Devil in the Desert: The Witness

Summary

20/20 Podcast Summary: "Devil in the Desert: The Witness"

Release Date: July 9, 2025
Host: ABC News (Debra Roberts)

---

Introduction

"Devil in the Desert: The Witness" delves deep into a chilling true crime mystery surrounding the kidnapping and torture of Michael and Mary Barnes. Hosted by ABC News' Debra Roberts, this episode meticulously unpacks the investigation led by Detective Ryan Peters, revealing a web of surveillance, deceit, and the quest for justice.

The Initial Lead: The Chevy Tahoe

In January 2013, Detective Ryan Peters was on the trail of Michael Barnes' kidnapping case. A pivotal moment came when he revisited an earlier high-speed chase involving a Chevy Tahoe.

• Detective Ryan Peters [02:00]: “I don't want to ignore anything and I want to fully invest all my time into every possible lead.”

The Tahoe, previously involved in a September 2012 chase in Newport Beach, was discovered abandoned on Balboa Island. Registered to Courtney Shigerian, the vehicle held the key to advancing the investigation.

Detective Peters' Insight and Discovery

Upon securing a search warrant, Detective Peters examined the impounded Tahoe, uncovering items that would shift the investigation's direction.

• Detective Ryan Peters [02:30]: “I pull out this little box. Looking at it, I'm like, what is this thing?”

Inside, Peters found micro mini cameras and a GPS tracker, revealing that Michael Barnes had been under constant surveillance for months. Additionally, Hussein Nayeri's cell phone was discovered, containing orders for surveillance equipment.

• Detective Ryan Peters [05:04]: “Like Hossein Nayeri, whose DNA is on a glove in Kyle Hanley's truck, also has cameras linking him to watching Michael's truck. You can't refute that. So for me, this is huge.”

This evidence directly connected Nayeri to the crime, raising suspicions about his involvement and that of his wife, Courtney.

Courtney Shigerian's Connection

The plot thickened as investigators probed Courtney Shigerian’s role. Initially uncooperative, Courtney eventually became a person of interest after her DNA was linked to the crime scene.

• Matt Murphy [06:07]: “You start to wonder, is this woman totally innocent?”

Detective Peters orchestrated a strategic encounter to extract a confession from Courtney, leading to a tense interrogation marked by strategic questioning and psychological maneuvering.

The Police's Strategy and Interrogation

On April 9, 2013, Courtney was invited to the Newport Beach Police Department under the guise of retrieving her possessions from the Tahoe. This meeting was a calculated trap designed to implicate her further.

• Courtney Shigerian [08:00]: “I'm just here to pick a property.”

Despite her initial composure, Courtney's demeanor shifted as the interrogation intensified, revealing cracks in her facade.

• Detective Ryan Peters [09:02]: “No hesitation, no emotional response, no physical response to it.”

The Proffer Interview and Breakthrough

With her family's intervention and legal counsel, Courtney agreed to a proffer interview—a pivotal moment in the investigation. During this three-hour session, Courtney provided critical insights:

• Courtney Shigerian [24:51]: “Can you tell me who's involved in the kidnapping?”
• Hussein Nayeri [24:56]: “Hussein Nayari. Kyle Hanley. And their third person.”

This confession identified the primary perpetrators and introduced Ryan Kevorkian as the elusive third accomplice. Courtney also detailed the motive behind the kidnapping: a failed attempt to locate and steal a purported buried million dollars in the Mojave Desert.

Final Evidence and Arrest

Investigators acted swiftly on Courtney's information, locating Ryan Kevorkian in Lancaster. A meticulous surveillance operation led to the recovery of Kevorkian's DNA from a towel at a 24 Hour Fitness gym, matching evidence from the crime scene.

• Detective Ryan Peters [34:31]: “Courtney was right. They had found their third man.”

Kevorkian's arrest solidified the case against the trio, bringing the investigation closer to closure.

Investigation's Conclusion and Next Steps

Building on Courtney's cooperation, the Newport Police Department strategized to apprehend Hussein Nayeri, who had fled to Iran. By leveraging Courtney as a secret informant, the team aimed to lure Nayeri out of hiding and secure his capture.

