Jury finds former coach guilty of murder

PORTLAND, Ind. - A jury found former Fort Recovery assistant softball coach Shelby Hiestand of Portland guilty of murder Wednesday in Jay County Circuit Court after deliberating for about three hours.

She is the second woman to be convicted of unclassified felony murder in the death of Shea Briar, a 31-year-old from Portland, though her defense team attempted to convince jurors to convict her on lesser charges of reckless homicide or involuntary manslaughter.

During Wednesday's closing arguments, Hiestand's lawyers argued that while Hiestand had admitted to law enforcement that she had shot Briar in the back, the state had not proven there had been a plot or intent on Hiestand's part to kill Briar. Evidence presented by the state to illustrate prior intent was circumstantial, Hiestand's lawyers said, arguing that intent was an important factor when deciding on the charge of murder.

Chief deputy prosecutor Zechariah Landers said the evidence did not support an accident. Hiestand had told law enforcement during an interview she'd taken aim and shot Briar in the back.

According to witness testimony by Kristi Sibray, Hiestand had visited Sibray's house with former Fort Recovery softball coach Esther Stephen, and Sibray said Hiestand had once said she could shoot Briar. According to evidence presented during the trial, text messages sent between Hiestand and Stephen's mobile devices also read that Hiestand wanted to kill Briar for Stephen.

Stephen was convicted March 18 of Briar's murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Stephen and Briar have a child together and they had been arguing over custody and Briar wanting to change the child's last name to his at the time of the murder.

Jay County Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison instructed jurors before they were sent to deliberate that reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, both fifth-degree felonies, could be considered if they felt prosecutors had failed to prove Hiestand was guilty of murder.

Hiestand could be seen holding back tears as Hutchison read the jury's unanimous verdict. She is being held in the Jay County jail awaiting sentencing, which has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Sept. 24.

Hannah Knapke, a former Fort Recovery High School student and softball player who'd known Hiestand and Knapke as coaches, is also being charged in connection with Briar's death.

Both Hiestand and Stephen had reported using Knapke's vehicle to transport Briar to the bridge on which he was killed because their own vehicles would've been too noticeable, and Knapke was reportedly in the vehicle with them when Briar was shot. Her trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 15.