Transcript

Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says

From 48 Hours · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 2 min · 9,506 words · 192 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says", an episode of 48 Hours published February 1, 2026 (1 h 2 min, about 9,506 words). It mentions 17 people, works and ideas, including EJ Steven, Shea Brier, Shelby Heston, Christy Cybre, Ben Schwarz.

What this episode is about

A softball coach is accused of orchestrating the murder of her ex-fiancé, enlisting the help of a former player to carry out the crime. The incident came to light after the victim was found seriously injured on a bridge, ultimately succumbing to a gunshot wound to the heart while being treated at a hospital.

Key takeaways

  • Jay County's 911 dispatcher highlights the chaos of rural calls; expect the unexpected when lives hang in the balance.
  • A hidden bullet wound reveals a shocking reality: sometimes, the visible injuries tell only half the story.
  • Shea’s death blindsided a close-knit community; even good men can meet tragic fates at the hands of the unlikely.
  • Three suspects in a murder? In a small town, that’s like finding a unicorn where everyone knows each other.
  • The innocence of rural life clashed with brutal reality, reminding us that danger can lurk beneath familiar surfaces.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Indiana, Shea Brier, Klay County, Tracy Havl
  2. – 20:00: EJ Steven, Christy Cybre, Ben Schwarz, Shea Brier
  3. – 30:00: Hannah Kapki, EJ Steven, Wes Shemanau, Shelby Heston
  4. – 40:00: EJ Steven, Shelby Heston, Indiana, Angela Smiley
  5. – 50:00: 48 Hours, Shea Brier, Indiana, Tracy Havl
  6. – 1:00:00: 48 Hours
  7. – 1:01:34: 48 Hours

Notable quotes from "Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says"

  • On Sunday, January 12th, 2020, when 31-year-old Shea Brier didn't show up for church, Pastor Angela Smiley knew something was wrong. She had just seen him the night before. We served a noodle dinner. He's there walking the.
    about Shea Brier · at
  • Jay County is a very rural farming community. It's certainly not like working in a big city where it's backtoback calls. And as soon as this happened, it was a pretty big deal. It's.
    about Klay County · at
  • And Detective Schwarz says that wasn't the only thing that stuck out.
    about Ben Schwarz · at
  • Christy, a former police officer, soon found herself inside a J County Sheriff's Office interview room.
    about Christy Cybre · at
  • On January 14th, 2020, just 2 days after Sha Brier was murdered, EJ Steven was back inside the Jay County Sheriff's Office. Detective Ben Schwarz and his partner first confronted her about those phone records, which revealed she called.
    about EJ Steven · at
  • Shelby was arrested and charged with murder. Later that day, detectives flew to Iowa where Hannah Kapki had returned to college. She too eventually admitted involvement.
    about Hannah Kapki · at
  • Starting with EJ, I felt like going into it that it was, okay, she, she's guilty. She's going to be found guilty. And then I'm wait a second. What's happening here? I was.
    about Wes Shemanau · at
  • Shelby Heston received the same sentence as EJ Steven, 55 years in prison. For Sha's family, the thought of a third trial was too much to bear.
    about Shelby Heston · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • EJ Steven — Person · Primary suspect/defendant; mother of Shea's child · 9 mentions · first at
    Portrayed as the orchestrator of the plot; interviewed by detectives, arrested, tried first, convicted, and sentenced.
  • Shea Brier — Person · Victim / central subject of the case · 5 mentions · first at
    The episode centers on the murder of 31-year-old Shea Brier and the investigation, trials, and impact on his family.
  • Shelby Heston — Person · Co-defendant; shooter · 4 mentions · first at
    Identified as the person who pulled the trigger; tried separately, convicted of murder, and sentenced to 55 years.
  • Christy Cybre — Person · Key witness / tipster (former police officer) · 4 mentions · first at
    Mentor-like figure to EJ; reports prior conversations about 'getting rid of' Shea and babysitting timeline; major prosecution witness.
  • Ben Schwarz — Person · Lead detective / investigator · 3 mentions · first at
    One of the lead detectives; interviews EJ, receives Christy’s tip, and helps build the case narrative and evidence.
  • Tracy Havl — Person · Victim's mother · 4 mentions · first at
    Provides family background (Hawaii upbringing), receives the death notification, and attends trials and impact statements.
    I'm No. I think I must have screamed so loud. We're in shock.
  • Wes Shemanau — Person · Prosecutor / legal authority (narrator-interviewee) · 3 mentions · first at
    As Jay County’s elected prosecutor, he discusses the case posture and (later) prosecutes EJ alongside Zack Landers.
  • Hannah Kapki — Person · Co-defendant; participant/driver; plea deal recipient · 3 mentions · first at
    An 18-year-old connected through EJ’s coaching/daycare circle; involved the night of the murder and later pleaded to voluntary manslaughter.
  • Angela Smiley — Person · Pastor / community witness · 3 mentions · first at
    Shea’s pastor who noticed his absence from church, provides character context, and later attends sentencing.
    EJ Steven was later sentenced to 55 years in prison, the recommended sentence for murder in Indiana. Sha's pastor, Angela Smiley, was there when the sentence was handed down.
  • Tiffany McGlaughlin — Person · Victim's aunt / family spokesperson · 2 mentions · first at
    First learns Shea is missing, arrives at his home, and recounts being told he was shot and died.
    But then Shea's roommate called Tiffany, letting her know police were there. When Tiffany arrived at Sha's home, an officer told her the unthinkable.
  • Sydney Havl — Person · Victim's half-sister · 2 mentions · first at
    Provides family impact perspective; was 17 at the time and describes the shock and grief response at home.
    Sydney Havl, Sha's halfsister, was only 17. 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.
  • Sharon Taylor — Person · Victim's grandmother · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as part of the family who learns Shea is missing and seeks information from hospitals and authorities.
    It wasn't long before Shea's aunt, Tiffany McGlaughlin, and his grandmother, Sharon Taylor, heard Sheay was missing. I started calling the hospitals, the sheriff's departments, everybody, and nobody would give me any information. Nobody.