• Matt Murphy [35:20]: “Let's give her a chance to redeem herself. By luring Hussein Nayiri out of Iran.”

Courtney's pivotal role not only advanced the investigation but also marked the beginning of her personal redemption, as she sought to distance herself from Nayeri and rebuild her life.

Conclusion

"Devil in the Desert: The Witness" offers an intricate look into the complexities of criminal investigations, highlighting the interplay between meticulous detective work, strategic interrogations, and the human elements that influence justice. Through detailed storytelling and compelling interviews, the episode provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how the truth was uncovered in this harrowing case.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Detective Ryan Peters [03:16]: “I'm at my desk, and I remember opening it, and the first image that pops up is Michael's house.”
• Courtney Shigerian [12:04]: “Can my attorney please be present?”
• Heather Brown [30:01]: “You can admit to a lot of things, but, like, making poison burger patties for someone's dog is sure to get you on America's top 10 I hate you list.”

Transcript segments with timestamps have been selectively included to emphasize key moments in the investigation.

Transcript

[Debra Roberts]

This is Debra Roberts here with another weekly episode of our latest series from 2020 and ABC Audio, Devil in the Desert. Remember, you can get new episodes early if you follow Devil in the Desert on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app. Now here's the episode. This is the way it feels to move through summer in Lululemon iconic aligned softness. Without the front for our smoothest look.

[Unknown]

And feel ever, summer won't know what hit it.

[Debra Roberts]

Stretch your limits in the non stop flexibility of the new Lululemon align no line pant in select stores [e-mail] in January of 2013, as Detective Ryan Peters inched forward in his investigation into the kidnapping of Michael and his roommate Mary Barnes, it dawned on him. Newport police had a potential lead right under their nose. A Chevy Tahoe, a car involved in a high speed chase. Months earlier. Police had spotted the Tahoe speeding through Newport beach in the pre dawn hours of September 26, 2012. After a chase, the officers lost sight of the vehicle. They found it later that night, dumped on Balboa Island. It's a residential community in Newport Harbor. And the driver? He'd vanished. Etaho was registered to a Courtney Shigerian. Her husband was Hussein Nayeri, whose DNA had just shown up on a glove found in Kyle Hanley's car. Now, Detective Ryan Peters knew that this Chevy Tahoe might have nothing to do with his kidnapping and torture investigation. But at this point, he couldn't leave any stone unturned.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

I don't want to ignore anything and I want to fully invest all my time into every possible lead. I go and write a search warrant for the car knowing that it's, you know, a long shot.

[Debra Roberts]

Detective Peter's hunt for answers led him to the impound lotion. He began to rake through the car. Inside he found some gift cards, keys and paperwork. But then he found something that changed the course of the entire investigation.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

I pull out this little box. Looking at it, I'm like, what is this thing? And I realize it's a micro mini camera. And then I pull out another one from underneath the seat and it's another micro mini camera. And then I pull out like a small little case with two magnets on it and immediately realized this is a.

[Debra Roberts]

Tracker, a GPS tracking device and two hidden cameras. Detective Peters emptied the car and took the box of stuff back to his office so that he could examine it more closely later. It turned out that those little devices had recorded hundreds of hours of footage over a period of months. And when he studied the footage itself his jaw dropped.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

I'm at my desk, and I remember opening it, and the first image that pops up is Michael's house.

[Debra Roberts]

These devices had been installed outside of Michael's home, where he lived with his roommate Mary Barnes. And the GPS tracker had followed his whereabouts when he was at his parents home, at his girlfriend's house, entering and leaving his property. The person who set up the tracker and the cameras could see exactly how Michael went about his day to the minute. Whoever had been watching Michael was studying him very closely and for a long time. I'm ABC News chief national correspondent Matt Gutman. This is Devil in the Desert episode the Witness. As well as the surveillance cameras, the team had also found another important item in the Tahoe. A cell phone belonging to Hussein Nayeri. Matt Murphy was the deputy district attorney on the case.

[Matt Murphy]

And when they get into that phone, what they find is they find a series of orders that were placed for items which could have been used in this crime, including the stuff for the surveillance cameras and some other things.

