1 00:00:08,245 --> 00:00:13,885 Speaker 1: School of Humans. On August third, two thousand and nine, 2 00:00:14,045 --> 00:00:17,885 Speaker 1: just before midnight, an on Star satellite service got a 3 00:00:17,925 --> 00:00:21,725 Speaker 1: notification of an emergency from inside a Cadillac Escalade that 4 00:00:21,725 --> 00:00:25,525 Speaker 1: had crashed. The vehicle had plunged off a cliff just 5 00:00:25,605 --> 00:00:29,605 Speaker 1: off Walker Trail in Severe County, Tennessee. The on Star 6 00:00:29,685 --> 00:00:33,365 Speaker 1: service called nine one one and police responded to the scene. 7 00:00:33,445 --> 00:00:35,925 Speaker 1: They found a bent guard rail. The car was in 8 00:00:35,965 --> 00:00:37,925 Speaker 1: the middle of the woods, so it was hard to 9 00:00:37,965 --> 00:00:41,365 Speaker 1: get down to the crash scene. Deputies had to repel 10 00:00:41,445 --> 00:00:43,605 Speaker 1: to the bottom of a one hundred and twenty five 11 00:00:43,645 --> 00:00:47,005 Speaker 1: foot drop off. When they got down there, they saw 12 00:00:47,045 --> 00:00:51,325 Speaker 1: the black two thousand and seven Cadillac Escalade. Inside the 13 00:00:51,405 --> 00:00:54,925 Speaker 1: twisted metal wreckage of that car, they found the body 14 00:00:55,005 --> 00:00:59,205 Speaker 1: of forty year old Shannon Hercut. At first, the Tennessee 15 00:00:59,285 --> 00:01:02,165 Speaker 1: Highway Patrol said Shannon had died in a car accident. 16 00:01:02,725 --> 00:01:05,445 Speaker 1: It seemed like a tragic fatality but nothing more than that. 17 00:01:06,685 --> 00:01:09,645 Speaker 1: But a few days later, Shannon her Cut's manner of 18 00:01:09,685 --> 00:01:13,645 Speaker 1: death was changed to homicide. Local authorities said someone had 19 00:01:13,685 --> 00:01:16,685 Speaker 1: beaten her to death, then put her inside the car 20 00:01:16,765 --> 00:01:20,565 Speaker 1: to stage the accident. Shannon was well known. She was 21 00:01:20,605 --> 00:01:24,405 Speaker 1: friendly and outgoing, a successful and well liked local businesswoman, 22 00:01:25,245 --> 00:01:28,165 Speaker 1: but according to her own family, she was also someone 23 00:01:28,205 --> 00:01:31,485 Speaker 1: who had a lot of secrets. There had been family 24 00:01:31,525 --> 00:01:36,005 Speaker 1: feuds and legal battles related to her business and possibly 25 00:01:36,165 --> 00:01:41,125 Speaker 1: some people suggested maybe even a secret lover. Now, over 26 00:01:41,165 --> 00:01:44,365 Speaker 1: the years, this case has been covered multiple times. It's 27 00:01:44,405 --> 00:01:47,285 Speaker 1: been covered by local media, national media, and even doctor 28 00:01:47,325 --> 00:01:51,165 Speaker 1: Phil And every time I hear about this story, the 29 00:01:51,285 --> 00:01:54,885 Speaker 1: same narrative has been put forward. But as you all know, 30 00:01:55,045 --> 00:01:56,925 Speaker 1: I want to go behind the scenes and see what 31 00:01:56,965 --> 00:02:00,245 Speaker 1: we can do to take this case forward. Who killed 32 00:02:00,245 --> 00:02:05,965 Speaker 1: Shannon her Cut? I'm Catherine Townsend. Over the last five 33 00:02:06,045 --> 00:02:09,765 Speaker 1: years making my true crime podcast, Helen Gone, I've learned 34 00:02:09,805 --> 00:02:12,405 Speaker 1: there's no such thing as a small town where murder 35 00:02:12,525 --> 00:02:16,765 Speaker 1: never happens. I've received hundreds of messages from people all 36 00:02:16,805 --> 00:02:20,085 Speaker 1: around the country asking for help with an unsolved murder 37 00:02:20,125 --> 00:02:24,365 Speaker 1: that's affected them, their families, and their communities. And now 38 00:02:24,765 --> 00:02:27,325 Speaker 1: they have a new way to reach out. If you 39 00:02:27,405 --> 00:02:29,285 Speaker 1: have a case you'd like me and my team to 40 00:02:29,325 --> 00:02:31,965 Speaker 1: look into, you can reach out to us at our 41 00:02:32,005 --> 00:02:35,285 Speaker 1: Helen Gone Murder line at six seven eight seven four 42 00:02:35,365 --> 00:02:39,645 Speaker 1: four six ' one four five that's six seven eight, seven, 43 00:02:39,725 --> 00:02:43,645 Speaker 1: four four, six ' one four or five. This is 44 00:02:43,685 --> 00:03:35,245 Speaker 1: Helen Gone Murder line. I was contacted about the Shannon 45 00:03:35,325 --> 00:03:39,845 Speaker 1: her Cut case by listener a while back. As always, 46 00:03:39,885 --> 00:03:43,005 Speaker 1: we start with victimology. We want to know who Shannon 47 00:03:43,245 --> 00:03:45,485 Speaker 1: was and what was going on in her life in 48 00:03:45,525 --> 00:03:49,805 Speaker 1: the time period immediately before she died. Shannon her Cut 49 00:03:49,845 --> 00:03:53,365 Speaker 1: was born in Severeville, Tennessee, on May twenty second, nineteen 50 00:03:53,405 --> 00:03:56,245 Speaker 1: sixty nine. This is an area that gets a lot 51 00:03:56,285 --> 00:03:58,965 Speaker 1: of tourists. It's in the Great Smoky Mountains and it's 52 00:03:59,045 --> 00:04:04,445 Speaker 1: near Dollywood Dolly Parton's theme park. In Pigeon Forge, Shannon's mom, Patricia, 53 00:04:04,485 --> 00:04:06,845 Speaker 1: ran a general store she opened up in the early nineties. 54 00:04:06,885 --> 00:04:10,925 Speaker 1: It was called Anti Bellams. Eventually, Shannon went out on 55 00:04:10,965 --> 00:04:14,005 Speaker 1: her own. She opened up a real estate and rental business, 56 00:04:14,165 --> 00:04:18,165 Speaker 1: also using the family business name. Shannon's business was called 57 00:04:18,205 --> 00:04:21,845 Speaker 1: Anti Bellum's Realty and Rentals. It was in Pigeon Forge, 58 00:04:22,005 --> 00:04:25,605 Speaker 1: near where she grew up. Opening this business was a 59 00:04:25,805 --> 00:04:29,045 Speaker 1: very smart moved because over the years the demand for 60 00:04:29,085 --> 00:04:32,325 Speaker 1: rental properties skyrocketed in that area, and Shannon did very 61 00:04:32,325 --> 00:04:35,205 Speaker 1: well for herself. She was in charge of renting out 62 00:04:35,245 --> 00:04:39,205 Speaker 1: around one hundred and thirty cabins. She also oversaw other projects, 63 00:04:39,405 --> 00:04:42,205 Speaker 1: including the opening of a local playground called