Highschool softball coach has colleague kill her ex-boyfriend in foiled youngster custody plot: Report – Crime On-line

Two former Ohio high school softball coaches are on trial over an alleged custody plot that resulted in the murder of a man in January.

According to WHIO, ex-head coach Esther Stephen 29 will be on trial on March 15, while former assistant coach Shelby Hiestand, 31, will be on trial on August 9.

Stephen and Hiestand are accused of murdering Shea Briar, 31, who was fatally shot and killed on January 12 in Indiana. Hiestand is said to have shot the victim in the back, which led to his death a short time later.

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Stephen shares a young daughter with Briar, and investigators suspect that the murder was motivated by Briar asking for more time to parent with her child. Briar also reportedly asked the court to change his daughter’s last name.

Former athlete Hannah Knapke (19) was reportedly also present at the fatal shootout. Investigators said the teenager allowed Stephen and Hiestand to take Briar in their car to the place where they killed him, according to the Muncie Star Press.

Stephen and Hiestand were arrested and fired from their coaching jobs days after Briar’s death.

Knapke’s murder trial is set to begin next summer. The three women remain detained without ties.

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[Featured image: Esther Stephen and Shelby Hiestand/Handout]