Jessica Boynton | GBI changes information about evidence | 11alive.com It felt like he was just a ticking time bomb, she told the police. Take care of the children. Jones eyes a small child sleeping on a bottom bunk bed in the back bedroom. What really happened to Jessica Boynton? The 19-year-old - Reddit I didnt think about getting any other clothes., G.B.I. Marc, we hope to see you at Reunion. No one responded to Marthas letters. As it became clear that Gibsons activities could be criminal, the G.B.I. But he granted full custody to Matthew. RELATED: Who shot the officer's wife? In the spring of 2019, child-protective services closed the case and recommended, based on reports submitted by the childrens psychologist, who had seen the boys for twenty-five sessions, that they no longer spend time with Matthew. Her shoulder-length, blonde hair was saturated in crimson. I already know it wont.. But it was used after Matthew had said he left the apartment in fear of his life, and did not return. 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. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. 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. In Jessicas first three weeks in the hospital, he visited her once, accompanied by Beam, who wore his uniform and carried his gun. For a while, he put clear tape on the doors of his house and car, so he would know if anyone had sneaked inside. If you dont want to be with me anymore, Jessica texted him, Im not going to stay here and play house. Matthew, who had begun spending his free days with Callaway, told her, Its not gonna work for us. But Matthew said that hed raise the child as his own. He concluded that Jessica had shot herself in the head, though he indicated that his assessment would have been more definitive had there been a photo of Jessicas wound before shed had surgery. The idea that domestic violence is bad for kids still has not sunk init sometimes barely makes a dent in a case, she said. He was Spalding County. Jessica Boynton was married to Matthew Boynton, a local police officer and grandson of the county sheriff. ", 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.. In September, 2016, the G.B.I. 11Alive - BREAKING | Matthew Boynton, who was under - Facebook There are too many useless words thrown in, she said. The Citizens Police Data Project, in Chicago, analyzed the records of Chicago cops between 2000 and 2016 and found that officers accused of domestic abuse received fifty per cent more complaints than their colleagues for using excessive force. provided images. When the roles were reversed, fathers lost custody in only twelve per cent of cases. I dont think Ive ever had that one before, he said. 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. 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. She spoke to the GBI, from her hospital bed. Matthew and the boys temporarily moved in with Courtney Callaway, the dispatcher he was dating. A different metaphor.. But now he resorted to a more mundane theory about the culture of power. "That's the way we're gonna play this game, Sheila. 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. His flashlights beam reveals a smiling family of four. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a "civil matter.". Matthew makes it home, jumps out of his truck, races through the breezeway of his apartment building and bolts up the stairs. Jacob is gentle and jovial, articulating emotions that Jessica herself struggles to name. Matthew and Callaway broke up a few weeks later. However, the GBIs own photographs, search warrant and evidence log all corroborate that the officers phone was on the kitchen counter after Matthew had already left the apartment. 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. agent who lived near Spalding County and had worked with Beam on several cases over the years. It was the first time anyone had spoken with her at length about the night of her injury. If that's what you want to do. the GBI agent posed a return question. If he has to drive to downtown Griffin, he cleans and vacuums his car, so he can easily see if someone plants drugs or contraband. (Through his lawyer, Gibson told me that the headlock-and-Taser incident was all in good fun; most of the other allegations were untrue and are otherwise embellished.). At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. At the store, they got into a fight, and when they left Jessica said she didnt want to get into the car. And, unfortunately it appears those questions will never be answered," Mathews said. If you perceive yourself as being country and rough, then youre a dyke, she said. Its always more exaggerated every time. She felt uncomfortable that Matthew told Beam every detail of his life, but that the conversations were all confidential.. 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.. They're saying it was self-inflicted, she said. Few states mandate that custody evaluators have domestic-violence training; judges often characterize the allegations as mudslinging and focus not on their veracity but on which party appears to be the better parent. Sanders was forty-three years old and the son of a former Republican state representative; he considered himself a happy beneficiary of the good-old-boys system, he told me, and did not do his work in pursuit of political reform. My mama told me stories about going to lunch with my father and his friends in the sixties, he said to me. Then he would handcuff me and put me on the hood of his patrol car and have oral sex with me, she wrote in a statement. But Griffin Police Chief Michael Yates said, Officer Boynton was not the shooter and trusts the investigations outcome. A fence separates their house from an open field, where nine cows and two donkeys graze. matthew jessica boynton now - Weird Things Now for a pleasant, modest entry into retirement in Toronto.". She was watching a cartoon about a lion. What if Your Abusive Husband Is a Cop? | The New Yorker In July, he was charged with two felonies: making false statements and violating his oath of office. According to Jessica Lester, Boynton's ex-wife who filed a . He had filed nearly a hundred Open Records Act requests about Jessicas shooting, and he shared what he learned with Jessicas family, as well as with The Grip. The babys muffled cry echoes, getting louder as the officers sweep their guns back and forth, searching for the shooter. When female officers told him that they were afraid of the patrol-division captain, David Gibson, whom Beam had promoted, he did nothing. 