Three days after she left the hospital, a deputy from the Pike County sheriffs office delivered a Family Violence Protective Order. . I didnt know if it was an active scenario, he later told investigators. But now he resorted to a more mundane theory about the culture of power. After they were married, her grandmother said, it was almost like her personality got squished out of her., Photograph by Danna Singer for The New Yorker. The Officer's Wife: With Brendan Keefe, Jessica Noll, Will Johnson, Matthew Boynton. sounds like the same ole corrupt police dept its always been either they are covering up for each other or they dont do their jobs all they worry about are drugs dont get me wrong drugs are bad but it seems like if it doesnt involve drugs they are not interested in it my mother and sister were brutally murdered 30 yrs ago and no one has ever been arrested and when we ask about the case all they want to do is ask the same ole questions we have answered over and over thdy wont tell us what has been done to find out they treated us like crap, [] https://the-grip.net/2018/05/15/missing-evidence-jeopardized-felony-case-against-matthew-boynton-for… []. She also said that they could only charge him for one (false statements and writings) because his oath of office paperwork couldnt be found, Lester said. . But the sheriff still loomed large in their relationship. Jessica's maiden name was changed from Lester to Seewald. Listen to this episode from Crimes & Closets on Spotify. That's right. Matthew is challenging the ruling in court. He would flash his lights and pull her over, and force her to have sex with him. A male sergeant saw the exchange and told Beam, who provided Gibson with what he called undocumented counselling. Two years later, Gibson slapped a secretary on the back of the head, telling a male officer, Im gonna show you how we take care of these secretaries. Although the secretary complained to Beam about Gibsons behavior, Gibson was never disciplined. 00:50:40; What would happen if you were being abused by your spouse and he just happened to be a police officer? Despite the months the oath reportedly could not be located, once The GRIP informed Coker it had acquired a copy, the GPD reported Boyntons original oath of office had been found. did not record any interviews with Jessicas family or friends. In the spring of 2013, when she was sixteen and had dated Matthew for a year, she took her grandparents into the kitchen, closed the door, and told them, apologizing, that she was pregnant. Some bills to watch, Atlanta neighbors want to reclaim and revitalize the Joyland neighborhood. Jessica could not come within three hundred yards of Matthew or her children. -00:0028:48. Special Release: Marcus Wesson and the Vampire Incest Clan of Fresno. Beam dropped the matter. Sources: https://www.newyorker . Listen to S6-E54 Jessica Lester And Matthew Boynton and 104 more episodes by Murderific True Crime Podcast, free! She notified a local truck driver named Will Sanders, who had a reputation as a freelance investigator. I would fight you tooth and nail defending it. But, after receiving thousands of documents from Sanders, Martha stopped driving through Griffin, because she was afraid. On April 15, 2016, in the town of Griffin, Georgia. In this episode, we discuss the toxic relationship between a couple, affairs, abuse, and a police officer who is a suspect in his wife's shooting. Nothing will prepare you for what happens . Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us. Jessica Lester is running her own Facebook "Justice For Jessica" page and currently is asking for people to sign her petition for a better . Police found 19-year-old Jessica Boynton soaked in her own blood and locked in a wardrobe after her husband, Matthew Boynton, heard two gunshots in the house they share in Griffin, Georgia. He said, Sad. When asked, how come, he stated, because daddy scares me. He went on to say, Daddy was up the hill and hurt me in his house., The sheriffs department in Pike County, where Matthew was living, investigated whether there had been abuse, but Matthew denied the allegation and the department did not find any concrete evidence. Aug 22 2021 22 mins. agents canvassed the apartment complex and discovered that Megan Browning and her fianc and a couple that lived next door to Jessica were the only neighbors who had heard gunshots. The sheriffs department does not respond to incidents inside the Griffin city limits, and he was the only one from his office there. Her ex-husband and former Griffin police officer Matthew Boynton . I love you and the boys., A minute later, Matthew responded to a joke from Callaway. The next day, Yates texted the D.A. But a psychiatrist who assessed her for depression apparently saw no need to give her a diagnosis or refer her for treatment. Just before 2 a.m. on April 15th, Wendell Beam asked the sheriff of Pike County to send officers to the house. Finally, she just said why dont we set up a meeting, so you can ask about whatever you want to know, Lester said. Uruguay's real-life persecution of the outside world, lacey has. Murder + Horrific = Murderific. On his way, at 12:54 a.m., he said, he received a text from Jessica: I cant do this anymore. He claimed to have personally insured Beams election. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late . Jessica and Matthew started dating in high school and she got pregnant ends up with 2 young children, at a young age. Ha! She walked with a limp and struggled with headaches, short-term memory lapses, ringing in her ears, and numbness on the left side of her body. At the recommendation of the captain, and with Beams approval, an outside agency investigated Gibson and concluded that he was a predator. In the spring of 2015, Beam allowed Gibson to retire, keeping his pension. Matthews wedding ring had a blue stripe, to signify he was in law enforcement. Donate now. Then-Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was arrested on July 28, . Jessicas only diagnosis was acute stress disorder, which, the evaluator wrote, occurs when an individual is exposed to actual or threatened death. The evaluator added that her symptoms are normal and to be expected through circumstances such as hers.. No one responded to Marthas letters. Nothing will . Her family wondered if this was her way of escaping the relationship. In this episode, we discuss the toxic relationship between a couple, affairs, abuse, and a police officer who is a suspect in his wife's . Courthouse Annex, Solomon Street, Griffin, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, County BoC denies firearm discharge ordinance, GPD Chief Mike Yates denies The GRIP equal access, Matthew Boynton criminal case no billed by grand jury The Grip, https://the-grip.net/2018/05/15/missing-evidence-jeopardized-felony-case-against-matthew-boynton-for…. Jessica, at home with her three boys, still has occasional migraines, weakness in her left foot, and lingering amnesia about the night of her shooting. Jessicas grandmother, Martha, said that initially she had trusted Wendell Beam, whom her husband had known for years, and the G.B.I.s investigative process. Wheres my baby? Jessica asked, once her breathing tubes were removed. She speaks lovingly of her children and the need to and desire to see them.. Under Georgia law, police officers, unlike civilians, have the right to make a prepared statement at the end of a grand-jury hearing. Shes a grown lady, the lieutenant told him. However, with the later discovery of previously-unknown evidence, it evolved into an . A different metaphor.. Last summer, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, Alex Villanueva, articulated a common justification for not considering domestic violence as a concern: in defending his decision to employ a deputy who had been accused of stalking and physically abusing his ex-girlfriend, he told a local reporter that it was a private relationship between two consenting adults that went bad. The violence was seen as unrelated to job performance, an activity that could be understood only within the context of a relationship. At just 3 years old, she was abandoned by her parents, along with her brother and sister and grew up on a farm with her mother's adoptive parents. 1,423 followers. -00:0034:14. The men would sit down, and the women would stand behind their men. Before being elected sheriff, in 2011, Beam had worked in the sheriffs office for thirty-seven years. Like seriously, Gibson got away with slapping a secretary on the back of the head!? Like a car accident? she asked. Browning, who sometimes socialized with Jessica and Matthew, cried throughout her interview. This episode was sponsored by Best Fiends and Scary Time Podcast by Indie Drop-In Network. One woman said that he would drive to her house and shine the lights of his patrol car into her windows. When I asked about her mother, who lived nearby, she said, mildly, that she had tried to reconnect with her several times over the years, but her mother didnt seem interested. What would happen if you were being abused by your spouse and he just happened to be a police officer? Here are out on a good deed . If you have questions, send them to me and Ill answer them. Jessica and Matthew started dating in high school and she got pregnant ends up with 2 young children, at a young age. The city of Griffin made available only text messages between GPD Chief Mike Yates and Coker, and text messages exchanged by Yates and Diane Martin, also of the GPD. An Open Records request for the digital report on the photo Yates sent Coker indicated the photograph was taken at 3:19 p.m. April 26, less than 24 hours after The GRIPs interview with Coker. The rest of us enjoyed her graduation party, Martha, her grandmother, said. S6-E54 Jessica Lester and Matthew Boynton. Although police departments have become more attentive to officers use of excessive force against civilians, the same scrutiny has not been applied to their potential for violent behavior at home. Twice, Matthew called the police on Jessica, for yelling or cursing or poking his chest. Jessica told me, Id probably go to jail before Id put the boys back in a situation where Matthew could even think about doing anything to them.. There was a pool there, too.. Ad Choices. The GRIP is continuing to work this story and will report additional information as it becomes available. If you perceive yourself as being country and rough, then youre a dyke, she said. So there was really no need for me to leave. She wore hand-me-downs and liked to take nature photographs. I didnt try to wash my handsnothing. He sounded like an eager student. Her aunt Denise, a public-school teacher, said that, at the wedding, there was just this sadness in her eyes, like, Im done. She had the demeanor of a child who had promised herself not to cause trouble or draw attention to her own feelings. In early May, after three weeks in a coma, Jessica began to regain consciousness. Matthew Boynton went to have dinner with a