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- [00:01]
Peyton Moreland
All right, you guys, if you wear makeup at all, you definitely understand the struggle of when you go through your skin care, you put on your makeup product only for it to start pilling or separating or getting cakey. Honestly, it is such a pet peeve of mine and that is why I am so thankful for Jones Road Beauty.
- [00:26]
Garrett Moreland
Same.
- [00:27]
Peyton Moreland
One of my favorite products from Jones Road is their Miracle balm. It is so easy, lightweight on the skin. I actually use it in place of foundation. Although they did just drop a new foundation stick that pairs well with the Miracle Balm. So most people can use the Miracle balm as like blush, nose, forehead, even on your lips. Again, I just kind of use it all over and over. All of my makeup that I put on top of it layers so well. It also sits well with my skin care. I so much appreciate it. Their Miracle bomb also just like pairs well with a lot of their other products. Like the ingredients are very cohesive, so that's also beneficial. Cuz a lot of my other products I use are also Jones Road Beauty. And because the Miracle Balm is basically one step, it's just so much faster. It feels so much quicker than having to do the entire routine. Because even if I'm doing like a no makeup makeup day, I will still just use the Miracle bomb. If I'm going to the lake, I will use a miracle bomb. If I'm going out in the sun, at the pool, even just sticking around at home, not really putting makeup on, but still want my skin to look perfect.
- [01:43]
Garrett Moreland
Do you like how I'm like? It's like you're telling me a story like a case.
- [01:47]
Peyton Moreland
You're like, I'm like. And then, and then modern day makeup that is clean, strategic and multifunctional for effortless routines. For a limited time, our listeners are getting a free full size mascara on their first purchase when they use code MWMH at checkout. So again, if you want to add on that free mascara, please use our code MWMH at checkout. Head to Jonesroadbeauty.com and use code MWMH at checkout. And and then after your purchase, just let them know you know where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that it was our show, Murder with My Husband that sent you. This Monday.com ad was created by a team of people and AI agents. The agents wrote the copy and managed the timelines while our human creative director made sure it all made sense. Easy. Create your own AI agent. Today on Monday.com you're listening to an Ono Media Podcast. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.
- [02:51]
Garrett Moreland
And I'm Garrett Moreland.
- [02:52]
Peyton Moreland
And he's the husband.
- [02:53]
Garrett Moreland
And I'm the husband. How's everyone doing? What do we got going on? Anything new? Any fun plans?
- [03:01]
Peyton Moreland
If you're watching on Netflix and you're like, wait, Garrett's phone definitely has some
- [03:07]
Garrett Moreland
reflection and movement, there's nothing there.
- [03:11]
Peyton Moreland
Be honest.
- [03:13]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, look, guys, the World Cup's going on. I love you guys, but the World cup only happens every four years, so
- [03:21]
Peyton Moreland
I didn't know that. Who in the Olympics do they think they are bigger?
- [03:26]
Garrett Moreland
Like, legit bigger? World cup is the.
- [03:31]
Peyton Moreland
You know what happens once a year? WNBA Championship.
- [03:34]
Garrett Moreland
So, anyways, I'm currently. The Spain and Belgium game is on right here. It's almost over. We're recording right now. Spain just scored up 2 to 1 on Belgium. It'll be over any second. So I'm being locked in for this episode. But yes, if you're watching on Netflix, that's what's on my phone.
- [03:56]
Peyton Moreland
Cheater.
- [03:57]
Garrett Moreland
We have any announcements?
- [03:58]
Peyton Moreland
I don't think so. Bonus episodes.
- [04:02]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, we got a lot of bonus episodes coming this month. So if you're a paid subscriber on Apple, Patreon, or Spotify, be getting a lot of those.
- [04:10]
Peyton Moreland
Or if you're a listener and you're like, oh, my gosh, I need more content. I've binged it all. Double tap.
- [04:16]
Garrett Moreland
Yep. Go and check those out. 10 seconds. Oh, I just want to say everyone, to anyone who's come into the bagel shop, thank you for coming in. Thank you for saying hi. Thank you for supporting. I love talking to you guys. I love seeing you guys. I love taking pictures with everyone. So keep coming in, keep saying hi. Sometimes I'm not there. I'm sorry. I'm currently working, like, 18 million jobs, so I'm not always at the bagel shop. There's just a lot going on right now, but I'm there a lot. But, yeah, working on a lot of bagels, Working on a lot of podcast stuff, Working on a lot of baby stuff. For those who don't know and didn't see. See that thing right there? That's our baby. Oh, yeah.
- [05:00]
Peyton Moreland
If you're watching on Netflix, you can definitely see or you can go to our Instagrams, but she's out.
- [05:06]
Garrett Moreland
She's coming out.
- [05:07]
Peyton Moreland
Belly's out, sun's out, bumps out.
- [05:09]
Garrett Moreland
Sun's out, bumps out.
- [05:11]
Peyton Moreland
That's what I tell Garrett.
- [05:13]
Garrett Moreland
Paint looks very cute. She's doing a very good job.
- [05:16]
Peyton Moreland
I'm healing my burn. You can see it.
- [05:19]
Garrett Moreland
Sometimes she's sick, sometimes she's not, but she's doing amazing.
- [05:22]
Peyton Moreland
Sick yesterday.
- [05:23]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [05:24]
Peyton Moreland
Not today.
- [05:25]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, better today. All right, well, it's really hot outside, which we don't like. Sucks, but that's okay. On that note, let's hop into this week's episode. Disclaimer. I may be eating Starburst during today's episode, so if you hear a little
- [05:40]
Peyton Moreland
bit of just kidding, please keep that in.
- [05:44]
Garrett Moreland
If you hear a little bit of chomping, Sorry, not sponsored by Starburst.
- [05:49]
Peyton Moreland
That was so funny.
- [05:50]
Garrett Moreland
These are the only Starbursts I eat, the sour ones. If you want to sponsor me Starburst, send me a bunch of these sour Starbursts. I don't know, but there's definitely a lot of I don't know. Who knows?
- [06:02]
Peyton Moreland
Like, you know, it's a conspiracy. These candy companies.
- [06:05]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah. They all, like, own each other. Yeah. I like how PepsiCo owns everything. Yeah, I'm sure it's Pepsi owns these.
- [06:11]
Peyton Moreland
Starburst.
- [06:12]
Garrett Moreland
Wouldn't surprise me. They own a bunch of, like, the chips and the snacks.
- [06:16]
Peyton Moreland
Really?
- [06:16]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, they own, like, Doritos and everything. I'm pretty sure the elite. All right, let's hop into this week's case.
