Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton was investigated in the case, but was only charged with making . 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. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. Matthew Boynton interrogation video with Griffin Police Department. The gun then landed underneath," said Tim Miley. 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. Who does the neighbor think sent that text message to Matthew's phone from Jessica's? "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.". I told him, 'You're going to have to go get it, because I can't get it out of the case. Credit: GBI/Griffin Police Dept. Matthew says that he told Jessica, I'm not happy anymore and I can't. He calls out for Jessica, but no answer. Crime Watch Daily's security team tracked the email address, only to find it was from an anonymous server. . They call in Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, who happens to be Matthew's grandfather, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "Well listen, if you're going to start quoting, you gonna start recording these things, you need to let me know ahead of time before you do, before I'm starting answering questions," DeMarco ordered the reporter. In partnership with Was the investigation a mess up or a cover up? The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. I don't see anything that looks like high-velocity blood splatter or mist," said Miley. It sounded like a gunshot. The good old boys and his grandfather police chief should also get some time for covering up this crime. Her husband is cheating on her with another woman, reveals Browning, who said, they called dispatch a few nights earlier because he took the kids. They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. Boynton was placed on administrative leave Thursday, July 28, and the Chief said his intent was to terminate the officer, but Boynton resigned before that process could be completed. If you play with it a little bit, it's not hard.. He advised that he does not have any of the items listed in this report.. Sanders says there are a few things that really stand out: The red sweatshirt Matthew offered police to test for gunshot residue. And her lawyer was useless I wrote to her years ago. Chris DeMarco, GBI's assistant special agent in charge, arrives on the scene and meets with Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates for a briefing. He's a truck driver. "I can't do this anymore," the message read. 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. The ceiling fan's light shines down on Jessica's eyes. There were two bullets, on different walls inside the closet. A message to Matthew's phone is received and marked as read, from his mistress. It was sitting out in the open, caught on police body-camera when cops kicked in the closet door. 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. A text message is sent to his phone from Jessicas phone. One, investigators said penetrated Jessica's head and the other the wall. Jessica's husband and high school sweetheart is Griffin Police Officer Matthew Boynton. Listen. She alleged that many of Lesters belongings remained in Boyntons residence. Matthew loved being part of the brotherhood. He also reported hearing two gunshots and. 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. But they have no idea what's waiting for them behind a locked closet door. Matthew immediately calls a friend at dispatch. 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. His phone is pretty active tonight. 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. 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. I think it just kind of happened. She said there were too many errors and discrepancies for her to have sent it. The neighbor says Jessica came over to her apartment with the kids, clearly upset about the fight. It's possible, but I mean it's very doubtful, because he's never hurt me before. Im not sure about that. Join our naturalist on a short walk and learn about the history of the once-prosperous town of High Falls. It doesn't sound like anything I would say. I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. 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. "I have occasional headaches, but other than that everything's good," Jessica Boynton said. 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 saw a lot of things change after time. He then said the GBI has not indicated to him that the investigation will be reopened. GBI/Griffin Police Dept. And its assigned to Matthew. Thats what we had to establish, Yates confirmed. Fast forward to May 11, the day numerous items that reportedly belonged to Lester were turned in to the Griffin Police Department. This stinks, and the fact remains, it appears he tried to kill his wife, so what are you guys going to do?? Jessica's theory of what happened centers around her "dirty divorce diary." "That was when approximately 24 minutes into the conversation, his demeanor changed and everything flipped," she recalled. A body-cam captures her inconsolable baby boy in the arms of an officer. When asked if Boynton had explained why he allegedly kept his ex-wifes belongings, Yates said, No. [I'm] gonna have to kick that door in Jones relays to the other officers standing on the other side of the closet, barreling through it in just two swift and deliberate kicks. "I believe it's both, it's sloppy and a cover-up," said Jessica. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her, in an effort to monitor her condition. "Recently she did confirm that the second baby is not mine," Matthew tells the GBI investigator. The paramedic begins accessing her head wound, but they're having a hard time finding it through her hair and thick blood. Thats what took so long to get it sorted out.. Jessica Boynton, 19, was a stay-at-home mom to 8-month-old Tyler and 2-year-year old Tollin. 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. They discover two shell casings and two bullet holes in the closet wall. The quiet is broken when the baby begins to mumble from the other room. DeMarco pressed Mathews. I wouldn't trade those two boys for anything," she said, swiping away tears streaming down both cheeks. 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. And now Jessica is telling a completely different story. 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. Ashamed the FBI hasnt picked up on this yet . Five days after his wife was shot, Matthew talked with the GBI again. The only person who truly knows what happened behind that closet door was jessica -- and she's now out of her coma. Any weapons inside the house? the dispatcher inquires. Jessica Boynton was found shot in the closet with her. 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. There was most likely a struggle with the gun and he assumed she was dead. 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 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. "He never re-entered the apartment after that point," said Sheila. Armed with body camera attached to their uniforms, the officers burst through the door, quickly passing Matthews phone, a black and grey Verizon LG smartphone, on the kitchen counter. Crime Watch Daily reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton and got no response. Especially because of my children. Her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus and several machines attached to her monitoring her condition. Griffin Police Capt. He reads another text from mistress, while driving home at nearly 90 mph. 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. Her complaint, which she checked on, was never filed. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. 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. On something like this, does it usually take a while?, Right now it depends on what happens with Jessica, too. Stay out, Matt, one the officers advises his fellow officer. "That's the way we're gonna play this game, Sheila. He grabs his police radio, stationed on top of the white microwave in the kitchen charging, and puts his phone on the counter. "I said 'It's Jessica isn't it?' "Matthew," said Jessica. The glowing yellow and black, blocked letter sign illuminates his truck driving past. 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. OR OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. In 2016, something terrible happened to Jessica Boynton, a 19-year-old mother of two. nd police notify Jessicas family that she has died. In it, she logs Matthew Boynton's every move, including his unexplained disappearances with their two boys. Nearly four years later, questions persist about what happened to the young. A previous study found 41% of police admitted to being abusive to their spouses. Did he cause his estranged spouse's injury? It's like some of my family they hear all these people say, 'Oh I think he did it and it was planned.' "Being in the closet," said Jessica. She was leaving her husband of just six months. 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? The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. They're re slit open while her head flops from side to side on the beige carpet, as one female EMS works on her. Minutes later, at around 10:45 p.m., Jessica storms out. Boynton: Can you please dispatch a unit out to my location, in reference to my wife? I'm prior military so to me it sounded like a gunshot, he tells DeMarco. Both Jessica and Matthew reportedly want a divorce. Jones shouts as he travels deeper insidehis weapon drawn. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. After just six months of marriage, the Boyntons' one-time neighbor says she saw their young love grow toxic. Here recently she did confirm that the second baby's not mine. I was at Atlanta Medical Center for a month. Cops finally reach that locked closet door. "I know for a fact that Jessica was not suicidal," said the neighbor. Somewhere in proximity to his arrest. Lester recovered from the shooting but doesn't remember any of it. Collectively, they examine the bullets' trajectory from the closet, into the bedroom wall and ceiling. 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.. Here's where things get blurry. A lot," said the neighbor. "During that time I investigated hundreds of cases with gunshots and many, many suicides.". If he's willing to cheat on his wife, he's willing to cheat the law., She wanted to file for divorce, says Kshywonis. From her hospital bed, she spoke to the GBI. 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. But many believe Jessica holds the only key as to what really happened inside that closet. That's what Jessica and Matthew Boynton thought would happen when they said "I do.". 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.. Law enforcement was in his genes. 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. The dispatch operator notified Matthew on Facebook, Browning says. In fact, 68 text messages are exchanged between him and his mistress. The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a "civil matter." 