Mount Ton 64 00:04:42,205 --> 00:04:47,245 Speaker 1: of Fun. In media reports, Shannon is described as single 65 00:04:47,325 --> 00:04:50,205 Speaker 1: and happy. She never married and didn't have any children, 66 00:04:50,845 --> 00:04:52,925 Speaker 1: but she had a lot of friends and was active 67 00:04:52,965 --> 00:04:56,165 Speaker 1: in her town and in her church. One of her 68 00:04:56,205 --> 00:04:59,685 Speaker 1: relatives in an interview, made a comment about Shannon being 69 00:04:59,765 --> 00:05:04,565 Speaker 1: strong willed, which can sometimes mean if someone's very opinionated, 70 00:05:04,685 --> 00:05:07,285 Speaker 1: perhaps that could could point to them getting into conflict 71 00:05:07,285 --> 00:05:09,805 Speaker 1: with people. But a lot of people said that Shannon 72 00:05:09,885 --> 00:05:12,125 Speaker 1: was generally very well liked at work and that the 73 00:05:12,125 --> 00:05:14,325 Speaker 1: people who worked for her were very loyal to her, 74 00:05:15,045 --> 00:05:18,085 Speaker 1: but her life wasn't perfect. At the time of her 75 00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:21,245 Speaker 1: death in two thousand and nine, Shannon was dealing with 76 00:05:21,365 --> 00:05:26,485 Speaker 1: difficult relationships with several different people. As we often see, 77 00:05:26,685 --> 00:05:30,885 Speaker 1: big success sometimes brings business rivals or threats of lawsuits 78 00:05:30,885 --> 00:05:34,565 Speaker 1: and people wanting money. One of the people Shannon was 79 00:05:34,565 --> 00:05:39,805 Speaker 1: feuding with was her own father, Ted hercut again. Over 80 00:05:39,845 --> 00:05:43,285 Speaker 1: the years, everything that I've read about this case has 81 00:05:43,565 --> 00:05:46,485 Speaker 1: seemed to have the same narrative that a lot of 82 00:05:46,485 --> 00:05:49,805 Speaker 1: people suspect Ted and that he totally denies that he's 83 00:05:49,805 --> 00:05:54,005 Speaker 1: involved in his daughter's death. So now we fast forward 84 00:05:54,005 --> 00:05:56,405 Speaker 1: to August third, two thousand and nine. In the hours 85 00:05:56,445 --> 00:06:01,285 Speaker 1: immediately following that car crash. On that day, Ted Hircut 86 00:06:01,325 --> 00:06:04,525 Speaker 1: had an alibi. At the time of Shannon's murder, He 87 00:06:04,645 --> 00:06:07,405 Speaker 1: was almost four hundred miles away in Myrtle Beach, South 88 00:06:07,405 --> 00:06:11,965 Speaker 1: Carolina with his wife, Shannon's stepmother, Anita. His other daughter, 89 00:06:12,045 --> 00:06:15,885 Speaker 1: Shannon's sister, Penny Stevens, was also nearby vacationing with her 90 00:06:15,885 --> 00:06:20,765 Speaker 1: young daughter. Later on, when Ted and Penny appeared on 91 00:06:20,845 --> 00:06:24,445 Speaker 1: Doctor Phil in what was a very emotional and memorable episode, 92 00:06:25,125 --> 00:06:28,045 Speaker 1: Ted told Doctor Phil that he got a call from 93 00:06:28,085 --> 00:06:30,725 Speaker 1: his former son in law, a guy named Jerry Stevens, 94 00:06:30,725 --> 00:06:32,965 Speaker 1: who used to be married to Penny and who apparently 95 00:06:33,005 --> 00:06:36,885 Speaker 1: worked in law enforcement. Ted said Jerry called him to 96 00:06:36,925 --> 00:06:40,485 Speaker 1: break the news that Shannon's body had been found. Penny 97 00:06:40,525 --> 00:06:42,365 Speaker 1: got the news on the same day, and she later 98 00:06:42,445 --> 00:06:45,325 Speaker 1: told reporters that when she heard what happened to her sister, 99 00:06:45,445 --> 00:06:48,205 Speaker 1: she immediately thought that this could not have been an accident. 100 00:06:49,245 --> 00:06:52,205 Speaker 1: Ted said he also immediately suspected this had not been 101 00:06:52,285 --> 00:06:55,965 Speaker 1: a traffic accident. There were some details that just seemed off, 102 00:06:56,045 --> 00:06:58,205 Speaker 1: like the fact that Shannon was not wearing her seat 103 00:06:58,205 --> 00:07:01,805 Speaker 1: belt when the car crashed. Apparently she always made a 104 00:07:01,805 --> 00:07:05,205 Speaker 1: point of wearing her seat belt. Her family also wondered 105 00:07:05,285 --> 00:07:08,445 Speaker 1: why she would be driving in that area alone late 106 00:07:08,485 --> 00:07:10,445 Speaker 1: at night, which was definitely not a part of her 107 00:07:10,485 --> 00:07:15,565 Speaker 1: regular routine. But most crucially, when the car was found, 108 00:07:15,725 --> 00:07:20,405 Speaker 1: both the driver's side and passenger window were down. Both 109 00:07:20,485 --> 00:07:24,445 Speaker 1: Ted and Penny, his daughter, agreed Shannon would never have 110 00:07:24,565 --> 00:07:28,245 Speaker 1: those windows down because she was obsessive about keeping her 111 00:07:28,325 --> 00:07:33,045 Speaker 1: hair perfect, and obviously, in that high humidity, having both 112 00:07:33,085 --> 00:07:35,405 Speaker 1: windows down with the wind blowing in her hair was 113 00:07:35,525 --> 00:07:37,885 Speaker 1: just not something that they said Shannon would ever do. 114 00:07:38,525 --> 00:07:40,445 Speaker 1: If she did have to go out after dark, she 115 00:07:40,445 --> 00:07:42,285 Speaker 1: would have those windows up and she would have the 116 00:07:42,325 --> 00:07:48,565 Speaker 1: ac blasting. Police ruled Shannon's death an accident, and they 117 00:07:48,565 --> 00:07:53,125 Speaker 1: didn't want to do an autopsy, but Ted insisted. He 118 00:07:53,165 --> 00:07:55,925 Speaker 1: refused to sign a form allowing Shannon to be buried. 119 00:07:56,885 --> 00:07:58,925 Speaker 1: He also called a friend of his, a guy named 120 00:07:58,965 --> 00:08:02,605 Speaker 1: Jerry Grubbs. Now. Jerry was a retired National Park Service 121 00:08:02,685 --> 00:08:05,165 Speaker 1: ranger who also worked in law enforcement and later became 122 00:08:05,165 --> 00:08:09,245 Speaker 1: a prime an investigator. Jerry said that he found physical 123 00:08:09,285 --> 00:08:12,045 Speaker 1: evidence at that crime scene. Physical evidence, he said, was 124 00:08:12,085 --> 00:08:15,885 Speaker 1: overlooked both by the Sheriff's office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. 