- [06:24]
Peyton Moreland
Our sources for this episode are the starpress.com caselaw. Finelaw.com primetimer.com, crimeonline.com wayne.com californianws.yahoo.com dailystandard.com mercercountyoutlook.net people.com CBS News oxygen.com law justia.com bearfreeman.com and the independent.com ride or die. It's a phrase we use to describe those closest to us, the ones that we would do absolutely anything to protect, we would go to war for, take a bullet for, maybe even bury a body for. Typically, it means that you have a bond like no other. Usually we don't mean those things literally. And I say usually because that's not the case for everyone. For some people, loyalty goes beyond words. It's actionable. And it doesn't have boundaries when it comes to right or wrong. For some people, ride or die isn't just a figure of speech. It's a price they really are willing to pay for friendship. And sometimes that price is actually their future. So for today's case, I'm taking you guys to Indiana to a quiet rural area called Portland. This is a farming town in Indiana of only about 6,300 people. It is here that Shea Breyer is just trying to live a quiet, respectable little life. It's actually a far cry from where Shea grew up. He was born just 25 miles away in DeSoto, Indiana on March 9, 1988. But his family actually ended up moving to Kailua, Hawaii when he was around kindergarten. And so that is where he spent most of his childhood and, and basically where he would say he was raised. And he was raised here in Hawaii with his mom, Tracy and his stepdad. Now growing up Tracy, his mom described Shay as, quote, a little rascal. But he was always polite and kind. He was a well mannered little boy who went to church with his family and loved to play with GI Joes, which actually inspired his goals later in life that was to join the military. Shea graduated high school in Hawaii in 2006, not only with honors, but he was also the co president of his class. And then after graduating, he enlisted in the Navy. He graduated from training in 2008 and was stationed in Washington. Now there he became a master of Arms before moving on to deal with dogs in the canine handling division of the military. Now afterwards, he was deployed to Italy for a while before being honorably discharged in 2012. And at this point, Shea's kind of wondering what his next moves were. And when he thought about putting down roots, it wasn't Hawaii that came to mind. Despite that being where he had lived basically his entire childhood, Shea had always summered with his grandparents back in Indiana, and it was something he remembered fondly. He felt Indiana was the place where he wanted to raise his kids one day. Not to mention, Shea kind of had those farmer instincts. He was the kind of guy who loved tractors, loved the idea of living off the land. He just wanted that quiet little life, a simple existence on a remote piece of land with little outside noise. So Indiana just felt right. Shay moved to Portland, Indiana, close to his other family members, and ended up getting a job as a heavy equipment operator at the Jay county landfill. And when he wasn't working there, he was helping out with a family member's farm. Now, everyone who knew Shea at this point in his life said he was easygoing, respectful, but also fun loving. He enjoyed letting loose, having a good time. He was warm, funny, just an all around good guy. So no one could make heads or tails of what happened one cold night in January of 2020. On the evening of January 11, Shea stopped by his local church for a pasta dinner. The renewed connection he had with his faith was something that made him pretty well known around Portland. And he'd often be the first one to church events and the last one out, which was kind of what happened during this church dinner. As he said goodbye to some of his friends, he told them that he would probably beat them all to church the next morning.
- [11:12]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [11:12]
Peyton Moreland
They nodded, laughed it off, knowing it was probably true. But unfortunately, fate had other plans. About seven hours later. So around 1:15:50am, a call is made to a 911 dispatcher. The person on the other end of the line says they were driving on 125 West north, passing over a bridge, when they saw someone on the side of the road. And the man appears to be injured. Again, this is almost 2am and when the dispatcher asks, okay, well, do you need EMTs, their response is, quote, you said he's injured and needs an ambulance. Yeah, he definitely needs an ambulance, but he's not like he's not coherent. He's not responding. I don't know if it's drugs, I don't know if he's injured. So an officer from the nearby Geneva Police Department is dispatched over to the scene. Now, this road is pitch black, it's windy and freezing outside. It. It's been raining for the last several days in this area in Indiana, So the whole area is dealing with floods and ice. And as the officer pulls up onto this overpass in what truly looks like the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, he sees the guy that this 911 call was about. The man is lying on the side of the road, but there's no car in sight. So the first thing the officer's wondering is, how did this guy even get here? But when he gets out of the vehicle and approaches the man, he has a lot more questions than that. For starters, the man can't seem to get a word out. The officer walks up, he's asking him, what's your name? What happened? How did you get here, what's wrong? And this guy's response is just groans and moans. So he's clearly in pain, but the officer can't even tell why. There are some blood drops on the concrete, but apparently the guy has also been kind of hitting his head on the pavement to keep himself conscious.
- [13:21]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [13:22]
Peyton Moreland
So as the cops stay with him waiting for medics to arrive, he reaches into this guy's wallet, he takes out his ID and that's when he confirms his identity. It is 31 year old Shay Briar, who had been at that church dinner hours earlier. Now, he doesn't have his phone with him, so the officer's not able to determine much more than this before EMTs arrive, but this area is so remote, it does take another 10 to 15 minutes. Honestly, it's kind of a miracle anyone even found Shea on this overpass to begin with and decided to call 91 1. Eventually, the EMTs do get there, though, and they load Shea into the ambulance and rush him to the hospital. Now, based on his state, doctors believe he was out in the freezing cold, like, at least outside. Maybe not on the bridge, but outside for two hours.
- [14:17]
Garrett Moreland
Oh, my gosh.
- [14:17]
Peyton Moreland
Before he had been discovered by the caller. And as for the mystery injury itself, doctors discover a gunshot wound in his back, but there's no exit wound. The bullet is still lodged inside Shay's heart.
- [14:35]
Garrett Moreland
Oh, in his heart.
- [14:37]
Peyton Moreland
When he gets to the emergency room, doctors rush to operate, but Shay doesn't survive the procedure, and he dies right there on the operating table.
- [14:47]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [14:48]
Peyton Moreland
Now, meanwhile, Shay's friends and family wake up the next morning and show up to church expecting to see Shay. And when his pastor pulls into the parking lot and realizes Shay's truck isn't there, she actually senses that something bad might have happened. Like I said, Shay is never late. He doesn't miss Sunday services. So, of course, word of Shay's absence actually moves quickly through the small area of Jay County. And once his gets back to, like, his grandmother and his aunt that he didn't show up to church, they start calling around to police stations and hospitals trying to track him down. But no one gives them any information about Shay. And it's not until later that day that the police arrive at Shave's house and break the news to his roommate. The roommate then has to be the bearer of bad news to Shay's family, telling them, I guess Shay was shot last night and actually died on the operating table at the hospital.
- [15:50]
Garrett Moreland
Hey, guys, we are jumping into an ad. Daisy's in her cute little costume, which means we're doing a Rocket Money ad. We love Rocket Money. You guys have heard us talk about it again and again. We use it. We've been using it for years. It's amazing. It's very intuitive. You can put all your credit cards, your debit cards, your bank accounts, everything into one dashboard. You can see everything clearly, how much you're spending, categorize it, and the list goes on. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Peyton and I have used it a lot for budgeting goals. We Use it a lot to see how much we're spending on food. I mean, it's just, it's important and nice to know where all of your money is going. I mean, we all have to do it. So you might as well get Rocket Money and check it out.
