On Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, when 31-year-old Shea Briar didn’t show up for church, Pastor Angela Smiley knew something was wrong. She had just seen him the night before.

Pastor Angela Smiley: We served at a noodle dinner. … He’s there walking the old ladies out. … We were last ones in the church. He said, “I’ll beat you here in the morning.” … And when I came up over the hill and didn’t see his truck, I’m like, this isn’t good. … For weeks and weeks and months and months, he was always the first one at the church. Always. … Shea Briar was not late.

In Jay County, Indiana, word travels fast. It wasn’t long before Briar’s aunt, Tiffany McLaughlin, and his grandmother, Sharon Taylor, heard Shea was missing.

Sharon Taylor: I started calling the hospitals, the sheriff’s departments, everybody, and nobody would give me any information. Nobody.

But then Briar’s roommate called McLaughlin letting her know police were there. When McLaughlin arrived at Briar’s home, an officer told her the unthinkable.

Tiffany McLaughlin: He said that Shea had been shot. (crying) And I said, “well, is he OK?” And he said, “no, he died on the operating table.” (crying)

Briar’s mother, Tracy Hoevel, was living all the way in Hawaii at the time. Her sister and mother called her to deliver the news.

Tracy Hoevel: I’m like, no. I mean, I think I must have screamed so loud … I mean, we’re in shock.

Sydney Hoevel, Briar’s half-sister, was only 17.

Sydney Hoevel: I remember my mom just fell over on the couch, basically, like crying and screaming. … I still can’t believe it to this day. … It doesn’t even seem real.

Anne-Marie Green: At that point, did anyone have any idea what happened to Shea?

Det. Ben Schwartz: No. We had no idea what happened to Shea.

Ben Schwartz was one of the lead detectives assigned to the case.

Det. Ben Schwartz: Jay County is a very rural farming community. … It’s certainly not like working in a big city where it’s back-to-back calls. … And as soon as this happened, it was a — it was a pretty big deal. … It’s isolated where he was found. … We wondered how he got there. … We just had to start from ground zero.

Who was Shea Briar?

Ground zero meant digging into who Shea Briar was and what he had been up to. He was born in Indiana but was raised in Hawaii by his mom and stepdad.

Anne-Marie Green: What sort of kid was Shea?

Tracy Hoevel: A little rascal. (laughs) … He was very polite. He would open doors. … he was fun. … He loved his G.I. Joes. … He always wanted to be in the military from a really small age.

So, it was no surprise when, after high school, Briar joined the Navy. And it was also no surprise when, after he was discharged, he returned to live in Jay County.

Sydney Hoevel: Shea was always an Indiana boy. … He loved the tractors. He loved all the land.

And that’s where he wanted to put down roots.

Tiffany McLaughlin: He really wanted to have a girlfriend … get married and have a family.

But things didn’t quite happen in that order. In 2018, Tracy Hoevel got a phone call from her son.

Tracy Hoevel: He’s like… “Hey mom, guess what? … you’re gonna be a grandma.” I was like, “What? I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend.” (laughs)

The future mother of his child was Esther Jane Stephen, a local high school softball coach who also ran a day care, and went by the name E.J.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I don’t think they were boyfriend and girlfriend, you know. I think it was just one of those things.

In January 2019, Shea and E.J.’s daughter was born. It was only after her birth, that the two decided to start dating. They soon were engaged. But Briar’s family felt it was forced.

Tiffany McLaughlin: They weren’t all lovey-dovey for, you know, the lack of a better word.

Sharon Taylor: I tried to tell him, is this how you wanna live your life with someone that’s really not who you’re meant to be with?

Anne-Marie Green: You felt that?

Sharon Taylor: Oh, definitely, because they did not have a connection …

They must have sensed something because in September 2019, just weeks before the wedding, E.J. called it off.

Anne-Marie Green: Was he disappointed?

Tiffany McLaughlin: Yes. Because … he wanted a family.

It was around that time that Smiley says Briar began coming to church.

