Chapters
Shownotes Transcript
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. Hey, True Crime Besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serialistly.
Hey everybody, welcome back to an all new episode of Serialistly with me, Annie. I hope you all had a great weekend, but we have got a deep dive of a case to talk about today. It's a big one. My camera went out on my Serialistly set, so that is why I am recording over here in my 10 to Life set, my YouTube True Crime set. So it'll be up and running again by next week, so I'll be back in my normal set, but it
But anyways, before we jump into today's case, take a quick second, do all of the things, rate, review, all the stuff on the podcast, and we are going to jump right in to today's case. Many people experience difficult relationships, especially in their 20s. It's very common to know at least one couple with an on-again, off-again dynamic or even have experienced a relationship loop at some point yourself.
It can kind of be like a rite of passage, something you look back on and cringe wondering why you both held on to something that was obviously not meant to be. But every so often, we hear about a relationship in that same cycle that ends up going far beyond what anyone ever expected.
And that's the same for the case that we will be talking about today. "Kill County 911." "Ma'am, I have a... I killed my boyfriend in South Dakota." "Okay, where are you?" "I don't at all. They're evil and deserve to burn in hell if they don't change." "We got a picture of Hubers with a gun and a haunting message." "When I go to the shooting range with Ryan tonight, I want to turn around, shoot and kill him, and play like it's an accident."
Thousands of text messages she sent during this relationship. Shana Hubers admits that she shot and killed her boyfriend in 2012. Hi, baby. Yeah, hi, baby. How are you?
29-year-old Ryan Poston was born on December 30, 1982, in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. He was born to his mother, Lisa Carter, and his father, Jay Poston. Ryan's parents separated when he was very young, and his mother went on to marry a man named Peter Carter. Even though his parents didn't stay together, both Lisa and her new husband, Peter, went above and beyond alongside Jay to practice intentional co-parenting between the two families.
Both Jay and Peter were committed to collaborating together in efforts of raising Ryan to be an emotionally aware and driven young man. Although Peter took on a father figure role in Ryan's life, he did not try to take over as Ryan's dad and made sure that Jay was still included in all parental decisions, even when Ryan was living with him and Lisa.
To both of their credit, these men absolutely prioritized Ryan's needs and feelings as he was growing up, and it clearly showed. In fact, when Ryan got older, he legally changed his middle name from Christopher to Carter and presented Peter with the official document as a birthday gift to show his love and appreciation for his stepdad.
Ryan was also a doting older brother to three younger half-sisters, Allison, Catherine, and Elizabeth Carter, who lovingly called Ryan's biological father Uncle Jay. And both families celebrated holidays together and birthdays together. While I would venture to say that's sadly not necessarily the normal, this was their normal.
Ryan could have grown up in a divided and tumultuous environment with the split, but instead he grew up with double the guidance of two fathers and triple the love from three devoted parents, which was already rare, but a very lucky hand for him. Ryan attended Blessed Sacrament School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.
and then later the International School Manila in the Philippines and the International School of Geneva in Switzerland, all during his high school years. That kind of travel and cultural immersion is an experience of a lifetime for a young person. I know adults who've never even had the chance to visit multiple continents, let alone to go to school there, live abroad there. He was extremely lucky in that sense.
Ryan was raised with the tools to thrive by parents who cared deeply about him and because they had the means to, so they wanted him to experience as much as he possibly could. As you might have guessed, Ryan's pedigree does not end there either. As an undergraduate, Ryan triple majored, completing degrees in history, geography, and political science, all at Indiana University in 2005. When
which is just mind-blowing when you really think about that dedication that it takes to triple major in something. All of the traveling during Ryan's younger years was admittedly sometimes difficult, though, for his biological dad, Jay, being that Ryan was his only child.
But Ryan came back to his roots eventually and followed in the Poston family footsteps of his late grandfather, attorney James Poston Sr. Ryan went on to study law and completed his jury's doctorate degree at Salmon Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 2008.
In 2011, he passed the bar in Ohio. Ryan's plan was to dedicate his life to helping people get justice. So not only was Ryan incredibly smart and driven, but he was also aware of his privilege and the advantages that he had along the way that allowed him to reach his goals.
So as a lawyer, Ryan planned to provide legal representation for personal injury, defending clients facing criminal charges, and offer legal services related to family law. Practicing law was Ryan's way of actively serving his community and serving people who were less fortunate than him.
There were even times where Ryan represented people who couldn't afford his services. He was just so committed to helping people seek justice and not letting their financial situation be the defining factor of the type of representation that they received in the courtroom. By the time he was 28 years old, he was working incredibly hard to establish a law practice in Cincinnati.
According to Ryan's former mentor, who was also an attorney that Ryan clerked with before passing the bar, Ryan was going from zero to 100, probably faster and better than any other young lawyer could have or could have even imagined. He was that good at what he was going to be doing.
Ryan and everyone around him was so excited about his future. But as serious as Ryan took work, he also was just a man in his late 20s who was trying to figure out what his future would look like aside from the professional side of his life. Ryan was a 6'3 successful, smart, and handsome man. He seemed like what most people would refer to as a catch.
He had recently broken up with a girl by the name of Lauren Worley. The two of them had been in a serious relationship for about a year and a half.
They lived together, had two dogs named Lily and Max, and had fallen in love very quickly. But they were still young, and with Lauren still in law school to also become a lawyer, it just wasn't the right time to continue dating. When they broke up, it seemed like they both maybe thought that they'd end up back together down the line. But in the interim, they were both kind of just doing what many would consider rebounding—
and just kind of dating around fairly quickly after the breakup, trying to move on. So March 2011 came around, and Ryan was still dealing with the after effects of the breakup with Lauren, but he seemed to be ready to date. While on Facebook one day, he came across a Facebook post from a beautiful woman named Shana Hubers.
There were pictures of her in a bikini on a spring break trip and Ryan liked what he saw. So he liked the post, gave it that little thumbs up. Now I also want to just give a reminder that the spring of 2011 was still the very early days of Facebook.
The social media platform hadn't been around for even a decade at that point, so no one would find it strange for young people to use Facebook as it was originally intended, like a stand-in dating application almost, and to meet new friends and share personal photos. This was also before Instagram really took off.
