Matthew Leonard, 28, faces charges of aggravated murder after reporting his mother Sarah Johnson missing in Springville, Utah. Police believe Johnson and John Handricks, both 50, were shot and killed at her home on March 20. A search uncovered blood, shell casings and signs of a cleanup.
Springville police took Leonard into custody on April 11 following a search warrant at Johnson's home. Detectives found blood in the grooves of flooring planks in her bedroom, large pools against two walls, shell casings and a bullet slug. They concluded the victims were deceased and that Leonard disposed of the bodies, according to court documents obtained by KSL-TV. Witnesses had reported seeing Johnson and Handricks with Leonard that night, with one hearing possible gunshots inside the residence. Authorities believe the pair were shot and killed. Leonard reported Johnson missing on March 26, the same day police questioned him about Handricks, who was reported missing from Salt Lake City on March 23. Handricks was last seen with Johnson on March 20. Leonard had prior issues, including an arrest on March 9 for electronic communication harassment after sending 11 messages and making 11 calls to his girlfriend within 90 minutes, despite her request to stop. She obtained a protective order on March 13. He pleaded guilty to that charge on April 7. The Utah County Attorney's Office has requested more time to file formal charges of two counts of aggravated murder. Leonard remains in Utah County Jail without bail, facing additional counts related to drugs, weapons and obstruction of justice.