- [16:48]
Peyton Moreland
I was talking to an IRL friend and she was like, tell me more about Rocket Money. Like, I'm wanting a personal finance app. Is this worth it? And I was like, a hundred percent worth it. If you're looking for, like, all things personal finance, Rocket Money does it all at this point.
- [17:05]
Garrett Moreland
We love it. It's amazing. Daisy looks cute as well in her costume and her Rocket Money T shirt. So, yeah, let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals. Join@RocketMoney.com husband that's RocketMoney.com husband RocketMoney.com husband
- [17:24]
Peyton Moreland
this message is sponsored by Green Light. And if you don't know what green light is, I'm gonna tell you. Greenlight is a debit card and app for families. But it's more than just a money app. It helps parents teach kids about money while adding real safety features for the real world. I mean, we learn about everything else at school. It is absolutely insane that we are not learning about finances, financial stability, financial education at a younger age. And that is where Green Light has come in. And Green Light also goes beyond spending. Parents can get place alerts when kids arrive or leave school activities or home driving. Safety features can help flag risky behavior behind the wheel. And crash detection can alert you if something serious happens.
- [18:15]
Garrett Moreland
Big fan of Green Light. I've said it before and I'll say it again. My family's used this. I know many families who have used this, especially for those that are younger. It's great to teach your kids the importance of money, the importance of a dollar, what it means, what it means to work for money, all that. All the above. Again, Green Light can help with all that. We love it.
- [18:36]
Peyton Moreland
And I mean, let's be real. Most parents will either give an allowance or just help their kids give them money if they want to go do something. And so why not go through an app that also teaches financial education and does it safely? Every day your kids are handling money without guidance is a missed opportunity. Start your risk free Greenlight trial today@greenlight.com husband don't wait to teach your kids real world money skills. That's greenlight.comhusband to get started, greenlight.comhusband now for Shay's friends and family, this is inconceivable. They cannot Think of a single person who would intentionally do this to Shay. Police start the investigation, they speak to his co workers, and none of them can think of anyone either. At first it feels like police will have to throw every resource they have at this case.
- [19:31]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah. Because of where he was shot in his back, they're like, well it a hundred percent sure. Basically it wasn't him himself.
- [19:41]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah. But less than a day after his death, clues actually do start to surface in this investigation, as do a few people of interest. Now there's one person that's pretty important to Shay that police think will have some answers, and that is the mother of Shay's one year old daughter. So I, I hadn't mentioned yet that he has a daughter. He does. She's one and her mother is 29 year old Esther Jane Steven. So let's talk about the mother of this, his child for a second. Esther is a local high school softball coach who also runs a daycare center out of a local church. Now she started seeing shay back in 2018, so two years before he was found on that bridge. But the situation was pretty casual between the two of them. But then after just a few hookups, Esther gets pregnant with Shay's child. So it's not like they were seriously dating at the time. In fact, it wasn't until Shea called his mom and told her she was going to be a grandmother that his family even learned about Esther.
- [20:52]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [20:53]
Peyton Moreland
Her response was a baby. You're having a baby. I didn't even know you had a girlfriend. And he's like, I don't, I don't have a girlfriend.
- [21:01]
Garrett Moreland
I don't.
- [21:01]
Peyton Moreland
Exclusively dating wasn't even part part of the conversation. And that, that wasn't until after their daughter was born in January of 2019. That's when Esther and Shay thought, okay, you know, we kind of got pregnant really early on. Didn't even know if we really would even be dating, but maybe we should give it a shot. We have a child together. So they start seeing each other more seriously. And I guess within just a few weeks, Shea asked her to marry him. Not exactly because he was in love, but he was like, let's do it. Let's do the mom, dad, husband, wife thing for our little girl. Give her a stable home life. This is something he himself feels like he had never had. Shay never really got to know his own father and that stuck with him throughout life. So he wanted to make sure his own daughter didn't have the same experience. He wanted to be there, he wanted to see her Grow up, be a good role model and a consistent figure in her life. So he felt like marrying her mother was the right way to do all of that. But easier said than done, things didn't exactly work out. In September of 2019, just a few weeks before they were supposed to tie the knot, Esther actually calls it all off. Now, if Shay knew the reason why he never shared it with his family, it might have been that the spark just wasn't there. Maybe she knew it didn't feel right. Maybe there was somebody else. But either way, Shay is actually heartbroken. And it's not because he loved Esther necessarily, but because he loved his daughter, and he just really wanted this family life. He wanted to be part of her daily life. And now there was this giant piece of uncertainty. Would he get to stay in his daughter's life? Would Esther even allow him shared custody? It was seeming unlikely, especially because after she called things off and was like, yeah, let's not get married, Shay was seeing his daughter less and less. So In November of 2019, Shay actually files a petition to try and establish paternity. Basically, he's like, I'm gonna establish paternity so I can get more time with my daughter.
- [23:16]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, I couldn't. I know such a thing, because then you got to go to court, and then you have custody battles and blah, blah. Just. Yeah.
- [23:24]
Peyton Moreland
And it's also at this point that he's hoping he could get his daughter's last name changed to his own, because, remember, when she was born, it's not like they were even dating. It wasn't. They didn't really try that until after. So a lot of this had more just been Esther having the baby. So he's like, can I at least get her last name change, establish paternity? But that was easier said than done. Shay wasn't listed on his daughter's birth certificate. So because she didn't at the hospital, she didn't put him down. So this creates.
- [23:55]
Garrett Moreland
Is that legal?
- [23:57]
Peyton Moreland
I think you. Yes, but I think you can also establish paternity and get it put on. You would just have to legally go through the process of being like, I'm not on her birth certificate, but I want to be, so let's establish this and do it legally type thing.
- [24:12]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [24:13]
Peyton Moreland
And so this creates a lot of problems for him in court. He had to hire a lawyer, jump through a lot of extra hoops. So knowing all of this, like, when he gets shot in the back and the family's like, well, he's kind of had this little. This Rocky situation.
- [24:29]
Garrett Moreland
They think it's her.
- [24:31]
Peyton Moreland
Well, they just think they need to talk to her more because this is the only, like, somewhat.
- [24:36]
Garrett Moreland
Somewhat lead, I guess. Yes.
- [24:37]
Peyton Moreland
That they have. Yeah. Esther is someone they want to speak with. She's called down to the station that day, January 12, to speak with the police. And when they ask her, okay, when did you last speak to Shay? She says on January 6, about a week ago. It was our daughter's first birthday. But the police already know this isn't true because before this, they had gotten Shay's phone records, and the records show not only.
- [25:06]
Garrett Moreland
No way, we're already lying.
- [25:08]
Peyton Moreland
Did Esther call him the day before he died? She was the last person to ever call him. Hours before he was then found on that bridge. But this is pretty much all they get from Esther. So they know they have to keep digging. They know she's lying. They know that they talked on the phone.
- [25:29]
Garrett Moreland
It's just crazy, because if she didn't lie and she told the truth.
- [25:33]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah. We have probably together.