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. From her porch, Jessicas neighbor Megan Browning saw Jessica and Matthew return home. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. He did not explain why hed earlier sent word that Jessica was dead. Bad decisions, he said. The men would sit down, and the women would stand behind their men. Matthew Boynton is the grandson of Sheriff Beam. Two shots had been fired. "I left the location, I'm back en route, I'm on Carver Road right now. She made a full recovery, but doesnt remember a thing. Matthews service gun was under her stomach. To obtain the search warrant, a lieutenant submitted a sworn statement explaining that there was probable cause that Sanders had been involved in two commercial burglaries; later, the lieutenant said that this was the result of a cut-and-paste error.). We put it on the counter to take a picture of it," he confirmed to Mathews. When facts are wrong, evidence altered to fit theories and threats made, how does theGBI remain the last word on the Jessica Boynton case? Family grieves death of their 22-year-old son after Gwinnett County double shooting, Online petition to deannex the City of South Fulton has hundreds of signatures, Veterinarian shares summertime safety tips for pets, Who shot the officer's wife? Sheriff Beam can carry a weapon, he said. Whitehouse didnt understand why she was being directed to basically a hiding spot. She recorded the conversation on her phone, so that investigators could look for clues if she disappeared. The officers found a police-issued .40-caliber Glock belonging to Matthew under Jessica's body. I guess she felt like Matthew could have picked anybody, and for some reason he picked me, her sister, Dusty, said. When I asked Jessica why she never left the house when she lived with Matthew, she explained, We lived in an apartment complex with a playground. Why is he getting so much protection and coverage? the agent said. She now lives two hours north of Griffin, with her fianc, Jacob Boyack, a high-school classmate, in a small yellow house with black shutters and an American flag hanging from the front porch. But a psychiatrist who assessed her for depression apparently saw no need to give her a diagnosis or refer her for treatment. A half hour or so later, Browning was lying in bed when she heard a gunshot. 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.. 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. Beam dropped the matter. 2023 Cond Nast. They moved in together in January, 2017, and as they were packing Willey discovered that Matthew had a large gym bag full of womens clothes, along with a retainer with Jessica printed on its case. reports, Matthew said. She silently surveyed the walls, where her family had taped pictures of her sons. In an interview with the police, she said that she found him intimidating. When the men wanted tea, they just shook their glasses.. There is an unwillingness to believe, as if its just preferable not to know this about our culture, Meier told me. Matthew testified that Jessicas grandparents were not blood-related, and could not be trusted with the children. 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.'". 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. Twice, Matthew called the police on Jessica, for yelling or cursing or poking his chest. He claimed to have personally insured Beams election. At the judges recommendation, they also arranged for a psychological evaluation. Dusty and her husband drove to Jessicas apartment. Community See All. Willey contacted Jessica on Facebook and warned her that Matthew was not taking good care of the children; they were subsisting, she said, on cheese puffs, Fudge Rounds, corn dogs, and Mountain Dew, and sleeping at odd hours. 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. Ive never, ever wanted to hurt myself before., Do you think Matthew was incapable of doing this?, Honestly, I dont know, she said. 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. 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 in an interview with 11Alive for"Trigger: Who shot the officer's wife.". And its inside that closet, where police found her seemingly shot in the head, laying on top of her husbands service weapon. The agent asked her if she had ever held her husbands service weapon. Police investigate further and find a gun underneath Jessicas limp body. And if shes capable of attempting to take her own life, theres a chance that she might do something to these children.. On a shelf by her head was the notebook documenting Matthews infidelity. I can't even get it out of its case, she replied. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. My dream is that, one day, the Feds show up and say, We want the notebook, he said. Before being elected sheriff, in 2011, Beam had worked in the sheriffs office for thirty-seven years. Underneath her . In response to The GRIP's objection, the city of Griffin produced four records - a photograph of Matthew Boynton identified as Boynton.png, a photograph of Sanders identified as sanders.png, a screen shot of a private Facebook message identified as chat.png and a Word document composed of those three elements identified as will.docx. She has a tendency to brush over painful experiences. Gibson routinely said to female colleagues, Shut your cock garage. He told a secretary that she should wear a cowbell around her neck, so hed always know where she was. Do you think Matthew did something? he asked her bluntly. 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. I hold up the white flag., Jessicas older son often cried and clung to her when Matthew picked him up on Fridays, and in the summer of 2018 he complained that his father had hurt him. Denise said that Amy confided that Matthew had once hit her and that their relationship was strained. Mathew, a then police officer raced home only to hear 2 consecutive gunshots. Jessica Boynton was initially . I mean you can't prove that," DeMarco. Earlier that night Jessica's husband Matthew headed to Waffle House for a late-night bite with a fellow officer, leaving his service weapon . He had once assumed that if he dug deeply enough he would understand not only Jessicas shooting but the reasons that David Gibson had been protected for so long. It was like he was spitting in my face, she said. Twice, she later testified, Gibson choked her. Griffin Police officer Matthew Boynton was cleared in his wife's shooting, but his interrogation still cost him his job. 11Alive reached out to Officer Matthew Boynton, however, phone calls were not returned. That mentality spilled