Most young people who were online shared their photos with each other via Facebook, including Shaina. The reason Ryan came across Shaina's pictures and profile itself was because Shaina was friends with one of Ryan's step cousins, Carissa Carlisle. Now, 32-year-old Shaina was born on April 8, 1991, in Lexington, Kentucky.
She spent the first 19 years of her life devoted to school. Shana had a very promising future. She was basically a near genius, taking AP classes and getting A's with E's.
Shaina lived with her mom, Sharon Hubers, and her stepdad. Shaina's parents were split up, and while she excelled at academics, the difficulties that she experienced surrounding her parents' breakup and other potential traumatic events seemed to fly under the radar a bit. As far as we know, Shaina did not get any therapeutic counseling when she may have needed it, nor did her mom or her stepdad seem to know that she might be struggling emotionally.
But those who knew Shana in high school years recall her being extremely dramatic, and if she was ever broken up with or things didn't go her way, it was a big, dramatic production. Despite that, we know that Shana was extremely successful academically, and she seemed to continue to blossom after high school, at least on paper.
She attended college on a full vocal music performance scholarship and then graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky in only three years. Shana got a head start in pursuing her master's degree in school counseling. She was a talented singer and her future looked bright.
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extra help.
Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. So at the time Ryan liked her photo, Shana was a graduate psychology student at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After Shana saw that a handsome stranger named Ryan liked her photo, she was thrilled when he followed that up with a friend request. Shana accepted Ryan's friend request immediately, and then she messaged him asking, how do I know you? You're gorgeous, by the way.
And Ryan replied, you're not too bad yourself. The flirtatious messages between Shana, who was between 19 years old, almost 20 at the time, and Ryan, then 28 years old, kept going until they were finally able to meet in person at some point in April of that year.
Not long after their first meetup, the two of them started dating. From the time they first met in person in April 2011 through November that year, the pair only saw each other occasionally since they lived nearly 80 miles apart. But they texted frequently, although Shana always sent substantially more text messages to Ryan than he sent to her, which is kind of a typical guy thing. Girls are usually the primary texter, so nothing crazy in that.
But after November, things took a turn, and they were clearly not on the same page. The couple proceeded to go through many breakups, which often lasted for short periods of time before they would get back together. Ryan's friend Tom Awadala explained that from his point of view, Ryan wasn't able to completely break up with Shana because Ryan was too nice and didn't want to hurt her feelings. Ryan had expressed that he felt duty-bound to let her down easy.
By April of 2012, Ryan and Shana were in the midst of what was at least their third breakup. And that's when Ryan's worries about Shana's disturbing behavior skyrocketed. Ryan complained to friends that Shana sent 75 text messages to him in the last hour. In Ryan and Shana's text history, for every one message that Ryan sent, Shana sent dozens in response. Sometimes, Shana would send 50 to 100 messages in one day.
She also started to show up at his Highland Heights condo unannounced, using a key that she had kept even after they broke up. Just plain obsessive and creepy and kind of Jodi Arias vibes, if we're gonna be quite honest. Shayna's approach was always unpredictable,
and sometimes she'd arrive all dressed up as if nothing was wrong and they were going out on a date, and other times she would arrive in a fury or depressive state. At one point in April, Shana confronted Ryan in a rage, claiming that he had said degrading things about her to other people.
According to Shana, they had an altercation and she described Ryan picking her up and throwing her on the doorsteps of his condo. But Ryan told his friends something quite different.
that he tried and failed to cut things off because Shana couldn't let go. Now remember, Ryan was just branching out on his own as a lawyer at this point in his life. And on top of that, he was also dealing with a lawsuit of his own between him and his former business partner after leaving the firm to go and start his own. It was clearly a very hushed lawsuit because I haven't been able to really find any of the details.
But dealing with that on top of constant bombardment from someone who you are trying to end things romantically with would really disrupt anyone's concentration, let alone someone practicing law. The potential repercussions for his budding law firm and his life's work were becoming more and more apparent. While it's impossible to know all of the ways that he tried or didn't try breaking up with her when they were together in person, Ryan seemed to be pretty clear in his Facebook message and text messages.
In one instance, Ryan told Shana over text messaging that she needed more validation and affection from men than he was possibly able to give. But she refused to accept his attempt at being honest with her.
While that sort of thing might be hard for anyone to hear, it is a clear statement and definitive sign that it's time to move on, like yesterday. As Shana's apparent obsession only grew, Ryan didn't try to keep his growing frustration and concern to himself. In a text to his cousin Carissa, who knew Shana as well, Ryan wrote, "'This is getting to be restraining order level crazy. She's shown up at my condo like three times and refuses to leave each time.'"
Carissa even tried to talk to Shana about her behavior, but got nowhere. Ryan also revealed his concern about Shana's behavior in a Facebook message to another friend, Ali Wagner. In his words, Shana was described as literally probably the craziest effing person I have ever met.
And then he went on to say, Now I'm sure by now you're probably wondering why he didn't get a restraining order, especially being that he was an attorney and worked closely with the courts. One could easily assume that it may have been easier for him to acquire one because of that. But actually, when I looked into it even more, he couldn't have been granted one.
Kentucky laws are kind of backwards, and because they never lived together or didn't share a child together, he wouldn't have qualified for one. There's a couple other potential qualifications, but those two possible ones align more with Ryan's situation, which is honestly so angering to think about how many people could possibly be needing one, but they can't get one because of the laws.
So things were going back and forth. Ryan was clearly expressing his anger, his nervousness, his concern. But in July of 2012, for whatever reason, they seemed to reconcile yet again. But Shana claimed that when they resumed seeing each other this time, Ryan only agreed to giving her another shot if she followed along with some so-called conditions.
like speaking less, engage in a hobby or activity while at his condo, and to participate in sexual acts with him and other women. Shana also recalled that Ryan degraded her when they were in public together, often commenting on her eating habits.
Which, yes, those experiences sound awful, but this is just according to Shana. And there is evidence that shows that Shana was indeed mentally capable of understanding where Ryan was coming from and why he kept going back to her. In a text to a friend, Shana wrote,
So clearly, Shana did grasp the sentiments Ryan expressed to his friends and family. She knew that he wasn't with her because he wanted to be. It was obvious to everyone. In other text messages to her friend Christy O'Lear, Shana admitted that her relationship with Ryan was unhealthy.
that Ryan caught her going through his phone, and that Shana was secretly dating another guy named Patrick at the same time, listing Patrick as Patricia in her phone, which, let me just say, that's not very original there, but I get what you're trying to do. Shana told her friend that she loved Patrick and was thinking about leaving Ryan.