Pastor Angela Smiley: He needed God. And he needed a friend … He started hanging out with … men in our church that were active fathers. … And he wanted that for his daughter.

But Smiley, and Briar’s family, say for reasons unbeknownst to them, E.J. made it difficult.

Anne-Marie Green: After the engagement is broken off, what sort of access does Shea have to his daughter?

Sharon Taylor: He doesn’t.

Tracy Hoevel: None.

Sharon Taylor: No. …

Tracy Hoevel: He went quite a long time without seeing her. …

Anne-Marie Green: And he was trying to see her and —

Tracy Hoevel: Yeah.

Tiffany McLaughlin: That’s why he finally got a lawyer.

Briar told his mother that when E.J. found out, she wasn’t happy.

Tracy Hoevel: He told me, she said to him, “if you go through with this, you’ll be sorry.”…

But that didn’t stop Shea. In November 2019, he filed a court document seeking to “establish paternity” … “and to provide custody, support, and parenting time.”

Tracy Hoevel: He wanted to provide for her …  and he just really wanted to have some visitation …

He also wanted his daughter to have his last name — something E.J. had decided against.

Anne-Marie Green: Why was it important for Shea to be in his daughter’s life? …

Tracy Hoevel: Shea really did not know his dad. … He just did not wanna be his biological dad. … He wanted to have a good relationship with his kids and be a good role model.

But two months later, before the case made its way to court, Shea was murdered. And Tracy Hoevel and McLaughlin suspected E.J. may have had something to do with it.

Tiffany McLaughlin: ‘Cause there wasn’t anyone else.

But as it turns out, there would be other suspects.

Friend of E.J. Stephen Shares Concerns With Detectives

Less than 24 hours after Shea Briar died, Detective Ben Schwartz and his partner called E.J. Stephen, Shea’s ex-fiancée and the mother of his child, into the sheriff’s office.

Det. Ben Schwartz: We talked to her and told her about what happened to Shea.

DET. MITCH SUTTON: Unfortunately, this morning we were called out … because Shea had sustained some injuries. … They were life-threatening injuries, and he did not make it.

E.J. STEPHEN: OK.

Det. Ben Schwartz: She really didn’t have a whole lot to say.

Anne-Marie Green: Did you find her reaction curious?

Det. Ben Schwartz: Yeah. …I would’ve expected … a little bit of emotion out of her. Uh, but that didn’t happen. And I would’ve expected a lot more questions, but she really didn’t ask too many questions at all.

And Detective Schwartz says that wasn’t the only thing that stuck out.

Det. Ben Schwartz: She said that the last time she talked to Shea would’ve been the week prior.

But he knew she was lying. Shea’s phone records revealed she was the last person to call him at around midnight, within hours of him being found on that bridge.

Det. Ben Schwartz: That was a huge red flag. …

A red flag, but not proof she committed murder. Detectives chose not to confront her about the phone records that day.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ (to E.J. Stephen): I’ll give you my card. And uh … If there’s something you hear that you might think will spark our interest, give us a call.

There was still a lot of work to be done, a lot of questions to be answered. And the next day, a call from a woman would help investigators out. 

Det. Ben Schwartz: She unloaded and told us a lot of interesting stuff.

Kristi Sibray has known E.J. Stephen for years. She used to umpire softball games that E.J. played in and took her kids to the day care that E.J. ran out of Fairview United Methodist Church in Portland, Indiana.

Anne-Marie Green: How would you describe her?

Kristi Sibray: Very quiet … great with kids … she’s very involved in the community activities …

Over the years, Sibray says she became a mentor of sorts to E.J.

Kristi Sibray: She always would just stop by here and there. … say hi, or just stop in if something was bothering her …

Sibray had never met Shea Briar, but she knew he was the father of E.J.’s daughter. And when she learned he was murdered, she started to panic.

Kristi Sibray: I just dropped everything, and I just started screaming. I was like, oh my God. Oh my God.… And then I contacted a friend that was still in the city police department. And I said, “I need to talk, pick me up now at work.”

Sibray, a former police officer, soon found herself inside a Jay County Sheriff’s Office interview room.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ (to Kristi Sibray): Start at the beginning and share with us uh what you want to get off your chest.

She began by telling Schwartz and his partner that she received a call from E.J. a few days prior to Shea’s death. She said E.J. asked her to babysit that weekend — something she had never asked her to do before.

Kristi Sibray: And I’m like, yeah. Not a problem. …So, all day Saturday I’m like, OK, what time am I getting her? I had not heard anything. … We were, like, getting down for the night. (laugh) About 10, 10:30, here she comes with the child. …

It was Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, just hours before Shea was found shot.

Kristi Sibray: She goes, OK, I’ll be back in a little bit. And I’m like, OK, what are you doing? And she goes, oh, we’re just — just going out. … She came in by herself.

Sibray says E.J. didn’t return until around 1 a.m.

Kristi Sibray: I had heard her open the back door. So, I got up and I met her there … And I said, “E.J., what were you doing?” She goes “nothing.” And she was real standoffish. … I said, come on E.J., what were you doing? … And she goes, I can’t tell you. But I’m sure you’ll hear about it in the paper in the next couple days. And she left. …

Anne-Marie Green: You must have been thinking about that all night.

Kristi Sibray: Yes.

But that was just the beginning of what Sibray told police. She said that in the months leading up to Shea’s murder, E.J. came over a lot and she wasn’t alone.

Kristi Sibray: Shelby was always in the car with E.J. …

Shelby is Shelby Hiestand. She was 18 years old. E.J. was 29 and used to be her high school softball coach. After Shelby graduated, she became E.J.’s assistant coach — at another nearby high school just over the border in Fort Recovery, Ohio. Shelby also worked at the day care with E.J.

Anne-Marie Green: Did you think it was odd … that here’s E.J. hanging out with Shelby?

Kristi Sibray: Mm-hmm.

Anne-Marie Green: There’s a good 10 years between the two.

Kristi Sibray: Mm-hmm. I think everybody thought it was odd.

Det. Ben Schwartz: From what I have been told, they were pretty well inseparable.

Detectives had heard Shelby’s name before. Shea’s family had mentioned her.

Tracy Hoevel: Shelby was always around in the picture. I think there was some major jealousy between Shelby and Shea. … You know, he never came out and said it, but he kind of insinuated things.

Anne-Marie Green: What did he insinuate?

Tracy Hoevel: He thought maybe there was something more going on.

Anne-Marie Green: More than a friendship?

Tracy Hoevel: Possibly. …

And Shea wasn’t the only one who suspected something.

Kristi Sibray: I just assumed that maybe they were a couple. …

E.J. and Shelby would later deny being anything more than friends. Sibray told investigators that the two began stopping by shortly after Shea filed that court document to establish paternity.

Kristi Sibray: Shelby pretty much stayed with the child and E.J. would sit with me at the kitchen table …

And she said E.J. wanted advice.

Kristi Sibray: She just asked me what do I do? ‘Cause I have been divorced … She didn’t want to share the baby. That was her baby. That was her child. … Some of the conversations at the table would be … how can we get rid of him so we don’t have to go to court? And I’m like, how do you get rid of him? You’re not going to get rid of him.

Sibray insists she didn’t think anything at the time.

Kristi Sibray: Anybody who goes through a breakup, don’t think they didn’t say, oh, I wish he was gone, or I wish he was dead. But do we act on it? And that’s why I’m thinking I’ve been divorced twice. I’ll tell you. I — I probably said it.

And Kristi says she had that same mindset when, over time, the conversations grew more detailed and various methods were discussed.

Kristi Sibray: I just really thought she was venting. I did not think this was for real.

But when Kristi heard Shea was murdered, she says she immediately viewed all those conversations in a different light.

Anne-Marie Green: At that point, do you think E.J. is involved in this somehow?

Kristi Sibray: Yes.

And she knew she had to go to police.

Kristi Sibray: I didn’t even think about it. … But as a police officer standpoint, I felt like I failed because how did I miss this? How did I miss these signs? … I could have prevented this. … And I didn’t, ’cause I didn’t think she could.

Anne-Marie Green: And this was your opportunity to do something.

Kristi Sibray: Yeah. Sorry. (crying)

Det. Ben Schwartz: It was just kind of unbelievable …

After Sibray was done talking, Schwartz says there was one thing on his mind.

Det. Ben Schwartz: We’ve gotta get E.J. back in here …

Anne-Marie Green: So, you say, come on in, E.J.

Det. Ben Schwartz: Yup. … We just want to know the truth and what happened to Shea.

A Turning Point in the Investigation

On Jan. 14, 2020, just two days after Shea Briar was murdered, E.J. Stephen was back inside the Jay County Sheriff’s Office. Detective Ben Schwartz and his partner first confronted her about those phone records, which revealed she called Shea shortly before he died — something she had previously been dishonest about.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Midnight, you called his phone. We’re just kind of wondering how that conversation went.

E.J. STEPHEN: I did not talk to him. I didn’t make that call. I butt-dialed him.

Det. Ben Schwartz: She said that she butt-dialed Shea …

Anne-Marie Green: Did you believe her?

Det. Ben Schwartz: No. … We kind of pressed her on that a little bit. And then finally, she said, OK, yeah, we talked, but it wasn’t for very long.

E.J. insisted she didn’t see Shea that night, but detectives didn’t believe her.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ (to E.J. Stephen): You know a hell of a lot more than you’re telling us. And we will find out. …

And soon, they told her her friend, Shelby Hiestand, was also being questioned.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ (to E.J. Stephen): This is not a game.

Det. Ben Schwartz: Her demeanor kind of changed a little bit. … It was a turning point.

In a cool and calm tone, E.J. cracked and began to tell detectives what happened that night. Starting with how she dropped her daughter off at Kristi Sibray’s. She told them Shelby was in the car waiting. From there, “48 Hours” retraced their steps based on E.J.’s account.

Anne-Marie Green (in car with Schwartz): How does she tell you the night unfolds? …

Det. Ben Schwartz: From there, they came to the church. … At the time, it was a day care also …

It was the day care where E.J. and Shelby worked. E.J. said they had to move furniture before church the next day and that another friend, 18-year-old Hannah Knapke, met them there. Hannah also sometimes worked at the day care, and E.J. used to coach her in softball, too.

Det. Ben Schwartz (outside of the day care): So, this is the day care …

Anne-Marie Green: What do they do here after they move that furniture?

Det. Ben Schwartz: After they move the furniture … they were planning on how to get rid of Shea, basically.

E.J. STEPHEN: … We were all kind of joking about it.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: OK.

E.J. STEPHEN: Like it wasn’t a full-blown serious conversation, you know?

She said earlier that day, she had picked Shelby’s rifle up from Shelby’s house. And that while in the day care parking lot, Shelby got the gun out and fired a round.

E.J. STEPHEN: We just wanted to see how loud it was.

According to E.J., after Shelby fired that shot, all three of them got into Hannah’s parents’ van with the rifle in the back.

Anne-Marie Green (in car with Schwartz): So where did they go from the day care?

Det. Ben Schwartz: From the day care, they … drove around … still discussing whether or not they should follow through with killing Shea. … And somewhere along the line … E.J. called Shea. …

E.J. STEPHEN (to detectives): We asked him, “Do you want to come for a ride with us?” And he came.

After they picked Shea up, with Shelby driving, E.J. said they headed to that bridge.

Anne-Marie Green (at bridge): So about what time do they get out here?

Det. Ben Schwartz: I think it was right around one o’clock in the morning … They stopped the van right over here. … E.J. and Shea get out of the van.

E.J. STEPHEN: And then the next thing I know —

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: What happened? E.J., we’re right there. We are right here.

E.J. STEPHEN: I know, oh my God.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Finish it.

E.J. STEPHEN: I’m trying to remember. …

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Who shot him? Did Shelby shoot him?

E.J. STEPHEN: Yes. …

Det. Ben Schwartz: There was no tears or any remorse that I saw.

Anne-Marie Green: She’s talking about the father of her child being shot in the back next to her.

Det. Ben Schwartz: Right. Yeah. It was shocking.

E.J. told detectives she didn’t know Shelby was going to shoot Shea despite conversations they had had earlier.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: … You or her?

E.J. STEPHEN: Like we talked about a hammer. Like we talked about beating him. …

E.J. STEPHEN: I mean, we talked about it, and then it was just like, “OK, let’s just do it.”

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Yeah.

E.J. STEPHEN: Jokingly, obviously. And then, the joke became way too real.

But detectives believe E.J. knew exactly what was going to happen that night. They believe she cold heartedly planned it, and that the cruelty continued after Shea was shot. Because when police located Shea, his cell phone was nowhere to be found.

DET. MITCH SUTTON: Where’s his cell phone at?

E.J. STEPHEN: I really have no idea.

DET. MITCH SUTTON: OK. …

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Is Shelby going to tell us the same thing, that she doesn’t know where the phone is? Because the phone is somewhere. Did she throw it in the river? Who threw it- who threw it in the river?

E.J. STEPHEN: I did.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: You did?

E.J. STEPHEN: Yeah.

E.J. said that after they began driving away from the bridge that night, they turned around.

Det. Ben Schwartz (at foot of bridge with Green): They drive right past him … and they stop right there where my car’s sitting. And E.J. and — and Shelby get out …

E.J. STEPHEN: I was going to call 911, and I got scared, and then I threw his phone in the river. …

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: You were scared that he could call 911?

E.J. STEPHEN: Yeah.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: OK.

E.J. said she knew Shea was still alive. He would lay on that bridge — helpless — for about an hour before he was found, clinging to life.

E.J. Stephen was arrested and charged with murder. Down the hall, only after being confronted with what E.J. told police, Shelby Hiestand admitted pulling the trigger.

SHELBY HIESTAND (to detectives): I wasn’t going to do anything. I really wasn’t. … Honestly, I feel like I just blacked out and it just happened …

Shelby was arrested and charged with murder. Later that day, detectives flew to Iowa, where Hannah Knapke had returned to college. She too eventually admitted involvement.

HANNAH KNAPKE (to detectives ): I didn’t want to be there at all. I don’t even know him. I know I couldn’t even tell you his first name …

Hannah told detectives she didn’t know what she was getting into when she met up with E.J. and Shelby that night, but that the conversation took a turn.

HANNAH KNAPKE: They talked about shooting him. …

DET. MITCH SUTTON: At what point was the decision made to — to take your van?

HANNAH KNAPKE: Um, basically they didn’t want to take E.J.’s because it was too suspicious … I was scared to tell them no. I — I was just nervous.

Hannah was also later booked on a murder charge. The case soon hit the news.

NEWS REPORT: A third person has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old Jay County man. 

And even though Shea’s family had suspected E.J.’s involvement, they were horrified to learn the details.

Tiffany McLaughlin: To find out that there were two other people that were involved, it was like, what? …

Tracy Hoevel: It was shocking. I think it really did shock the community.

But despite those three taped interrogations, the case was far from over because E.J., Shelby, and Hannah would all plead not guilty. And it would be up to prosecutors to secure convictions — starting with E.J.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I felt like going into it, that it was OK. She — you know, she’s guilty. She’s gonna be found guilty. And then I’m like, wait a second. What’s happening here? … I was scared.

The Blame Game

In March 2021, E.J. Stephen was first to go on trial for Shea Briar’s murder. Wes Schemenaur and Zec Landers prosecuted the case.

Wes Schemenaur: It was intense. … It was standing room only most days. … We had lots of interested folks just wanting to come and … see what was going on.

Shea’s mom, Tracy Hoevel, traveled from Hawaii to attend.

Tracy Hoevel: That was my first time really ever being in a courthouse.

It was also her first time hearing and seeing much of the evidence, including that dashcam video.

Tracy Hoevel: It was horrible. It was just this long car ride. … I think I had bruises on my legs ’cause I just was squeezing my legs so bad. And then when he pulls up there to the bridge … I could hear him. …

OFFICER AARON STRONCZEK (dashcam video at crime scene): Briar, what happened to you?

SHEA BRIAR: (Moans)

Sharon Taylor: I would love to have been there and hold his hand, you know, I wish. (crying)

Even though E.J. didn’t pull the trigger, prosecutors sought to convince a jury that she orchestrated Shea’s murder.

Wes Schemenaur: This was all for her benefit … I think she saw this as a way to eliminate a problem in her life.

They told the jury about that court petition Shea filed. And they argued it infuriated E.J. — so much so that she and her friend, Shelby Hiestand devised a plan to kill him. They pointed to E.J.’s own words. The jury heard her interrogation in full.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: Why did Shelby shoot him?

E.J. STEPHEN: We talked about it, and it drove me mad. I was like, like things would just be easier if he was gone …

Wes Schemenaur: She didn’t want Shea involved in her life or in her daughter’s life

The prosecution’s star witness was Kristi Sibray. She testified about those visits she said E.J. and Shelby made to her house. One discussion, she said, was particularly alarming in hindsight.

Kristi Sibray: I go … you couldn’t shoot somebody. I think that’s what I said to E.J. And Shelby goes, oh, I could.

And Sibray testified about another conversation that she had also shared with police.

Kristi Sibray: They did talk about how they one time did put pills in his tea and tried to OD him … They crushed up ibuprofen, I believe … And he did drink the whole glass, but nothing happened to him.

Anne-Marie Green: Did you say to her, “what are you doing?” 

Kristi Sibray: Yeah. I’m like, “are you serious?” … I didn’t even … believe her. … because I just could not see her doing that. …

Wes Schemenaur: They’ve discussed it … they’ve even maybe tried to kill him before … This wasn’t just a … thing that happened on a whim, without, you know, E.J.’s knowledge.

But the defense countered that prosecutors had it all wrong and put E.J. on the stand. She declined “48 Hours”‘ request for an interview, and her trial attorney has since died.

Anne-Marie Green: What did she tell the jury?

Wes Schemenaur: That she was essentially shocked and surprised that Shelby did this, that all of this talking and planning had been done as a joke …

As for those pills in Shea’s drink? E.J. testified that it was Shelby’s idea — and that she only went along with it because she thought it was an innocent chemistry experiment.

The defense placed all the blame on Shelby and alleged that unbeknownst to E.J., Shelby wanted the baby and E.J. all to herself, and that Shea was in the way. Shelby had told detectives how much she disliked him.

SHELBY HIESTAND (to detectives): … I do not want her to be with him at all. … I was like that little girl would be just fine without him …

The defense claimed E.J. had no reason to want Shea dead and said that E.J. and Shea were talking about getting back together that night on the bridge. Prosecutors rejected that.

The defense claimed E.J. had no reason to want Shea dead and said that E.J. and Shea were talking about getting back together that night on the bridge. Prosecutors rejected that.

Wes Schemenaur: She’s the one who went and got the gun from Shelby’s house. … They took the gun with them to the church. They test fired the gun at the church. … To me, you can say … you thought it was a joke all you want … In my view of it, the minute you take that gun out and you fire it to see how loud it’s gonna be … that’s like, OK, now this is real, right?

But E.J. offered an explanation. She said Shelby would often go hunting, so she didn’t think anything of it when Shelby fired that round in the church parking lot. But what about what E.J. did after the murder?

Wes Schemenaur: E.J. retrieved this guy’s cell phone and threw it in the creek for the sole purpose of him not being able to call for help …

Remember, she admitted that to police.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ: You were scared that he could call 911?

E.J. STEPHEN: Yeah. …

Wes Schemenaur: His only lifeline was that cell phone, possibly. Who knows whether he could have had the wherewithal to call for help at that point? And you left him there to die in the cold.

But on the stand, E.J. said she only threw Shea’s phone in a moment of frustration after being unable to unlock it to call 911. She told the jury her own phone was dead.

Zec Landers: It’s just nonsense. There were two other girls with her. …You’re not gonna convince me that their phones were dead. You’re not really gonna be able to convince me that Esther’s phone was dead either. And on top of that … they passed so many different places that were open, that they could have stopped in and called for help. … 

As the defense wound down, E.J.’s attorney maintained E.J. had no idea Shelby planned to shoot Shea —and drew the jury’s attention to where E.J. told police she was standing at the time.

DET. BEN SCHWARTZ (interrogation): You were standing there face to face with him?

E.J. STEPHEN: (Nods yes)

The defense argued if E.J. knew Shelby was going to shoot Shea, why would she put herself in the line of fire? Shea’s family worried jurors would be swayed by E.J.’s testimony.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I thought we were going into this and it’s a no-brainer, I mean, she did it. She’s gonna be found guilty. And yeah, I mean, it was scary.

The trial spanned three days, and then the case went to the jury.

Wes Schemenaur: Nerve-wracking is an understatement … We were in the office … Monday morning quarterbacking ourselves, you know, like you always do …

One hour of deliberations passed; then two.

Wes Schemenaur: The longer the jury is out … the more of that second guessing comes into play.

Then, they received a call: a verdict was in. 

Wes Schemenaur: The heart rate goes up … to about a million … The palms start sweating … you’re just on pins and needles …

Tiffany McLaughlin: We were all three holding hands and just holding our breath … to see what was gonna happen.

Seeking Justice for Shea Briar

Wes Schemenaur: As a prosecutor, you grow close to these people … You see just the unbelievable amount of suffering that they’re going through as a family, and you want to do your best for them … You want to get them justice for Shea …

After nearly two and a half hours of deliberations, Shea’s family finally heard the word they were waiting for: guilty.

Anne-Marie Green: What is that feeling like?

Tracy Hoevel: Like a big relief.

Sharon Taylor: That it — that much is over. …

E.J. Stephen was later sentenced to 55 years in prison, the recommended sentence for murder in Indiana. Shea’s pastor, Angela Smiley, was there when the sentence was handed down.

Pastor Angela Smiley: You would think that … you would see some kind of repentance. I didn’t see it — at all. Nothing. …

Three months after that, in August 2021, Shelby Hiestand went on trial. Shea’s mom, Tracy Hoevel, was in court again — sitting through all the evidence for a second time, including the dashcam video.

Tiffany McLaughlin: Tracy sat right there and watched it again.

Sharon Taylor: And didn’t cry. She said she didn’t want them to have the satisfaction that they had hurt her so badly.

Anne-Marie Green: You were really thinking that? 

Tracy Hoevel: Yeah. … I was — no, they’re not gonna — I’m not gonna let my head hang. I’m … holding it up as high as I can — this is for Shea. … It was hard … but — (crying)

Anne-Marie Green: This is the boy you gave birth to.

Tracy Hoevel: Yeah. (crying) … It just makes me so mad. He didn’t do anything wrong. (crying)

At Shelby’s trial, the defense called no witnesses but argued Shea’s death was unintentional. Shelby, her parents, and her attorney chose not to speak with “48 Hours.”

Wes Schemenaur: Her defense was more of a — it was a mistake. It was an accident … that … her intent to kill wasn’t there. …

Anne-Marie Green: How did they go about trying to prove that?

Wes Schemenaur: Well, if — if you look at what she said in her interview … they tried to keep pointing to this … I blacked out … type of language.