[Debra Roberts]

The phone had also been getting updates from a GPS tracking system. It had been receiving text messages about when the tracker left or entered a specific location. Based on the tracker's movements, it seemed to Detective Ryan Peters that it was stuck to a vehicle.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

And I'm like, you gotta be kidding me. Like Hossein Nayeri, whose DNA is on a glove in Kyle Hanley's truck, also has cameras linking him to watching Michael's truck. You can't refute that. So for me, this is huge.

[Debra Roberts]

Remember, the glove was important to investigators because it connected Hossein Ieri to Kyle Handley, whose truck was seen at Michael's house the day before the attack. And now the items found in the Chevy Tahoe strengthened that connection. Nyeri seemed to have been surveilling Michael for a period of months before Mary Barnes and Michael were kidnapped. The contents of the Tahoe raised another question. The truck didn't actually belong to Jose Nayeri. It belonged to his wife, Courtney Shigerian. So what did Courtney know about the surveillance of Michael and how much was she involved?

[Matt Murphy]

You start to wonder, is this woman totally innocent?

[Debra Roberts]

Back in September 2012, on the night the Tahoe was found on Balboa island, police showed up at Courtney's door. She hadn't been helpful. She had refused to answer their questions and would not identify Nyeri as the driver. Later, she called to report that the car had been stolen and had come to collect it from the impound lot. But after the contents had been removed by Detective Ryan Peters, which gave Newport PD an opportunity. In the spring of 2013, Detective Ryan Peters invited Courtney to come down to the station. He said, hey, why don't you come get this box of stuff took from your car? On the surface, it looked like normal police procedure, but this was actually a trap carefully laid by the investigators. When she came down to the station, police planned to get her to sign a document to get her stuff back. It was called a property release form. The document would have a list of everything inside the car. The cameras, the GPS tracker, the phone. And when she signed that document, she would be saying, these are all of my possessions. And if Courtney signed, it would immediately incriminate her in this scheme to surveil Michael. And with that leverage used against her, detectives wondered if there was more she might be willing to share with him. But would she sign? On April 9, 2013, Courtney Shigerian arrived at the Newport Beach Police Department. Detective Peters was there to greet her.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Can I help you?

[Hussein Nayeri]

I'm just here to pick a property.

[Debra Roberts]

The meeting was recorded by Detective Peters. In the tape, Courtney seems confident, poised, and all business.

[Courtney Shigerian]

What's your name?

[Hussein Nayeri]

Courtney Sherrion. Do you need my driver's license?

[Courtney Shigerian]

We do, yes.

[Debra Roberts]

Ryan Peters explained that the contents of the Tahoe would be released to her.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Yeah, that's just the items that were releasing to you. Okay, you can take your stuff.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Oh, I can take my stuff.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

Asked if everything was there, and I said yeah. And I kind of went through it. This is a camera, this is a tracker. This is a Pepsi can. This is change. This is trash. This is the slides, this is the clothes. And she's like, okay, great, yeah, I'll take it. And she signs for it and then goes to pick it up.

[Debra Roberts]

Ryan Peters plan worked. Courtney signed for the listed items. But her reaction to the whole ordeal surprised Peters.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

No hesitation, no emotional response, no physical response to it. And she knows that that was involved in a crime. And now she's got me. Like, man, does she. Maybe she doesn't know. Maybe she has no idea what this is.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney seemed calm for a person whose car contained surveillance equipment. Equipment that had been used on a victim at the center of a months long investigation. Maybe she really didn't know exactly how serious this situation was. Detective Peters announced that he had a search warrant for her belongings.

[Hussein Nayeri]

What is that?

[Courtney Shigerian]

I'll talk to you, Ryan. I'm Ryan Beach. Nice to meet you. This is a search warrant for your person, your phone, your car, your house.

[Debra Roberts]

All of a sudden, Courtney didn't seem so confident. And then Detective Peters began to ask his questions.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Do you know Hussein?

[Hussein Nayeri]

Yes, that's my husband.

[Courtney Shigerian]

That's your husband? And Kyle Henley.

[Hussein Nayeri]

I know who Kyle Henley is, but I don't want to talk about anything. I feel very off put by what you're saying. I don't know what you're talking about. This is weird. Why did you have me come in here to pick up items and now you're trying to ask me questions?