125 00:08:17,245 --> 00:08:21,045 Speaker 1: In a video that Jerry posted on YouTube, he films 126 00:08:21,085 --> 00:08:23,885 Speaker 1: the area where the car wrecked and says, based on 127 00:08:23,965 --> 00:08:27,005 Speaker 1: how that car was found, he thinks that it basically 128 00:08:27,005 --> 00:08:30,125 Speaker 1: did a straight drop. He said that if the car 129 00:08:30,165 --> 00:08:33,005 Speaker 1: had been traveling at any rate of speed, it would 130 00:08:33,045 --> 00:08:35,125 Speaker 1: have been airborne and it would have been found way 131 00:08:35,165 --> 00:08:38,645 Speaker 1: deeper in the forest. There was also no real damage 132 00:08:38,645 --> 00:08:40,965 Speaker 1: to the windshield and no skid marks from the tire 133 00:08:40,965 --> 00:08:44,605 Speaker 1: tracks of the scene, which presumably meant that no one 134 00:08:44,725 --> 00:08:48,405 Speaker 1: slammed on the brakes to try to avoid an accident. Later, 135 00:08:48,445 --> 00:08:50,525 Speaker 1: a team went in and they found out through looking 136 00:08:50,565 --> 00:08:53,965 Speaker 1: at the car's electrical system that Shannon had only been 137 00:08:53,965 --> 00:08:57,405 Speaker 1: traveling at seven miles per hour before the crash. She 138 00:08:57,485 --> 00:09:00,045 Speaker 1: wasn't even going fast enough for her air bags to deploy. 139 00:09:01,365 --> 00:09:04,565 Speaker 1: Ted told reporters that Shannon's injuries did not appear to 140 00:09:04,565 --> 00:09:07,525 Speaker 1: have come from the car craft gosh, he said at 141 00:09:07,525 --> 00:09:10,645 Speaker 1: the time. Quote the paramedic said her head had a 142 00:09:10,685 --> 00:09:13,085 Speaker 1: gash in it the size of a grapefruit, and there 143 00:09:13,125 --> 00:09:15,365 Speaker 1: was nothing inside the car that could have made that 144 00:09:15,485 --> 00:09:20,925 Speaker 1: gash end quote. At that point, the Sheriff's office investigators 145 00:09:21,005 --> 00:09:24,845 Speaker 1: finally agreed to an autopsy, and when that autopsy came back, 146 00:09:25,325 --> 00:09:28,565 Speaker 1: it became clear that Shannon's injuries had not happened in 147 00:09:28,565 --> 00:09:32,925 Speaker 1: the car accident. Police said someone beat her to death 148 00:09:33,005 --> 00:09:36,285 Speaker 1: at her home, put her inside that car, and pushed 149 00:09:36,285 --> 00:09:39,605 Speaker 1: her over that hill. Cause of death was blunt forced 150 00:09:39,645 --> 00:09:43,165 Speaker 1: trauma to Shannon's head, and the manner of death was 151 00:09:43,285 --> 00:09:54,125 Speaker 1: changed from accident to homicide. Three days after Shannon's body 152 00:09:54,205 --> 00:09:57,205 Speaker 1: was found, police finally went to her house to look around. 153 00:09:58,445 --> 00:10:01,725 Speaker 1: Shannon's sister, Penny went to her house too. She was 154 00:10:01,765 --> 00:10:03,965 Speaker 1: there to pick out an outfit for her sister to 155 00:10:04,005 --> 00:10:07,845 Speaker 1: be buried in. She later told Knox News that when 156 00:10:07,885 --> 00:10:10,965 Speaker 1: she arrived to that house, she saw that some things 157 00:10:10,965 --> 00:10:13,165 Speaker 1: in her sister's residence seemed to be out of place. 158 00:10:14,045 --> 00:10:16,485 Speaker 1: She saw a baseball bat in the back of Shannon's 159 00:10:16,525 --> 00:10:19,725 Speaker 1: work truck. She also saw what appeared to be blood 160 00:10:19,965 --> 00:10:23,285 Speaker 1: on the refrigerator that was in Shannon's garage, right by 161 00:10:23,285 --> 00:10:27,405 Speaker 1: the handle. She told the news station, quote, I did 162 00:10:27,485 --> 00:10:31,045 Speaker 1: notice two wine cooler type bottles on the floor busted, 163 00:10:31,085 --> 00:10:34,565 Speaker 1: and that was it end quote. There were also no 164 00:10:34,765 --> 00:10:38,365 Speaker 1: signs of forest entry. Police had a few theories at 165 00:10:38,365 --> 00:10:41,525 Speaker 1: this point, but no real leads. They considered the possibility 166 00:10:41,565 --> 00:10:43,845 Speaker 1: that it could have been an angry client of Shannon's, 167 00:10:43,885 --> 00:10:47,005 Speaker 1: someone that she had a business to spete with, but 168 00:10:47,165 --> 00:10:50,405 Speaker 1: Penny made it clear that she had another prime suspect 169 00:10:50,445 --> 00:10:55,765 Speaker 1: in mind for Shannon's murder, their father, Ted Harcut. So 170 00:10:55,885 --> 00:10:59,805 Speaker 1: let's go back and look at the family relationships. Penny 171 00:10:59,885 --> 00:11:02,845 Speaker 1: and Ted appeared on The Doctor Phil's show in twenty fifteen, 172 00:11:02,925 --> 00:11:06,965 Speaker 1: and on that show, it's immediately clear that there is 173 00:11:07,005 --> 00:11:11,405 Speaker 1: a lot of animosity between Ted and Penny. She told 174 00:11:11,445 --> 00:11:15,605 Speaker 1: Doctor Phil that since she was very young, her father 175 00:11:15,685 --> 00:11:19,325 Speaker 1: had been behaving in extremely disturbing ways. She said he'd 176 00:11:19,365 --> 00:11:23,085 Speaker 1: been emotionally abusive and that he was greedy and a 177 00:11:23,165 --> 00:11:26,805 Speaker 1: pathological liar. And when Ted Hurcut came out and tried 178 00:11:26,805 --> 00:11:29,725 Speaker 1: to hug his daughter on stage, she refused to touch 179 00:11:29,805 --> 00:11:32,765 Speaker 1: him or have anything to do with him. Reading between 180 00:11:32,805 --> 00:11:36,805 Speaker 1: the lines, it seems like the bad blood between Ted 181 00:11:37,005 --> 00:11:42,285 Speaker 1: and Shannon got worse after Penny and Shannon's mother, Patricia 182 00:11:42,325 --> 00:11:46,285 Speaker 1: passed away. That happened in two thousand and eight. Patricia 183 00:11:46,365 --> 00:11:49,845 Speaker 1: died after a long battle with cancer. She had been 184 00:11:49,885 --> 00:11:55,285 Speaker 1: divorced from Ted for several years by then. After Patricia's death, 185 00:11:56,125 --> 00:11:58,645 Speaker 1: Shannon inherited a piece of land from her, a piece 186 00:11:58,685 --> 00:12:01,885 Speaker 1: of land that was apparently worth about a million dollars. 