colleague at Waffle House. Im glad to know theres still advocacy in the practice in the courts of the Griffin Judicial Circuit. No one ended up testifying about Jessica and Matthews marriage. She silently surveyed the walls, where her family had taped pictures of her sons. Jessica and Matthew started dating in high school and she got pregnant ends up with 2 young children, at a young age. She could now recall that after she returned from Walmart she went to her closet to put her shoes on, because she needed to walk the dog. Thats something that yall would have to figure out., The G.B.I.s theory of Jessicas shooting depended on her being suicidal, but she gave no indication of being depressed. Martin wrote, Nothing found, to which Yates replied, Thanks., Martin sent two additional messages to Yates. During the investigation, Jessicas sons were permitted to stay with her full time. A G.B.I. The officers found Jessica in her bedroom closet, unconscious and lying on her side, her head on a bloody pillow. This is Jessica Lester's story of survival. There are too many useless words thrown in, she said. In a composition notebook, Jessica documented the times she assumed Matthew had been with his girlfriend, and she jotted down notes for the lawyer. As for when the case file was submitted to the Cokers office, Yates said, It was submitted after we concluded it and finished our paperwork. When Willey asked Matthew about it, she said, he told her he intended to burn the bag, which Jessica had packed one night when she was planning to leave him. Author: Jessica Noll, VAULT Studios Published: 2:55 PM MST January 10, 2020 its a bunch of good ole boys its terrible that no one cares all they are there for is a pay check. report" 5 . : . No, I cant even get it out of the case, she said. The agency deferred to its chief medical examiner, who spent ninety minutes on the case and never examined Jessica. I dont know what date that was. The judges are very swayed by their own reactions to each person, Meier said. By then, Beams reputation had been muddied by the Gibson investigation, and he had been voted out of office. Can a new approach curb domestic homicide? Now to cover up and miss handle things for this case its pretty disgusting. I was going to report this, but, like he said, who will they believe? Another woman, who used methamphetamine, said that sometimes Gibson followed her as she drove. My dream is that, one day, the Feds show up and say, We want the notebook, he said. She felt she needed men in power on her side if she were to challenge a culture in which men let other men get away with what they please. A deputy named Misty Piper said that, after Gibson repeatedly pressured her to have sex with him, she acquiesced, because she felt that, if she defied Gibson, she would meet a similar fate. Im only concerned with the G.B.I. Four of her grandchildren had taken target-shooting classes together, but Jessica had refused to participate. Matthew signed a sworn statement promising that he no longer had anything of Jessicas. (Beam refused to talk to me. Jail trustiesmodel inmates who did menial jobs at the sheriffs officetold him that theyd spent two weeks destroying paperwork, at the previous administrations instruction. Cokers office, however, produced records indicating his staff spent more than six months attempting to obtain Boyntons oath from the Griffin Police Department. Delmont, Matthew F . This is Jessica Lester's story of survi Willey had seen a copy of Matthews sworn statement in his car, and she was disturbed that he was lying straight to everybodys face, she later told the police. When female officers told him that they were afraid of the patrol-division captain, David Gibson, whom Beam had promoted, he did nothing. A nurse told her shed been in an accident. looked into the allegations. A meeting with Assistant District Attorney Kate Lenhard was held April 13. In this episode, we discuss the toxic relationship between a couple, affairs, abuse, and a police officer who is a suspect . He thinks its funny. I dont think Ive ever had that one before, he said. Murderific True Crime Podcast. But, he said, there are a lot of questions out thereboth in favor of Jessica and in favor of Matthewthat could be answered, but I just dont think the G.B.I. Jessica Lester was found unconscious in her Griffin home from what police thought was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Denise was on a science-curriculum committee with Matthews stepmother, Amy, a teacher in the same district. Nothing will prepare you for what happens to this young couple. I think weve got the right to confront and cross-examine anybody thats gonna be offering testimony, Owen said. summary of an interview with King, the neurosurgeon, noted that he called the circumstances of her injury suspicious, but the agent who conducted the interview failed to record the conversation; he hadnt charged his audio recorder. Jessica had to wean her baby before starting the job, so on Thursday night she and Matthew drove to Walmart, to buy formula. It breaks my heart! she wrote. In many other cities, domestic violence seems to be treated as similarly insignificant. So Im trying to hurry up and get back home, just to make sure that nothing is going to happen to them., Six minutes later, Matthew reported on his police radio that he had heard two gunshots as he was walking up the stairs to his apartment. Sanders deleted his Facebook account, his primary method of communicating with sources and reporting his