[Debra Roberts]

It seemed like now, when it was past the moment of too late, Courtney had finally figured out the real reason she'd been asked to come down to the station. Matt Murphy, the deputy district attorney on the case.

[Matt Murphy]

Again, it's a Jack in the Box moment, right? It's like, hey, we got bad news and we got some worse news.

[Debra Roberts]

Bad news, you're not getting your stuff back.

[Matt Murphy]

Worst news is this document that you just read implicates you as a co conspirator in a case that potentially could send you to California State Prison for the rest of your life.

[Debra Roberts]

Pushed into a corner, Courtney went on the defensive.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Am I able to leave?

[Courtney Shigerian]

No, you're still being detained for the. We're serving this warrant, okay?

[Hussein Nayeri]

Can my attorney please be present?

[Courtney Shigerian]

You can call them when we're done.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Well, why can't they call him right now?

[Courtney Shigerian]

Because we're serving the warrant, okay? We're serving the warrant right now. You're being detained right now by law enforcement.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney didn't know that she wasn't allowed to leave the police station. The police had a search warrant, and that meant that legally they could absolutely detain her so she couldn't interfere with her search. Detective Peters asked, do you want to talk about this in a different room? But Courtney didn't want to talk. At least not about the questions they were asking.

[Hussein Nayeri]

I don't understand why I'm being asked any questions at all. I don't know what you're talking about, and I feel very weird and off put by just what happened. I would just like to have my attorney present for everything. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Debra Roberts]

Peters tried to calm her down. He told her she wasn't under arrest, but that he had to complete the serving of the warrant.

[Courtney Shigerian]

You know, you're nervous, you're scared. I get it.

[Hussein Nayeri]

This is weird.

[Courtney Shigerian]

I also need to get a buckle swab of your cheeks for your DNA.

[Hussein Nayeri]

For me?

[Courtney Shigerian]

For you.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Why me?

[Debra Roberts]

She didn't want to have her DNA sample taken, but in the end, she allowed them to take a cheek swab. She kept asking the officers, why were they interested in her.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Why is there a search warrant?

[Courtney Shigerian]

Because we're investigating the kidnapping of Michael and Mary Barnes.

[Debra Roberts]

Detective Peters kept having to tell Courtney, you are here because we suspect your husband's involvement in this crime.

[Courtney Shigerian]

You're married to st. Nairi. We'd like to talk to him. Can we talk to him? Can you call him? Tell him to call me.

[Debra Roberts]

Detective Peters hoped that Courtney was the missing piece of a puzzle that would finally reveal the whole picture of the crime. Or at the very least, maybe she could tell them where Nyeri was hiding. Now, Courtney knew that Nyeri was in Iran. He left right after Kyle Handley was arrested in October of 20, nearly six months ago. The detectives had begun to suspect that he wasn't hiding out at Courtney's apartment. But if he was that far away, they needed to know. She didn't tell investigators any of that. Instead, she shut down. She kept her responses to the mere basics. The conversation went on for almost an hour and a half. But despite their efforts, detectives couldn't persuade Courtney to open up right at the end. One of the officers tried to reason with her. He said, sometimes in cases, there are all of these roles, suspects, witnesses, and co conspirators.

[Courtney Shigerian]

And sometimes those lines get blurred. They get gray a little bit. And that's when it takes some soul searching to ask yourself, who am I? Where do I fall in line? And this? And maybe that's what you should think about.

[Debra Roberts]

After that, the interview ended awkwardly. Courtney didn't seem like she wanted to do any soul searching. She wrote down their details, and then with the search complete, she was free to go.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Any questions?

[Hussein Nayeri]

Thank you. Have a good day.

[Courtney Shigerian]

We're seeing you.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney left without the tracking equipment from the Tahoe. Detective Peter's great plan had turned out to be only partially successful. He didn't get the crucial information from Courtney that he might have been hoping for, like the location of her husband or confirmation of his involvement in the crime. And he may have spooked Courtney, possibly burning their best chance of getting closer to Nyere. But Courtney had walked right into their plan to implicate her in the surveillance scheme. They'd gained leverage. Now they needed to figure out how to use it. The question was, how could they reel her back in and get her to talk?