Concepts & topics

  • G.I. Joes — Concept · Referenced topic · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as part of Shay Brier's childhood interests and his aspiration to join the military.
    He was fun. He loved his G.I. Joes. He always wanted to be in the military from a really small age.

Places & events

  • Klay County — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    The primary location where the events of the podcast took place, including the discovery of Shay Brier's body and the subsequent investigation.
  • Indiana — Place · Setting · 6 mentions · first at
    The state where Jay County is located and where the murder of Shay Brier occurred.
    Ground zero meant digging into who Sha Brier was and what he had been up to. He was born in Indiana, but was raised in Hawaii by his mom and stepdad.
  • Adams Memorial Hospital — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    The hospital where Shay Brier was transported after being found injured and where he later died from his injuries.
    He's immediately transported by ambulance to Adam's Memorial Hospital. It was at the hospital where they ended up finding the bullet wound in his back. There was no exit wound. It was actually in his heart. He passed away.

Media & podcasts

  • 48 Hours — Media · Broadcast · 5 mentions · first at
    The media platform that produced and aired the podcast episode discussing the murder of Shay Brier.
    Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales stepping in today as your host to speak with 48 Hours correspondent Ann Marie Green about her report on the murder of.

Full transcript with timestamps

J County 911. Where is your emergency? Um, we are on 125 West North. We came upon an individual that is on the bridge like laying here injured.

You said he's injured and needs an ambulance. Yeah, he definitely needs an ambulance.

Alert, 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.

I was working a 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. shift. It was mid January in northeast Indiana. It's cold. It's windy. We've had some rains for several days, so we had a lot of flooding in the area. The only thing that dispatch put out was that there was a man down in the roadway.

So, you had no idea what you were getting? I had no idea what I was coming on. When I first got to the scene here that night, this is kind of how I approach it.

This almost sort of seems like a road to nowhere really. Yeah, there's there's really nowhere else to go. And so what can you see?

So at 2:00 in the morning, you see absolutely nothing. There was a vehicle that was pulled up off the side of the road, which was the people that had found him. And then as I came up onto the bridge, he was laying right around here. What are you doing out here in the cold? We were able to remove his wallet out of his pocket. And then I see the name on the ID, which was Shay Brier. Brian, what happened to you?

The only thing I'm really getting out of him as far as a response is just moans and groans.

There was a little bit of blood underneath his head, but he' been, you know, hitting his head on the concrete.

It was probably another 10, 15 minutes after I got on scene before medics even arrived. They took him straight to the ambulance.

What happens with Sheay after that? He's immediately transported by ambulance to Adam's Memorial Hospital. It was at the hospital where they ended up finding the bullet wound in his back. There was no exit wound. It was actually in his heart. He passed away. I got a phone call from our sheriff who said, you know, we had a murderer. My name's Wes Shemanau. I'm the elected prosecutor in Jay County. The first thing you do is you start talking to family, those close to him. Who is this person?

He was one of a kind. He was the best brother I could ever have. He was fun, very sweet, very caring,

funloving, and goofy. He was a good kid. He had a kind heart. Everybody that we talked to, we asked if they would have any idea of who would want Sheay dead.

Sheay didn't have enemies. We talked to his co-workers, probably six or seven of them, and not a single one of them could think of anyone that would want to do him any harm at all.

You start investigating and you end up arresting not one person, not two people, but three people. Is that how you expected this to go?

No, not at all. The three individuals that were involved, that would have been the last thing on our mind. Normally when you have a case like this, they've at least been on the radar. And these individuals were not on the radar at all.

Did you think when this goes public, this town's going to be shocked? Absolutely. On Sunday, January 12th, 2020, when 31-year-old Shea Brier didn't show up for church, Pastor Angela Smiley knew something was wrong. She had just seen him the night before. We served a 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." I'm like, "You always do." 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. She Brier was not late.

In J County, Indiana, word travels fast. It wasn't long before Shea's aunt, Tiffany McGlaughlin, and his grandmother, Sharon Taylor, heard Sheay was missing. I started calling the hospitals, the sheriff's departments, everybody, and nobody would give me any information. Nobody.

But then Shea's roommate called Tiffany, letting her know police were there. When Tiffany arrived at Sha's home, an officer told her the unthinkable.

He said that Sheay had been shot. And I said, "Well, was he okay?" And he said, "No, he died on the operating table.

She's mother, Tracy Havl, was living all the way in Hawaii at the time. Her sister and mother called her to deliver the news.