187 00:12:02,845 --> 00:12:06,165 Speaker 1: Shannon and Ted got into a llegal battle for that land. 188 00:12:06,805 --> 00:12:10,365 Speaker 1: They started fighting after Patricia's death, so about a year 189 00:12:10,445 --> 00:12:14,085 Speaker 1: before Shannon was murdered. By the time of Shannon's death, 190 00:12:14,125 --> 00:12:17,005 Speaker 1: Ted admitted that he and his daughter were estranged. They 191 00:12:17,005 --> 00:12:21,205 Speaker 1: were not talking at all, They were only communicating through lawyers. 192 00:12:21,725 --> 00:12:24,725 Speaker 1: So what was really going on when Shannon her cuts will? 193 00:12:25,685 --> 00:12:27,645 Speaker 1: In two thousand and three, Shannon made a will and 194 00:12:27,685 --> 00:12:30,005 Speaker 1: she left twenty nine percent of her state to her 195 00:12:30,005 --> 00:12:33,325 Speaker 1: father Ted. But in two thousand and six, Shannon made 196 00:12:33,325 --> 00:12:36,965 Speaker 1: another will, and in that will, she specifically mentioned that 197 00:12:37,045 --> 00:12:39,685 Speaker 1: it was her wish that neither Ted nor his wife 198 00:12:39,725 --> 00:12:43,405 Speaker 1: would inherit anything from her. Now, Penny claimed Ted was 199 00:12:43,445 --> 00:12:46,125 Speaker 1: furious about that, about the fact that Shannon had cut 200 00:12:46,205 --> 00:12:49,605 Speaker 1: him out of the will, but Ted has always totally 201 00:12:49,605 --> 00:12:54,165 Speaker 1: denied that. Penny has always said that her father's motive 202 00:12:54,325 --> 00:12:58,765 Speaker 1: in killing Shannon was money. But who really gained from 203 00:12:58,765 --> 00:13:02,165 Speaker 1: Shannon's death? Because we know that Ted didn't inherit anything. 204 00:13:03,565 --> 00:13:07,485 Speaker 1: Now explain this. Penny said that Ted didn't realize Shannon 205 00:13:07,485 --> 00:13:09,285 Speaker 1: had changed her will, so he would have thought that 206 00:13:09,325 --> 00:13:12,765 Speaker 1: he might inherit something from her. Ted said he never 207 00:13:12,845 --> 00:13:15,125 Speaker 1: expected anything from his daughter's will and that he never 208 00:13:15,205 --> 00:13:19,205 Speaker 1: needed any money from her. On Doctor Phil, Ted looked 209 00:13:19,245 --> 00:13:22,685 Speaker 1: genuinely shocked when Penny stated bluntly she believed he had 210 00:13:22,765 --> 00:13:26,405 Speaker 1: hired a hip man to kill her sister. I believe 211 00:13:26,445 --> 00:13:29,085 Speaker 1: that Penny is sincere. I think she is convinced that 212 00:13:29,165 --> 00:13:31,205 Speaker 1: her dad had something to do with Shannon's death and 213 00:13:31,245 --> 00:13:35,365 Speaker 1: that she was afraid of him. And if you watch 214 00:13:35,445 --> 00:13:39,445 Speaker 1: their interactions, it's clear, in my opinion, that there's something 215 00:13:39,485 --> 00:13:43,485 Speaker 1: about Ted that seems off. At certain moments, he appears 216 00:13:43,525 --> 00:13:46,645 Speaker 1: to be unhinged. I also think it's possible that he's 217 00:13:46,725 --> 00:13:49,805 Speaker 1: lying about a few things, like the weird vandalism of 218 00:13:49,845 --> 00:13:52,445 Speaker 1: Shannon's business that happened back in November of two thousand 219 00:13:52,485 --> 00:13:55,605 Speaker 1: and nine, just a few months after Shannon's murder. On 220 00:13:55,645 --> 00:14:01,085 Speaker 1: November twentieth, Pigeon Force police responded to shots fired at 221 00:14:01,165 --> 00:14:05,125 Speaker 1: Shannon's business, Annie Bellham's Realty in Nightly Rentals. Someone had 222 00:14:05,125 --> 00:14:08,085 Speaker 1: shown up there and started firing shots into the front door. 223 00:14:08,805 --> 00:14:12,205 Speaker 1: They fired off eight rounds in all. Penny said her 224 00:14:12,245 --> 00:14:15,285 Speaker 1: father had confessed to her that he was the one 225 00:14:15,325 --> 00:14:19,125 Speaker 1: who shot up the business, and when Doctor Phil asked 226 00:14:19,165 --> 00:14:22,925 Speaker 1: Ted about this, he kind of sidesteps the question. It 227 00:14:22,965 --> 00:14:27,005 Speaker 1: does seem like he could be lying about vandalizing that business. 228 00:14:28,485 --> 00:14:32,445 Speaker 1: The Doctor Phil's show had a lot more family drama on. 229 00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:36,485 Speaker 1: They also had Ted's third wife, Jan, who he married 230 00:14:36,485 --> 00:14:39,965 Speaker 1: in the summer of twenty fourteen. After just three weeks 231 00:14:39,965 --> 00:14:43,285 Speaker 1: of marriage, Ted got in annulment and the marriage fell apart. 232 00:14:43,805 --> 00:14:47,005 Speaker 1: Jan told Doctor Phil that Ted had what she called 233 00:14:47,045 --> 00:14:51,045 Speaker 1: a dark side. Now, I've been on Doctor Phil before 234 00:14:51,165 --> 00:14:54,245 Speaker 1: talking about the Ebbie Stepec case, and so I actually 235 00:14:54,285 --> 00:14:57,045 Speaker 1: know a lot about how this process works. I spent 236 00:14:57,165 --> 00:15:00,565 Speaker 1: several weeks with the producers doing in depth research and 237 00:15:00,605 --> 00:15:03,205 Speaker 1: giving them information about what was going on with the case. 238 00:15:03,725 --> 00:15:06,085 Speaker 1: And I knew this in advance of the information that 239 00:15:06,125 --> 00:15:09,045 Speaker 1: I gave them. They only aired a tiny portion of it. 240 00:15:09,645 --> 00:15:11,445 Speaker 1: They do that for a lot of reasons. First of all, 241 00:15:11,485 --> 00:15:13,965 Speaker 1: there's very limited time to present the case, so you 242 00:15:14,005 --> 00:15:17,325 Speaker 1: can't go too deep into the woods. But also, and 243 00:15:17,365 --> 00:15:20,045 Speaker 1: this is not an insult to TV, producers, but their 244 00:15:20,125 --> 00:15:24,765 Speaker 1: primary purpose is presenting the story and making good TV. 245 00:15:24,965 --> 00:15:29,165 Speaker 1: It's not really solving a case. So instead of going 246 00:15:29,205 --> 00:15:32,405 Speaker 1: deeper into suspects, what we got on Doctor Phil was 247 00:15:32,445 --> 00:15:35,965 Speaker 1: more family drama. Because then Ted came on again and 248 00:15:36,245 --> 00:15:38,405 Speaker 1: he said Jan had a criminal history and that she 249 00:15:38,405 --> 00:15:41,205 Speaker 1: had stolen four hundred dollars from him and stolen his 250 00:15:41,245 --> 