[Unknown]

This show is supported by hellofresh. When I think of my favorite summer memories, I think of family meals with my favorite people and the freshest seasonal ingredients. And now you can make summer memorable and delicious with hellofresh. Hellofresh makes it quick and easy to make delicious home cooked meals Every week. They offer more than 60 recipes to choose from plus over 100 market items to add on to breakfast, lunch and more. Everything is delivered fresh to your doorstep and if you're traveling, you can pause or skip a delivery at any time now. I just signed up for this. I am so excited about it. My daughters cannot wait to get started. I picked out my recipes for my next box and my whole family's looking forward to it. We all love summer barbecue so we picked out the Smoky Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas and the Barbecue Cheddar Pork Burgers. They're quick meals. They're gonna make everybody happy and my daughters can really help with this. Make your summer enjoyable and delicious by signing up for [e-mail] DevilInTheDesert10FM and get 10 free meals with a item for life. That's HelloFresh.com DevilInTheDesert 10FM for 10 free meals and a free item in every box. HelloFresh.com DevilInTheDeSert 10FM one per box with an active subscription. Free meals are applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only. Varies by plan.

[Heather Brown]

This show is supported by Chime. Whether you're buying a concert ticket online or checking in early at a hotel, you've probably paid an unexpected fee recently. Even paying a bill can result in a mysterious processing fee. Chime is different. Chime believes that banking shouldn't cost you money, so when you open a checking [e-mail] 20 you'll enjoy fee free banking. That means no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, and no minimum balance fees so you can spend your money on the things that matter to you. Open your chime account in 2 minutes at chime.com 20 spelled out 20tw y that's chime.com 20chime feels like progress.

[Debra Roberts]

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA members. FDIC Spot me Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file. Fees apply at out of network ATMs. Bank ranking and number of ATMs. According to US News and World Report. 2023 chime checking account required. This episode is brought to you by Blink, an Amazon company. Think you're ready for Prime Day? With up to 50% off Blink Smart Security, you will be. With crisp HD video, real time alerts and two way talk, you'll know the moment your packages arrive. Save big on Blink's Smart Security Starting at just $19.99 with the Blink Mini 2 Plug In Camera Shop now at.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

Amazon.com blink this episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this Adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes. Us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives but are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing and this investment costs less than that. After school treat Start prioritizing their financial education and future today with a risk free [e-mail] Spotify greenlight.com Spotify your burger.

[Debra Roberts]

Is served and this is our finest Pepsi Zero Sugar. Its sweet profile perfectly balances the savory notes of your burger.

[Hussein Nayeri]

That is one perfect combination.

[Debra Roberts]

Burgers deserve Pepsi. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milke, host of ABC's Daily News podcast. Start here. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. When the investigators began digging into Courtney Shigerian's life, they spotted something in her bank records. Courtney had been giving money to Nyeri, money that had been given to her by her family who were supporting her through law school. That gave law enforcement an idea.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

I was like, why don't you call the girl's father, right? Because we wanted to get Courtney turned around and off of Team Nyeri and onto Team da.

[Debra Roberts]

This is Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown, a longtime colleague of Matt Murphy. She had joined the case a few months earlier. It was she who came up with the idea to go around Courtney and focus on her family. Courtney's family hadn't approved of her relationship with Nyeri. They had once been close, but in recent years, Courtney had been drifting away. She didn't even tell them that she and Nyeri had married back in 2010. Her relationship with Nyeri had kept her isolated, and even when things started to go awry in their marriage, like when Courtney had to call the police when Nyeri had bruised her arm, she hadn't told her family. She was totally focused on Nyeri and on keeping his secrets. But what if her family could help steer her back into the investigator's hands? Maybe if they could get through to her, maybe they could tell her just how Much trouble she was in. Heather Brown's strategy was something Detective Peters was willing to try. Three weeks after that first meeting with Courtney, he called up her father.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

And I told him, I said, hey, your daughter is drastically involved in a violent kidnapping. If she's going to go to law school, if she's going to have any sort of family in the future and start over and have a come to Jesus moment, it's right now and you need to help me do that. But getting off the phone with him, like, I wasn't sure.