- [25:35]
Garrett Moreland
They probably would have been like, oh, okay. But now because she lied, it becomes an entire situation.
- [25:41]
Peyton Moreland
Well, it's also like your co parenting. It's not that weird that you guys called on the phone.
- [25:46]
Garrett Moreland
It's crazy to lie about that stuff with, like, phone records and stuff these days.
- [25:51]
Peyton Moreland
Like, they literally had the phone records before talking.
- [25:54]
Garrett Moreland
Like. Like, come on.
- [25:56]
Peyton Moreland
I mean, it is a little weird that she's the last person he called
- [25:59]
Garrett Moreland
just hours before being found, and she lied about it.
- [26:01]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah.
- [26:01]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [26:03]
Peyton Moreland
So they're like, hey, we got to keep digging, but really they don't, because the case is pretty much cracking itself open. That same day, someone walks into the station to say, oh, I heard about this murder, and I've got something that the police need to know about Esther, the mother of his child. Now, this woman who walks into the police station is named Christy Sibray. She's actually a former police officer who also used to umpire softball games on the side. So this is how she knows Esther pretty well, because, like I said, Esther is involved in the softball community. In fact, Christy and Esther are super close friends. They had been for years. Christy trusted her well enough to send her two kids to Esther's daycare.
- [26:55]
Christy Sibray
And.
- [26:55]
Peyton Moreland
And they kind of had the friendship where Esther would just pop over to the house unannounced just to say hi or check in. All of this to say, Christy and Esther are really good friends. And Christy knows a lot about Esther's life. She knew about the custody battle and her relationship with Shea Briar. And Esther told her things that she didn't tell everyone. Which was why the second Christy heard about Shay's murder, Esther, she had a bad feeling. Esther was involved. And being a former police officer, she willingly goes to the station to give police this information. And this is what she says. She tells them this unnerving story. A few days ago, this is all according to Christie. Esther called Christy and asked if she could help her out. She needed her to babysit that upcoming Saturday, January 11, which was something Esther had never asked her to do before. But Christy's like, okay, she's obviously in a bind. Of course I will watch your daughter. Then Saturday rolls around. This is the day, night, early morning of the murder, and Christy hasn't heard anything from Esther, so she has no idea if this babysitting thing is still happening when she needs to be available. And then finally, around 10pm at night, there's a knock on Christy's door, and it's Esther with the baby. Now, keep in mind, she hasn't heard a peep out of her all day. She's like, can you watch her on Saturday? Yes, sure. Never follows up with a time, never anything. And now she's standing at her friend's door at 10pm on the night of this murder with the baby. And Esther hands her daughter over to Christy and says, I'm going out. She doesn't tell Christy where she's going. She doesn't say when she'll be back. She just leaves. Like, she's very much being weird about the situation. Like, Christie's like, okay. And she's like, I'm going out. And then she leaves. And then around 1am, Esther comes back to pick up her daughter.
- [28:59]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [28:59]
Peyton Moreland
And Chrissy's like, what?
- [29:01]
Garrett Moreland
Where have you been going on?
- [29:02]
Peyton Moreland
Like, where did you go? But she said Esther was just very cold and deflective, didn't share anything other than, quote, I can't tell you, but you'll probably hear about it in the paper in a few days.
- [29:15]
Garrett Moreland
Oh, my gosh.
- [29:17]
Peyton Moreland
So then that's insane. In two days, when she hears about Shay's murder, Chrissy's like, I have to go to police. Like, this is connected. I don't really know what happened. I just know this happened. But this isn't the only thing Christie's working off of here. She said Esther had been to her house a lot over the last few months, complaining about Shea and how she was terrified he was going to take her daughter away from her. And oftentimes the conversation would kind of, like, segue kind of joking, but maybe not into different ways she could, like get rid of Shay or like stop this problem from happening. How she wanted him out of her life so she wouldn't have to deal with all this, she wouldn't have to go to court. And Christy said at first these conversations just felt like one friend venting to another. Christy herself had actually been divorced twice. She admitted I'd been there. Like, I've probably said similar things about my exes in the heat of like a nasty divorce. So she didn't think much of it. But Esther had someone, I guess, who was egging her on a bit too much, according to Christy.
- [30:30]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [30:31]
Peyton Moreland
Someone that had kind of been hanging out with Esther a lot lately.
- [30:38]
Garrett Moreland
It's got to be another guy.
- [30:39]
Peyton Moreland
Well, and like this, this friend she had been hanging out with.
- [30:44]
Garrett Moreland
It's a guy.
- [30:45]
Peyton Moreland
Is it a guy set off.
- [30:47]
Garrett Moreland
No, it's a girl.
- [30:48]
Peyton Moreland
It's a girl set off alarm bells for Christy. Like when Chrissy found out about this friendship and then like got more details from Esther. It's like when you know someone has a friend that you're friends with and you're like, I don't like that person. Like, I don't think they're a good friend type thing. Okay, yeah, that is kind of the red flag. And it's Esther's 18 year old friend, Shelby Houston.
- [31:14]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [31:14]
Peyton Moreland
I mean, now let me remind you, Esther is 29, Shelby is 18. How did they meet? Esther used to be Shelby's high school softball coach.
- [31:29]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, I'm trying to think about this. Is it weird? Yeah.
- [31:34]
Peyton Moreland
But illegal.
- [31:36]
Garrett Moreland
No, it's illegal. But also I feel like it happens a lot now where like there's 20 year olds that are friends with 30 year olds. Yeah. I mean, like, I don't know if it's that weird.
- [31:46]
Peyton Moreland
There's people who.
- [31:47]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, I don't think it's weird, I
- [31:47]
Peyton Moreland
guess are like friends with people 20 years older than them.
- [31:51]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, that. I mean, I don't know if I think it's weird.
- [31:53]
Peyton Moreland
Maybe an 18 year old hanging out with a 30 year old does seem like, well, you're just fresh out. But there's more to this story and, and even this next part of the story makes it even seem more normal.
- [32:03]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, let's hear it. Because.
- [32:06]
Peyton Moreland
So she's her coach, but then when Shelby graduated high school, she becomes Esther's assistant coach at another school.
- [32:14]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, so to me, that's not weird at all then.
- [32:16]
Peyton Moreland
And like this happens all the time where there's young assistants who like just Graduated or whatever.
- [32:20]
Garrett Moreland
I don't think that should help.
- [32:22]
Peyton Moreland
Coach at a school for an older coach, they're gonna hang out all the time. Like, you know, it's just more. Does this relationship cross over into toxic friendship territory? Right.
- [32:35]
Garrett Moreland
We're about to find out.
- [32:36]
Peyton Moreland
So on top of that, Shelby also got a job working at Esther's daycare with her. So both jobs, they're working together. And Christy said over the last couple months, whenever Esther showed up at her house, Shelby was actually right there with her. Like, Shelby becomes Esther's little 18 year old tagalong. Apparently the two did everything together lately. Like they were becoming inseparable. The age difference a little weird. But Christie said she had a feeling more might have been going on between them. She tells police she felt pretty confident that they were a romantic couple.
