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Background: News footage of the home in Springville, Utah, where neighbors heard gunshots on March 20 (KSL). Inset (left): Sarah Johnson (Springville Police Department). Inset (right): John Handricks (Facebook).
A Utah man has been taken into custody in connection with the suspected deaths of his mother and her friend, as authorities believe both individuals are deceased.
Matthew Leonard, 28, reported his mother, 50-year-old Sarah Johnson, missing on March 26, according to the Springville Police Department. Police later revealed that Johnson was last spotted at her Springville, Utah, residence on the night of March 20, alongside 50-year-old John Handricks. Handricks had also been reported missing from Salt Lake City, Utah. Following a thorough search of the Springville home and interviews with witnesses, investigators suspect that Johnson and Handricks may have been shot and killed.
Several weeks after the pair vanished, law enforcement apprehended Leonard, who now faces charges of two counts of aggravated murder.
According to court documents reviewed by local NBC station KSL, Leonard had been under law enforcement scrutiny in the weeks preceding the disappearance of his mother and Handricks. He was previously arrested on March 9, facing charges of electronic communication harassment. Reports indicate Leonard had sent numerous text messages and made multiple calls to his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. Despite being instructed to cease contact, he proceeded to send 11 messages and make 11 calls within a 90-minute window.
Authorities noted that some of Leonard’s messages contained threats of self-harm, and he exhibited signs of paranoia in the days that followed. Consequently, his girlfriend sought a protective order against him on March 13, as stated by police.
When Handricks was reported missing to Salt Lake City police on March 23, the reporting party said he had last been seen with Johnson on March 20. Police spoke to Leonard on March 26 to ask him about Handricks being seen with his mother. That day, Leonard filled out paperwork to report Johnson missing.
Leonard pleaded guilty to the harassment charge on April 7, the day after Springville police said they received “unconfirmed” information that Johnson and Handricks were dead. According to the court documents, it was Johnson’s father who told police that his granddaughter apparently got a text from her friend that said Johnson “had been shot and the body had not been located.”
Police said witnesses saw Johnson and Handricks at the Springville home with Leonard on March 20, “one of whom heard possible gunshots inside the residence.”
According to the court documents, detectives executed a search warrant at the home on April 11. While investigating inside the house, detectives said they found “evidence of blood, shell casings, and a bullet slug.” In Johnson’s bedroom, they observed blood “in the grooves between flooring planks.” Large pools of blood were allegedly present in the same room against two separate walls, leading detectives to believe that the victims were deceased. The detectives noted that there was an attempt to clean up the blood and said they believed Leonard “disposed of the bodies.”
Leonard was arrested the same day. He is currently being held at the Utah County Jail without bail.
KSL reported that the Utah County Attorney’s Office requested additional time to gather evidence before formally charging Leonard with two counts of aggravated murder. He is also facing pending charges of possession of a substance with intent to distribute, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, and obstruction of justice. His next court date was not available.