So why Ryan was being put through the ringer again and again and again is beyond me. If Shana understood the depths of their dysfunction, why did she refuse to take Ryan at his word? And if she loved this Patrick guy so much, why not leave Ryan and go with Patrick? In my opinion, it almost seems like in some weird way, Shana thrived in and enjoyed the dysfunction. And she wanted to be in control of how the relationship would end. That's my opinion, at least."
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extrahelp.
Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. So the recollection in July did not last long because they were on the rocks again by the end of August. The day he tried to end things, Ryan texted Shana, I'm turning off the phone and padlocking the door. After that, Shana sent Ryan at least 100 messages over the next nine hours until Ryan finally replied, I'm not reading any of these, stop.
Now, this seems like it was some very obsessive high school-type relationship, but even worse. Shana still had a key to Ryan's condo, and somehow, someway, she was back in his life by the time fall came around. Shana's mother Sharon wondered if he was just trying to let her down easy, because she remembers they spent time at her house and that Shana slept over at his place. But Shana was not as open with her mother as Ryan was with his two dads and close friends.
Sharon did not seem to be aware of Ryan's repeated attempts to stop seeing Shana, nor did she recognize Ryan was preparing to jump ship yet again. Instead of confiding in her mom about her issues with Ryan, Shana documented the twisting, turning, downward spiral of their relationship to her friends, mostly over text messages.
At some point in the fall of 2012, Shana's friend Christy noticed that her obsession shifted focus. Shana went from concentrating on finding any possible way to be with Ryan for the long haul to a much more bitter and vindictive tone. In a text to her friend Christy, Shana wrote,
A very disturbing remark that in early October 2012 escalated to a different level of scary while Ryan and Shana were together at a gun range. While there, Shana texted her friend saying,
Now, let me just say, if one of my friends sent that to me, I'd honestly probably call their significant other right away, if not the police. And better yet, I'd also call the shooting ranges that they were at and give them the information so they could make sure that she left immediately and was not in any possession of any weapons. Then I'd have the conversation with their significant other. I mean, it's a little bit unbelievable, but I do understand and I'm trying to understand that...
receiving this, maybe you think that your friend is just joking. Maybe just has a very dark sense of humor and sarcasm. I don't know. But had he been warned, it seems like Ryan would have taken that completely seriously, given his repeated attempts to leave the relationship, and that he had already told Carissa that he thought that she was restraining order level crazy, and that he was almost scared of her.
A few days later, on October 11th, Ryan went over to his parents' house for dinner and to watch the presidential debates. Shana was with him that night, but Ryan got some time to talk alone with his stepdad Peter.
He was planning on breaking up with Shana this time for good. So he asked for advice on how to get Shana to understand that he was very serious about parting ways while also being sensitive to her feelings. Ryan apparently just didn't know what to do to get her to leave. Nothing he had tried to do so far seemed to get through to Shana. But Ryan told his stepfather that this breakup had to be final. He even had a date set up with someone new the next evening.
And Ryan was happier that night than he had been in months. He had this idea that things were finally going to end with Shana. He'd go on a date with this new beautiful woman, and then who knows what would happen from there. And I'm sure the idea of Shana being out of his life for good was very exciting and relieving. He just needed to get through that one tough conversation.
When he left that night, he gave both Lisa and Peter a kiss on the cheek and gave them both a hug. And later that night, Ryan and Shana had that conversation at Ryan's condo. Obviously, Shana was incredibly emotional, or at least playing her emotions up. She even called her mom at 3 a.m. hyperventilating and incredibly upset. Sharon was obviously very worried about her daughter and was actually concerned that she was having a heart attack.
So doing what most moms would do when they get such a frantic, middle-of-the-night phone call from their child, Sharon hopped in her car and drove two and a half hours to Ryan's condo to get Shana. The following day on October 12th, Ryan headed into work, happy and upbeat. This was an exciting day for him. He spoke with one of his receptionists and told her that he had a date with someone new that evening.
Because Ryan confided to the receptionist several times about his painful back and forth with Shana, she asked him if he had finally ended things. And Ryan told her yes, they had broken up, and that he had even planned to tell Shana that he had a date with somebody new if he needed to. His date that evening was with Audrey Bolt, a gorgeous girl who was crowned Miss Ohio in 2012.
The plans were to meet up at a local, low-key place, grab a drink, and maybe shoot some pool. Ryan asked Audrey what he should wear, wondering if he should stay in his suit directly from work. But Audrey said he could dress comfortable, casually, so Ryan planned to make a pit stop at his home to change clothes.
The receptionist wasn't the only person who noticed that Ryan was in a really happy mood and had a chippy demeanor that Friday. Because you see, prior to passing the bar in 2011, Ryan had clerked for a law firm in the same building, and he was still close with his mentors there, attorney Kenneth Hawley and associate Lori Zimmerman, who were also working across the hall that same Friday. Ryan was also working across the hall that same Friday.
Ryan often worked late into the evening, but when Kenneth and Lori were leaving the office around 5.40 p.m., they exchanged goodbyes with Ryan, who happily told them he would not be clocking out after dark per usual that night that he was heading out on a date. So Ryan told them that he had plans after work, and he wished them both a good weekend. Audrey messaged Ryan that she was going to be a little bit late to their date due to a family funeral that had run overtime.
Their original meeting time got pushed back by an hour and a half, and Ryan planned to hang in his condo until Audrey was ready. Meanwhile, Shana was planning a trip to Ryan's condo as well. But before she could head over to Highland Heights, she had one pressing question that she needed answered. So she decided to Google it. Shana began Google searching how to unlock a door with a bobby pin.
Whether by bobby pin or extra key or an open door, Shana made her way into Ryan's condo that evening. And in a strange and horrific twist, Shana chose to make her split with Ryan permanent that evening.
As Ryan prepared to leave for his date with Audrey, he had no idea that everything he worked for over the course of his entire life, his love and devotion for his two families, his little sisters, his dog Oliver, his friends, his hard-fought dreams of dedicating his life to the practice of law and justice, would all come crashing down that night.
Audrey waited and waited for Ryan to show up to their date, but he never showed. Then, 15 minutes later, the frantic 911 call happened.
What did you kill him with? A gun.
Okay.