- [33:19]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, well, see, now this is now. Is it getting weird?
- [33:22]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah, well, because like you were her coach. She's 18. You were coaching her. When did this romance start?
- [33:28]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [33:28]
Peyton Moreland
Did it. Oh, you graduate now. Just come spend all your time with me because we were already crossing boundaries beforehand.
- [33:34]
Garrett Moreland
And then she shoots her husband. No way. Oh my gosh. People are. People are nuts. Like people. I've gotten to the point where people are nuts. They're nuts. People are insane. They're insane.
- [33:51]
Peyton Moreland
Christie tells police 18 year old Shelby had 29 year old Esther in her contacts under BAE. Like, yeah, B, A, E, which was like a more popular word. And there seemed to be real tension between Shea and Shelby. So the father of the child, the victim, Shay, also does not like. 18 year old Shelby also thinks it's a red flag as well as Christy. So like the other people in Esther's life are like, why are you hanging out with an 18 year old? Why is she always around? This seems like a red flag. Your relationship seems a little toxic. And so apparently even enemy number one, which is apparently Shay for trying to establish paternity of his daughter, is having beef with Shelby. Now, 18 year old Shelby seemed, I'm only saying 18, not to keep reiterating, but to help you guys keep characters clear. So Shelby seemed to hate Shay just as much as Esther did towards the end. So it's. It's these two against him trying to get custody of his daughter. And Shay definitely noticed Shelby acted very protective over Esther and her daughter. And it was because of Shelby's hatred and this closeness between her and Esther that Christie felt and is telling police now maybe they were capable of doing something like this. After all, they hated him. Like they had kind of fed off Each other's toxicity. It was bad. Like, it was getting weird. It was getting bad. So now the police realize, okay, we've got to get Esther back in for questioning. And while we're at it, let's pick up Shelby Houston 2. Now, this time, detectives tell Esther point blank, we know you were lying about the last time you spoke to Shay, because we have his phone records. We can see that you called him on January 12, the morning he died,
- [35:53]
Garrett Moreland
around 12.02am could you imagine just getting
- [35:55]
Peyton Moreland
called, like, what do you think she said?
- [35:59]
Garrett Moreland
No. Did she deny it? That's crazy.
- [36:01]
Peyton Moreland
You can't deny was a butt dial.
- [36:04]
Garrett Moreland
Oh, my gosh. Get out of here. Get out of here.
- [36:09]
Peyton Moreland
Now. The police don't buy this for a second, so they keep applying pressure until eventually she gives in and says, okay, yeah, we talked that night, but it was super quick. And I swear I didn't even see him in person that night. But again, police aren't buying it. They're like, esther, you've got to tell the truth. Like, none of this is making sense. We know that you dropped her off, your daughter off at Christy's house. We know you weren't home. We know you were out doing something. So little by little, they start getting more out of her. And she says, okay, have I thought about killing my ex before? Sure, but who doesn't? Have I thought my life would be better without him? Yeah. Did I joke about it with friends? Of course. But when they tell her, joking about it with friends, okay, but he's actually dead. And we're in the process of questioning Shelby, who we think you have a relationship with maybe and might be involved in this. And they also say Shelby's also talking like she's only 18 years old. She's beginning to talk to us. She's not going to keep your secrets. And Esther starts to panic. Of course, who knows if Shelby was even talking at this point.
- [37:16]
Garrett Moreland
I know, but it's such a good negotiation tactic because.
- [37:20]
Peyton Moreland
Especially with an 18 year old. Because you're like, you really think this young girl?
- [37:24]
Garrett Moreland
Because here's the thing. Have you ever seen the movie Fun with Dick and Jane?
- [37:28]
Peyton Moreland
Nope.
- [37:29]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, anyways, little off topic, so I'm gonna ignore that for a second, but let's just paint a scenario. Scenario real quick, okay?
- [37:36]
Christy Sibray
Okay.
- [37:36]
Garrett Moreland
Peyton and I, is it. Well, it's kind of about fun with Dick and Jamie. Peyton and I going broke. Don't know what else to do. Boom. Peyton and I go, boom. Okay, we're gonna rob a bank. We need some money. Okay. Peyton and I rob a bank. Boom. Say we both get caught. Say we both end up in the police station and different negotiating rooms. Would you believe that I'd be quiet?
- [38:02]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah.
- [38:03]
Garrett Moreland
Would I believe that you'd be quiet? No. No.
- [38:06]
Peyton Moreland
Why?
- [38:07]
Garrett Moreland
I just think you'd crack. I wouldn't crack.
- [38:09]
Peyton Moreland
I think you'd crack because I hate lying.
- [38:13]
Garrett Moreland
I know.
- [38:13]
Peyton Moreland
I don't like it.
- [38:14]
Garrett Moreland
Peyton would crack so, like, instantly.
- [38:15]
Peyton Moreland
If they ride or die. I would rather die.
- [38:18]
Garrett Moreland
I would. If they came to me and they're like, pain's talking. I'd be like, yeah, of course she is.
- [38:22]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah.
- [38:22]
Garrett Moreland
Like, of course she's talking.
- [38:23]
Peyton Moreland
100 believe them.
- [38:24]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, 100% believe them. No, I would.
- [38:27]
Peyton Moreland
You would take it on the chest.
- [38:29]
Garrett Moreland
I wouldn't bear down. Yeah. I would not.
- [38:31]
Peyton Moreland
You'd be like, I'll.
- [38:31]
Garrett Moreland
I'll go to prison if they cut me a deal. I don't know. But I'm just saying that it's pretty easy.
- [38:38]
Peyton Moreland
You turn on me.
- [38:40]
Garrett Moreland
You turn on me first. Because you talked first.
- [38:42]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah, but you know I love to sing.
- [38:44]
Garrett Moreland
But anyways, so what I'm trying to say is that would be such a hard thing to.
- [38:49]
Peyton Moreland
Is that what happens in Dick and Jane?
- [38:51]
Garrett Moreland
Not really, but kind of.
- [38:52]
Peyton Moreland
Oh.
- [38:53]
Garrett Moreland
If you know the movie. It's kind of what I'm getting at. To a sense. But anyways, we keep going.
- [38:57]
Peyton Moreland
I also think it's like. It's a little different because, like, I participated in the crime with you.
- [39:02]
Garrett Moreland
But we don't know if they haven't.
- [39:04]
Peyton Moreland
Right. I think it would be different, like, if I found out you did a crime without me.
- [39:11]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah. Okay.
- [39:11]
Peyton Moreland
I would get a lawyer, but I also wouldn't lie.
- [39:13]
Garrett Moreland
I see. Yeah. That's different.
- [39:15]
Peyton Moreland
But if we participate in a crime together, I might try to lie.
- [39:19]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [39:19]
Peyton Moreland
Like, I don't know. If we had come up with, like, a my girl story.