[Debra Roberts]

On this phone call, Courtney's father learned two huge pieces of information. One, that she was married to someone he'd previously expressed serious concerns about, and two, that she was now implicated with this man in a serious crime. Within minutes, Ryan Peters got a call from Courtney's lawyer, a man named Lou Rosenblum. Whatever Courtney's father had done behind the scenes had moved things along fast. Lou said he was willing to work with Ryan Peters to help Courtney get back on the investigator's good side. They came up with a plan together. Newport beach police would offer Courtney a way to cooperate by using a proffer. A proffer is an agreement between law enforcement and a person involved in a case. The person agrees to be interviewed, but there are conditions of protection. The investigators get information that could help their investigation, but they can't use any of that information against the person giving it. It didn't mean that Courtney was completely off the hook. They could still press charges against her based on evidence collected from other sources. But it was a start. And it would be the first time that investigators could sit down and ask their questions. And to a receptive witness, Courtney's lawyer. Lou wanted to impress on Courtney the importance of this interview. He told her to be honest. He said there are no second chances here. One lie can ruin everything.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

It was only maybe within 48 hours, she was sitting down at Newport beach with her attorney and she was telling us everything she knew.

[Debra Roberts]

Now, the Newport Beach Police Department sits just off a two lane road next to a golf course. Its parking lot is ringed with palm trees, and from the front door you can see the lush golf course right across the street. Courtney's proffer interview was in the conference room inside. On May 7, 2013, Courtney walked into the room filled with Newport PD representatives. The investigative team said she looked scared, out of her mind. Courtney's lawyer was there, as were Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy and Ryan peters.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Today is May 7th, Tuesday at 1443 hours. Interview with Courtney Shigerian.

[Debra Roberts]

Detective Peters started off with the basics. How exactly did she know Jose Nayeri? They went over the significant dates of their relationship and Nyeri's involvement in growing and selling wee. Courtney also confirmed right off the bat what the investigators had begun to suspect. Nyere was gone. Once again, he had fled to Iran.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Okay. The 912307. That's the number that he's using now in Iran. Okay.

[Debra Roberts]

That wasn't all Courtney was willing to share. Detective Peters dove right into the question he really wanted to ask. This time, Courtney held nothing back.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Can you tell me who's involved in the kidnapping?

[Hussein Nayeri]

Just identified people.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Yeah.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hussein Nayari.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Mm.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Kyle Hanley. And their third person. I don't know his actual name, but Hussein referred to him as Brown.

[Debra Roberts]

This was the biggest break in the case so far. Courtney was willing to confirm that Nyeri and Hanley and a mysterious third man were the ones who had committed the kidnapping and torture. And even though Courtney didn't know exactly who Mr. Brown was, she had another name for them. Ryan Kavorkian.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hosine and Ryan were very close.

[Debra Roberts]

Ryan Kevorkian was another graduate of Clovis west high School in Fresno. His wife was close to Nyere. And Courtney thought she might have been involved with planning the crime. And crucially, not only could she confirm the investigator's suspicions about who had committed the crime and give them a lead for the third man, she could also finally explain the motives behind it all. It came back to Nyere's marijuana growing.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hossein told me that he showed his product to Michael. Michael had his friend try it. The friend said that it had too much chemicals in it, and he wouldn't buy it for that price. And Hossein got offended and was like, you know, what is this guy telling me? That this is good products?

[Debra Roberts]