I'm like, "No." I mean, I think I must have screamed so loud. We're in shock. Sydney Havl, Sha's halfsister, was only 17. 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

at that point. Did anyone have any idea what happened to Shay? No, we had no idea what happened to Shay.

Ben Schwarz was one of the lead detectives assigned to the case. Jay County is a very rural farming community. It's certainly not like working in a big city where it's backtoback calls. And as soon as this happened, it was a pretty big deal. It's isolated where he was found. We wondered how he got there. And we just had to start from ground zero. Ground zero meant digging into who Sha Brier was and what he had been up to. He was born in Indiana, but was raised in Hawaii by his mom and stepdad.

What sort of kid was Shay? A little rascal. 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, Sheay joined the Navy. And it was also no surprise when after he was discharged, he returned to live in Jay County.

Sheay was always an Indiana boy. He loved the tractors. He loved all the land. And that's where he wanted to put down roots.

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 got a phone call from her son.

He's like, "Hey, mom. Guess what? You're going to be a grandma." I was like, "What? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend." The future mother of his child was Esther Jane Steven, a local high school softball coach who also ran a daycare and went by the name EJ. I don't think they were boyfriend and girlfriend, you know, I think it was just one of those things.

In January 2019, Sheay and EJ's daughter was born. It was only after her birth that the two decided to start dating. They soon were engaged, but Shea's family felt it was forced. They weren't all loveydovey for, you know, the lack of a better word.

I tried to tell him, "Is this how you want to live your life with someone that's really not who you're meant to be with?"

You felt that? Oh, definitely. Because they did not have a connection. They must have sensed something because in September 2019, just weeks before the wedding, EJ called it off.

Was he disappointed? Yes, because he wanted a family. It was around that time that Angela says Sheay began coming to church.

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 Angela and Shea's family say for reasons unbeknownst to them, EJ made it difficult. After the engagement is broken up, what sort of access does Sheay have to his daughter?

He doesn't. None. He went quite a long time without seeing her and he was trying to see her and

that's why he finally got a lawyer. Sheay told his mother that when EJ found out, she wasn't happy.

He told me, she said to him, "If you go through with this, you'll be sorry." But that didn't stop Sheay. In November 2019, he filed this court document seeking to establish paternity and to provide custody, support, and parenting time.

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 EJ had decided against. Why was it important for Sheay to be in his daughter's life? Sheay really did not know his dad. He just did not want to 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, Sheay was murdered. And Tracy and Tiffany suspected EJ may have had something to do with it

cuz there wasn't anyone else. But as it turns out, there would be other suspects. Less than 24 hours after Shea Brier died, Detective Ben Schwarz and his partner called EJ Steven, Shea's ex fiance and the mother of his child into the sheriff's office.

We talked to her and told her about what happened to Sheay. Unfortunately, this morning we were called out because Shay had sustained some injuries were life-threatening injuries and he did not make it.

She really didn't have a whole lot to say. Did you find her reaction curious? Yeah, I would have expected a little bit of emotion out of her. Uh but that didn't happen and I would have expected a lot more questions, but she really didn't ask too many questions at all. And Detective Schwarz says that wasn't the only thing that stuck out.

She said that the last time she talked to Shay would have been the week prior. But he knew she was lying. Sha's phone records revealed she was the last person to call him at around midnight, within hours of him being found on that bridge.

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.

I'll give you my card and uh if there's something you hear that you might think 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 this woman would help investigators out.

She unloaded and told us a lot of interesting stuff. Christy Cybre has known EJ Steven for years. She used to umpire softball games that EJ played in and took her kids to the daycare that EJ ran out of this church. How would you describe her?

Very quiet, great with kids. She's very involved in the community activities. Over the years, Christy says she became a mentor of sorts to EJ.

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

Christy had never met Sheay Brier, but she knew he was the father of EJ's daughter. And when she learned he was murdered, she started to panic.

I just dropped everything and I just started scream. 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."

Christy, a former police officer, soon found herself inside a J County Sheriff's Office interview room.

Start at the beginning and share with us what you uh want to get off your chest.

She began by telling Detective Schwarz and his partner that she received a call from EJ a few days prior to Sha's death. She said EJ asked her to babysit that weekend, something she had never asked her to do before.

And I'm like, "Yeah, not a problem." So, all day Saturday, I'm like, "Okay, what time am I getting her?" I had not heard anything. We were like getting down for the night. About 10:00, 10:30. Here she comes with a child. It was Saturday, January 11th, 2020, just hours before Sheay was found shot. She goes, "Okay, I'll be back in a little bit." And I'm like, "Okay, what are you doing?" And she goes, "Oh, we're just just going out." She came in by herself.

Christy says EJ didn't return until around 1:00 a.m. I had heard her open the back door, so I got up and I met her there and I said, "EJ, what were you doing?" She was nothing. And she was real standoffish. I said, "Come on, EJ. 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.

You must have been thinking about that all night. Yes. But that was just the beginning of what Christy told police. She said that in the months leading up to Sha's murder, EJ came over a lot. And she wasn't alone.

Shelby was always in the car with EJ. Shelby is Shelby Heston. She was 18 years old. EJ was 29 and used to be her high school softball coach. After Shelby graduated, she became EJ's assistant coach at another nearby high school.