- [39:23]
Garrett Moreland
That's my girl.
- [39:23]
Peyton Moreland
Like, if you had sat me down and put it outline, like, this is what you're going to say. This is how you're going to answer?
- [39:28]
Garrett Moreland
Yes.
- [39:28]
Peyton Moreland
I might try to stick to it. I might.
- [39:30]
Garrett Moreland
We're not committing any crimes. Okay. By crimes, we mean stealing the neighbor's trees. Yes. That's something we would do. We would steal some of these trees. That's probably the only crime we ever commit.
- [39:42]
Peyton Moreland
Hear a crane in the middle of the night?
- [39:44]
Garrett Moreland
Yes.
- [39:45]
Peyton Moreland
It's not us. The tree robbers.
- [39:47]
Garrett Moreland
No. That's probably the only crime.
- [39:50]
Peyton Moreland
We go to prison for stealing.
- [39:52]
Garrett Moreland
You have nice big trees in your yard. You better tie those suckers down because I'm coming to get them.
- [39:56]
Peyton Moreland
Because every time we've driven past your house, we've gone, oh, yeah, should we steal that tree?
- [40:01]
Garrett Moreland
And I were like, dang, those are nice trees. You think they would notice if they were gone? Okay, anyways, let's get back to the episode.
- [40:07]
Peyton Moreland
Sometimes I do drive past places, I'm like, we could take that.
- [40:10]
Garrett Moreland
I know. I want the trees. That's funny.
- [40:14]
Peyton Moreland
Anyways, there are people you are told to trust. Lawyers, teachers, especially doctors. But what happens when you put your life in someone's hands and they betray you? The hit podcast Dr. Death is back, and this season is unlike any other. Dr. Death the Cowboy is the story of a charming neurosurgeon who rode into western towns selling a Persona of confidence and care. He wore cowboy boots in the operating room and became sought after by patients. He promised to heal them, and instead he left a trail of broken bodies. This season is about a doctor who was never truly held accountable for the patients whose lives he ruined. A story of greed, betrayal, and a fight for justice that will leave you questioning who to trust. Listen to Dr. Death the Cowboy wherever you get your podcasts or binge the entire series right now only with audible.
- [41:16]
Garrett Moreland
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We talk about mental health pretty openly. We talk about a lot, whether we're talking about a case or talking about us. And Peyton and I are both big supporters of talking to someone in therapy and getting your feelings out.
- [41:32]
Peyton Moreland
And better helps. 2026 State of Stigma report surveyed 2, 000Americans and re revealed that 85% of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74 say society discourages people from doing so. And I think that really is the difference, you know, believing in mental health support and actually seeking it. So if you are someone who finds yourself believing, try right now. Seek it out and try. Better help. With over 30, 000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 6 million people globally. And better help therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US don't let
- [42:18]
Garrett Moreland
stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with Better Help. Sign up and get 10 off@betterhelp.com husband that's BetterHelp. H E L P.com husband okay, so
- [42:31]
Peyton Moreland
they're like, yes, Shelby's talking and so what does Esther do? She starts talking and here's the account that she offers.
- [42:39]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, let's hear it.
- [42:40]
Peyton Moreland
On the night of January 11, she dropped her daughter off at Christie's while Shelby was in the car waiting. From there, they went to the church where her daycare is located, and they met up with another friend of theirs, a third accomplice, according to Esther's story, another 18 year old named Hannah.
- [43:04]
Garrett Moreland
No way, Canapkey. No way.
- [43:07]
Peyton Moreland
Esther had also been Hannah's softball coach, and she also worked some shifts at the daycare. So these three, they got a little life going on here, okay? And at the time, Hannah was in college on a scholarship, but presumably was home for winter break. Here's where things get a bit murky in Esther's story, though. Esther says the three of them, her and the teenagers, met at the daycare where they all work because she needed their help rearranging furniture around the daycare, which, mind you, it is 10:30 to 11:00pm on a Saturday night. So this is already a little bit weird of a time to drop your daughter off at a babysitter's just to go arrange furniture at a place that you all three already work and are going to see each other at. But she said while they were doing that, the conversation turned into a joke about how they could get rid of Shay if they wanted to, because again, they absolutely despise him for wanting to have a part of his daughter's life. Now, what doesn't seem like a joke to detectives, though, is this. Earlier that day, Shelby and Esther had gone to Shelby's house to get something, a rifle. But Esther made it seem like it was purely a coincidence. She's like, no, no, no. That just happened to happen on the same day. We just happened to pick up the gun. Either way, the three women went out to the parking lot that night, she says, jokingly, get the rifle that they had, like, got earlier that day. That wasn't premeditation. Just happened to get the rifle and they shoot it to see how loud it was.
- [44:37]
Garrett Moreland
And they happened to hit him.
- [44:39]
Peyton Moreland
And then they got into Hannah's car, which happened to be her parents van, and they drove around for a while. As this conversation about killing Shay becomes more serious turns into a should we really do this? And eventually lands on a yeah, let's do it. So around midnight, Esther makes that final call to Shay's cell phone.
- [45:02]
Garrett Moreland
The.
- [45:02]
Peyton Moreland
The butt dial. Originally, she asked him if you want to come over for a little joyride with her and her friends. And Shea said, sure. They went and picked him up at his place in Portland and headed out to that remote area, to that bridge on 125 West. Apparently, they then stopped the van, had him get out. And that's when Esther said Shelby got out and shot him once in the back with the rifle. And then they got back in the car and drove away, leaving Shay to die in the freezing cold on that bridge in the middle of nowhere.
- [45:34]
Garrett Moreland
That's actually like I said earlier, people are nuts. That's insane. That's actually evil. I just. I know a lot of you disagree with me and that's. It's fine. I'm okay to disagree with people. It doesn't bother me. I still love it. I'm still friends with you. But there's no reason in my mind that we. Those people shouldn't then be. I don't throw them on an island in Alaska and be like, good luck. Let's see how long you live.
- [46:05]
Peyton Moreland
Number one, how do you get three people on board? Number two, you picked up the rifle earlier that day. This didn't happen that night.
- [46:14]
Garrett Moreland
How do you get three people on board? That's crazy.
- [46:18]
Peyton Moreland
I guess maybe that's why.
- [46:19]
Garrett Moreland
Look, pack and gang mentality is a very real thing. It's just like, it's sad. It's a very real thing.
- [46:27]
Peyton Moreland
Hating a guy.
- [46:29]
Garrett Moreland
Those two girls don't even know him.
- [46:32]
Peyton Moreland
They only know what she said.
- [46:33]
Garrett Moreland
Absolutely horrible.
- [46:35]
Peyton Moreland
And even then, like, even then you don't care. Someone. But also to just purposely lure him out of his house.
- [46:46]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, I can't.
- [46:47]
Peyton Moreland
And then drive out to the middle of nowhere where you. You know, and just leave him there bleeding.