She said that after Michael had refused to pay him what he asked for, Nayeri had sent Kyle to talk to Michael, try him again with the exact same weed. Michael had paid Kyle for it. But Nayeri felt that the payment wasn't enough. He felt cheated. After that, she said that Nyeri wanted Kyle and Michael to become friends, just as Michael had told investigators. In the days after the attack, Kyle Hanley went with Michael on a trip to Las Vegas, where tens of thousands of dollars were spent partying. What Michael didn't know was that Kyle was reporting everything back to Nyeri. A plan formed between nyeri, Kyle, and Mr. Brown. They believed that Michael had huge amounts of cash. They decided to track him and find out where he stored it and then steal it. Courtney wasn't protecting Nyeri anymore. In fact, a lot had changed for her in just a few days. With her father reaching back out to her and her lawyer laying out the risks of not participating in the investigation, something had shifted. As well as cooperating with the law, she was also working on repairing the damage that her relationship with Nayeri had done to her personal life. Lou, her lawyer, had found a therapist for her within 24 hours of getting her to agree to a proffer meeting. Now she was signed up to daily sessions. Lou wanted to get Nyeri out of her head, to deprogram her from Nyeri's influence. She was back in close contact with her family, and she'd cut off all contact with her husband completely. She'd picked a side, and now Courtney was holding nothing back, even on the parts that made her look just as bad as him. Investigators wanted to talk to Courtney about the surveillance on Michael. They knew that Nyeri was monitoring Michael's house in Newport Beach. But they had also discovered that he was watching Michael's parents house and that that the family had a dog. This dog presented a problem for Nyeri. Courtney thought he wanted to be able to install cameras inside Michael's parents home, and the dog would bark at anyone approaching their property. So one day, Nayari asked Courtney to pick up some meat at the store.

[Hussein Nayeri]

And I asked why and he said that he got something that was poisonous for dogs because he wanted to poison the dog that was at Michael's parents house. And he said, oh, can you make hamburgers with this? Because he's like, I need to like, poison that dog to make him sick so that I can go into the house. Because the dog barked a lot or whatever.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Did he?

[Hussein Nayeri]

I'm pretty sure I made the hamburgers or he made the hamburgers because I remember the. He wore gloves and like, had to handle it carefully. And I think he gave the. I think he did it.

[Debra Roberts]

Thankfully, the poison didn't work because I.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Feel like I heard him complaining after the fact about. About the fact that the dog didn't get sick. Oh, I mean, sometimes it's hard to remember because there's just so much da.

[Debra Roberts]

Heather Brown said this detail was damning.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

You can admit to a lot of things, but, like, making poison burger patties for someone's dog is sure to get you on America's top 10 I hate you list.

[Debra Roberts]

After learning about how Nyeri operated, the investigators started to see Courtney in a new light. They viewed her as someone who had been harmed by Nyeri, someone manipulated by him, someone held captive I think that.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

She was very young and troubled when she met Hossein. And he filled a void in her life at that time and made her feel safe, when really he was anything but safe.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney was also able to show investigators that the surveillance, as well as being menacing, had also shaped the night of the crime itself. Remember, for months, this team, Nayeri, Kyle Handley, and the still unidentified Mistra Brown, were watching Michael's daily whereabouts. And one day in early September 2012, the tracker on Michael's car showed him taking a trip. He drove out of Newport, through Orange county suburbs, and into the Mojave Desert. He went with a friend to look at a tract of land he was thinking about buying. There are abandoned gold mines out there that in recent years have been the subject of a real estate boom. He drove around, decided not to invest, and went home thinking nothing of it. But Courtney told investigators that this trip hadn't gone unnoticed by Nyeri.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hussein had put, you know, GPS on his car. Someone had gone out to the desert and circled in an area in the desert. And Hussein one day had asked me, he says, why was someone go out to this remote area and just keep circling around? Doesn't make sense. And I said, I don't know. And he says, makes the perfect place for someone to bury a bunch of money. Yeah, probably right.

[Debra Roberts]

Michael had inadvertently done something he would live to regret. He had unwittingly drawn a map of his own kidnapping route. Courtney had spelled out the motive for. For the crime. And now the night of the kidnapping made sense. The reason the attackers had ignored Michael's offer of $100,000, why the sports car in the garage wasn't taken. Nyeri really thought there was a million dollars buried somewhere in the desert. And when they couldn't find the million, that's when things turned ugly. Months of work, all that surveillance down the drain for nothing. Courtney even had details of who Nayeri said was responsible for the worst parts of the torture of Michael.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hossein told me that Kyle drove and that Hossein and Brown were in the back with the two victims. Hossein told me that they beat him with a cable. And Hossein told me that Hossein directed Kyle to cut off the victim's penis in retaliation for the victim not giving them the money that they believed was buried out in the desert.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney's proffer interview was three hours long. @ no point did she waver or change her mind or refuse to answer. And by the end, the investigators made plans to talk with her in a few Days. She wasn't out of the woods yet. She could still face charges for her role in the crime she described to them. And she was helpful, convincing, even. But there was more investigating to do and no telling of what detectives might find. Still, she had left them with a name to check out. Ryan Kevorkian. The possible Mr. Brown. The team wanted to get a sample of Kevorkian's DNA. They would test it and see if it matched the DNA that was found on the zip tie at Kyle Handley's house. So on September 25, 2013, the team located Ryan Kevorkian. He was in Lancaster, a town on the edge of the Mojave. Detectives went to his home and then spent the day following him as he moved around town.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