00:15:44,965 Speaker 1: credit cards. There's a lot more family drama that plays 251 00:15:44,965 --> 00:15:46,765 Speaker 1: out on the show that I'm not going to get into. 252 00:15:47,165 --> 00:15:50,405 Speaker 1: But at the end of the episode, my takeaway was 253 00:15:50,405 --> 00:15:52,885 Speaker 1: that Doctor Phil seemed to come to basically the same 254 00:15:52,925 --> 00:15:57,125 Speaker 1: conclusion that I did. He said Ted may be an asshole, 255 00:15:57,525 --> 00:15:59,485 Speaker 1: but that doesn't mean he's a killer or that he 256 00:15:59,565 --> 00:16:02,485 Speaker 1: hired a hitman. He kept saying the same question I 257 00:16:02,525 --> 00:16:06,365 Speaker 1: was asking, which is what's the actual evidence that at 258 00:16:06,365 --> 00:16:09,125 Speaker 1: that moment in two thousand and nine, Ted would have 259 00:16:09,165 --> 00:16:12,725 Speaker 1: had a motive to kill his daughter. With all of 260 00:16:12,765 --> 00:16:16,685 Speaker 1: these cases, when you have so many crazy rumors flying around, 261 00:16:16,685 --> 00:16:20,685 Speaker 1: and especially when there are complicated family dynamics and accusations, 262 00:16:21,165 --> 00:16:24,445 Speaker 1: I always talk about how important it is to filter 263 00:16:24,565 --> 00:16:27,845 Speaker 1: out what I call the noise of the case. And 264 00:16:28,165 --> 00:16:30,045 Speaker 1: while we want to keep an open mind and not 265 00:16:30,085 --> 00:16:33,485 Speaker 1: ignore any possibilities. I think that the Shannon Hercut case 266 00:16:33,605 --> 00:16:36,485 Speaker 1: is a great example of this. We need to filter 267 00:16:36,605 --> 00:16:39,165 Speaker 1: out all of the family drama and focus on the 268 00:16:39,165 --> 00:16:42,685 Speaker 1: facts of the case. As we've said several times over 269 00:16:42,725 --> 00:16:45,805 Speaker 1: the years, being a creep is not illegal, and it 270 00:16:45,845 --> 00:16:49,685 Speaker 1: doesn't make you a killer. Ted has never been charged 271 00:16:49,685 --> 00:16:53,405 Speaker 1: in connection with Shannon's murder. He's always denied having anything 272 00:16:53,445 --> 00:16:57,085 Speaker 1: to do with it. I honestly think that at this 273 00:16:57,165 --> 00:16:59,485 Speaker 1: point the evidence points away from him, and there are 274 00:16:59,485 --> 00:17:02,685 Speaker 1: a few reasons why. First of all, Ted was one 275 00:17:02,685 --> 00:17:05,805 Speaker 1: of the first people to demand that Shannon's body taken 276 00:17:05,845 --> 00:17:09,005 Speaker 1: in for an autopsy. He got that expert Jerry Grubbs 277 00:17:09,045 --> 00:17:11,565 Speaker 1: to go to the scene. He told anyone who would 278 00:17:11,605 --> 00:17:13,685 Speaker 1: listen over the years that his daughter's death was not 279 00:17:13,765 --> 00:17:16,685 Speaker 1: an accident, which does not seem like the actions of 280 00:17:16,725 --> 00:17:20,085 Speaker 1: a person who killed his daughter. If Ted had been 281 00:17:20,125 --> 00:17:23,845 Speaker 1: involved in Shannon's death, it seems like the last thing 282 00:17:23,885 --> 00:17:26,565 Speaker 1: he would have done, especially after the death had already 283 00:17:26,605 --> 00:17:28,445 Speaker 1: been ruled an accident and she was getting ready to 284 00:17:28,485 --> 00:17:32,005 Speaker 1: be buried, is to go public and demand that police 285 00:17:32,045 --> 00:17:37,125 Speaker 1: investigate the possibility of murder. Ted died in twenty seventeen, 286 00:17:37,925 --> 00:17:40,845 Speaker 1: so if Ted was involved, whatever secrets he had would 287 00:17:40,845 --> 00:17:46,245 Speaker 1: have died with him. Even now, police say they've never 288 00:17:46,325 --> 00:17:50,685 Speaker 1: found any connection between Ted and Shannon's murder. If that's 289 00:17:50,725 --> 00:17:53,685 Speaker 1: the case, that means that Shannon's killer is still out there. 290 00:17:54,325 --> 00:17:56,725 Speaker 1: And though police have been pretty tight lipped about the 291 00:17:56,805 --> 00:18:01,125 Speaker 1: investigation so far, one investigator has said they believe the 292 00:18:01,125 --> 00:18:05,165 Speaker 1: evidence points to someone outside the family, but someone who 293 00:18:05,205 --> 00:18:09,125 Speaker 1: knew Shannon. He also said they believe they know the 294 00:18:09,205 --> 00:18:13,565 Speaker 1: killer's motive. He made this kind of cryptic comment. He said, 295 00:18:14,365 --> 00:18:16,805 Speaker 1: if I told you what it was, it'd be obvious 296 00:18:16,845 --> 00:18:20,845 Speaker 1: who I was talking about. So to sum up, I 297 00:18:20,925 --> 00:18:23,805 Speaker 1: don't think that the evidence points to Ted, and at 298 00:18:23,885 --> 00:18:29,005 Speaker 1: least one of the investigators on the case agrees. Let's 299 00:18:29,005 --> 00:18:31,405 Speaker 1: move away from the family drama between Ted and his 300 00:18:31,485 --> 00:18:34,405 Speaker 1: daughter Penny and back to what we know, Back to 301 00:18:34,445 --> 00:18:38,845 Speaker 1: the crime scene. With the evidence. We know where the 302 00:18:38,885 --> 00:18:42,565 Speaker 1: car crashed. We know that this was a staged crime scene. 303 00:18:42,685 --> 00:18:46,045 Speaker 1: The real crime scene took place at Shannon's house, probably 304 00:18:46,085 --> 00:18:50,325 Speaker 1: in her garage. Then the killer or killers tried to 305 00:18:50,365 --> 00:18:53,485 Speaker 1: make it look like a car accident. The real crime 306 00:18:53,525 --> 00:18:57,645 Speaker 1: scene took place at Shannon's house, probably in her garage. 307 00:18:57,725 --> 00:19:01,085 Speaker 1: We know this because Shannon's sister Penny saw smears of 308 00:19:01,125 --> 00:19:06,165 Speaker 1: blood on the outside refrigerator that's in the garage. That's 309 00:19:06,165 --> 00:19:09,445 Speaker 1: also where she found the two broken wine cooler bottles. 310 00:19:10,165 --> 00:19:13,805 Speaker 1: Shannon was beaten to death, then the killer or killers 311 00:19:14,005 --> 00:19:15,805 Speaker 1: put her in her own car and tried to make 312 00:19:15,805 --> 00:19:19,445 Speaker 1: it look like a car accident. Like the investigator said 313 00:19:19,565 --> 00:19:22,525 Speaker 1: to me, the crime scene and manner of death point 314 00:19:22,565 --> 00:19:25,685 Speaker 1: to someone who knew Shannon. Well, there are a couple 315 00:19:25,685 --> 00:19:28,085 Speaker 1: of possibilities. It could have been a crime of passion. 