- [46:53]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [46:53]
Peyton Moreland
Like, huh. That makes. That breaks my heart.
- [46:57]
Garrett Moreland
It's huts. It's like, it's disgusting.
- [46:59]
Peyton Moreland
It's not. To make matters even worse, apparently Esther realized something as they started to drive away. So she had Shelby stop the car and turn around. They get back to Shay. Keep in mind, they've just driven away from him. Imagine this scenario. He's still alive, but dying, bleeding out. They get back to him. Esther gets out. Shay's probably like, oh, she changed her mind. No, she gets out, rummages and finds Shay's cell phone, and then throws it in the river and gets back in the car.
- [47:34]
Garrett Moreland
Oh. See, I just. I can't. These people deserve so much more than just prison time. That is honestly just mind blowing.
- [47:42]
Peyton Moreland
She's afraid he's gonna call 91 1.
- [47:44]
Garrett Moreland
It's mind blowing.
- [47:45]
Peyton Moreland
And survive.
- [47:46]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [47:47]
Peyton Moreland
Now, after that confession, 29 year old Esther is arrested and charged with murder. Meanwhile, Shelby's basically confirming the story in another interrogation room. And while they are pretty consistent, Shelby does admit, yeah, I was the one who shot him. So that's the same as Esther's story. She also tells investigators that she pretty much blacked out and can't remember much of what happened. And then Shelby says something so incredibly odd, and I think it just proves she hasn't even processed how much trouble she's in yet in this interrogation room, because she asked the police if they have to, quote, put this out there, she's like, is it going to be in the news? Like, is it going to go on Facebook? Are people going to be able to find out that I shot and killed this man?
- [48:33]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [48:34]
Peyton Moreland
And police are like, girl, it's already hit the news. Like, you're going to prison forever. Like, it. People are definitely going to hear about this. This is your entire future. Like, you've just written your life.
- [48:50]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [48:51]
Peyton Moreland
And I guess maybe it starts to hit her. Shelby's arrested that same day and charged with murder, but they also have Hannah. So that afternoon, police fly out to Iowa, because I guess she's already gone back to school for the next semester after doing this little murder in her hometown. And she's arrested and brought in for questioning. She tells police, I was a completely innocent bystander. I had no idea what was happening that night. When I met up with Shelby, she's like, I really thought we were moving furniture at the daycare where we worked. And then suddenly, I'm in the car and we're picking him up, and this is a murder plot.
- [49:30]
Garrett Moreland
She said, yeah, but then I have a hard time with this because then why not tell anybody?
- [49:35]
Peyton Moreland
Well, they ask her, and she's like, I. I couldn't stop them in the moment. I was too afraid to tell them no. She said, I, like, tried to voice my concern, but she didn't want to become their second victim.
- [49:47]
Garrett Moreland
What about after?
- [49:49]
Peyton Moreland
I don't know what her excuse is for not immediately going to police or getting home and calling 911 and being like, there's a guy dying on a bridge.
- [49:56]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, Like, I don't know. I don't know.
- [49:58]
Peyton Moreland
I don't know. The chance that maybe you could have saved him.
- [50:00]
Garrett Moreland
Not sure how I feel.
- [50:01]
Peyton Moreland
And again, Garrett's not wrong. Like, gang mentality. Could this happen where she was?
- [50:05]
Garrett Moreland
No. She had no ide truth 100%.
- [50:07]
Peyton Moreland
And then gets there and is scared and, like, guys, are we really doing this? But is it brave enough?
- [50:11]
Garrett Moreland
But then afterwards, we got to got to take some action here.
- [50:14]
Peyton Moreland
I mean, either way, it's not enough for police to drop the charges. Like, you didn't. You didn't do anything to stop it. So even if you had no idea this was happening, your lack of action is chargeable. Like you're still an accessory to murder. She was also booked for murder mainly because, remember, it was her parents car.
- [50:36]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [50:37]
Peyton Moreland
That was being driven.
- [50:37]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah, true.
- [50:38]
Peyton Moreland
So your car, you are the one in the story who's driving to and from the scene. Like, police are like, you could have just stopped. You could have just said, no. And of course she's like, well, they had a gun. Like, what was I gonna do? But the key now was trying to find out how well planned out this crime was again. Is it something they decided on that day or night? Had this been something that they'd been planning for a while? Well, as you may have guessed, picking up that gun that afternoon was not a coincidence. There was a lot more going on behind the scenes, at least for Shelby and Esther. According to Christy, there was one time when she recalled Esther complaining about Shea at her house. And Shelby, who was also there because she was attached at like, to Esther's hip, said, well, I could easily shoot him if you want to. So she had already brought up shooting him for Esther. And then there were the text messages exchanged between Shelby and Esther in the weeks leading up to the crime, where Shelby, in text before the crime, tells Esther she wanted to kill Shay for him. She's a full on little girlfriend's full on admitting, no, I want to kill him for you. And not just over text. She also admitted it in front of Christie and apparently freak. Six days before the plan was executed, the murder on January 5, Shelby and Esther went out driving around town and they drove to that bridge. They drove to other secluded places. They're looking for potential murder sites. They're a week before, they're driving around going, where could we shoot him? And like, not have anyone here, not have anyone drive by. But like, easy enough to just get him out of the car, shoot him and leave. Not, like, go somewhere. So you have all these very clear signs of premeditation here. Especially because police learn this wasn't the first time they had actually tried to kill Shay. And all of this starts coming out. Christy said Esther and Shelby had once talked about crushing up ibuprofen and putting it in Shay's tea. They actually tell Christy he had consumed it, but nothing happened to him. Like, they were like, oh, they didn't necessarily say they were trying to kill him, but they. They poisoned him. Like, they fully admitted to poisoning him, but nothing happened and they were bummed out. But Christie was like, when. When police are like, well, why didn't you call the police. Then she's like, I didn't believe them. Like, who thinks that these two girls are actually cutting up ibuprofen and putting it in someone's drink? They hated this guy. They joked about hurting him all the time. Why would I think that this time was any different? But now, looking back on the whole thing, Christie is devastated. She's like, I could. Like, I missed all of the signs. She claimed. As a former police officer, she should have known better than to brush Esther's claims off as frustration. She felt that if she had gone to the police earlier with the knowledge that these girls were jokingly talking about killing him, Shay might still be alive today. But Christie wasn't the only one manipulated in the situation. I mean, you have two young girls, not even in their 20s, who looked up and respected Esther as their coach. Initially, she was a role model. They trusted her. And then now it turns into all of them murdering.
- [53:56]
Garrett Moreland
What an absolute mess.
- [53:57]
Peyton Moreland
I mean, that is. That is grooming to a degree.
- [54:01]
Garrett Moreland
I'm just really sad about that. Their kid as well now has no parents. Horrible.