And how long ago did you shoot him? I don't know, 15, 10, 10 or 15, not even that long. 10 or 15 minutes ago? Yeah. I mean, I'm not a murderer, ma'am. I just killed him. What happened exactly? What happened? He beat me and turned me out of the house.
He did. Okay. All right. Do you need an ambulance? Have you been injured? I'm not injured, ma'am. I was thrown into the side of the couch. Okay. And how old is he? He's 29. He would have been 30 on December the 30th. All right. What's his name?
Ryan Carter posted. He's an attorney in Cincinnati. Okay, and then you had a history of domestic violence with them? Yeah. Okay, and is this your gun? No, this is his gun. He keeps loaded guns in the house. So he slammed you into the couch, but you don't have any injuries?
I don't have any injuries. I was just very frightened. He's a lot bigger than me. He's 6'3", 200 pounds. I'm 5'8", 120. And he picked me up and was tearing me out of the house.
And I said, let me get my things at least if we're going to break up. And he wouldn't let me get my things. And when I raced around to try to get my things, I can hear myself echoing in the background, ma'am. It's just this phone system. This phone system has got a delay. And he pushed me down from the door all the way to the couch. And when they come here, they'll see how far that is. He threw me across the room. Hey.
And I was very startled. I was laying on the floor. Okay. All right. And I killed him. Okay. Ma'am, this is what I want you to do, though. Ma'am, you're sure he's not breathing at all?
No, that's okay. They actually have someone who's outside almost right now, but I'm going to stand in line with you, okay? When they tell me to, what I'm going to tell you to do is walk to the door with your hands up because we want you to come out safely, okay? So that's why I'm standing in line with you. Okay.
Ma'am, I don't. I'm just a dispatcher. I'm nothing but a dispatcher, so I can't tell you. My job is to keep you on line, make sure my officers get there safely, and nothing happens to them, okay? Ma'am, and then because he was twitching and I knew he was going to die anyway and he was making funny noises, I shot him a couple more times just to kill him because I knew he would have been killed. I'm sorry. You said you shot him a couple more times after that? Yeah. How many times did you shoot him total? I don't know.
Okay. Okay.
the 911 call is literally chilling the fact that she said i'm not a murderer and then went on to say that because he was twitching and she knew he was going to die anyways she shot him
I don't know, Shana. That seems like murderous behavior to me. And the waiting 15 minutes to call 911 even further shows that point. And actually, before Shana called 911, she had initially called her mom Sharon in what Sharon described as hysterical, terrified, and in shock.
And Sharon obviously instructed Shana to call 911 to tell them exactly where she was and exactly what had happened. Now, this detail doesn't ring so much Jodi Arias, but it rings Courtney Clenny, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering her boyfriend and calling her mom as well before 911, which I have done a huge deep dive on that case on my channel, so if you want to get caught up in that case, I
There's a playlist on it, and I will link it in the description. So I don't know exactly how long that call with Sharon was, but I do think it's highly unlikely that the two of them were on the phone for 15 whole minutes. Lieutenant David Fornash of Highland Heights Police Department was about a mile away from Ryan's condo when he got the call about the shooting. He was made aware that the person responsible, the victim's self-described girlfriend, was still at the scene communicating with emergency dispatch.
The officer prepared to enter a potentially grisly scene while knowing that someone inside was still in possession of a firearm. As the police made their way up the stairs, Lieutenant Fornash drew his service weapon, preparing for Shana to emerge. But when they found her, her hands were empty, so another officer handcuffed her and the lieutenant entered the condo to secure the crime scene.
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extra help.
Paid for by the US Department of Health and Human Services. When he entered the apartment, the scene was both gruesome and strange. He saw Ryan's body slumped on the floor, motionless, after being shot six times. But he still needed to check the other rooms to ensure no one else was present. What he saw as he moved around the space was that the condo itself was a bit messy, but clearly a bachelor pad belonging to a working professional.
There was a bloodbath centered around the dining room table. But much of the evidence that might later be associated with the event that evening actually seemed eerily organized, indicating that a struggle between Shana and Ryan might be unlikely. There were multiple tobacco pipes standing upright still in their display stands on the lower shelf of the bookcase, which Shana had told 911 that Ryan had thrown her into before she shot him six times.
On the second shelf, a pair of men's sunglasses sat face up near 10 ammunition shells of various sizes, still upright and standing in a perfect row as if on display. Highland Heights police officers escorted Shana to the station, knowing that she had shot Ryan to death.
But was her motive to defend her own life? Or had she found her way into Ryan's condo that evening knowing that she was going to take his? Even after many accounts of Shana's reactive and unpredictable behavior, no one who knew the couple could have imagined what would unfold in the hours after Shana killed Ryan. From the moment Lieutenant Fornash brought Shana into the interrogation room, her behavior was bizarre. And that is putting it nicely, guys.
In the interrogation room, Shana was read her Miranda rights, and she asked for an attorney. The lieutenant stopped asking questions from that moment on, but regardless of that, she couldn't help herself, and she just kept talking and talking and talking. The more she babbled, the more inconsistent her story became, starting with exactly how Ryan's gun ended up in her hands earlier that evening.
Despite saying she took it out of his hands in the 911 call, in the interview room, she said that she picked it up off of the table and shot him multiple times in self-defense after he harmed her physically. Now, Ryan did own several guns and was licensed to carry them, and it makes sense that a gun owner might place his handgun on the dining room table along with his keys and anything else that may have been in his pockets after coming home.
But I literally couldn't believe what I was hearing when she talked about the final moment. He had put his arm across the table and there's a lamp. And he put his arm across the table and had it in my face and was screaming at me at the top of his lungs after he had thrown me around the room. And was saying emotionally to me, you're a f***ing hillbilly. F***ing hate you. I hate everything about you for what you are.
He was screaming and he had his hand on the table and he wasn't completely standing up. He was like this. He was sitting, he was enough that when I shook him he was like this. Literally. That's when I knew he was dead. Or close to it and twitching. And I couldn't, I love him, even though the hurt, I still, enough of me, loved him.
Who makes a joke about giving someone their nose job after killing them?
And the fact that she was sitting there, calling him "Vayne," it's literally like watching pure evil unravel. If this had actually been self-defense, wouldn't one shot, maybe two at the most, have stopped him? Shayna did not fire a warning shot to scare Ryan. She did not shoot him somewhere that would guarantee not to kill or disfigure him. Those would be responses that might make more sense if she was acting in self-defense with someone that she loves.