findings. In April, 2018, nine months after Matthew was charged, Jessica called the Spalding County district attorneys office to ask why Matthews case hadnt been presented to a grand jury. S6-E54 Jessica Lester and Matthew Boynton. What would happen if you were being abused by your spouse and he just happened to be a police officer? A few days later, Kathy noticed Jessica crying. Cases like thiswe dont usually have someone to talk to like you, because youre not here, Coleman told her. Absolutely, Matthew said. Have you ever had any thoughts about hurting yourself? Coleman asked. Jessica, who was in tenth grade, was less popular. It felt like he was just a ticking time bomb, she told the police. Mike Yates, the chief of the Griffin police, told me in an e-mail that Matthews case had nothing to do with domestic violence. In his personnel file there, a supervisor described him as fiercely loyal but stiff and unwilling to bend. Another officer described him as the type who wants to make ten arrests a day if he could. A senior officer privately advised Matthew, Lighten up a little bit, man.. One of the neighbors said that, not long before he heard the gunshots, he also heard some banging, like she was banging on the door or something.. Although the same information was sought from each office, different materials were produced. Take care of the children. Jessica had pale-green eyes, a melodic voice, and blond hair that hung down her back like a slab of wood. Ive always been such a firm believer in our justice system, she said. There is one major problem though. Although the hospital had placed her under constant observation after she was admitted, the precautions were removed after she regained consciousness. This episode was sponsored by Best Fiends and Scary Time Podcast by Indie Drop-In Network. And in both instances, he was cleared of wrongdoing.), That Matthew had found himself in a troubled relationship did not surprise Dix. The investigation leaves some with more questions than answers.#RealLifeNightmare Saturday 8p on HLN. Thats the game here, he said. In 2016, something terrible happened to Jessica Boynton, a 19-year-old mother of two. It was Im going to lock people up. Her husband Matthew (a police officer) is the one who called the police because he has "no idea what's happened to . to say that he had the original document. Blame the warm weather, The Jolt: Busy, long day at the Georgia Legislature. 0 likes, 0 comments. In an interview with the police, she said that she found him intimidating. She was told that, to prove that a crime had been committed, the district attorney needed to establish that the oath of office had been administered to Matthew. He didnt find any, and dismissed the protective order. pic.twitter.com/TWVuVCnhQo. To be eligible, students must have completed at least 12 hours of undergraduate classes with a 3.5 grade point average, with no grades below a B. Coker did agree with Lenhards assessment that a charge of violation of oath of office a felony would require the prosecutor to establish the oath had been administered, which would necessitate production of the oath. Especially because of my children. She started crying. Indentations in the walls of Jessicas closet suggested that one bullet had been shot at an upward angleit entered the wall near the top of the closetand another bullet hit the wall near the floor. Northeastern State University is pleased to announce that 740 students met the criteria to be named to the Dean's Honor Roll for the 2022 fall semester. Just read about this case in the New Yorker. Matthews father and stepmother visited the next week. You are your own person. ). She and the boys planned to move into her sister Dustys house on Friday, April 15th, and the next week she would begin working at a chiropractors office. Most important to me. Follow. 256 Pleasant St., Colberg Family Trust and Diane M. Mullens to Steven T. Mcdonough and . She had both of the boys packed and ready to go, Dusty said. She has found that courts are rarely willing to hear evidence about a form of abuse called coercive controla crime in Englandwhich describes the process by which people are dominated, sometimes to the point that they are no longer free agents and cannot make decisions without a partners permission. Only the pillow under her head was bloody. $50. Wet submarine was released. I dont think the text was quite that literal, Jacob said. What would happen if you were being abused by your spouse and he just happened to be a police officer? $100. jessica lester boynton now. On a shelf by her head was the notebook documenting Matthews infidelity. Jessica was neither dead nor shot in the head. He received a text from his wife Jessica that said "I can't do this anymore. At the judges recommendation, they also arranged for a psychological evaluation. This episode was sponsored by Best Fiends and Scary Time Podcast by Indie Drop-In Network. Her relationship with Matthew is Show Crimes & Closets, Ep Jessica Lester and Matthew Boynton - Jul 19, 2021. She finished her high-school coursework online, and almost never saw her friends or family. I had to go to our archives to find his file. Jessica Lester was found unconscious in her Griffin home from what police thought was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. My mother and sister were brutally murdered in Dec 1986 in the same town. When the men wanted tea, they just shook their glasses.. This episode was sponsored by Best Fiends and Scary Time Podcast by Indie Drop-In Network.