He, at one point, went into the 24 hour fitness to work out, and the one cop said to the other cop, like, hey, I'm a member. Are you a member? And so they decided to go in to the 24 Hour Fitness and follow him around the gym. So while he was working out, he tossed his towel that he had been wiping his sweat with.

[Debra Roberts]

Investigators brought that towel back from the 24 Hour Fitness, swabbed it, and sent it to the lab. Soon, they got an official DNA hit. Ryan Kevorkian's DNA matched the cut zip tie that was found at Kyle's house. Courtney was right. They had found their third man. Deputy district attorney Matt Murphy then went back to Courtney's attorney with an idea.

[Matt Murphy]

And it was essentially, look, let's give her a chance to redeem herself. By luring Hussein Nayiri out of Iran.

[Debra Roberts]

They offered Courtney a chance of not just cooperating, but actively participating in the investigation. They wanted her to help them lure Nyeri out of hiding and help deliver him to the police. It was her chance to save her own life. But to do that, Courtney would have to go back to speaking to Nyeri, a man she'd now incriminated in her proffer interview and who she had abruptly cut off contact with. Now she had to worm her way back into his life without raising suspicion. And for their plan to work, investigators needed Nyeri to trust Courtney implicitly, just as he had done before. So, first, Courtney attended the funeral of Nyeri's uncle, knowing that word would get back to him. And it did. Nyeri had a bouquet of flowers delivered to her door. And a few days later, in mid June of 2013, husband and wife were back on speaking terms.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Hi.

[Courtney Shigerian]

Hey.

[Hussein Nayeri]

Thank you for my flowers.

[Debra Roberts]

What ni didn't know is that now his wife isn't just the chief witness in the investigation against him, but also a secret informant.

[Courtney Shigerian]

I know this is the best gift because just gave me a phone call. You have no idea. My hand is shaking right now.

[Hussein Nayeri]

I know.

[Debra Roberts]

Courtney Shagarian had become the Newport Police Department's best chance of bringing him down.

[Hussein Nayeri]

They think any, you know, second I'm gonna tip him off.

[Ryan Kevorkian]

I was terrified for Courtney.

[Hussein Nayeri]

If Hussein ever finds out or when he finds out that I've, that I've done all this and I've been recording.

[Debra Roberts]

It, he's gonna kill me. Devil in the Desert is a production of ABC Audio, ABC News Studios in 2020. Hosted by me, Matt Gutman. This series was produced by Madeline Wood, Camille Peterson, Amy Padula and Kiara Powell. Our supervising producer is Susie Lu. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Liz Alessi, Katie Dundas, Janice Johnston, Eamon McNiff, Jason Lefferman, Katie Maldoni and Michelle Margulies. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Laura Mayer is our executive producer from National Geographic. Wow, look at that. Comes an all new special with Nat Geo explorer Birdie Gregory. We're going to attempt to dive with a great white shark without a cage as he sets out on his most ambitious mission yet. I have dived with a lot of sharks around the world, but I have never seen the most famous and the most feared sharks up close.

[Unknown]

With Birdie Gregory now streaming on Disney.

[Debra Roberts]

Plus and Hulu.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

Paradise is back.

[Heather Brown]

It's finally here in a new location, Costa Rica. There will be adventure, drama and romance.

[Hussein Nayeri]

All gas, no breaks. That's my vibe.

[Debra Roberts]

Ready to find some love.

[Heather Brown]

But it wouldn't be paradise without surprises along the way.

[Detective Ryan Peters]

These kids need to learn.

[Debra Roberts]

That's right.

[Heather Brown]

Your favorite golden alums are crashing the beach.

[Debra Roberts]

We bring in a party, baby. Bachelor in paradise. New Mondays at 8, 7 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu.