329. Ride or Die - The Murder of Shea Briar

On this episode, Garrett and Payton dive into the murder of Shea Briar, a devoted father whose fight to remain in his daughter’s life became a nightmare. Links: Netflix Video Every Monday @11am PST, 12pm MST, 2pm EST 1pm CST https://www.netflix.com/murderwithmyhusband Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderwithmyhusband NEW MERCH LINK: https://mwmhshop.com Discount Codes: https://mailchi.mp/c6f48670aeac/oh-no-media-discount-codes Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/themwmh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murderwithmyhusband/ Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@murderwithmyhusband Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-dark/id1662304327 Listen on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36SDVKB2MEWpFGVs9kRgQ7?si=f5224c9fd99542a7 Case Sources: TheStarPress.com - https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/crime/2021/09/24/portland-woman-gets-55-years-mans-killing/5840411001/ CaseLaw. FindLaw.com - https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/in-court-of-appeals/2151976.html PrimeTimer.com - https://www.primetimer.com/features/48-hours-coached-to-kill-5-harrowing-details-from-the-2020-jay-county-killing-revisited CrimeOnline.com - https://www.crimeonline.com/2020/12/30/high-school-softball-coach-has-colleague-kill-her-ex-boyfriend-in-foiled-child-custody-plot-report/ Wane.com - https://www.wane.com/news/crime/third-woman-connected-to-january-2020-killing-of-jay-county-man-sentenced/ Ca. News. Yahoo.com - https://ca.news.yahoo.com/murder-case-involving-ohio-high-220510125.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEBRFuMJZ_G_dlfsEa_AtzFzxAKjACmMU8sfBvhulwqvcYYVwjb0Md-JkI59_zjqTDvHsROrsaDBnh_UMpyvEvvG4adVS6fXtcFyKiEIBYyjTPfltta1JqR_9dfI_-C0fjOQyinwnWoTFz0GQ1s382RxZDqmICoupxoBOoqwUMmm DailyStandard.com - https://dailystandard.com/archive/2021-08-12/stories/43498/jury-finds-former-coach-guilty-of-murder MercerCountyOutlook.net - https://mercercountyoutlook.net/2026/01/03/the-murder-planned-by-ft-recovery-softball-coachfeatured-on-cbs-48-hours/ People.com - https://people.com/crime/indiana-softball-coach-helped-fellow-coach-kill-her-ex-amid-tense-custody-battle/ CBSNews.com - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shea-briar-murder-ej-stephen-shelby-hiestand-indiana-48-hours/ Oxygen.com - https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/shelby-hiestand-now-2nd-woman-convicted-in-plot-to-kill-michael-briar Law. Justia. Com - https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/2021/21a-cr-00873.html BairfFreeman.com - https://www.bairdfreeman.com/obituary/shea-briar TheIndependent.com - https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/indiana-murder-shea-briar-b2894296.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  You know that feeling when too many things fall through the cracks? Monday.com was built for that gap. The AI work platform where people and agents work side by side to deliver more together. Create your first Monday agent today at Monday.com.

• 0:16Payton Moreland?

  You're listening to an Ono Media Podcast. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my Husband. I'm Payton Moreland.

• 0:23Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, I'm Garrett Moreland.

• 0:24Payton Moreland?

  And he's the husband.

• 0:25Garrett Moreland?

  And I'm the husband. How's everyone doing? What do we got going on? Anything new? Any fun plans?

• 0:32Payton Moreland?

  If you're watching on Netflix and you're like, wait, Garrett's phone definitely has some reflection and movement.

• 0:40Garrett Moreland?

  There's nothing there.

• 0:43Payton Moreland?

  Be honest.

• 0:44Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, look, guys, the World Cup's going on. I love you guys, but the World Cup only happens every four years, so.

• 0:52Payton Moreland?

  I didn't know that. Who in the Olympics do they think they are?

• 0:56Garrett Moreland?

  Bigger.

• 0:58Payton Moreland?

  Like?

• 0:59Garrett Moreland?

  Legit bigger. World Cup is the.

• 1:02Payton Moreland?

  You know what happens once a year? WNBA championship.

• 1:06Garrett Moreland?

  So anyways, I'm currently, the Spain and Belgium game is on right here. It's almost over. We're recording right now.

• 1:16Garrett Moreland?

  Spain just scored up two to one 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.

• 1:27Payton Moreland?

  Cheater.

• 1:29Garrett Moreland?

  We have any announcements?

• 1:30Payton Moreland?

  I don't think so. Bonus episodes.

• 1:33Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, we got a lot of bonus episodes coming this month. So if you're a paid subscriber on Apple, Patreon, or Spotify, we'll be getting a lot of those.

• 1:41Payton 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.

• 1:48Garrett 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.

• 2:31Payton Moreland?

  Oh, yeah. If you're watching on Netflix, you can definitely see, or you can go to our Instagrams. But she's out.

• 2:38Garrett Moreland?

  She's coming.

• 2:39Payton Moreland?

  Belly's out. Sun's out bumps out.

• 2:41Garrett Moreland?

  Sun's out bumps out.

• 2:43Payton Moreland?

  That's what I tell Garrett.

• 2:45Garrett Moreland?

  Paint looks very cute. She's doing a very good job.

• 2:47Payton Moreland?

  I'm healing my burn. You can see it.

• 2:50Garrett Moreland?

  Sometimes she's sick, sometimes she's not, but she's doing amazing.

• 2:54Payton Moreland?

  Sick yesterday.

• 2:55Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 2:56Payton Moreland?

  Not today.

• 2:56Garrett Moreland?

  Feeling 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

• 3:07Garrett Moreland?

  this week's episode disclaimer, I may be eating Starburst during today's episodes. If you hear a little bit of kidding.

• 3:14Payton Moreland?

  Please keep that in.

• 3:16Garrett Moreland?

  If you hear a little bit of chomping, sorry. Not sponsored by Starburst.

• 3:21Payton Moreland?

  That was so funny.

• 3:22Garrett 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?

• 3:34Payton Moreland?

  You know, it's a conspiracy. These candy companies.

• 3:36Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, they all like own each other. Yeah. I like how PepsiCo owns everything.

• 3:40Payton Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 3:41Garrett Moreland?

  I'm sure it's Pepsi owns these.

• 3:43Payton Moreland?

  Starburst?

• 3:44Garrett Moreland?

  Wouldn't surprise me. They own a bunch of like the chips and the snacks.

• 3:47Payton Moreland?

  Really?

• 3:48Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah. They own like Doritos and everything. I'm pretty sure.

• 3:52Payton Moreland?

  The elite.

• 3:53Garrett Moreland?

  All right, let's hop into to this week's case.

• 3:56Payton Moreland?

  Our sources for this episode are the starpress.com, caselaw.fine law.com, primetimer.com, crimeonline.com, wayne.com, california news dot yahoo.com, daily standard.com, Mercer County outlook.net, people.com, CBS News, oxygen.com, law dot justia.com, bearfreeman.com, and the independent.com.

• 4:20Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 5:03Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 5:21Garrett Moreland?

  Wow, okay.

• 5:21Payton Moreland?

  It is here that Shay Briar is just trying to live a quiet, respectable little life. It's actually a far cry from where Shay 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 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

• 6:02Payton Moreland?

  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 G.I. Joes, which actually inspired his goals later in life. That was to join the military. Shay 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.

• 6:35Payton Moreland?

  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, she'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. Shay had always summered with his grandparents back in Indiana, and it was something he remembered fondly. He felt Indiana was the

• 7:15Payton Moreland?

  place where he wanted to raise his kids one day. Not to mention Shay 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 J County landfill. And when he wasn't working there, he was helping out with a family member's farm. Now, everyone who knew Shay at this point in his life said he was easygoing, respectful, but also fun-loving.

• 7:58Payton Moreland?

  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 11th, Shay 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. 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

• 8:40Payton Moreland?

  that he would probably beat them all to church the next morning. They nodded, laughed it off, knowing it was probably true, but unfortunately, fate had other plans. About seven hours later, so around 1:50 a.m., a call is made to a 911 dispatcher.

• 9:01Payton Moreland?

  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 at almost 2:00 a.m. And when the dispatcher asks, okay, well, do you need EMTs? Their response is, quote,

• 9:22Speaker 03

  You said he is injured and needs an ambulance? Yeah, he definitely needs an ambulance. He's a wart, 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.

• 9:37Payton Moreland?

  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'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

• 10:20Payton Moreland?

  out of the vehicle and approaches the man, there's 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. Okay. So, as the cops stay with him, waiting for medics to arrive, he reaches into this

• 10:59Payton Moreland?

  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 Shay on this overpass to begin with and decided to call 911. Eventually, the EMTs do get there, though, and they load Shay 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

• 11:43Payton Moreland?

  least outside, maybe not on the bridge, but outside for two hours 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.

• 12:07Garrett Moreland?

  Oh, in his heart.

• 12:08Payton 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.

• 12:19Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 12:20Payton 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 he 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.

• 13:03Payton Moreland?

  And it's not until later that day that the police arrive at Shay's house and break the news to his roommate.

• 13:11Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 13:12Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 13:22Garrett Moreland?

  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. There are plenty of reasons we put off getting support, and for a lot of people, cost is one of them. With BetterHelp, insurance options may now be available nationwide with an average copay for eligible members of just $23 per session.

• 13:39Garrett Moreland?

  And while we're reconsidering old assumptions, maybe there are a few others worth questioning too.

• 13:45Payton Moreland?

  Women inherit a lot of unwritten rules. Be ambitious, but not intimidating. Be there for everyone, but still make time for yourself. Have it all together, but don't look like you're trying too hard. And I have definitely fallen into all of these traps. But if you have been wanting to start therapy, BetterHelp works with more than 125 health plan networks and eligible members have an average copay of just $23 per session with insurance. If you don't have insurance or don't live in the United States, you can still get 10% off your first month.

• 14:17Garrett Moreland?

  And Peyton and I are big advocates for therapy. Give it a try. Life can be crazy. There's a lot going on. Like we were talking about, sometimes it feels like you need to have everything figured out. You don't. Go talk to someone. Go see what's going on. Visit betterhelp.com/husband to explore your payment options. That's betterhelp, H E L P dot com slash husband.

• 14:38Payton Moreland?

  This message is sponsored by Greenlight. You know, there were many times growing up in school where I was like, when am I ever going to use this? And let me be real honest with you. A lot of those things have turned out to be true. But you know what I wish they would have taught in school? Financial literacy. So Greenlight takes the mental load of family life and kind of puts it all into one place. It keeps your whole family in sync, money, safety, and everyday life, all in one place. When you're using it, you can see what your kids are spending, right when they spend it. You can also easily send them money via Greenlight instead of like digging around for cash.

• 15:23Payton Moreland?

  And Greenlight just helps your household run smoother. Chores happen without nagging because you can do it all through the Greenlight app. There's also like a schedule that is up to date in real time. So when you're out of milk or someone needs new cleats, it just goes on this shared list that everyone can add to. Join the 6.5 million family members who trust Greenlight. Garrett has younger siblings. They've used Greenlight and it is so amazing to watch them learn about money in the safety of their home. You've got enough on your plate. Greenlight keeps it all in sync. Get started at greenlight.com/husband. That is greenlight.com/husband. Greenlight.com/husband. Go check it out now.

• 16:07Payton Moreland?

  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 coworkers 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.

• 16:29Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, because of where he was shot in his back, they're like, well, it 100% sure, basically it wasn't

• 16:37Payton Moreland?

  Him.

• 16:38Garrett Moreland?

  Himself.

• 16:38Payton 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 hadn't mentioned yet that he has a daughter. He does. She's one and her mother is 29-year-old Esther Jane Stevens. So let's talk about the mother of this, his child for a second. Esther is a local high school softball coach who also

• 17:18Payton Moreland?

  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 Shay called his mom and told her she was going to be a grandmother that his family even learned about Esther.

• 17:49Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, yeah.

• 17:51Payton 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."

• 17:58Garrett Moreland?

  I don't.

• 17:59Payton Moreland?

  Exclusively dating wasn't even 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, Shay 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.

• 18:40Payton Moreland?

  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've been that the spark just wasn't there. Maybe she knew

• 19:25Payton Moreland?

  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 a 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

• 20:07Payton Moreland?

  try and establish paternity. Basically, he's like, I'm gonna establish paternity so I can get more time with my daughter.

• 20:14Garrett Moreland?

  Oh yeah, I know. Such a thing because you gotta go to court and then you have custody battles and blah, blah. It's just, yeah.

• 20:22Payton 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 changed, 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-

• 20:53Garrett Moreland?

  Is that legal?

• 20:54Payton 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.

• 21:10Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 21:11Payton 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, whoa, he's kind of had this little, this rocky situation.

• 21:27Garrett Moreland?

  They think it's her?

• 21:28Payton Moreland?

  Well, they just think they need to talk to her more because this is the only like somewhat.

• 21:34Garrett Moreland?

  Lead, I guess.

• 21:35Payton Moreland?

  That they can have. Yeah. Esther is someone they want to speak with. She's called down to the station that day, January 12th, to speak with the police. And when they ask her, okay, when did you last speak to Shay? She says, on January 6th, 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.

• 22:04Garrett Moreland?

  No way. We're already lying.

• 22:05Payton 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.

• 22:26Garrett Moreland?

  It's just crazy because if she didn't lie and she told the truth.

• 22:31Payton Moreland?

  Yeah, we have a child together.

• 22:33Garrett Moreland?

  They probably would have been like, oh, okay. But now because she lied, it becomes an entire situation.

• 22:39Payton Moreland?

  Well, it's also like you're co-parenting. It's not that weird that you guys called on the phone.

• 22:44Garrett Moreland?

  It's crazy to lie about that stuff with like phone records and stuff these days.

• 22:48Payton Moreland?

  Like they literally had the phone records before talking to her.

• 22:51Garrett Moreland?

  Like, come on.

• 22:54Payton Moreland?

  I mean, it is a little weird that she's the last person he called just hours before being found.

• 22:58Garrett Moreland?

  And she lied about it.

• 22:59Payton Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 22:59Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 23:00Payton Moreland?

  So they're like, hey, we gotta 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 Christie 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, Christie and Esther are super close friends.

• 23:45Payton Moreland?

  They had been for years. Christie trusted her well enough to send her two kids to Esther's daycare. 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 Christie and Esther are really good friends and Christie knows a lot about Esther's life. She knew about the custody battle and her relationship with Shay Breyer. And Esther told her things that she didn't tell everyone, which was why the second Christie heard about Shay's murder, 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.

• 24:30Payton Moreland?

  And this is what she says, she tells them this unnerving story. A few days ago, this is all according to Christie. Esther called Christie and asked if she could help her out. She needed her to babysit that upcoming Saturday, January 11th, which was something Esther had never asked her to do before, but Christie's like, okay, she's obviously in a bind. Of course I will watch your daughter. Then Saturday rolls around. This is the day.

• 24:58Garrett Moreland?

  Yes.

• 24:59Payton Moreland?

  Night, early morning of the murder. And Christie 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 10:00 PM at night, there's a knock on Christie'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 10:00 PM on the night of this murder with the baby. And Esther hands her daughter over to Christie and says, I'm going out. She doesn't tell Christie where she's going. She doesn't say when she'll be

• 25:40Payton Moreland?

  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 1:00 AM, Esther comes back to pick up her daughter.

• 25:56Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 25:57Payton Moreland?

  And Christie's like, what is going on? 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."

• 26:13Garrett Moreland?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 26:14Payton Moreland?

  So then-

• 26:16Garrett Moreland?

  That's insane.

• 26:17Payton Moreland?

  In two days, when she hears about Shay's murder, Christie'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 Shay, and how she was terrified he was gonna 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 of this. She wouldn't have to go to court.

• 27:00Payton Moreland?

  And Christie said, at first, these conversations just felt like one friend venting to another. Christie 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 Christie.

• 27:28Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 27:29Payton Moreland?

  Someone that had kind of been hanging out- With Esther a lot lately.

• 27:35Garrett Moreland?

  It's gotta, it's gotta be another guy.

• 27:36Payton Moreland?

  Well, and like this, this friend she'd been hanging out with.

• 27:42Garrett Moreland?

  It's a guy. Is it a guy?

• 27:43Payton Moreland?

  Set off. No.

• 27:45Garrett Moreland?

  It's a girl?

• 27:46Payton Moreland?

  It's a girl. Set off alarm bells for Christie. Like when Christie 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.

• 28:02Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, yeah.

• 28:02Payton Moreland?

  That is kind of the red flag and it's Esther's 18 year old friend Shelby Heestend.

• 28:11Garrett Moreland?

  Okay. I mean.

• 28:12Payton Moreland?

  Now let me remind you, Esther is 29.

• 28:17Payton Moreland?

  Shelby is 18. How did they meet? Esther used to be Shelby's high school softball coach.

• 28:26Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, I'm trying to think about this. Is it weird? Yeah, but.

• 28:32Payton Moreland?

  Illegal? No.

• 28:34Garrett Moreland?

  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.

• 28:41Payton Moreland?

  Yeah. I mean, like.

• 28:42Garrett Moreland?

  So I don't know if it's that weird.

• 28:43Payton Moreland?

  There's people who.

• 28:44Garrett Moreland?

  I don't think it's weird, I guess.

• 28:45Payton Moreland?

  Are like friends with people 20 years older than them.

• 28:49Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, that's what I mean. So I don't know if I think it's weird.

• 28:50Payton 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 to me. Because, so she's her coach, but then when Shelby graduated high school, she becomes Esther's assistant coach at another school.

• 29:12Garrett Moreland?

  So to me, that's not weird at all then.

• 29:14Payton Moreland?

  And like this happens all the time where there's young assistants who like just graduated or whatever.

• 29:18Garrett Moreland?

  I don't think that's strange.

• 29:19Payton Moreland?

  Help 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?

• 29:33Garrett Moreland?

  We're about to find out.

• 29:34Payton 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 Christie said, over the last couple of months, whenever Esther showed up at her house, Shelby was actually right there with her. Like Shelby becomes Esther's little 18 year old tag along. 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.

• 30:17Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, well, see.

• 30:18Payton Moreland?

  Now this is weird.

• 30:19Garrett Moreland?

  Getting weird, yes.

• 30:20Payton Moreland?

  Because like you were her coach, she's 18, you were coaching her. When did this romance start?

• 30:25Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 30:26Payton Moreland?

  Did it, oh, you graduate now, just come spend all your time with me because we were already crossing boundaries beforehand.

• 30:32Garrett 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.

• 30:49Payton Moreland?

  Christie tells police 18 year old Shelby had 29 year old Esther in her contacts under Bay, like B A E, which was like a more popular word. And there seems to be real tension between Shay and Shelby. So the father of the child, the victim Shay, also does not like 18 year olds. Shelby also thinks it's a red flag as well as Christie. 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, your relationship seems a little toxic.

• 31:28Payton Moreland?

  And so apparently even enemy number one, which is apparently Shay for trying to establish paternity of his daughter is having beef with Shelby.

• 31:41Payton Moreland?

  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

• 32:26Payton Moreland?

  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 Heestend too. 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 12th, the morning he died around 12:02 a.m."

• 32:52Garrett Moreland?

  Could you imagine just getting called like?

• 32:55Payton Moreland?

  What do you think she said?

• 32:56Garrett Moreland?

  No? Did she deny it? That's crazy.

• 32:58Payton Moreland?

  You can't deny it. It was a butt dial.

• 33:02Garrett Moreland?

  Oh my gosh. Get out of here. Get out of here.

• 33:06Payton 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 Christie'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

• 33:47Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 34:10Garrett Moreland?

  Of course.

• 34:12Payton Moreland?

  Who knows if Shelby was even talking at this point?

• 34:14Garrett Moreland?

  I know, but it's such a good negotiation tactic because.

• 34:17Payton Moreland?

  Especially with an 18 year old because you're like, you really think this young girl.

• 34:22Garrett Moreland?

  Cause here's the thing.

• 34:24Garrett Moreland?

  Have you ever seen the movie Fun with Dick and Jane?

• 34:26Payton Moreland?

  Nope.

• 34:26Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, anyways. Little off topic, so I'm going to ignore that for a second, but let's just paint a scenario, scenario real quick.

• 34:33Payton Moreland?

  Okay.

• 34:34Garrett Moreland?

  Peyton and I. Is it well, it's kind of about fun with Dick and Jane. Peyton and I. Going broke, don't know what else to do. Boom, Peyton and I go boom. Okay, we're going to rob a bank. We need some money. Okay, Peyton and I rob a bank, boom, say we both get caught. They both end up in the police station and different negotiating rooms. Would you believe that I'd be quiet?

• 34:59Payton Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 35:00Garrett Moreland?

  Would I believe that you'd be quiet? No. No.

• 35:04Payton Moreland?

  Why?

• 35:04Garrett Moreland?

  I just think you'd crack. I wouldn't crack. I think you'd crack.

• 35:09Payton Moreland?

  Cause I hate lying.

• 35:10Garrett Moreland?

  I know.

• 35:11Payton Moreland?

  I don't like it.

• 35:11Garrett Moreland?

  Peyton would crack, so like instantly.

• 35:13Payton Moreland?

  But ride or die, I would rather die.

• 35:15Garrett Moreland?

  I would, if they came to me and they're like Peyton's talking, I'd be like, yeah, of course she is.

• 35:20Payton Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 35:20Garrett Moreland?

  Like, of course she's talking.

• 35:21Payton Moreland?

  You would 100% believe them.

• 35:22Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 35:22Payton Moreland?

  Would you also talk?

• 35:24Garrett Moreland?

  No, I would, no.

• 35:25Payton Moreland?

  You would take it on the chest and bear down?

• 35:28Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, I would not crack.

• 35:28Payton Moreland?

  You'd be like, I'll, I'll go to prison.

• 35:31Garrett Moreland?

  If they cut me a deal, I don't know. But I'm just saying that it's pretty easy.

• 35:36Payton Moreland?

  I can't believe you would turn on me.

• 35:37Garrett Moreland?

  You turned on me first because you talked first.

• 35:40Payton Moreland?

  Yeah, but.

• 35:40Garrett Moreland?

  You know what I'm saying?

• 35:41Payton Moreland?

  I love to sing.

• 35:42Garrett Moreland?

  But anyways, so what I'm trying to say is that would be such a hard thing to.

• 35:46Payton Moreland?

  Is that what happens in Dick and Jane?

• 35:48Garrett Moreland?

  Not really, but kind of.

• 35:50Payton Moreland?

  Oh.

• 35:51Garrett Moreland?

  If you know the movie, it's kind of what I'm getting at to a sense, but anyways, we can keep going.

• 35:55Payton Moreland?

  I also think it's like, it's a little different because like I participated in the crime with you.

• 35:59Garrett Moreland?

  But we don't know if they haven't.

• 36:01Payton Moreland?

  Right. I think it would be different like if I found out you did a crime without me.

• 36:08Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, okay.

• 36:09Payton Moreland?

  I would get a lawyer, but I also wouldn't lie.

• 36:11Garrett Moreland?

  I see. Yeah, that's different.

• 36:13Payton Moreland?

  But if we participated in a crime together, I might try to lie.

• 36:16Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 36:17Payton Moreland?

  Like, I don't know if we had come up with like a really good story.

• 36:20Garrett Moreland?

  That's my girl.

• 36:21Payton Moreland?

  Like if you had sat me down and put it out loud, like this is what you're going to say, this is how you're going to answer.

• 36:25Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 36:26Payton Moreland?

  I might try to stick to it. I might.

• 36:27Garrett Moreland?

  We're not committing any crimes, okay? By crimes, we mean.

• 36:32Payton Moreland?

  Stealing the neighbors' trees.

• 36:34Garrett Moreland?

  Yes, but that's something we would do. We would steal somebody's trees. Probably the only crime we'd ever commit.

• 36:39Payton Moreland?

  Hear a crane in the middle of the night? It's not us, the tree robbers.

• 36:45Garrett Moreland?

  No, that's probably the only crime you'd ever commit.

• 36:48Payton Moreland?

  We go to prison for stealing trees.

• 36:50Garrett Moreland?

  If you have nice, big trees in your yard, you better tie those suckers down because I'm coming to get them.

• 36:53Payton Moreland?

  Because every time we've driven past your house, we've gone, ah, should we steal that tree?

• 36:58Garrett Moreland?

  Peyton and I were like, dang, those are nice trees. You think they would notice if they were gone? Okay, anyways, get back to the episode.

• 37:05Payton Moreland?

  Sometimes I do drive past places. I'm like, we could take that.

• 37:07Garrett Moreland?

  I know. I want the trees. That's funny.

• 37:12Payton Moreland?

  Anyways.

• 37:13Garrett Moreland?

  All right, guys, we're jumping into an ad and it is the one and only Skims.

• 37:18Payton Moreland?

  We love Skims and I'm so excited. I get to talk to you about their loungewear and pajamas. If you follow me on Instagram, I just posted, but I did get one of their sleep sets. That's like a deep burgundy color, so cute, so rich, so soft. And then I also got a fleece set that's like this chocolate brown. So freaking cute. I love a good matching set and I love Skims. Again, the sleeps that I got is the soft lounge sleep set. I always get asked like what exactly it is.

• 37:58Payton Moreland?

  Um, so yes, the soft lounge sleep set, it has the perfect weight, the perfect stretch. The fabric will not irritate your skin. Honestly, I recommend Skims to everyone due to just the quality and the comfort that it brings. So go check out their cotton fleece sets or their sleep sets right now.

• 38:19Garrett Moreland?

  Shop Peyton's favorite loungewear and pajamas at skims.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.

• 38:32Payton Moreland?

  Guys, I'm not sure if I have talked about this, but I have been put on an extremely restrictive diet while being pregnant. And you know what has helped me so much? Hungry Root. I know, I know. You knew that was coming. It is so nice to be able to still shop, but get on and put in my preferences, put exactly what I'm looking for, pick out recipes that fit my dietary restrictions. I love Hungry Root. We've actually been using them since like, I think 2022 was when I first started using them. That was before they were even a sponsor of the show. Okay. If you've never checked it out, you're interested in online grocery

• 39:14Payton Moreland?

  delivery that has quality products. I'm talking healthier alternatives. They're very transparent with what is in the ingredients. You can trust that what you're getting from Hungry Root is top notch. It completely changes the way of shopping and also for me has really helped ease my mind when it comes to this new diet. So you're gonna love Hungry Root as much as I do. For a limited time, you can get 40% off your first order, plus get a free item in every box for life. Go to hungryroot.com/husband and use code HUSBAND for that, you guys. That is hungryroot.com/husband code HUSBAND to get 40% off your first box and

• 39:55Payton Moreland?

  a free item of your choice for life. Okay. So they're like, yes, Shelby's talking. And so what does Esther do? She starts talking and here's the account that she offers.

• 40:06Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, let's hear it.

• 40:07Payton Moreland?

  On the night of January 11th, 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.

• 40:30Garrett Moreland?

  No way.

• 40:32Payton Moreland?

  Canap key.

• 40:32Garrett Moreland?

  No way.

• 40:34Payton 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 11:00 PM 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 gonna see each other at.

• 41:18Payton Moreland?

  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 got earlier that day that wasn't premeditation.

• 42:00Payton Moreland?

  Just happened to get the rifle and they shoot it to see how loud it was.

• 42:04Garrett Moreland?

  And they happened to hit him.

• 42:06Payton 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 cellphone. The butt dial originally. She asked him, if you want to come over for a little joyride with her and her friends. And Shay 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,

• 42:49Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 43:01Garrett Moreland?