Just over the border in Fort Recovery, Ohio, Shelby also worked at the daycare with EJ.

Did you think it was odd that Here's EJ hanging out with Shelby? Mhm. There's a good 10 years between the two.

I think everybody thought it was odd. From what I have been told, they were pretty well inseparable. Detectives had heard Shelby's name before. Shay's family had mentioned her.

Shelby was always around in the picture. I think there was some major jealousy between Shelby and Shay. You know, he never come out and said it, but he kind of insinuated things.

What did he insinuate? He thought maybe there was something more going on, more than a friendship,

possibly. And Sheay wasn't the only one who suspected something. I just assumed that maybe they were a couple.

EJ and Shelby would later deny being anything more than friends. Christy told investigators that the two began stopping by shortly after she filed that court document to establish paternity.

Shelby pretty much stayed with the child and EJ would sit with me at the kitchen table

and she said EJ wanted advice. She just asked me what do I do cuz 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."

Christy insists she didn't think anything at the time. Anybody who goes through a breakup, don't think they didn't say, "Oh, I wish he was gone." Oh, I wish he was dead. But do we act on it? And that's what I'm thinking. I've been divorced twice. I'll tell you, I probably said it. And Christy says she had that same mindset when over time the conversations grew more detailed and various methods were discussed.

I just really thought she was venting. I did not think this was for real. But when Christy heard Sha was murdered, she says she immediately viewed all those conversations in a different light.

At that point, do you think EJ is involved in this somehow? Yes. and she knew she had to go to police.

I didn't even think about it 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 cuz I didn't think she could. And this was your opportunity to do something.

Yeah. Sorry. It was just kind of unbelievable. After Christy was done talking, Detective Schwarz says there was one thing on his mind.

We've got to get EJ back in here. So, you say, "Come on in, EJ." Yep. We just want to know the truth and what happened to Shay. On January 14th, 2020, just 2 days after Sha Brier was murdered, EJ Steven was back inside the Jay County Sheriff's Office. Detective Ben Schwarz and his partner first confronted her about those phone records, which revealed she called Shay shortly before he died. Something she had previously been dishonest about.

Midnight you called his phone. We just kind of wonder how that conversation went.

I did not talk to him. I didn't recall. I but him. She said that she butt dialed Shay.

Did you believe her? No. We kind of pressed her on that a little bit and then finally she said, "Okay, yeah, we talked, but it wasn't for very long."

EJ insisted she didn't see Shay that night, but detectives didn't believe her. 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 Heend was also being questioned. This is not a game.

Her demeanor kind of changed a little bit and it was a turning point. my friend.

In a cool and calm tone, EJ cracked and began to tell detectives what happened that night. Starting with how she dropped her daughter off at Christiey's Cybers. She told them Shelby was in the car waiting. From there, we retraced their steps based on EJ's account.

How does she tell you the night unfolds? From there, they came to the church. At the time it was a daycare also.

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

So, this is the daycare. What do they do here after they move that furniture? After they moved the furniture, they were planning on how to get rid of Shay basically. Joking about like it wasn't a full serious conversation.

She said earlier that day she had picked Shelby's rifle up from Shelby's house and that while in the daycare parking lot, Shelby got the gun out and fired a round. how bad it was.

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

So, where did they go from the daycare? From the daycare, they drove around still discussing whether or not they should follow through with killing Shay. And somewhere along the line, the EJ called Shay. We asked him, "You want to come for a ride with us?" And he came.

After they picked Shay up with Shelby driving, EJ said they headed to that bridge.

So, about what time do they get out here? I think it's right around 1:00 in the morning. They stop the van right over here. EJ and Shay get out of the van. The next thing I know

what happened. EJ, we're right there. We are right here. Finish it. I'm trying to remember.

You shot him. Did Shelby shoot him? There was no tears or any remorse that I saw.

She's talking about the father of her child being shot in the back next to her,

right? Yeah. It was shocking. EJ told detectives she didn't know Shelby was going to shoot Sheay despite conversations they had had earlier.

You or her a hammer like we talked about beating her I mean talked about it and then

it was just like okay let's just do it. Yeah jokingly obviously and then the joke end.

But detectives believe EJ knew exactly what was going to happen that night. They believe she coldheartedly planned it and that the cruelty continued after Sheay was shot because when police located Sheay, his cell phone was nowhere to be found.

Where's his cell phone at? Okay. Is Shelby going to tell us the same thing that she doesn't know where the phone is because the phone is somewhere.

Did you throw in the river? Who threw it? Who threw it in the river? You did? EJ said that after they began driving away from the bridge that night, they turned around.

They drive right past them through here and they stop right there where my car is sitting and that EJ and and Shelby get out.

You scared that he could call 911? Yeah. Okay. EJ said she knew Sheay was still alive. He would lay on that bridge helpless for about an hour before he was found clinging to life.

You are under arrest for the murder of of Sha Brier. EJ Steven was arrested and charged with murder. Down the hall, only after being confronted with what EJ told police, Shelby Hasted admitted pulling the trigger.

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 Kapki had returned to college. She too eventually admitted involvement.

I didn't want to be there at all. I don't even know him. I 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 EJ and Shelby that night, but that the conversation took a turn.

Okay. They talked about shooting him. At what point was a decision made to take your

um basically they didn't want to take UJ'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.

A third person has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old Jake County man.

And even though Sha's family had suspected EJ's involvement, they were horrified to learn the details. to find out that there were two other people that were involved. It was like what?

It was shocking. I think it really did shock the community. But despite those three taped interrogations, the case was far from over because EJ, Shelby, and Hannah would all plead not guilty. And it would be up to prosecutors to secure convictions. Starting with EJ, I felt like going into it that it was, okay, she, you know, she's guilty. She's going to be found guilty. And then I'm like, wait a second. What's happening here? I was scared.

In March 2021, EJ Steven was first to go on trial for Sha Brier's murder. Wes Shemanau and Zack Landers prosecuted the case.

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. Sha's mom, Tracy, traveled from Hawaii to attend.

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 dash cam video.

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

Ryan, what happened to you? I would love to been there and hold his hand, you know? I I wish.

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

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 she filed and they argued it infuriated EJ so much so that she and her friend Shelby Hston devised a plan to kill him. They pointed to EJ's own words. The jury heard her interrogation in full.

Why did Shelby shoot him? We talk about it in a joking manner like this. She was gone.

She didn't want Shay involved in her life or in her daughter's life. The prosecution's star witness was Christy Cybre. She testified about those visits she said EJ and Shelby made to her house. One discussion she said was particularly alarming in hindsight.

I go, "You couldn't shoot somebody." I think that's what I said to EJ. And Shelby goes, "I could." And Christy testified about another conversation that she had also shared with police.

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

Did you say to her, "What are you doing?" I'm like, "Are you serious?" I didn't even believe her because I just could not see her doing that. Prosecutors argued Christiey's testimony was proof of planning.

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, EJ's knowledge.

But the defense countered that prosecutors had it all wrong and put EJ on the stand. She declined our request for an interview and her trial attorney has since died. What did she tell the jury 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 Sha's drink, EJ 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 EJ, Shelby wanted the baby and EJ all to herself and that Sheay was in the way. Shelby had told detectives how much she disliked him.

I didn't want her to be with him at all. I was like, that little girl will be just fine without him. The defense claimed EJ had no reason to want Sheay dead and said that EJ and Sheay were talking about getting back together that night on the bridge. Prosecutors rejected that. 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 going to be, that's like, okay, now this is real, right?

But EJ 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 EJ did after the murder? EJ 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. You scared that he could call 911? Yeah.

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, EJ 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. It's just nonsense. There were two other girls with her. You're not going to convince me that their phones were dead. You're not really going to 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, EJ's attorney maintained EJ had no idea Shelby planned to shoot Sheay and drew the jury's attention to where EJ told police she was standing at the time.

You were standing there face to face with him. The defense argued if EJ knew Shelby was going to shoot Sheay, why would she put herself in the line of fire. Sheay's family worried jurors would be swayed by EJ's testimony.

I thought we were going into this and it's a no-brainer. I mean, she did it. She's going to be found guilty. And yeah, I mean, it was scary.

The trial spanned three days and then the case went to the jury. Nerve-wracking is a understatement. We were in the office Monday morning quarterbacking ourselves, you know, like you always do.

One hour of deliberations passed, then two. The longer the jury is out, the more of that second guessing comes into play.

Then they received a call. A verdict was in. The heart rate goes up to about a million. The palms start sweating. You're just on pins and needles. We were all three holding hands and just holding our breath to see what was going to happen.

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 Sheay.

After nearly 2 and 1/2 hours of deliberations, Sha's family finally heard the word they were waiting for. Guilty.

What is that feeling like? Like a big relief. That that much is over. EJ Steven was later sentenced to 55 years in prison, the recommended sentence for murder in Indiana. Sha's pastor, Angela Smiley, was there when the sentence was handed down.

You would think that you would see some kind of repentance. I don't see it at all. Nothing. 3 months after that, in August 2021, Shelby Hston went on trial. She's mom, Tracy, was in court again, sitting through all the evidence for a second time, including that dash cam video.

Tracy sat right there and watched it again and didn't cry. She said she didn't want them to have the satisfaction that they had hurt her so badly.

You were really thinking that? Yeah. I was No, they're not going to I'm not let my head hang. I'm holding it up as high as I can. This is for Shay. It was hard. But

this is the boy you gave birth to. Yeah. It just makes me So, may I didn't do anything wrong. 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 us.

Her defense was more of a it was a mistake. it was an accident that her intent to kill wasn't there.

How did they go about trying to prove that? Well, if if you look at what she said in her interview, they they tried to keep pointing to this I blacked out type of language.

Honestly, I feel like it just blacked out and it just happened. They tried to just essentially characterize what she said as not not technically admitting to murder, not technically admitting to shooting at Shay, but simply just pulling the trigger.

Is there any way that this could have been an accident? No. Uh, 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 EJ about a month before Sha's murder. It reads, "I'm killing that bastard with my own two hands."

They've talked about this together for a long time. And one of the things that was odd to me, if you look at that text message, is EJ's name in Shelby's phone is ba. Bay as in a term of endearment,

right? Why do you think Shelby was willing to do this? You know, it's speculation. She had a lot of animosity towards Sheay as evidenced by what she said in her interview about him.

I didn't want her to abuse him at all. And she was very angry at Sheay over his attempts to interfere with or or insert himself into the daughter's life. And so, um, you know, I think that that that sort of fed into that maybe power dynamic with EJ.

What do you mean by that? Well, there's a huge age difference, you know, between EJ and Shelby. I think it's clear that Shelby looked up to EJ and, you know, 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 Heston was also convicted of murder. At her sentencing hearing, unlike EJ, she apologized to Sha's family.

Shelby was looking right at me and she said she was sorry, and I believed her. I mean, it didn't change anything, but I believed her. No, she had the chance. She had the chance. Shelby Heston received the same sentence as EJ Steven, 55 years in prison. For Sha's family, the thought of a third trial was too much to bear.

I didn't want to go to another trial. Well, we I don't think my mom could have handled another one.

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 Kavki and her attorneys also declined our 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 Sha's family. 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 Sha's murder.

I said, you could have made a difference. You could have said no. You could have said, "Let's get out of here."

But for not one person, but three people made the decision to murder him, right? Three opportunities for someone to do the right thing.

Yes. And none of them took that opportunity. Very well put. Very well put. She 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. My brother wanted to be there for his baby. He loves her so, so much. 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.

Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm CBS News correspondent Natalie Morales stepping in today as your host to speak with 48 Hours correspondent Ann Marie Green about her report on the murder of 31-year-old Shea Brier. It was on January 12th, 2020 when Sheay Brier was found incoherent on a remote bridge in J County, Indiana. Now, it turned out he had been shot in the back with a bullet lodged in his heart and he later died from his injuries. Now, when a homicide investigation was launched, detectives uncovered a shocking plot involving not one, not two, but three individuals. An Marie is joining me now to chat with me.

Hey, Amry. Hello. Hello. Hello. And thank you. I love it when we do it like this. I like to It's fun being on the other side. It's fun for me, too, being on this end of it. Now, I just want to remind our listeners, if you have not listened to the 48 hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. So, just go take a listen, then come right back for our conversation. So, Amarie, it's rare that we see a woman as a killer, but in this case, we have three women who are charged with killing Sheay or being involved in his death. Yeah. Um, we start things off with EJ. Um, she's 29 years old. She's pretty much the first person that comes under suspicion for detectives because she's the only person who's had a conflict with Sheay. People love this guy. Um, she is Shea's ex fiance and the mother of his child, but their relationship wasn't that kind of relationship. you know, they kind of

didn't really date until after they had become parents, if you will, and and then became um, you know, engaged. But then later, we learn about these two other young women who are involved. And I say young women cuz they're teenagers, right? We have 18-year-old Hannah whose parents van was used. She was driving her parents' van that night. And then there's 18-year-old Shelby who is the one who shot Sheay. Let's talk about that age difference and and who the mastermind of this was. I mean, who was the one who was sort of seen as the the person who was pulling the strings on this operation?

Yeah, I guess you know that's a bit of the the question. You know, you have to understand that EJ has known these two other women for quite a long time. She's 10 years older than them. She's a softball coach. She's coached them. Um, and they basically have known her since they were children. You have to wonder about the nature of her influence over them.

Mhm. And you see it in the hour. A lot of people, you know, speculated as to whether or not there was more to the relationship between Shelby and EJ. No one saw EJ without Shelby being around. We also learned that EJ's name was in Shelby's phone as bae. I know you've probably heard that nickname, bae. And it's normally spelled B A E. It was spelled B A Y. They could have just spelled it wrong. I don't know. But we all know what that means. My bae. That's my sweetheart, right? Um, of course, you know, both ladies say that there was nothing romantic between them. They were just very close friends. But the other thing is it really was Shelby who seemed to really dislike Shay and she's the one who shot the gun. So Ambry, let's talk about the apparent motive in this case which is just so sad because all it is it seems is that is that Sheay just wanted to be involved in his daughter's life. Now that was something that EJ did

not want according to prosecutors. So when Sheay hired an attorney and then filed those court documents to establish paternity, a friend of EJ said that EJ started talking about getting rid of him. I'm curious though, why didn't Sheay already have certain rights in place? I mean, that's his daughter. Yeah. So his name was not on the birth certificate and so then he sort of realized that he had to go a more formal legal route. And like I said, the nature of their relationship before they became engaged is kind of murky. You know, his family had never even heard of her really before. Um, and and so the impression that we get is, you know, there wasn't much of a relationship. She becomes pregnant though she has the child and so they try to establish something. Sheay really wanted to be a dad. He did not have a great relationship with his own father and he wanted to kind of like correct that

family story if you will. You know, he wanted to be a father and be a good one. So, what's interesting is given that whole, you know, what was going on in their relationship on the night that Sheay was killed, he had received a late night call from EJ to meet with him. And at this point, as you said, Emry, they had been broken up for a while. They didn't seem to have a relationship at all. So, it seemed to be somewhat contentious, if anything. So, why did he even agree to meeting up with EJ and getting in that van? That's like the million-dollar question. It's late at night. The weather was terrible. They hadn't really been talking. But I asked the same question to detectives as well, and I want to play a little sound from the interview that actually didn't make it into the hour. Why do you think Sheay got into that van? I think Sheay got into the van thinking that they could possibly rekindle their relationship. He

wanted to raise his daughter. He wanted parental rights. I think he would have probably done anything to do that.