into his home life. The shooting occurred on the evening of April 14, 2016. Jessica gave him her old cell phone and notebook, and he keeps them in a safe at a location that he wont disclose, along with a shrink-wrapped box containing all the documents he collected. That is where her memory ends. I would have written, I cant do this anymore comma. She said she would have put a period after the line about taking care of the boys, rather than letting one sentence run into the next. She found that, when a mother accused a father of domestic abuse or child abuse, she lost custody to the father in twenty-eight per cent of cases. I'll be back there in about two minutes. GRAPHIC WARNING: Jessica Boynton, 19, was found lying in a pool of blood in a locked wardrobe in the home she shared with her husband Matthew Boynton in Griffin, Georgia back in April. Justice for Jessica - Facebook Philip Stinson, the professor at Bowling Green, maintains a database of officers who have been arrested around the country, and he said that, in response to the Lautenberg Amendment, a federal provision that was passed in 1996 and prohibits people convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms, cops accused of domestic violence are often charged with lesser offenses, as a kind of professional courtesy, so they can continue working. On his way, at 12:54 a.m., he said, he received a text from Jessica: I cant do this anymore. "How did his phone get in there? Jessica Boynton, 19, was a stay-at-home mom to 8-month-old Tyler and 2-year-year old Tollin. They wanted me to come back Friday for orientation for the job, she said. No, that doesnt ring right, Martha told them. He enters, checking the master bedroom. Dont make me laugh.. There is another problem now. Unnerved, she went out to the porch, where she heard another. For a time, Sanders thought that the source of Gibsons power might be connected to the Dixie Mafia (a gang based in the South), or a gambling ring, or some hidden knowledge that afforded him a lifetime of leverage over Beam. Especially because of my children. She started crying. She did not want to have anything to do with it.. New Columns From Your Class Correspondents - Cornellians | Cornell 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. | Examine the evidence yourself, calls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. Petition Justice For Jessica Boynton Change.org Haha I'm sorry I didn't think about that lol he sends to her after receiving a text from her--moments following his text from his wife. The G.B.I. He had looked in the master bedroom, and when he didnt see the baby, who typically slept there, he ran outside. Like, he talks about her as if shes nothing., As Willey was moving out of Matthews house, she again came across the gym bag of Jessicas clothes. 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. September 30, 2019. 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. The agency deferred to its chief medical examiner, who spent ninety minutes on the case and never examined Jessica. Jessica was the kind of intuitive mother who predicts a babys dangera fall, a spilled drink, a choking hazarda few seconds before it happens. The subsequent investigation was short-lived, with it having been deemed a "civil matter.". No, never. . Who shot Jessica Boynton? A new podcast investigates | 11alive.com On a hospital-admission form, Jessica was described as a 19 year old reported to have shot herself in the right skull. But Vernon Henderson, a trauma surgeon for more than two decades, who treated Jessica, wrote that her injury did not fit with that description; neither of her hands had any evidence of any gunpowder stippling. And her wound was on the top of her skull, which suggested that she would have had to hold the gun above her head, pointing downwarda very unusual direction in which to point the gun at ones self with the intention of committing suicide, Henderson wrote. Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us. At the time of the shooting Jessica was looking to make a new start for herself and two young sons. She said that Matthew told her she wasnt related to them by blood. Less than a month after her hospital-bed interview, Matthew was verbally cleared by the GBI, according to his chief. Good for you, Mr. Owen, Hankinson replied. She told me that, for female officers in many parts of the South, theres no in-betweenyou cant just be a human in uniform. They were made to feel that their presence contaminated the ethos of the department. Just one minute later, Matthewcalls 911, reaching Spalding County dispatch. Statements from Jessica Boynton and Matthew Boynton are logged into evidence," said a statement written by Yancy March 13. She's having suicidal thoughts," he calmly says about Jessica to the dispatcher. DeMarco pressed Mathews. And I could have been the next target.. 11alive.com. Mike Yates, the chief of the Griffin police, told me in an e-mail that Matthews case had nothing to do with domestic violence. But did something else happen that spring night in 2016? By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Gradually, though, her concerns dissipated. Violation of his oath of office - one of two felony charges for which the Griffin Police Department in 2017 arrested Matthew Boynton, one of its own officers - was reportedly at risk of being dismissed because his sworn oath of office, the signed document, could not be located. After he serves a three-year sentence and finishes his probation, his record will be wiped clean. 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. After Jessica had been in the hospital for a month, her doctors tried to transfer her to a rehabilitation program, but she didnt have insurance, so she was discharged to the care of her grandparents. There is no public record of the proceeding, but the grand jury chose not to indict Matthew either for making false statements or for violating his oath. It began as a visionary notionthat patients could die with dignity at home. We will not be swayed by hearsay, false rhetoric or sensationalism in a manner that would cause harm to the innocent, he wrote. In a composition notebook, Jessica documented the times she assumed Matthew had been with his girlfriend, and she jotted down notes for the lawyer. By then, Beams reputation had been muddied by the Gibson investigation, and he had been voted out of office. Especially because of my children. Jessica Boynton was found shot in th. Three days after she left the hospital, a deputy from the Pike County sheriffs office delivered a Family Violence Protective Order.