  That's actually, like I said earlier, people are nuts. That's insane. That's actually

• 43:09Payton Moreland?

  Evil.

• 43:10Garrett Moreland?

  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 you. I'm still a friend with you. But there's no reason in my mind that we, those people shouldn't then be, I don't know, throw them on an island in Alaska and be like, good luck. Let's see how long you live.

• 43:32Payton 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.

• 43:41Garrett Moreland?

  How do you get three people on board? That's crazy.

• 43:44Payton Moreland?

  Years, I guess maybe that's why.

• 43:46Garrett Moreland?

  Look, pack and gang mentality is a very real thing.

• 43:51Payton Moreland?

  It's just like.

• 43:52Garrett Moreland?

  It's sad. It's a very real thing.

• 43:54Payton Moreland?

  Hating a guy.

• 43:56Garrett Moreland?

  Those two girls don't even know him.

• 43:59Payton Moreland?

  They only know what she said.

• 44:00Garrett Moreland?

  Absolutely horrible.

• 44:02Payton Moreland?

  And even then, like.

• 44:04Garrett Moreland?

  Even then, who cares?

• 44:07Payton Moreland?

  But also to just purposely lure him out of his house.

• 44:13Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, I can't.

• 44:14Payton Moreland?

  And then drive out to the middle of nowhere where you, you know, and just leave him there bleeding.

• 44:20Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 44:20Payton Moreland?

  Like,

• 44:22Payton Moreland?

  huh? That make, that breaks my heart.

• 44:24Garrett Moreland?

  It's, it's.

• 44:25Payton Moreland?

  It's like.

• 44:26Garrett Moreland?

  It's disgusting.

• 44:26Payton 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 cellphone and then throws it in the river and gets back in the car.

• 45:01Garrett Moreland?

  Oh, see, I just, I can't. These people deserve so much more than just prison time. That is.

• 45:08Garrett Moreland?

  Honestly, it's just mind blowing.

• 45:09Payton Moreland?

  She's afraid he's gonna call 911.

• 45:11Garrett Moreland?

  It's mind blowing.

• 45:12Payton Moreland?

  And survive.

• 45:13Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 45:14Payton 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. Cause she asked the police if they have to quote, put this out there. She's like, is it gonna be in the news? Like, is it gonna go on Facebook?

• 45:57Payton Moreland?

  Are people gonna be able to find out that I shot and killed this man?

• 46:00Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 46:01Payton Moreland?

  And police are like, girl, it's already hit the news. Like, you're going to prison.

• 46:08Garrett Moreland?

  Forever.

• 46:09Payton Moreland?

  Like, it, people are definitely going to hear about this. This is your entire future. Like, you've just written your life.

• 46:17Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 46:17Payton 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, cause 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. She said.

• 46:58Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, but then I have a hard time with this because then why not tell anybody?

• 47:02Payton 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.

• 47:14Garrett Moreland?

  What about after?

• 47:16Payton 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.

• 47:23Garrett Moreland?

  Like, I don't know. I don't know.

• 47:25Payton Moreland?

  I don't know. The chance that maybe you could have saved him.

• 47:27Garrett Moreland?

  Not sure how I feel about that one.

• 47:28Payton Moreland?

  Garrett's not wrong. Like gang mentality. Could this happen where she was?

• 47:32Garrett Moreland?

  Could she be telling the truth? A hundred percent.

• 47:34Payton Moreland?

  And then gets there and is scared and like, guys, are we really doing this? But is it brave enough?

• 47:38Garrett Moreland?

  But then afterwards, we gotta, gotta take some action here.

• 47:41Payton 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.

• 48:03Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 48:04Payton Moreland?

  That was being driven.

• 48:05Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah, true.

• 48:05Payton 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.

• 48:40Payton Moreland?

  According to Christie, there was one time when she recalled Esther complaining about Shay 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.

• 49:07Payton Moreland?

  In text before the crime tells Esther she wanted to kill Shay for him. She's a full on little girlfriends, 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, six days before the plan was executed, the murder on January 5th, 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.

• 49:51Payton Moreland?

  Not like go somewhere. So you have all of 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. Christie said Esther and Shelby had once talked about crushing up ibuprofen and putting it in Shay's tea. They actually tell Christie 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.

• 50:33Payton Moreland?

  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 this situation. I mean, you have two young girls, not even in their twenties, who looked up and respected Esther as their coach initially. She was a role model.

• 51:18Payton Moreland?

  They trusted her. And then now it turns into all of them murdering.

• 51:23Garrett Moreland?

  What an absolute mess.

• 51:24Payton Moreland?

  I mean, that is, that is grooming to a degree.

• 51:28Garrett Moreland?