316 00:19:28,685 --> 00:19:32,125 Speaker 1: But from my other podcast, Red Caller, I know that 317 00:19:32,205 --> 00:19:36,045 Speaker 1: sometimes fraud detection homicides, murders where the motive was money 318 00:19:36,085 --> 00:19:39,405 Speaker 1: can also look like crimes of passion. So let's explore 319 00:19:39,445 --> 00:19:42,485 Speaker 1: the hit man theory. A lot of people have made 320 00:19:42,525 --> 00:19:45,045 Speaker 1: the comment that if this was a planned hit, it 321 00:19:45,165 --> 00:19:49,405 Speaker 1: was a very sloppy job. Apparently that's not that uncommon, though. 322 00:19:50,285 --> 00:19:54,245 Speaker 1: Former FBI criminal profiler Frank Perry, who wrote the book 323 00:19:54,445 --> 00:19:57,605 Speaker 1: Red Caller and White Collar Crime, which was about red 324 00:19:57,605 --> 00:20:00,645 Speaker 1: collar criminals and had a whole chapter about committing murder 325 00:20:00,645 --> 00:20:05,165 Speaker 1: for hire, wrote that often killers who commit white collar 326 00:20:05,205 --> 00:20:07,805 Speaker 1: crime and then who kill to cover up their fraud 327 00:20:08,885 --> 00:20:12,005 Speaker 1: often When they hire killers, they kind of go cheap. 328 00:20:12,885 --> 00:20:15,805 Speaker 1: They don't have much money, so they'll go with really 329 00:20:15,845 --> 00:20:19,165 Speaker 1: amateur killers instead of hiring professionals like the mob does. 330 00:20:20,085 --> 00:20:23,525 Speaker 1: They hire people who basically are unemployed grifters, people who 331 00:20:23,565 --> 00:20:26,885 Speaker 1: are floating around doing illegal or semi illegal kind of stuff. 332 00:20:27,245 --> 00:20:31,525 Speaker 1: And often when they do hire these amateurs, the amateurs 333 00:20:31,925 --> 00:20:33,645 Speaker 1: will tell a lot of people what they've done, and 334 00:20:33,685 --> 00:20:36,845 Speaker 1: that's how they get caught. If this had been a 335 00:20:36,965 --> 00:20:40,525 Speaker 1: professional hit, the killer would not have left behind so 336 00:20:40,605 --> 00:20:43,725 Speaker 1: many obvious signs of staging. They would have cleaned up 337 00:20:43,725 --> 00:20:47,685 Speaker 1: Shannon's garage. But most crucially, the thing that makes me 338 00:20:47,805 --> 00:20:50,485 Speaker 1: move away from the hit man theory is the fact 339 00:20:50,525 --> 00:20:54,485 Speaker 1: that I went back through the literature when red collar 340 00:20:54,525 --> 00:20:59,045 Speaker 1: criminals hire hitmen, every single example I could find involves 341 00:20:59,445 --> 00:21:03,645 Speaker 1: the killer bringing their own weapon. It's not impossible for 342 00:21:03,725 --> 00:21:05,965 Speaker 1: a hit man to come to someone's house and not 343 00:21:06,005 --> 00:21:08,525 Speaker 1: bring a weapon and then stop to drink a wine 344 00:21:08,565 --> 00:21:12,565 Speaker 1: cooler with a victim, but it seems very unlikely. The 345 00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:15,165 Speaker 1: only exception to this would be, of course, if the 346 00:21:15,245 --> 00:21:19,205 Speaker 1: hip man was someone Shannon knew. The hip man theory 347 00:21:19,285 --> 00:21:22,005 Speaker 1: isn't impossible. We have to keep an open mind. But 348 00:21:22,165 --> 00:21:24,845 Speaker 1: in my opinion, with everything that we know, it seems 349 00:21:24,965 --> 00:21:30,685 Speaker 1: more and more unlikely whether a killer is financially motivated 350 00:21:30,965 --> 00:21:34,885 Speaker 1: or whether they're motivated by something else like jealousy or rage. 351 00:21:34,925 --> 00:21:37,445 Speaker 1: The reason why they kill is to solve a problem 352 00:21:37,925 --> 00:21:42,365 Speaker 1: because they're losing control over a situation. So if the 353 00:21:42,445 --> 00:21:45,765 Speaker 1: motive for Shannon's murder was financial, we need to look 354 00:21:45,805 --> 00:21:50,125 Speaker 1: at who could have benefited financially from Shannon's death. After 355 00:21:50,165 --> 00:21:53,925 Speaker 1: Shannon died, Penny Stevens, her sister, and a first cousin 356 00:21:53,925 --> 00:21:57,805 Speaker 1: of theirs named John Madwell inherited Shannon's real estate business, 357 00:21:58,005 --> 00:22:01,925 Speaker 1: Annie Bellams. They started running the company together and according 358 00:22:02,005 --> 00:22:04,685 Speaker 1: to the last information that I found, the company is 359 00:22:04,685 --> 00:22:07,725 Speaker 1: still around as of a few years ago. At lease 360 00:22:07,845 --> 00:22:10,965 Speaker 1: the cousin, John Madwell was running the business with his wife. 361 00:22:11,805 --> 00:22:13,485 Speaker 1: I just want to be clear, I don't think for 362 00:22:13,525 --> 00:22:16,165 Speaker 1: a second that Penny was involved in her sister's murder. 363 00:22:16,805 --> 00:22:19,765 Speaker 1: I think she comes across as genuinely distraught, someone who 364 00:22:19,805 --> 00:22:22,805 Speaker 1: loved her sister and wants to get justice for her. 365 00:22:22,845 --> 00:22:25,285 Speaker 1: And she's also been the one who has been very 366 00:22:25,365 --> 00:22:27,845 Speaker 1: vocal about keeping her sister's case in the public eye 367 00:22:27,885 --> 00:22:31,645 Speaker 1: over the years. But I think there's someone we might 368 00:22:31,725 --> 00:22:36,445 Speaker 1: be overlooking. Was there someone who was involved in a 369 00:22:36,445 --> 00:22:40,685 Speaker 1: business deal with Shannon? Again, this is pure speculation because 370 00:22:40,725 --> 00:22:43,685 Speaker 1: no one has ever suggested this, But could Shannon have 371 00:22:43,725 --> 00:22:46,525 Speaker 1: found herself caught up in some kind of fraudulent behavior 372 00:22:47,005 --> 00:22:49,525 Speaker 1: or was someone defrauding her and she was threatening to 373 00:22:49,525 --> 00:22:52,285 Speaker 1: go to law enforcement or to sue that person. I'm 374 00:22:52,285 --> 00:22:55,605 Speaker 1: making this point because right now, when you look at 375 00:22:55,605 --> 00:22:59,765 Speaker 1: the evidence, there's no obvious windfall. We need to follow 376 00:22:59,805 --> 00:23:01,925 Speaker 1: the money on this case. We need to see if 377 00:23:01,925 --> 00:23:04,845 Speaker 1: there were any lawsuits pending exactly what was going on 378 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:08,485 Speaker 1: in Shannon's business at the time of her death. In 379 00:23:08,525 --> 00:23:11,805 Speaker 1: addition to the money trail, we need to go back 380 00:23:11,885 --> 00:23:14,565 Speaker 1: again to the stage crime scene, which in my opinion, 381 00:23:14,685 --> 00:23:19,125 Speaker 1: is our biggest clue so far. In a publication called 382 00:23:19,165 --> 00:23:23,245 Speaker 1: Collision or Collusion Homicides Staged as Car Accidents by Claire Ferguson, 383 00:23:23,565 --> 00:23:26,445 Speaker 1: which was published in the National Library of Health, the 384 00:23:26,485 --> 00:23:30,005 Speaker 1: author describes sixteen homicides that were staged as car accidents. 385 00:23:30,605 --> 00:23:35,565 Speaker 1: The descriptive analysis examined common staging behaviors and victim, offender 386 00:23:35,605 --> 00:23:42,045 Speaker 1: and offense characteristics. Her findings indicate that staged car accidents 387 00:23:42,085 --> 00:23:46,605 Speaker 1: present differently than real accidents, and in a nutshell, every 388 00:23:46,685 --> 00:23:49,245 Speaker 1: single thing that she mentioned sounded like it could have 389 00:23:49,325 --> 00:23:54,125 Speaker 1: been taken straight out of Shannon's case. The article read quote. 390 00:23:54,405 --> 00:23:58,525 Speaker 1: They often involve single vehicle, slow speed downhill scenes with 391 00:23:58,685 --> 00:24:02,965 Speaker 1: middle aged female victims. Physical damage to vehicles is usually minimal, 392 00:24:03,125 --> 00:24:07,045 Speaker 1: except for fire damage. Common offender behaviors include transporting the 393 00:24:07,085 --> 00:24:10,685 Speaker 1: body to a vehicle, mutilation of the body, arson, and cleanup. 394 00:24:11,365 --> 00:24:15,605 Speaker 1: The results suggest these efforts are often unsophisticated and potentially 395 00:24:15,685 --> 00:24:21,205 Speaker 1: identifiable to investigators and physicians. I think we need to 396 00:24:21,245 --> 00:24:25,245 Speaker 1: focus more on Shannon's private life. We've heard from her sister, 397 00:24:25,445 --> 00:24:29,045 Speaker 1: and her sister said that Shannon did not tell her 398 00:24:29,085 --> 00:24:31,845 Speaker 1: and her mother a lot about certain aspects of her life, 399 00:24:31,925 --> 00:24:37,125 Speaker 1: that Shannon had been a private person. While investigators were 400 00:24:37,165 --> 00:24:40,965 Speaker 1: focusing on the car crash scene, the real crime scene, 401 00:24:40,965 --> 00:24:43,885 Speaker 1: in my opinion, was back at Shannon's house. Of course, 402 00:24:43,965 --> 00:24:47,685 Speaker 1: it wasn't properly processed in the beginning as a crime scene. Remember, 403 00:24:47,765 --> 00:24:50,645 Speaker 1: Penny arrived at the house when the police started their investigation. 404 00:24:51,965 --> 00:24:55,325 Speaker 1: Both Ted and Penny said there were two broken wine 405 00:24:55,325 --> 00:24:58,045 Speaker 1: cooler bottles on the floor of the garage. Which were 406 00:24:58,045 --> 00:25:00,845 Speaker 1: totally out of place because Shannon was a neat freak. 407 00:25:01,845 --> 00:25:04,205 Speaker 1: Her family members said, Shannon never would have left her 408 00:25:04,245 --> 00:25:07,965 Speaker 1: house looking like that. I wonder if Shannon was seeing someone, 409 00:25:08,805 --> 00:25:11,485 Speaker 1: maybe a current or ex boyfriend, someone who hasn't been 410 00:25:11,525 --> 00:25:13,885 Speaker 1: mentioned as a person of interest at all, and with 411 00:25:13,965 --> 00:25:16,525 Speaker 1: all this family drama, someone who's been flying under the 412 00:25:16,605 --> 00:25:21,045 Speaker 1: radar all this time. Shannon was officially single, but again, 413 00:25:21,445 --> 00:25:24,525 Speaker 1: her sister Penny told reporters that Shannon was secretive about 414 00:25:24,525 --> 00:25:27,365 Speaker 1: certain aspects of her personal life, that she didn't tell 415 00:25:27,525 --> 00:25:30,965 Speaker 1: certain things to her or to their mom. So what 416 00:25:31,125 --> 00:25:34,605 Speaker 1: do we know about crime scene staging? Again, we have 417 00:25:34,805 --> 00:25:37,525 Speaker 1: no access to the police case file, So we have 418 00:25:37,605 --> 00:25:40,565 Speaker 1: to go back to my bookshelf. We need to go 419 00:25:40,645 --> 00:25:43,925 Speaker 1: back to what we know about crime scene staging. According 420 00:25:43,925 --> 00:25:47,245 Speaker 1: to the excellent book Crime Scene Staging, Dynamics and Homicidal 421 00:25:47,285 --> 00:25:51,365 Speaker 1: Cases by doctor Laura Petler, the most commonly staged crime 422 00:25:51,405 --> 00:25:54,205 Speaker 1: scenes are done in cases of domestic violence or intimate 423 00:25:54,205 --> 00:25:59,765 Speaker 1: partner homicides. Crime Scene staging happens basically to serve the 424 00:25:59,845 --> 00:26:03,485 Speaker 1: killer's needs, not the victims. It happens because the victim 425 00:26:03,525 --> 00:26:06,405 Speaker 1: and the offender had a relationship with each other. We 426 00:26:06,485 --> 00:26:09,765 Speaker 1: can also surmise the killer knew the area, at least 427 00:26:09,765 --> 00:26:11,525 Speaker 1: they knew it well enough to know where there was 428 00:26:11,565 --> 00:26:14,765 Speaker 1: a cliff a place where they could push that escalade off. 429 00:26:15,925 --> 00:26:18,805 Speaker 1: The area where she was found walk or trail is 430 00:26:18,845 --> 00:26:22,565 Speaker 1: over five miles away from Shannon's house, so that means 431 00:26:22,605 --> 00:26:26,085 Speaker 1: whoever did this presumably put Shannon in the car and 432 00:26:26,165 --> 00:26:28,845 Speaker 1: then drove her vehicle to the spot where they pushed 433 00:26:28,885 --> 00:26:33,525 Speaker 1: it off. This is a huge risk. The killer would 434 00:26:33,525 --> 00:26:35,845 Speaker 1: have to feel reasonably confident that they weren't going