Even get into that van. Even get into the van. Just It's just so sad that, you know, he goes there with a sliver of hope and then what happens to him happens. Yeah. Um, now I know you visited Jay County and you walked along that bridge where he was found practically dead. Um, he then succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. But what was it like to be out there? Beautiful and and eerie. This is, you know, a rural town, but this area is even sort of out in the country for for them. Um, I would say it was about a 20inut drive outside of the center of town. Um, there's nothing around. Uh, I think there's an abandoned barn way off in the distance, but other than that, it's just fields with this creek. Um, there's really no reason to go there and stop really.

Um, other than maybe to take in the scenic view, but it's a road to get to somewhere else. The fact that anyone found Shay is a miracle in and of itself. You know, it is heartbreaking that no one came by sooner, but I'm not surprised. You just wouldn't go there by mistake really.

And Emory, as we saw, you interviewed Christy Cyber. She was the one, remember, who called the detectives the very minute she heard about Shea's murder, but she told detectives that EJ had come to her and seemed to be venting about Sheay. Even talked about getting rid of him. And it's interesting because watching Christiey's interview, she seems to really carry a lot of guilt about, you know, not realizing what EJ was saying and and, you know, not understanding. Is she just venting? Like a lot of people I think a lot of us do that. Like, if only I was, you know, rid of him. If only there was a way to get him out of my life, right? I think we all do that. So, it raises the question, how do you tell the difference between somebody who's just venting or somebody who is actually admitting to wanting to do something?

Yeah. Yeah. Because Christy, as you know, is a former police officer, right? So, she really feels guilty. But to your point, Natalie, I mean, I I have friends who are going through like some challenging divorces and they say like, "I wish he would just get out of the house. I wish he would just disappear." Like, you get it. Um, and I think for Christy,

I got the feeling that she recognized that for whatever reason, these girls needed a place to go to or another adult where they could sit and unload, you know, like everyone needs like that that auntie or whatever. It's not your mom, so they're not going to lecture you. Um, it's that other adult that's still going to kind of guide you. And so I think she like allowed them to feel comfortable, allowed them the space to just kind of be themselves, I think, in the hopes of nudging them in the right direction. And she would give EJ advice. She would say like, "You're never going to get rid of him, right? So like now just think about how are you going to manage co-parenting?" Like she would do that.

Um, and she just never believed. I mean, even after that experiment where they threw stuff in his drink, she just never believed that they would take it this far.

Yeah. I mean, that right in itself right there, chopping up pills and putting it into his drink, that's a big, you know, if if you're saying you did something like that, that's one step away. And it, as it turns out, it was one step away.

Yeah. And I mean, when EJ asked if, you know, she could babysit, that was one thing. But then she shows up really late. Um, and then she says, "Trust me, you're gonna read about it in the papers tomorrow." That's that's a problem.

But it was Christy who was the first person the minute she heard about Shay's murder who went right to the police and told them everything that she knew and had heard. She did. She did. Welcome back. All right, Ann Marie, let's talk a little bit more about who Shelby was and who Hannah is. How did these women get wrapped up in this plot? I tell you um so often uh Natalie I think about how in a in a very small moment if people make a different decision their life is completely different right like that's the thing about 48 hours you're like oh if you had just delayed that one thing that you did 30 seconds maybe none of this would have happened these ladies had you know plans in place for their life I'm just going to like read a little bit Shelby she was studying to become uh an EMT before she was arrested she wanted to become a nurse. Hannah was already in college because after this incident, she goes

back to college. She's on a scholarship. She also thought in the future she would be perhaps opening a nursing home. And then during the interrogation, Shelby says something which gives you a sense of maybe her understanding or lack of understanding about how much trouble that they're all in. Um, but so this didn't make it into the show, but I want to play it.

Can I just ask one thing? Absolutely. Can it stay on Facebook? Does it have to be put out there?

The seriousness of this is going to go far. Uh it's going to be on Facebook. It's going to be on

everyone's going to know. Oh yeah. I mean, do you understand the the the level of this? It's been on the news that he his body was found. You know what I'm saying?

To stay off of Facebook. I mean, oh my goodness. That's crazy. Yeah. So, that gives you a sense of the disconnect,

like not realizing just how just the amount of trouble that they're in and also not feeling remorse or guilt in that moment because she was the one who was practicing in the parking lot and was the one who admittedly who pulled the trigger. Right.

Yeah. Um, you're right. no concept of the damage that has been done, the life the lives that have been devastated, including her own. Including her own.

Yeah. And she's worried about if it's going to end up on Facebook. Well, guess what? It's on 48 hours now. Shelby, um, so EJ, Shelby, and Hannah, they're going to be tried separately in court. EJ goes to trial first, and she's the one who then turns on Shelby when she takes the stand. And what did she say? Yeah, you know, she basically says, "I was totally surprised. I had no idea Shelby was planning this sort of thing." Even though even though she was there when Shelby was sort of test firing the gun, right? I had no idea. Um, you know, even though they put the pill in the drink, her defense, as we heard in the hour, is I just wanted to talk to Shay. We were talking about our relationship. If if if I had known Shelby was going to shoot him in the back, why would I be standing right next to Shay? I mean, that's a lot of confidence in Shelby, you know, firearms ability, if she's a good shot

or not. Um, and so that was her defense. Obviously, it didn't work. So, EJ is found guilty. She's sentenced to 55 years in prison, but then Shea's family has to go through it all over again, uh, another trial with Shelby, and to see and hear all that evidence again, which has to be so painful. Yeah. And I mean, we're talking about that video, the police body cam of Sheay, you know, he's on that bridge. You can hear him and they have to watch that again. Sheay was really surrounded by strong women. His mom, his aunt, and his grandmother.