SHELBY HIESTAND (to detectives): Honestly, I feel like I just blacked out and it just happened …

Wes Schemenaur: They tried to just essentially characterize what she said as … not — not technically admitting to murder, not technically admitting to shooting at Shea, but simply just pulling the trigger.

Anne-Marie Green: Is there any way that this could have been an accident? .

Zec Landers: No. … You don’t take out your gun and point it at anybody if you’re not intending to kill them.

And to prove this was no accident, prosecutors pointed to this text message that Shelby sent E.J. about a month before Shea’s murder. It reads, “… I’m killing that bastard with my own two hands.”

Wes Schemenaur: They’ve talked about this together for a long time. …

Zec Landers: And one of the things that was odd to me, if you look at that text message is E.J.’s name in Shelby’s phone is “Bay.”

Anne-Marie Green: “Bay” as in a term of endearment.

Zec Landers: Right. …

Anne-Marie Green: Why do you think Shelby was willing to do this? …

Wes Schemenaur: You know, it’s speculation. … She had a lot of animosity towards Shea as evidenced by what she said in her interview about him. …

SHELBY HIESTAND (to detectives): … I do not want her to be with him at all.

Wes Schemenaur: And she was very angry at Shea over his attempts to interfere with — or — or insert himself into the daughter’s life. And so, um, you know, I think that that sort of fed into that maybe power dynamic with E.J. …

Anne-Marie Green: What do you mean by that?

Wes Schemenaur: Well, there’s a huge age difference, you know, between E.J. and Shelby … I think it’s clear that Shelby looked up to E.J. and … wanted her approval … I think she had her own feelings. I think she had maybe some manipulation there as well.

At the end of her three-day trial, Shelby Hiestand was also convicted of murder. At her sentencing hearing, unlike E.J., she apologized to Shea’s family.

Sharon Taylor: Shelby was looking right at me, and she said she was sorry, and I believed her. I mean, didn’t change anything (laugh), but I believed her. … You know, she had the chance. She had the chance. …

Shelby Hiestand received the same sentence as E.J. Stephen: 55 years in prison. For Shea’s family, the thought of a third trial was too much to bear.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I didn’t wanna go to another trial.

Tracy Hoevel: — she didn’t — well, we  I — don’t think my mom could have handled another one.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I don’t think any of us could have. I mean, it was awful.

They approached prosecutors and, ultimately, a plea deal was reached. Hannah Knapke and her attorneys also declined “48 Hours”‘ request for an interview. In September 2021, she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a sentence that could see her released as early as July 2026. At her sentencing, she also apologized to Shea’s family.

Tiffany McLaughlin: I remember telling her in my impact statement that, you know, you weren’t the mastermind, you weren’t the shooter, but you were still involved in it. You were still involved in Shea’s murder.

Sharon Taylor: And I said, you could have made a difference. You could have said, no. You could have said, let’s get out of here.

Tiffany McLaughlin: But for not one person … but three people made the decision to murder him.

Anne-Marie Green: Right. Three opportunities for someone to do the right thing.

Tracy Hoevel: Say no. Yes.

Tiffany McLaughlin: Yeah.

Anne-Marie Green: And none of them took that opportunity. 

Sharon Taylor: Very well put.

Tracy Hoevel: Yeah.

Sharon Taylor: Very well put.

Shea Briar’s grave sits next to the little white church that he loved. His gravestone says “daddy,” a role his sister says he was so looking forward to fulfill.

Sydney Hoevel: My brother wanted to be there for his baby … He loves her so, so much. (crying) … And he has the best view right now of her. … Even though he’s in Heaven, he is laughing. He’s probably giving her wind tickles and he’s keeping an eye out on her.

Shea Briar and E.J. Stephen’s daughter is in the custody of E.J.’s family.

Shea’s family gets to see her once a month.

Produced by Stephanie Slifer. Sara Ely Hulse is the development producer. Michael Loftus is the field producer. Elena DiFiore is the development producer. Marlon Disla, Phil Tangel and George Baluzy are the editors. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.