Appeals court upholds young Portland woman's murder conviction

PORTLAND, Ind. — The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a young Portland woman's murder conviction.

A Jay Circuit Court jury last August found Shelby Nicole Hiestand, now 20, guilty of fatally shooting a friend's former boyfriend. She was later sentenced to 55 years in prison by Judge Brian Hutchison.

Testimony at the trial indicated Hiestand's co-defendant, Esther Jane Stephen, in January 2020 lured the father of her child — 31-year-old Shea Michael Briar — to northern Jay County, where he was shot in the back by Hiestand.

More than two hours later, the mortally wounded Briar was found by a passerby. He later died at a Fort Wayne hospital.

Before the slaying, disagreements over Briar's desire to visit his child, and other issues, had developed between Stephen and Briar.

MORE NEWS: Indiana Supreme Court won't consider appeal of Muncie woman's killer

Another Jay Circuit Court jury found Stephen, now 31, guilty of murder in March 2021. She also received a 55-year sentence.

At the time of the slaying, Stephen was head coach of the softball team at Fort Recovery (Ohio) High School and Hiestand was her assistant coach.

A former player on the Fort Recovery team, 21-year-old Hannah L. Knapke, was also arrested in the wake of the killing. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison last November after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

In a recent ruling, the state appeals court rejected an argument by Hiestand's attorney, John Quirk of Muncie, that jurors should not have been shown a video recording of a statement his client gave to police.

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During that interview, Hiestand "confessed to shooting Briar in the back and then leaving him to die." Judge Robert Altice Jr. wrote in the 3-0 ruling upholding the murder conviction.

The Indiana Court of Appeals also upheld Stephen's murder conviction in a November ruling.

Hiestand, incarcerated in the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis, has a projected release date in April 2061, when she would be 59.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Portland woman's murder conviction upheld by Indiana Court of Appeals