Shayna also did not try to resuscitate Ryan after the first shot or call 911 for help immediately. Ryan was still alive after the first shot and clearly he was unable to harm Shayna in any manner, but she continued to shoot him two, three, four, five, six more times at close range.
Once she was sure that he was dead, she called her mom, asking for advice. And only then, 15 minutes after she killed Ryan, she called emergency services. That is not consistent with someone doing something out of self-defense. Shana went on to summarize their tumultuous relationship, never ceasing to offload information despite having no lawyer present.
But it honestly seemed like she was so much more concerned about herself and the potential consequences she was facing rather than Ryan and maybe how his family would feel as they were about to receive what I feel confident saying was likely the most devastating news they had ever gotten. I don't get any serious consequences. I could really be happy just having a career and maybe not even ever getting married because this is very traumatic, you know.
Well, in the interview, Shana asked what life in prison is like. She complimented the police officer's teeth, and believe it or not, her strange commentary, jokes, and heartless accounts of events was followed by twirling and singing.
At one point, she even said, hell hath no fury like a scorned woman. He's burning in hell and it feels good. And if it matters, it's the worst thing I've ever done in my whole life. But I feel like, I feel bad that I'm like, part of me does it so bad about me. And part of me does, you know what I mean? Like, part of me is like, he hit me, he threw me. You just don't treat a woman like that.
Thank you.
Now I need to speak on each of those videos because they were a lot.
First, no, Shana. No one knows what you mean about a part of you not feeling bad, you psychopath. That officer had so much patience in dealing with her. Now, second, the weird biblical singing gives me the chills. And then the yes, I did it celebratory dance after, it literally is freaking deranged. And once again, it's like ping-ponging back over to Jodi Arias and her weird ass behavior in her interrogation room, doing headstands and singing. It's just...
I don't know, pick a lane. Are you Jodi Arias? Are you Courtney Clunney? Are you batshit crazy Shana? It is so weird. Maybe she was having a psychotic break. I don't know. When Lieutenant Fornash returned, he calmly explained it to Shana that they were going to have to charge her with murder. Shana responded by asking what degree. He looked at her point blank and replied, murder. There is no degree. So Shana was taken into custody. She pled guilty. She was denied bond and she would be staying in jail until the trial.
Finally, after two and a half years and never once denying that she pulled the trigger, Shana headed into trial in April of 2015. Shana was 24 years old at that point and facing a single count of murder. According to court records, the defense planned to argue that Shana shot Ryan in self-defense following an argument, while the prosecution would argue that their evidence would show that that was not the case and that there was not anything justifiable to shoot Ryan six times and kill him.
Over the course of the two-week trial, the prosecution proved that Shana murdered Ryan out of rage simply because he wanted to break up with her, and basically that she was obsessive and crazy and wouldn't let it go. The court also heard that despite her claims of Ryan's mistreatment to her, an officer who examined her at the police station did not find any injuries. There was a bit of discoloration on her wrist, but apart from that, there were no other markings on Shana's body.
The court heard from a prosecution witness, Chief Bill Birkenhauer, who testified that the crime scene contradicted Shana's version of events.
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extrahelp.
paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Shana had told police that Ryan threw her into the television, but Bill testified that the television was in place and it had dust all over it. The TV had not even been touched in quite some time. From the point of view of all who had entered Ryan's condo after the crime scene, there were no signs that a struggle of any sort had taken place.
A litany of witnesses took to the stand and Shana was forced to listen to all of their accounts one by one. Ryan's grief-stricken mother, Lisa, told the court that the night before she murdered him, she came to my home and ate at my table. And, and I quote, she was supposedly out of his life the night before. She made it clear to me she was leaving.
Ryan's father Jay was angry as he explained to the court what he knew of their relationship, while Shana seemed to avert her eyes as he entered the witness box.
Jay explained that on one night in August of 2012, Ryan arrived at his dad's house in the middle of the night with some of his belongings because Shana wouldn't leave Ryan's condo. Ryan told Jay that she would not leave his house, and so Jay said that Ryan was tired and frustrated and that you could tell he didn't know what to do. Shana also could not bear to look at Audrey, who testified about how she waited for her first date with Ryan when he was already dead.
Also, it became known that prior to going over to Ryan's house on the night of the murder, Shana had downloaded a picture of Audrey on her computer, thus proving that she knew about Audrey.
The neighbors who lived downstairs, Doris and Vernon West, testified that they heard a woman crying on Ryan's balcony outside on the evening of October 12th, and that just after what sounded like the woman had returned to the indoors of the condo, Doris and Vernon heard what sounded like two firecrackers. The next four cracks, the neighbors realized, were not fireworks, but more than likely gunfire.
They also said that they did not hear anyone raising their voices or fighting at all. And possibly the most dramatic attack on the self-defense argument? An expert in bloodstains, Detective Greg Haggis, a Highland Heights detective, wore black rubber gloves as he handled Ryan's blood-marked clothing, explaining how it supported investigators' theory that Shana shot Ryan while he was sitting down at his dining room table and not standing and not in motion to attack Shana.
There wasn't any blood on the shoulders of the white sleeveless undershirt that Ryan was wearing that night. If Ryan was standing when he was shot in the head, Gravity explains that the shoulders of his shirt would bear stains from falling blood.
The midriff of the shirt and waistband of Ryan's sweatpants don't have any blood either, but the lap area of his pants is covered in blood, which only supported the investigator's theory that he was shot in the head and bled onto the table and then into his lap before falling to the floor. Crime scene photos showed Ryan lying on his right side on the floor next to the chair, his legs still bent one on top of the other, and a swipe of blood on the wall behind him.
Another expert witness spoke about how the evidence left behind showed Shana got closer and closer to Ryan with each shot. If she was trying to get away from him because he was hurting her, why would she move closer?
Ryan had been shot in the head first. And again, if she was shooting in self-defense, not trying to kill him, why would she shoot him in the head first? The self-defense theory just was not making sense. And the most heartbreaking part of all of that was when one of the experts said that Ryan was still living and breathing up until almost that last shot.
It's almost unfathomable to think about the pain that he may have possibly experienced in those last moments alongside the fear that he likely had. I truly hope that maybe shock took over and he was not in pain at that point. Of course, the text messages also provided a detailed roadmap to Shaina's obsession with Ryan, even though he was trying to end the relationship.
Eight months prior, Shana had texted him, I love you, Ryan Poston, and I think I'm the last girl that will ever love you if you head down this path. Do you think we will ever get back together? I just want to lay next to you again. I love you dearly, far more than you deserve.
The defense really tried to paint Ryan as this woman-harming monster, and they went so far as to say him taking Adderall and Xanax could have caused him to have a violent outburst, which would have been such a rare thing to happen. To be quite honest, did they ever consider that maybe he was possibly taking the Xanax to chill the hell out due to her crazy behavior?
and maybe the Adderall was to help him focus on his extremely busy career and not get hung up and focused on the distractions that she was causing. But regardless of Shana's defense efforts to paint Ryan as this god-awful person, every witness on the prosecution side who was familiar with Ryan proved otherwise.
Ryan's own text messages even proved otherwise. He was just desperately trying to get Shayna away from him, and she wouldn't leave him alone, no matter what he did. Even though he texted her and said that she could say she was the one to break up with him. Even though he requested the help of a cousin one night when she physically would not leave his condo. Shayna still just did not stop, no matter what.
Just thinking about her efforts fills me with anger and, to be quite honest, secondhand embarrassment for her. If someone was calling someone else because I refused to leave their condo, I would be mortified. I would just be beyond embarrassed with myself. But apparently not Shaina. And don't forget that text that she sent to a friend while at the shooting range about wanting to shoot Ryan and make it look like an accident.
Homegirl, you really set yourself up with that one. I always say the evidence is in the digital evidence. Whether you're Googling it, whether you're texting it, you're leaving a digital paper trail. So if that's really what you were thinking you were going to do, probably don't put it in your digital devices. After just under five hours of deliberation, the jury found Shana guilty of murder on April 23rd, 2015.
A few months later in August was her sentencing. And before she was sentenced, the judge spoke. What I think happened in that apartment was little more than cold-blooded murder. It's probably as cold-blooded an act
as I've been associated with in the criminal justice system in the 30 plus years I've been in it. Shana was sentenced to 40 years per the jury's recommendation and left without saying anything. The judge had never given more than a jury's recommended sentence. However, he mentioned that he was tempted to because of the details of the case and quite frankly, the lack of remorse from Shana.
However, Shana somehow, some way, and I'll never understand how, had character witness letters that basically saved the day for her. In kind of a full circle moment, Ryan's old girlfriend Lauren was there with his family throughout the trial and at the sentencing. She never testified. However, when Shana was sentenced, Ryan's mom immediately grabbed Lauren and hugged her. Ryan's family spoke after they exited the court. Whatever she could say, whatever anybody could say,
Tried to throw out to see if something would stick, and nothing did. Nothing will ever stick. Because Ryan wasn't that kind of person, okay? And I think everyone knows exactly the kind of person that he was, that Jay and Lisa and I brought up. I think it's very clear that she's not remorseful. She showed her true self in court, and I think that's the Shana Hubers that we knew.
And now it's the Shana Hubers that everybody else knows. But guys, we are not done because Shana's case didn't end in 2015 upon sentencing. The next year, Shana successfully filed for a retrial after she discovered that one of the original jurors, David Craig, was a convicted felon.
Per Kentucky law, felons cannot serve on the jury. Which I can get it if they are super violent or did something harmful for society, but David's felony case was due to him falling behind on child support payments back in 1992.
He never even went to jail for it, and from what I have read, it doesn't seem like he really even understood that he was a felon. The only reason that David's felony was figured out was because Shana had retained a new attorney for her appeal. That attorney recognized his name and realized that she had been his attorney for that case. So because of a child support felony that happened 24 years prior, it was giving a convicted murderer an entirely new trial.
Absolutely mind-blowing. Shana and her team then argued for a venue change. The basis of their motion was due to all of the media coverage on the first trial and them not feeling like it would be a fair and just trial. Within her venue change request, a 156 signature petition was included. This was supposedly all of the people who were in support of a venue change. But the
but the prosecution noticed that most of the signatures looked way too similar and eventually they were able to prove that the notary that the defense was using actually forged 118 of the signatures one of the forged signatures was actually the signature of a commonwealth attorney who worked in the same office as the prosecutors which let me just ask can you get any more stupid than doing that
So only 38 of those signatures were actually real, and most of the people whose signatures were forged had never even seen the documents that they were signing for. Her lawyers quickly played the PR game and quickly withdrew the change of venue notice and claimed that they had no clue about any of that. Although, do you really believe them? Because I personally don't.
The woman who forged the signatures, Brittany Young, actually ended up being slapped with 28 felony counts of forgery, and she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 150 days of house arrest, and five years of probation. Shaina's attorneys later tried again to get a change of venue. However, the motion was ultimately denied in February of 2018.
Her attorneys had also filed a motion to suppress the statements that she made at the police station right after Ryan was killed because she had asked for an attorney. But that was also denied because Shana was freely word vomiting after that without being asked a bunch of questions. So just when you think Shana's antics couldn't get any crazier and things might finally be done in this case,
In May of 2018, prior to the retrial, Shana had requested a marriage license to marry another inmate. The inmate is transgender, originally born a male named Richard McBee, who referred to herself as Unique Taylor. She could not fully transition, though, due to being in jail, but considers herself a woman.
Shana had actually done an interview in which she had referred to Younique as Richard as well, but in order to be respectful of the other party's wishes, we are going to refer to Shana's partner as Younique. Younique was being held on robbery charges and also had charges in Tennessee that she was being held on. Shana described the circumstances of the relationship starting as a spiritual encounter, which, whatever that means. The two of them married in a jailhouse ceremony in June of 2018.
So Shaina's second trial began on August 8, 2018, with jury selection, after spending almost most of her 20s behind bars.
This time, her defense planned to change their strategy and lean into her mental health and intimacy issues between her and Ryan. The goal was basically to get the charges dropped down to manslaughter so she could be out of prison sooner. However, the prosecution came out strong in opening statements as they had done in the first trial. At this time, the court calls upon the Commonwealth to commence opening statement. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Ryan Poston.
was alive for each of the six shots that Shana Hubers pumped into his body. He was alive when she shot him here, here, here, here, here, and here. And he was alone, except for the woman standing over him, gun in hand. His murder.
You're going to come to see that she is jealous and she is calculated and most of all, ladies and gentlemen, she is manipulative. Someone who would go to the ends of the earth to get her way because in her world, what Shana wants, Shana gets and what she wanted more than anything in 2012 was Ryan Poston.
There were only two ways he was leaving his condo that night, either as Shana's boyfriend or in a body bag. To no surprise, Shana's new attorney, David Eldridge, tried to paint Ryan in a bad light in his opening statement. Our approach was to focus more on the extreme emotional disturbance. Kentucky's murder statute says if you kill someone and tend to kill them, that it's murder
Unless it's done under extreme emotional disturbance for which there's a reasonable cause. And it was already done. It was already done. For Shana Hubers, a last chance to plead her case. If the jury believed her, she could be convicted of manslaughter instead of murder and be out of prison in a few years. We were running a manslaughter defense, yes.
Today's episode of Serialistly is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Now, most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yes, I know you are. While you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you are not in some kind of moving vehicle, there is something else you can be doing right now, getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you could save money by doing it right from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extra help.
paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here, terms like borderline personality, personal traumatic stress disorder, psychological outcomes, and how those are expressed in her experience and behavior. And Shana Huber's defense lawyer painted a much different, darker picture of Ryan Poston than the jury had heard from the prosecution, feeling the stress of his job the night he was killed. He is in a very dark mood, he's very upset,
Not too long after she arrives, he lights into her verbally, critical of everything there is to be critical of her about. Her mother, her family, her education, where she's from, her appearance, comments to her. Verbal assault. And you will hear about how he looked, how his eyes were frightening, scary.
The prosecution began with the disturbing evidence of the crime scene. Ryan Poston's bloodied undershirt,
and testimony from the first officer on the scene, David Fornash, who said he saw no evidence of a struggle inside the apartment. What would you have expected to see if there was a struggle over top of the table? I would have seen things knocked off the table and knocked over on the table. Was it? No, ma'am. Was anything knocked over? No, ma'am. One last question. At any point in time when you were with Ms. Hubers, did you see tears? No, ma'am. Nothing further?
But for the prosecution, there was no stronger evidence than the video made of Shana Huber's in the police station that night. The prosecution used many witnesses to paint the same picture as they had in the first. They brought up Shana's friend Christy, and Christy is the friend of Shana's that Ryan had apparently wanted to do his veneers. Shana had texted her on October 10th, the night before the breakup, saying, Ryan's been begging me to ask you if you could do his veneers.
Please F them up and make him ugly so he will never get another girl."
Christy was also that friend who got the text from Shana at the shooting range. Audrey was brought on the stand to testify for the second time. Once again, it seems like Shana was avoiding eye contact. And Audrey never actually met Ryan in person, but she referred to him as funny and smart from the little interaction that they did have on the phone. Audrey is also obviously a very beautiful woman, and I can only imagine how much that infuriated and irritated Shana.
The prosecution also found a new witness that was able to speak on Shana's premeditation. On the day of Ryan's death, Shana had gone shopping at a local mall where she met a woman working in a store named Tara. Shana told Tara that she found out that Ryan was seeing another girl and then told her multiple times that she was going to kill him.
So you've already had the strike one with the jealous comment and the veneers and all that. Now you have strike two for this jealous girlfriend. It's unbelievable. She's just like word vomiting to all of these people what her plans are. The last people that the prosecution called on were Shana's fellow inmates who said that her story of a harmful relationship and self-defense
was made up and planned out from the very beginning. Also, that Shana intentionally tried to mess up the condo after she killed Ryan to make it look like they had had a violent fight.
The defense tried to pull together a very strong case. They tried to make Ryan seem like a controlling, harmful man. This summer, she came to my door and was crying. And so I let her in. And she had like a red mark on her arm right in here, maybe about the size of a handprint. And I said, what happened? And she said that she had gotten into an argument with Ryan. And he picked her up and threw her down in the hallway out of his condo.
I told her that she needed to call the police. But like I said earlier, their main goal was to rely on mental health issues and intimacy issues. So they called in defense psychologist Dr. Thomas Shackett, who told the court that he diagnosed Shana with a well-defined condition known as borderline personality disorder, or BPD and also PTSD from sexual things that had happened to her while she was a minor.
The diagnosis came after 37 hours of interviews and looking over her childhood medical records. They argued that the BPD is more intense in the early 20s. And to try and prove their points, they brought Shayna on the stand to talk about her sexual issues. There were continued issues throughout the relationship about the issue of orgasm. And how did you respond to that? I tried to please Ryan to the best of my ability.
How so? He wanted to try different things and he ordered different things off the internet to help me achieve orgasm. Was there any other thing that Mr. Poston encouraged you to do in relation to your ability to orgasm? Yes, sir. And what was that?
He wanted me to obtain a G-Shot injection inside of my vagina. And I'm sure nobody knows what that is. I didn't know what it was. It's a collagen injection inside of your G-Shot, inside of your body. He screamed at me, you're a person. And you're a person.
Because you were touched when you were a little girl. And that's why you can't orgasm. And that's why I can't love you. And that's why no one will ever be able to love you. I find it interesting that she never brought that up in her interrogation, nor did her attorneys bring it up during the first trial. But hey, I guess there's a first time for everything. I don't know. And then, as if no one had heard enough of her BS, they decided that she should tell her newest version of what happened on the night of the shooting.
I remember trying to stand up where I was sitting on the floor and Ryan pushed me back down by my chest. He put his hand on my chest and pushed me back down onto the floor. And I was crying and I was hysterically crying. And I recall Ryan standing over me and grabbing the gun that was sitting on the table and pointing it at me and saying,
I could just kill you right now and get away with it. Nobody would even know. How did you react to that? I was shocked. I was afraid. I didn't understand what I had done to deserve any of this. Okay. Tell the jury what happened. He set the gun back down on the table, and he walked around the table, and he was still talking, and he was still saying hurtful things. I don't remember exactly what happened.
and he was standing up from the chair and he was reaching across the table and I don't know if he was reaching for the gun or reaching for me, but I was still sitting on the floor at this point in time and I got up off the floor and I grabbed the gun and I shot him. The prosecution hit Shana back hard in the cross-examination. They even showed her texts that she had sent Ryan herself, which basically made her look like a liar to the jury. If you would read...
Thank you, ma'am.
Then the prosecution finally got to cross-examine her about the interrogation. Now keep in mind, this interrogation happened nearly seven years prior, so I'm sure that they had spent nearly seven years just waiting on the opportunity to call her out, especially when she tried to use mental health as an excuse. I'm not saying that my statements weren't coherent. I'm saying my mindset wasn't completely coherent.
But there were some things throughout the course of your statement that were consistent. Okay. And seeing him twitch and it being painful for you was one of those things that was consistent and said by you over and over again. I said that. And because you didn't want to watch him die, you shot him more times, in your words, to the point where you knew he was dead. I said those things. Similar?
to what people do when they see an injured animal? - Check, check, check. - Sustained. - Withdrawn, Your Honor. - Please disregard that question. - It's nothing further, Your Honor. - After closing statements, it was time for the jury to deliberate. Just like the previous jury panel, these jurors had a verdict within five hours. Shana was guilty. Ryan's family spoke at the sentencing. - Are you related to Ryan? - Ryan's my brother. - Explain to the jury what you have with you.
Because I'm 30 years old, I don't need to bring a teddy bear up with me. This teddy bear was made by Jay's sister. This is Ryan's shirt. That's it. That's all we have. I'm always male. It is daunting to know that I've got another 30 or 40 years on this earth, God willing. I'll have another 35 or 40 Christmases without my son. I had my grandchildren stolen from me. I will never hold my grandchildren. She has decimated me.
my life and many other lives. Brian had a heart of gold. His goodness literally got him killed. His kindness got him killed. His sister playing a teddy bear with his voicemail is particularly heartbreaking in this because I can't imagine that being the only thing I have left if something happened to one of my family members.
Ryan's father also said, "Your daughter is sitting right there, breathing, laughing and speaking. She may one day sit at your table for your Thanksgiving meal. Meanwhile, I wait in the middle of the night, every night, anguishing that I may forget the sound of my son's voice, the warmth of his embrace." Then Sharon spoke, trying to act as if she knew what Ryan's family was going through and saying that her daughter had lost her life. As I said, it's my only child.
My child's life has also been taken. Her family also grieves. I'm not lessening or taking away from or trying to say that I don't understand the grief of this family because I do. Both beautiful young people, both talented.
Thank you. Now I'm not tr on Sharon, but here's the life away by choosing to has now been proven twice accord. She was a very
She was clearly bitter about him breaking up with her, having another date, and moving on with his life. Not only that, but Sharon can still see her child. So no, she doesn't, nor do any of us who haven't lost children understand that grief of a permanent loss of a child.
Ryan's parents will never get to see their child or hug their child again. They'll never get to watch their child get married, have grandchildren, or reach professional goals. All because of Shana, who Sharon is still allowed to visit regardless.
Thankfully, the jury didn't seem too moved by Sharon's speech, and they came back with the verdict of life in prison. Thank goodness, because Shana never deserves to be free. But on the other hand, I kind of feel like it's what Shana deserves for filing for a retrial and living with her delusional thoughts of her always being able to get her way.
But Shana's sentence, no matter how harsh, will never bring Ryan back. To date, Shana is serving out her sentence at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women. Unfortunately, though, she is eligible for parole in 2032. Although I would be shocked if that actually happened, given that she has never even shown an ounce of remorse.
She also ended up divorcing Younique in 2019, less than a year after they got married, which I'm sure isn't a shock to anybody here listening. What began with a bikini picture taken during spring break and a flirtatious Facebook back and forth resulted in a grisly ending for a 29-year-old handsome young lawyer.
Shana and Ryan's relationship story is one of obsession, vengeance, and tragedy. Sharon, a now-retired schoolteacher, maintains that her daughter is not a murderer. She says Shana is a brilliant and talented girl and would never kill someone if she wasn't in fear of her life. But to Ryan's family, what happened is obviously quite different.
To Journalist J, he describes riding his bike around northern Kentucky the afternoon of Saturday, October 13, 2012, when he got that dreaded call that came. When he checked his voicemail, he heard the words that no parent ever wants to hear. We have a body here, which we think may be a member of your family.
He didn't return the coroner's call. Instead, he dropped to his knees. He knew that his only child, his son Ryan, was gone forever, in an instant, and there was no going back.
I'm curious to know what you guys think about this case. Do you think that there is a possibility that this was done in self-defense or based on the Google searches, the text messages to friend, the unsteady and concerning behavior? Do you think that this was Shana's plan all along? The mentality of I am a woman scorned and if I can't have you, no one can.
I personally am more inclined to believe that that is what really happened here, although I know there are some people who do still believe that this was an act of self-defense. All right, guys, thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of Serialistly today. I'm curious to know what you guys think about this case. So over on Spotify, let me know in the Q&A section. Also, maybe we'll throw a poll up. Let me know in the review section too, guys, what kind of cases you are interested in, what you want to cover, if there's any specific case request, or if there's just kind of a
true crime genre you want me to cover, such as cults or con men, con women, whatever it is, let me know in that review section so I can continue to cater the content to what it is you guys want to hear. So again, if you would just take 30 seconds to do the rating and review, I would greatly appreciate it. But other than that, I will be seeing you Thursday for headline highlights. And as a quick little notification, we have officially launched the extra little Patreon subscription for bonus episodes every Friday.
You can do it through Patreon or Apple Podcast and that will give you access to bonus episodes every single Friday if you're looking to get a little bit extra of a true crime fix. All right, guys, I am signing off, but I will be talking with you again very, very soon. All right, take care. Bye.
An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You may be able to save too. With Medicare's Extra Help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Go to ssa.gov slash extra help.
Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. American Giant makes great clothing, T-shirts, jeans, and more right here in the U.S., creating jobs in towns and cities across the country. Support America's workers and get 20% off your first order at American-Giant.com with code STAPLE20.
Would you believe us if we told you our podcast is haunted? We didn't intend for this to happen. No, we did not. But apparently spirits like listening to ghost stories too. We bring you the creepiest, most unusual, and sometimes heartwarming encounters with the paranormal. Stories so chilling and so shocking that even the spirits can't help but hop on our mics and give us an occasional EVP. But we aren't the only haunted ones. Listeners of this podcast report increased levels of paranormal activity.
Our podcast brings all the ghosts to the yard, and hopefully it brings you too. Tune in to Two Girls, One Ghost wherever you listen to podcasts. It's the most haunted podcast in America. Very spooky.
