too young. Then he hits investigators with a jaw-dropper. She's having suicidal thoughts," he says calmly to the dispatcher. Just days after running into Officer Boynton, I received a threatening email that reads in part: "Are You An Intelligent Enough Investigative Journalist To Know When You Are Being Conned or Do You Have To Be Spoon Fed? A lot of times its two or three or more days, Yates said. 11Alive reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton, however, phone calls were not returned. Im not sure about that. "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. 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," said Jessica. "Be advised I smell gunsmoke, and I can't get an answer to the door," Boynton says on the call. Matthew reads a text from Lt. Curtis Keys, look for police car.. No it wasn't. Hewrote a letter to Jessica's attorneyJune 10, in which he questioned the finding that Jessica's head injury was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, saying there was no investigation at the hospital. She just said that she's been experiencing suicidal thoughts right now, she told me to take care of the boys. With dark, latex gloves on, an officer kneels down and touches her neck with his fingers. What he finds turns this case of a suicide upside down. When asked if Boyntons arrest has led him to believe that case should be reopened, Yates said, No. Chris DeMarco, GBI's assistant special agent in charge, arrives on the scene and meets with Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates for a briefing. They hoist her inside. She loved me. 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. Dispatcher: Any weapons inside the house? 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 havent listened to the actual investigation, but I dont believe so, that he gave any explanation that made any sense.. "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. The doctor said the second most striking observation while assessing Jessica was that neither of her hands had any evidence of gunpowder. Still peering down at his phone, Matthew sends a text to his mistress. Jones shouts as he travels deeper insidehis weapon drawn. Guthrie calls Matthew and they chat for two minutes. "Next thing I remember was I wake up and I'm in a hospital.". Jessica, on a few occasions, hit and slapped him, he tells the GBI. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. 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. It could, but it wont necessarily do it, Yates said. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service. Of course the Grandfather could not be reached for a comment, he had it covered up. She told the agent, they were at home when they argued about his mistress and the photo that Jessica found on his phone that night. "No they did not because they assumed I was shot, because that's what Matthew said," Jessica said. 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. Now she lives in terror every day because she can't remember who attacked her. 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. 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.. He reads another text from his girlfriend, while driving 90 mph. I said 'Is she still alive?' Show the world how smart you are and uncover what the Wannabe investigative reporters couldn't figure out. 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. 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. Still peering down at his phone, Matthew also sends a text to his girlfriend, a Spalding County dispatcher. She's breathing, but unresponsive. 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. They wanted me to come back Friday for orientation for the job, she said. The one seen in the police body-cam is not the same gray sweatshirt he was wearing at Walmart earlier that night. When asked to confirm that a July 26 appointment with Lesters orthodontist was pivotal in the Internal Affairs case, Yates said it was. Still inside, some of the officers look closer and find two bullet holes inside the closet. 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.. Officer Robert Brian Jones shouts, as he travels deeper inside the two-bedroom apartmenthis weapon drawn. A paramedic frantically fights to save Jessica's life. Blood pressure.. The first bullet went upward at 54-degree angle. Cops do find one bullet. Matthew makes it back to the apartment before help arrives and hears baby Tyler crying -- and then heartbreak. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested and taken to the Spalding County Jail on multiple charges. They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. The devil is in the details. "My wound was on the top of my head. What Sanders found most alarming was the time frame Matthew Boynton says he heard those two gunshots. "I saw a lot of things change after time. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. 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. No. The crying officer tells Jones that he left the apartment and was meeting Guthrie at Waffle House, when he received a text from Jessica that indicated she was going to kill herself. "If he would have just been a regular person he would have been taken to jail," said Jessica. She spoke to the GBI, from her hospital bed. 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. At about 10:45 p.m., he continues, he thought he heard a gunshot while they were lying in bed. Matt shouldnt be allowed to ever be a cop anywhere else. One of her aunts is all over Facebook., GBI agent said, The bullet didn't even enter the skull. And they said yes. "It's believed that Jessica entered the closet, closed the door, locked it, turned with her back to the door facing the back wall of the closet, that she held the gun to her head, pulled the trigger," said Sheila. Keyword: Admitted. 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. GSW, possible to the head. An officer tries to console his grieving coworker. Ironically Jessica first met that man while she was out scouting for a wedding venue to marry Matthew. Barely clinging to life, Jessica spent three weeks in a coma before waking up, according to 11alive. "Here's where her head was laying. I didn't bring any other ones with me. One, investigators said penetrated Jessica's head and the other the wall. 