Third woman charged with murder

A third woman is in custody for the murder of a Portland man.

Hannah Knapke, who played for the Fort Recovery High School softball team under one of the women who was charged last week, was arrested today.

She is charged with the murder of Shea Briar and is being held without bond at Jay County Jail.

Knapke, 18, Fort Recovery, is accused of providing the vehicle used to drive Briar to the bridge in northern Jay County where he was found dead early Jan. 12.

Her arrest comes eight days after the arrests of Esther J. “EJ” Stephen, 29, 621 W. Second St., Portland, and Shelby Hiestand, 18, 1391 W. 200 North, rural Portland. Stephen had been the softball coach at FRHS, where she coached Knapke for her junior and senior seasons, and Hiestand was an assistant coach.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in connection to the charges against Knapke, she admitted to providing the vehicle used in the murder and being at the scene when Briar was shot. Investigators said last week that Stephen and Hiestand had also confessed to plotting to kill Briar over a custody dispute, which court records show has been ongoing since November. Stephen and Briar shared a child.

Knapke’s arrest came after investigators flew to interview her in Marshalltown, Iowa, where she attended Marshalltown Community College and played for the Tiger volleyball team.

The probable cause affidavit says Knapke told investigators that she met Stephen and Hiestand at Fairview United Methodist Church located on county road 200 South near county road 300 East about 10:30 p.m. Jan. 11. There, Stephen and Hiestand talked with Knapke about their plan to kill Briar, it continues. (Court documents filed last week state that Stephen and Hiestand picked up a .22-caliber rifle from Hiestand’s home before driving to the church.)

The affidavit states that Stephen and Hiestand asked to used Knapke’s vehicle in case anyone saw Briar getting into it. Knapke, who the affidavit says agreed to the plan, had no previous connection with Briar.

Court documents say Stephen told investigators the plan to kill Briar was set in motion when she called him at 12:02 a.m. Jan. 12 and asked him to “hang out.” Knapke told investigators she knew there was a gun in the back of her vehicle and that she, Stephen and Hiestand picked Briar up from his home at 315 W. Seventh St., Portland, the affidavit says. They then drove him to the bridge over Loblolly Creek on county road 125 West, just south of county road 800 South, it continues.

According to court documents, Stephen told investigators everyone then exited Knapke’s vehicle and Stephen distracted Briar to allow Hiestand to retrieve the gun. Stephen and Hiestand admitted that Hiestand shot Briar once in the back while he and Stephen were walking away from the vehicle, the documents state. The affidavit filed in connection with Knapke’s charges says she told investigators that she was standing next to Hiestand when Hiestand shot Briar.

Just before 2 a.m. Jan. 12, emergency responders were called to the bridge where they found Briar. He was first transported to Adams Memorial Hospital in Decatur and then to Fort Wayne’s Lutheran Hospital, where he died later Sunday.

An autopsy conducted Jan. 13 by Allen County Coroner’s Office indicated that Briar died of a single gunshot wound that entered his back and penetrated his heart.

Stephen and Heistand are being held without bond in Jay County Jail. Initial court hearings for both were held last week, and pretrial hearings are scheduled for 2 p.m. March 30. No court hearings have yet been set in Knapke’s case.

A murder conviction carries a sentence of 45 to 65 years in Indiana, with an advisory sentence of 55 years.

Fort Recovery School Board is scheduled to meet Thursday to terminate contracts for Stephen and Hiestand. The school district immediately placed them on administrative leave after their arrests Jan. 14 but waited to take additional action on the advice of legal counsel.

The investigation into Briar’s death was conducted by Jay County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from Indiana State Police, Portland Police Department, Dunkirk Police Department and Jay County Prosecutor’s Office.