- [54:06]
Peyton Moreland
And this was something the jury would have to take into consideration when it came time for the individual trials, because this is nuanced. Meanwhile, each of them pleaded not guilty. They were held without bond. Esther was up first, and her trial began in March of 2021. Esther Stevens was found guilty as charged, and she was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Okay, why only 55 years? Well, the state of Indiana has a specific sentencing law that murder carries a fixed term of 45 to 65 years.
- [54:40]
Garrett Moreland
I mean, she'll be 90 years old,
- [54:42]
Peyton Moreland
and 55 is where judges usually start from. But justice wasn't done being served. In August of 2021, Shelby's trial.
- [54:50]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [54:52]
Peyton Moreland
She was also given 55 years in prison.
- [54:55]
Garrett Moreland
Wow.
- [54:56]
Peyton Moreland
At the sentencing hearing, one of Shelby's friends read a statement out loud saying, Shelby, quote, had the misfortune of finding comfort in a wannabe cult leader who literally destroyed several families for her own self interest.
- [55:10]
Garrett Moreland
Heartbreaking.
- [55:10]
Peyton Moreland
And again, that trial had more nuance because of the way they had met, the relationship. Dyn.
- [55:17]
Garrett Moreland
I'm actually surprised she got 55 now.
- [55:19]
Peyton Moreland
As for Hannah, she sees the writing on the wall. She's like, these two got charged. I'm next. She pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter and is given 17 years and six months behind bars, with all but 10 years suspended. It made sense. The jury did decide Hannah didn't conspire with Esther Shelby. Like, she was not a part of the previous plan.
- [55:45]
Garrett Moreland
So how many years total? I'm a little confused. Sorry. So seven years since 10 got suspended. Or did I understand that wrong?
- [55:51]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah. So essentially 10 years.
- [55:54]
Garrett Moreland
Okay.
- [55:55]
Peyton Moreland
Now there's still kind of one loose end. Many people question, why did she even agree to get in the car that night? Like, if they're in this not good situation, she's with her friends that he hates, apparently. Like, how did this even happen? It's a valid question. People are like, how? I don't think they're blaming Shay.
- [56:17]
Garrett Moreland
That doesn't. Honestly, that part's not even deep for me. Like, it's. You have a baby with this person. Like, that part doesn't even stuck. That is even, like, yeah, of course. Like, I. It's probably something I would do.
- [56:28]
Peyton Moreland
Well, this is exactly what detectives say as well. And Shay's friends, they said he has a baby.
- [56:34]
Garrett Moreland
He has a literal child with her.
- [56:36]
Peyton Moreland
He's trying to smooth things over. He wants solid ground between him and Esther because genuinely, she left him all
- [56:45]
Garrett Moreland
at the only cares about at this point is the baby, probably.
- [56:48]
Peyton Moreland
And he was devastated. He wanted the relationship with her. He wanted the life with her. So if she reaches out, offering like an olive branch to, hey, this has been nasty, but do you want to just hang out, hang out with my friends? That his friends say he's the type of guy who would say yes. He's the type of guy who would go just to try to smooth things over, to try to make their relationship dynamic a little better so that things could move forward more smoothly. So when this question is brought up, his friend's family and even detectives are like, it's a valid question, but it's actually. When you know who Shay was is not that strange because he was that good of a guy.
- [57:31]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [57:31]
Peyton Moreland
Like, even if he didn't like these friends, he would have been willing to go just to try to make this child's life easier. Esther's parents were the ones who ended up getting primary custody of Esther and Shay's daughter. And thankfully, Shay's family has been granted visitation rights. But it is only once a month.
- [57:52]
Garrett Moreland
How does it even make sense?
- [57:54]
Peyton Moreland
He's not on the birth certificate. They were still going through the whole battle.
- [57:58]
Garrett Moreland
Okay, but escalate that shiz.
- [58:01]
Peyton Moreland
Right?
- [58:01]
Garrett Moreland
Like, that's actually. That's. That's not okay. I'm not okay with that. That's ridiculous.
- [58:06]
Peyton Moreland
So they do get to see her once a month. But according to both families, Esther and Shay's family, they have one priority, and it's making sure. That the little girl feels love amidst all of this chaos that she did not sign up for.
- [58:23]
Garrett Moreland
Horrible.
- [58:24]
Peyton Moreland
And that is the murder of Shea Breyer. And honestly, like, I just.
- [58:30]
Garrett Moreland
Can we. Can we stop being nuts? It's also just like, that's just absolutely horrible.
- [58:36]
Peyton Moreland
You know, every single case is horrible. But I don't even know. Maybe once a month. I don't even know every. Every little bit. I'll. I'll have a certain case that I'm just like, I wish I didn't have this job. I wish this job didn't exist. I. Because. What do you mean? What do you mean this happened? This is disgusting. This is horrible. Like, how can this brutality and level of humanity exist? And it's just not. It.
- [59:05]
Garrett Moreland
It keeps happening.
- [59:07]
Peyton Moreland
Exactly.
- [59:07]
Garrett Moreland
And it's just, like, happening.
- [59:09]
Peyton Moreland
It gets to the point where, like, I'. Frustrating.
- [59:11]
Garrett Moreland
I know. It's. It's very frustrating. It's part of the reason why I say I don't like true crime, because it's so frustrating. Like, are you. Are you kidding me right now? Like, are you. Are you actually kidding me? Like, what is. What is wrong with you?
- [59:26]
Peyton Moreland
I don't know.
- [59:27]
Garrett Moreland
What is. What is wrong? What is. What is wrong with you?
- [59:30]
Peyton Moreland
Hopefully she has 55 years to ask herself the same question. And I guess we can hope she does.
- [59:35]
Garrett Moreland
Put her in Alaska, Tie her up, chain her to a tree in Alaska. She can freeze to death like the person she killed did.
- [59:45]
Peyton Moreland
Heart wrenching horrible.
- [59:46]
Garrett Moreland
Anyways, thank you for listening. Thank you for being here.
- [59:50]
Peyton Moreland
Not to be a downer, but that's kind of the moral of the moral of the podcast, I guess. It's like, at the end of the day, the reality is these do suck. Like, it's not.
- [60:00]
Garrett Moreland
I get. So it's horrible to stop.
- [60:02]
Peyton Moreland
Yeah, People need to stop killing each other.
- [60:05]
Garrett Moreland
Knock it off. You know what? I am more than happy to completely never do a podcast again and lose this as our jobs if people stop
- [60:15]
Peyton Moreland
killing each other a billion percent.
- [60:18]
Garrett Moreland
Do it. Prove me wrong. Do it honestly. I'll make bagels until I die.
- [60:25]
Peyton Moreland
I just am like.
- [60:26]
Garrett Moreland
It's like, come on, guys.
- [60:27]
Peyton Moreland
It's just incomprehensible.
- [60:28]
Garrett Moreland
Yeah.
- [60:29]
Peyton Moreland
All right, you guys, thank you for listening as always. We will see you next week, sadly, with another one. I love it.
- [60:36]
Garrett Moreland
I hate it.
- [60:37]
Peyton Moreland
Goodbye.
- [60:47]
Christy Sibray
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