I love these women. Um, they have such an incredible tight bond. They adored him. Um they believed in his ability to do great things and they really supported him. Um and they wanted the defendants in this case to know that he was loved.

Yeah. Shelby, as we heard, found guilty as well, sentenced to the same as EJ, 55 years,

and and she apologized to the family. So in the end, I guess maybe she felt a little bit bad about her participation. I I think so. And I think, you know, in terms of the people who spoke on her behalf, um they really felt like she had been manipulated by EJ. And this is actually what a family friend said at sentencing. I'm going to read it. She had the misfortune of finding comfort in a wannabe cult leader who literally destroyed several families for her own self-interest. So, those are some really strong words. a wannabe cult leader. Um, that suggests even more than, you know, a strangely close relationship, right? That is about manipulation and control.

Yeah. You know, and again, it goes back to that odd dynamic and the age difference.

So, Hannah was the only one who got a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. And in the episode, we learned that Sha's family, I mean, the reason she got the plea deal is they felt that another trial would just be too much for them to bear. But there were also other factors at play in Hannah's case. Right, Amory? Yeah, certainly Sha's family felt like Hannah out of all three of them um was the least culpable. Of course, they say, "Hey, you could have done something. You could have called 91. You could have done anything." Now, the thing about Hannah is she is actually from one town over, Fort Recovery. Um, and when we talk to some of the other people, they kind of characterize Fort Recovery as a little wealthier, a little nicer, like the right side of the tracks.

But they also said that the entire community rallied around Hannah. They were raising money for her defense. Somebody described kind of like one of those containers that you see on like a counter in a store, you know, throw throw a couple bucks in for a cause or whatever. So, there was she really had a lot of support from the entire town, not just her family. Um, and that may have had a an impact on the deal that she got. Of course, you know, she's she's also spending time behind bars as well. Um and she was basically right about to kind of launch, you know, she finally she gets a scholarship to college, she's gonna launch. And so her her life is certainly being derailed significantly.

Well, as you said in your reporting and you put it so well, each one of them had the opportunity at one point in time to do the right thing and all three did not. And so, you know, the final act, I think, is, you know, just taking the phone away from him and throwing it into the river. I mean, that tells you right there. They were basically leaving him to die, to bleed out on that cold pavement. So, it doesn't get much colder than that. That is spoton. I mean, they had left and they turned back around. It is callous. And what sort of adds to the mystery um is the nature of the gun. This is a small caliber gun. This is the kind of gun, Natalie, that maybe if you live in an area where people hunt, they might give this gun to a child, kind of like their first gun to to learn how to hunt. This is the type of bullet that if it hits you, you're probably going to survive.

Sheay was hit directly in the heart and it it was it is because of that that he was not able to survive something that probably would have been survivable. But you just never know. You know, you don't know if if somebody had intervened a minute earlier if that would have made a difference and they had the ability to make that difference and they didn't.

That's right. And and then at the end we see that is EJ's family. They're the ones who end up with primary custody of his daughter. What kind of relationship though are his family able to have with the daughter? So, um it was really important for obviously for Sha's family to maintain a connection with her. And so, they have an arrangement and I believe it's through the courts that they get to see her once a month. You know, she's still very, very young. So, I don't know how both families will tackle this um situation as she gets older. But right now, those three women, his grandmother, his mother, and his aunt, they want to do nothing more than just sort of pour into that little girl and and make sure that she feels love in the middle of this great loss.

Well, once again, Ann Marie, a a wonderful episode. Thank you so much for bringing it to us and for talking with me today. Thank you, Natalie. And if you like this series Postmortem, please rate and review 48 hours on our Apple podcasts and follow 48 hours wherever you get your podcast. And you can also listen adree with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says"?

Natalie Morales (Host), Ann Marie Green (Host), Wes Shemanau (Guest), Angela Smiley (Guest), Tiffany McGlaughlin (Guest), Sharon Taylor (Guest), Tracy Havl (Guest), Sydney Havl (Guest).

What is "Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says" about?

A softball coach is accused of orchestrating the murder of her ex-fiancé, enlisting the help of a former player to carry out the crime. The incident came to light after the victim was found seriously injured on a bridge, ultimately succumbing to a gunshot wound to the heart while being treated at a hospital.

What is mentioned in this 48 Hours episode?

17 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including EJ Steven, Shea Brier, Shelby Heston, Christy Cybre, Ben Schwarz, Klay County. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Softball coach orchestrated the murder of ex-fiancé with the help of former player, prosecutor says"?

The episode runs 1 h 2 min; the transcript is about 9,506 words in 192 timestamped sections.

More from 48 Hours

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 2, 2026.