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. 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. Thank God she fought and he was in there with her. The baby's muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. Or was it? I finally had the evidence that I needed that Matthew was cheating on me. 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. Jessica was a blushing bride, excited to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. Example video title will go here for this video. But it's what those body cameras don't record that's raising eyebrows. Haha I'm sorry I didn't think about that lol, he sends to her after receiving a text from her after his text from Jessica. It appears to be either an assault or maybe something accidental," said Miley. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested and taken to the Spalding County Jail on multiple charges. Their neighbor says Jessica wasn't suicidal at all. Donald Britt, Lt. Darrell Dix, Lt. Keys and Beam are also present. Six months later, everything would changefor everyone. One of about 70 messages they exchange throughout the night. I don't think he meant to do it, or at least that's what I like to think.". GBI conducts canvas and begins interviewing neighbors. A lot, she said, doesn't add up. "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. Matthew makes it home, jumps out of his truck, races through the breezeway of his apartment building and bolts up the stairs. His flashlight's beam reveals a smiling family of four. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. But Griffin Police are treating this as a suicide attempt. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. "I don't really know what happened in the closet, I just know that I did not try to kill myself," said Jessica Boynton. "I would say broken, distraught, damaged," the neighbor says. She had a job interview and it was going to be her first step to freedom. Jessica Boynton was just 19 years old when she was found inside a locked closet with a gunshot wound to her head. Jessica Lester-Boyntons property has already previously been returned to her by my step dad (Charles McDaniel Jr.) shortly after Jessica got out of the hospital. The officer says he left it in the kitchen and ran outside. The doctor was not contacted by the GBI until July 20. 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. The GBI needs an overhaulclean house. I'll be back there in about two minutes. That was the subject of his charges his statements and writings that we were able to prove were false, Yates said. "I was with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 33 years," said Tim Miley. He tells Trammel he left Walmart without Jessica. The GBI is a joke as well Cops find 8-month-old Tyler visibly upset but thankfully uninjured. John Hayesto turn in many articles of womens clothing and other personal property including an orthodontic retainer. "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. Since his bodycam wasn't charged, it doesn't record this call. Henderson said in the letter, that he did not believe that Jessica's head injury was the result of a gunshot wound, and furthermore, questioned how she got the injury at all. Matthew makes it back to the apartment before help arrives and hears baby Tyler crying -- and then heartbreak. Matthew's attorney, however, told the court that Jessica was the one who shot the gun and that initially, Matthew believed that she was shooting at him. He assigns another officer to standby at the door until the rest of the apartment is cleared. Once the investigation was closed, reporter and publisher, Sheila Mathews, investigated the shooting for her newspaper, The Grip. Dispatch notifies Spalding County Sheriff Wendell Beam, Matthews grandfather,and police notify Jessicas family that she has died. Now she lives in terror every day because she can't remember who attacked her. They did not swab me or Matthew, nor did they take his clothes," said Jessica. the GBI agent posed a return question. Emphasis on evidence. Still lodged in Jessica's skull? It doesn't sound like anything I would say. When he's not driving a truck, Sanders studies police records looking for things investigators missed -- or possibly covered up. December 20022 so heartless to show this right before Xmas. And I could have been the next target.. But Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said, Officer Boynton was not the shooter and trusts the investigations outcome. 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? I would have said, 'I can't do this anymore, comma, take care of Tolin and Tyler, period.' 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. She's even fighting with EMS, dude, the fellow officer tells Matthew. The police officer's wife was found with a bullet to the head, lying in their closet. GBI agents, however, have closed her case. 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. So I'm trying to hurry and get back home just to make sure that nothing's going to happen to them.. On Dec. 19, 2016, Lester met with GPD Investigator Dexter McCune regarding property she alleged Boynton had stolen. According to Sanders, these items were obtained from a woman who contacted him and claimed to be Boyntons girlfriend. Jessica Boynton's head is perfectly positioned on a blood-soaked pillow. Please wear sturdy shoes. But someone else did. It's the journal where she's been keeping detailed notes about divorcing Matthew. 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.. Boynton was released from the Spalding County Jail Friday night on a $4,806 cash bond. Boynton in January denied being in possession of any of Lesters personal property. Did you all have sex?' How does Jessica explain the "suicide text" sent from her phone less than 10 minutes before her husband Matthew called 911 in a panic? They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. "Be advised I smell gunsmoke, and I can't get an answer to the door," Boynton says on the call. 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. GRIFFIN, Ga. - Matthew Boynton was arrested by his fellow Griffin Police officers and taken to the Spalding County Jail on . She made a full recovery, but doesn't remember a thing. Boyntons statement, dated Jan. 9, said, I was advised to complete a statement on a previous date by Lt. Yancey. Did he cause his estranged spouses injury? Matthew Boynton along with Lee Boynton, Josh Guthrie and Courtney Callaway moved all of my personal belongings from the residence. In turn Jessica begins keeping a so-called "dirty divorce diary," a red notebook she kept carefully hidden in a closet. We had to establish a timeline for when that property was possessed before the marriage or after it. It was actually from him. "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. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. Are you having trouble breathing?'" It's like I tell them, they make it twice as bad because I'm a cop, Matthew said. Click here for "Trigger: The Last Word" | And we talk to Jessica Boynton again here: "Trigger: Free as a Bird" | Anda story when the officer was arrested and kicked offthe force (but not for shooting his wife ). giving him custody, and granting Jessica once-weekly. GBI begins interviewing neighbors and Matthew interviews with the GBI later that morning. Barely clinging to life, Jessica spent three weeks in a coma before waking up, according to 11alive. 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. How did his phone get in there and how was there activity on his phone if he was not in the kitchen with his phone?" I know that we got into an argument, but that's about all," she said, not remembering much of what had happened on April 15. Jessica is also slinging allegations at Matthew's brothers in blue at the Griffin Police Department, and Matthew's grandfather Sheriff Wendell Beam. Jessica Boynton, once declared dead, is alive and talking. He grabs his police radio, stationed and charging on top of the white microwave in the kitchen, and leaves his phone on the counter. Then, a moment of hope from the 19-year-old mother: She's still breathing. "If he would have just been a regular person he would have been taken to jail," said Jessica. GBI director Vernon Keenan wrote a letter indicating the gunshot wound was self-inflicted by Jessica, closing the case. Furthermore, he said, it's his observation that self-inflicted gunshot wounds are very unusual among women. I didnt know if I was dealing with a possible active active scenario where she still had the gun and she had shot Tyler, he replied. 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. And, the first officer on scene, as recorded by body cam footage, was not interviewed by the GBI for months after the incident. And its inside that closet, where police found her seemingly shot in the head, laying on top of her husbands service weapon. A bunch of CLOWNS!! 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.. "To help cover his tracks.". A grandson of the county sheriff, a career in law enforcement was in his genes. RE-open the case Georgia!!!!!! They investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessica's limp body. And, she said, she wouldn't have told him that she loved him. This screams cover up. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. He was going to clean his gun and he asked me to go get it for him. Is that what you're saying?" The remaining items such as a hope chest, clothing and other miscellaneous items were returned to Jessica. It can be inferred that approximately half or more cops are abusive husbands/wifebeaters. The neighbor believes Matthew Boynton discovered the divorce diary and simply snapped. "In looking at this, this does not have the appearance of a suicide to me. 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. Matthew begins calling his brothers in blue, telling them Jessica is physically abusing him -- not a standard way of reporting domestic abuse. 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. 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. 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. He says she started poking him in the chest with her finger, telling him that he had to admit there was another woman. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does the GBI remain the last word on the case? Matthew claims they returned home just after 11 p.m. His proof? For the wife of a Georgia police officer, answering that question is unfortunately turning out not to be so simple. GRIFFIN, Ga. Who shot the officers wife? Sheila Mathews publishes The Grip, an independent newspaper in Griffin. "I would not have said that to him," said Jessica. He hears a baby crying as he carefully steps into the bedroom where a dark brown crib is situated. She had an appointment Monday.. 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. Her marriage had been crumbling, and she and her husband of six months Matthew Boynton, 20 . 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.'".

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