to 435 00:26:35,925 --> 00:26:38,445 Speaker 1: pass anybody on the road, or if they did that 436 00:26:38,485 --> 00:26:42,445 Speaker 1: they wouldn't look out of place in that car. Doctor Pettler, 437 00:26:42,565 --> 00:26:45,205 Speaker 1: in her book points out that while there are words 438 00:26:45,485 --> 00:26:49,525 Speaker 1: for crimes like matricide and patricide, there's no real term 439 00:26:49,565 --> 00:26:52,285 Speaker 1: that covers a person who was intimately involved with the 440 00:26:52,365 --> 00:26:56,125 Speaker 1: victim but not married to them. She says she refers 441 00:26:56,165 --> 00:27:01,045 Speaker 1: to these murders as intimacides someone who was intimately involved 442 00:27:01,085 --> 00:27:03,405 Speaker 1: with the victim, and this can include close friends who 443 00:27:03,405 --> 00:27:06,925 Speaker 1: are crashing on a couch, or potentially people who are 444 00:27:07,005 --> 00:27:10,245 Speaker 1: dating the victim were sexually involved with them, also ex partners. 445 00:27:11,285 --> 00:27:15,605 Speaker 1: Another study of homicides staged as car accidents. Investigated one 446 00:27:15,685 --> 00:27:19,525 Speaker 1: hundred and fifteen cases. Now, admittedly this is not a 447 00:27:19,605 --> 00:27:22,605 Speaker 1: huge group and definitely a lot more research is needed 448 00:27:22,645 --> 00:27:26,405 Speaker 1: in this area. But again, they found in over eighty 449 00:27:26,445 --> 00:27:30,285 Speaker 1: percent of the cases the killer was the domestic partner 450 00:27:30,405 --> 00:27:33,565 Speaker 1: or former domestic partner the victim. In a lot of 451 00:27:33,605 --> 00:27:38,165 Speaker 1: these cases, the killer used blunt force and basically beat 452 00:27:38,165 --> 00:27:44,125 Speaker 1: the victim to death. In Shannon's case, police were very 453 00:27:44,245 --> 00:27:47,805 Speaker 1: quick to classify her death as an accident based on 454 00:27:47,845 --> 00:27:50,365 Speaker 1: the crime scene, and this is a common mistake that 455 00:27:50,445 --> 00:27:53,805 Speaker 1: law enforcement make a lot. They focus on crime scene 456 00:27:53,845 --> 00:27:58,085 Speaker 1: analysis very early on. They need to go back to victimology. 457 00:27:59,205 --> 00:28:02,245 Speaker 1: They need to get more knowledge about what's actually going 458 00:28:02,285 --> 00:28:05,565 Speaker 1: on with the victim at the time of death. And 459 00:28:05,605 --> 00:28:07,645 Speaker 1: so when we're trying to figure out what happened to 460 00:28:07,685 --> 00:28:09,885 Speaker 1: Shannon her cut, we need to keep an open mind 461 00:28:09,925 --> 00:28:14,285 Speaker 1: and always be curious. We need to ask ourselves why 462 00:28:14,285 --> 00:28:16,885 Speaker 1: would someone stage the scene that way? Because they did 463 00:28:16,885 --> 00:28:19,645 Speaker 1: it for a reason. Maybe it was because they didn't 464 00:28:19,685 --> 00:28:21,565 Speaker 1: want to be the person who would have to report 465 00:28:21,605 --> 00:28:24,725 Speaker 1: her missing or to find her body. Maybe it was 466 00:28:24,725 --> 00:28:26,365 Speaker 1: because they didn't want to have their nine to one 467 00:28:26,405 --> 00:28:31,045 Speaker 1: one call analyzed. So we need to know more about 468 00:28:31,125 --> 00:28:35,125 Speaker 1: who was in Shannon's close circle, maybe an ex boyfriend 469 00:28:35,205 --> 00:28:39,045 Speaker 1: or former lover, maybe someone who, if they were the 470 00:28:39,085 --> 00:28:41,805 Speaker 1: person who found her body, would have aroused suspicion with 471 00:28:41,845 --> 00:28:45,085 Speaker 1: the police. We need to talk to the people closest 472 00:28:45,125 --> 00:28:48,365 Speaker 1: to her, who was Shannon's best friend, who was in 473 00:28:48,405 --> 00:28:51,845 Speaker 1: her circle, who knew about her personal relationships. If that 474 00:28:51,885 --> 00:28:54,485 Speaker 1: person is out there, we haven't heard from them yet. 475 00:28:55,885 --> 00:28:59,525 Speaker 1: Severe County investigators have said this case is still open 476 00:28:59,805 --> 00:29:03,645 Speaker 1: and still actively being investigated. There is still a forty 477 00:29:03,645 --> 00:29:06,685 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars reward in place, still available for any 478 00:29:06,685 --> 00:29:09,525 Speaker 1: information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of 479 00:29:09,565 --> 00:29:14,285 Speaker 1: whoever killed Shannon Hercut. Anyone who has information, I ask 480 00:29:14,365 --> 00:29:16,925 Speaker 1: that you please reach out to the Severe County Sheriff's 481 00:29:16,965 --> 00:29:20,605 Speaker 1: Office Criminal Investigation Division at eight sixty five four two 482 00:29:20,645 --> 00:29:25,165 Speaker 1: eight one eight nine nine or TBI at one eight 483 00:29:25,285 --> 00:29:31,245 Speaker 1: hundred TBI fined. I'm Katherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone 484 00:29:31,525 --> 00:29:44,925 Speaker 1: Murder Line. If you have a case you'd like me 485 00:29:45,085 --> 00:29:47,605 Speaker 1: and my team to look into, you can reach out 486 00:29:47,645 --> 00:29:50,005 Speaker 1: to us at our Hell and Gone Murder Line at 487 00:29:50,045 --> 00:29:53,685 Speaker 1: six seven eight seven four four six one four five. 488 00:29:54,805 --> 00:29:57,285 Speaker 1: Helen Gone is a production of School of Humans and 489 00:29:57,325 --> 00:30:01,125 Speaker 1: iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me Catherine Townsend 490 00:30:01,365 --> 00:30:05,565 Speaker 1: and produced by Gabby Watts. Music is by Ben Solee 491 00:30:05,685 --> 00:30:09,685 Speaker 1: and this episode was scored by Miranda Hawkins. Executive producers 492 00:30:09,685 --> 00:30:15,285 Speaker 1: are Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr, and Elsie Crowley. If you 493 00:30:15,405 --> 00:30:17,405 Speaker 1: have a case you'd like me and my team to 494 00:30:17,445 --> 00:30:19,925 Speaker 1: look into, you can reach out to us at our 495 00:30:19,965 --> 00:30:23,005 Speaker 1: Hell and Gone murder line at six seven eight seven 496 00:30:23,085 --> 00:30:34,285 Speaker 1: four four six one four five. School of Humans