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. Lt. Curtis Keys is dispatched to the scene. He enters, checking the master bedroom. No bullet entered her body anywhere. Example video title will go here for this video. But asking those questions resulted in a threat. It was sitting out in the open, caught on police body-camera when cops kicked in the closet door. The second bullet hole is more of a mystery. But Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said, Officer Boynton was not the shooter and trusts the investigations outcome. Collectively, they examine the bullets' trajectory from the closet, into the bedroom wall and ceiling. Officer Matthew Boynton has never been charged with anything in connection with this case, but the Georgia Bureau of Investigation did question him. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. As he drove he received a text message from Jessica's phone. Somewhere in proximity to his arrest. At that exact point the interviewing officer detected something fishy, forced him to stop giving himself away and ended the interview and therefore night of investigation. When the officers pull Jessica's body out of the closet, they find Matthew's gun right underneath her, a .40-caliber Glock. (South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) Credit: GBI/Griffin Police Dept. He's a truck driver. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her, in an effort to monitor her condition. Officer Boynton hung up and did not respond to multiple messages, while the GBI refused to talk about the closed case. "I was with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 33 years," said Tim Miley. I f***ing love her. "I hope she didn't shoot my kids," he says to one officer. He also reported hearing two gunshots and. 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. Im not sure if it was slightly before or slightly after. "I can't do this anymore," the message read. That bastard is so guilty every time they show the door knob and any badge that doesnt know that shouldnt have one. "If they put out a report I spend a lot of time fact-checking it and making sure what they're telling is the truth," said Sanders. I know that we got into an argument, but that's about all," she said, not remembering much of what had happened on April 15. "They did not. It doesn't sound like anything I would say. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. And Sanders was beyond fascinated by this one. I mean you can't prove that," DeMarco. There was most likely a struggle with the gun and he assumed she was dead. Investigators confirmed at least some of this evidence did belong to Lester, but along with questions regarding the chain of custody was the issue of whether the belongings were personal or community property. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. "It doesn't sound like anything I would say," said Jessica Boynton. The neighbor says Jessica started documenting all the sordid details of the affair in her secret red "divorce diary." This activity on his cell phone had to have taken place inside the kitchen inside his apartment," Mathews said to DeMarco in a recorded phone conversation. Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. That phone never got back into the officer's hand. 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. 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. 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. Jessica and Matthew's neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous for her own safety, sees the lights from her apartment and runs outside. Cops now know what was behind that closet door -- but the true mystery is just about to begin. 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. I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. She thinks he found it before the incident. They did not swab me or Matthew, nor did they take his clothes," said Jessica. "I know for a fact that Jessica was not suicidal," said the neighbor. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. Law enforcement was in his genes. DeMarco pressed Mathews. Thats what took so long to get it sorted out.. I do not have any other items of Jessicas.. That was the best physical evidence that we had, Yates said. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. If not, get on a plane and go HOME.". "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.". Absolutely, Matthew assures the agent. Photos | Jessica and Matthew Boynton wedding. Thank God she fought and he was in there with her. provided images. He reads another text from mistress, while driving home at nearly 90 mph. He calls out for Jessica, but no answer. The police department should be ashamed of themselves for trying to cover this up!!! She had a job interview and it was going to be her first step to freedom. And I could have been the next target.. What! 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.. "Her hands appeared to be pristine, but also he noted that she had no gunpowder burns.". 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. Example video title will go here for this video. Inside the closet they also discover Jessica's red "divorce diary." "Recently she did confirm that the second baby is not mine," Matthew tells the GBI investigator. Its one of their owna police-issued .40-caliber Glock. He's meeting his buddy at the local Waffle House. 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 mean that just doesn't happen," said Jessica. Her shoulder-length, blonde hair was saturated in crimson. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't try to brush off anything. I just came up the stairs, two rounds," Boynton says on the recorded call. Above Jessica, pinned to the wall, is a large black letter B for Boynton. 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. "He believes that her injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma," said Sheila Mathews. "She's like, 'This is exactly what I need to get my divorce from him.'". He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. Matthew runs inside to the closet where he keeps his service gun. Once the investigation was closed, reporter and publisher, Sheila Mathews, investigated the shooting for her newspaper, The Grip. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. The 20-year-old says he's heading to Waffle House for a late night food run with on-duty cop and best. No, never. Matthew makes it home, jumps out of his truck, races through the breezeway of his apartment building and bolts up the stairs. And, the first officer on scene, as recorded by body cam footage, was not interviewed by the GBI for months after the incident. The air is thick with the trepidation, as officers approach the locked closet. But this wasn't the end of Jessica's story, rather a new beginningbut not the one she was hoping for. He checks the closet where he keeps his police-issued firearm, but the door is locked. ', Do you know how it was that you got shot?, Have you ever had any type of thoughts about hurting yourself?. Tyler, the 8-month-old baby, is the result of a relationship Jessica had with a mechanic while she and Matthew were temporarily separated. When asked if Boynton had explained why he allegedly kept his ex-wifes belongings, Yates said, No. Everything, he says, led to him wanting out of the marriage. He lied about the lock then he says he kept his gun in there hmmm. The chain of custody on that stuff is messed up. Everybody clear out, says Jones, who has Keys call for an EMT. Shame shame. Officer Robert Brian Jones is also dispatched to the Ashford Way apartment building. 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. He was going to clean his gun and he asked me to go get it for him. The gun then landed underneath," said Tim Miley. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. 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! 478-993-3053. During my stay is when my personal belongings were taken and Matthew Boynton (3842) refuses to give them back, Lester stated. He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. The neighbor claims she had been with Jessica just hours beforehand, and says her friend would never have tried to take her own life. Because she owned the retainer prior to her marriage, it would not be considered community property. If the phone was found by the GBI in the kitchenif the phone is on police body camera footage sitting on the counter by the microwave, and he was outside never returning insidehow is it possible for Matthew to text his girlfriend, while he's calling in shots fired while outside of the apartment? A 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. And it's assigned to Matthew, her husband, the cop. A bunch of CLOWNS!! Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. He later tells investigators that he heard Tyler crying, and then, POP-POP!, Jones advises Matthew over the radio, Stay outside. Shortly afterward, Matthew begins texting Jessica about going to Walmart to pick up baby formula. 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. So just one?" The agent then probes Matthew, asking if he has a girlfriend. Updated: 11:14 PM EDT July 28, 2017. 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. Domestic violence has always been a precursor to violence in other areas. I never wanted to hurt myself before, she said, going on to say that she's never handled a gun, nor shot one. She wants to give her new employers the right impression, since tomorrow is her first day at a chiropractor's office. They're re slit open while her head flops from side to side on the beige carpet, as one female EMS works on her. UPDATE: This story was originally published in November 2016. But as luck would have it, suddenly he's right across the street on police business. And its assigned to Matthew. Still lodged in Jessica's skull? The way our charter is structured, termination takes two or three days. 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.'". "I have occasional headaches, but other than that everything's good," Jessica Boynton said. Jessica Boynton, once declared dead, is alive and talking. "He never re-entered the apartment after that point," said Sheila. Despite what many think is a smoking gun, the GBI agent asking questions proceeds as if Jessica shot herself. Donald Britt, Lt. Darrell Dix, Lt. Keys and Beam are also present. 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. Matthew interviews with the GBI early that morning. "I would want to know how he did it and how does he live with himself every day knowing that he did something like this," 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. 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?" Jessica Boynton's head is perfectly positioned on a blood-soaked pillow. He grabs his police radio from the kitchen counter and runs outside and makes a desperate call. Ashamed the FBI hasnt picked up on this yet . He was able to confirm that they were all right.. Matthew Boynton is the grandson of Sheriff Beam. 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 sends another text to his girlfriend, a Spalding County dispatcher, Give me a few. I believe I just heard a shot fired coming from my residence. If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. 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!!!!! Jessica's two boys, Tollin, 2, and baby Tyler, are sound asleep in their rooms. That's right. But did something else happen that spring night in 2016? The ceiling fan's light shines down on Jessica's eyes. 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. Her neighbor, who asked us to protect her identity, says she knows the motive: Jessica had uncovered Matthew's dark secret. Published: 7/28/2017 6:16:14 PM. 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. "Happy," said the neighbor. 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. She was hit over the head. GBI conducts canvas and begins interviewing neighbors. His flashlights beam reveals a smiling family of four. Did you all have sex?' When he's not driving a truck, Sanders studies police records looking for things investigators missed -- or possibly covered up. Jessica and Matthew Boynton got married at an extremely young age. 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. "Most people would not view it as such, I don't believe," said Sheila Mathews. GBI agents, however, have closed her case. Boynton: Can you please dispatch a unit out to my location, in reference to my wife? ", 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.. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. 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. The dining room table along with other items were picked up by Cathy Zellner for Jessica. 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. 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 babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. Listen. God damn it, man! Despite Jessica Boynton's fiery allegations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation closed her case, clearing Matthew to return to work.