  I'm just really sad about that their kid as well now has no parents. Horrible.

• 51:33Payton 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.

• 51:56Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 51:56Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 52:07Garrett Moreland?

  I mean, she'll be 90 years old.

• 52:09Payton Moreland?

  And 55 is where judges usually start from. But justice wasn't done being served in August of 2021. Shelby's trial.

• 52:17Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 52:19Payton Moreland?

  She was also given 55 years in prison.

• 52:22Garrett Moreland?

  Wow.

• 52:23Payton 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."

• 52:37Garrett Moreland?

  Heartbreaking.

• 52:37Payton Moreland?

  And again, that trial had more nuance because of the way they had met, the relationship dynamic.

• 52:44Garrett Moreland?

  I'm actually surprised she got 55.

• 52:46Payton Moreland?

  Now, 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 planning.

• 53:13Garrett 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?

• 53:18Payton Moreland?

  Yeah, so essentially 10 years.

• 53:21Garrett Moreland?

  Okay.

• 53:22Payton Moreland?

  Now, there's still kind of one loose end. Many people question, why did Shay 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. Like, people are like, how? I don't think they're blaming Shay.

• 53:44Garrett 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, probably something I would do.

• 53:55Payton Moreland?

  Well, this is exactly what detectives say as well. And Shay's friends. They said, he has a baby with her.

• 54:02Garrett Moreland?

  A literal child with her.

• 54:03Payton Moreland?

  He's trying to smooth things over. He wants solid ground between him and Esther because genuinely, she left him at the altar.

• 54:13Garrett Moreland?

  Cares about at this point is the baby, probably.

• 54:15Payton 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 friends, 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.

• 54:58Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 54:58Payton 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.

• 55:06Garrett Moreland?

  Mm hmm.

• 55:07Payton Moreland?

  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.

• 55:19Garrett Moreland?

  How's it even make sense?

• 55:21Payton Moreland?

  He's not on the birth certificate. They were still going through the whole battle.

• 55:25Garrett Moreland?

  Okay, but escalate that shiz.

• 55:28Payton Moreland?

  Right.

• 55:28Garrett Moreland?

  Like, that's actua- that's, that's not okay. I'm not okay with that. That's ridiculous.

• 55:33Payton 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. And that is the murder of Shay Breyer. And honestly, like.

• 55:56Garrett Moreland?

  I just, can, can we, can we stop being nuts?

• 56:00Payton Moreland?

  It's also just like.

• 56:01Garrett Moreland?

  Absolutely horrible.

• 56:03Payton 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?

• 56:30Garrett Moreland?

  And

• 56:30Payton Moreland?

  It's just not it.

• 56:32Garrett Moreland?

  It keeps happening.

• 56:33Payton Moreland?

  Exactly. And it's just like

• 56:35Garrett Moreland?

  Keeps happening.

• 56:36Payton Moreland?

  It gets to the point where like, I'm frustrated.

• 56:38Garrett 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?

• 56:53Payton Moreland?

  I don't know.

• 56:54Garrett Moreland?

  Like, what is, what is wrong with you?

• 56:57Payton Moreland?

  Hopefully she has 55 years to ask herself the same question. And I guess we can hope she does.

• 57:02Garrett 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.

• 57:11Payton Moreland?

  It's just heart wrenching.

• 57:13Garrett Moreland?

  Horrible. Anyways, thank you for listening. Thank you for being here.

• 57:17Payton 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

• 57:28Garrett Moreland?

  Like, it's

• 57:28Payton Moreland?

  It's horrible.

• 57:29Garrett Moreland?

  People need to stop, yeah.

• 57:30Payton Moreland?

  People need to stop killing each other.

• 57:32Garrett 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 killing each other.

• 57:44Payton Moreland?

  A billion percent.

• 57:45Garrett Moreland?

  Do it. Prove me wrong. Do it, honestly. I'll make bagels until I die.

• 57:52Payton Moreland?

  I just am like

• 57:53Garrett Moreland?

  I'm just like, come on, guys.

• 57:54Payton Moreland?

  It's just incomprehensible.

• 57:55Garrett Moreland?

  Yeah.

• 57:56Payton Moreland?

  All right, you guys. Thank you for listening. As always, we will see you next week, sadly, with another one. I love it.

• 58:03Garrett Moreland?

  I hate it.

• 58:04Payton Moreland?

  Goodbye.

• 58:14Speaker 04

  Great meeting. Who took notes? Anyone? With Monday NoteTaker, nobody has to take notes again. It joins your call, transcribes it, and turns the whole conversation into a clear plan. Action items, owners, deadlines, all right there on your monday.com board, ready for the team. So the meeting ends, and the plan already exists. Meetings aren't just talk anymore. Go to monday.com, the AI workspace platform.