Woman says tea laced with pills given to ex was a chemistry experiment

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It was successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Jan. 12, 2020, erstwhile 31-year-old Shea Briar was recovered clinging to beingness connected a agrarian roadworthy successful Jay County, Indiana.

Briar was incapable to communicate, and archetypal responders were initially unsure of what had happened to him, but erstwhile helium arrived astatine the hospital, aesculapian unit discovered a slug coiled successful his back.

"There was nary exit coiled … It was really successful his heart," Jay County Sheriff's Detective Ben Schwartz told "48 Hours" analogous Anne-Marie Green. "He … passed away."

Green reports connected the lawsuit successful "Coached to Kill," an all-new "48 Hours" airing Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 astatine 10/9c connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount+.

An probe was launched, and constabulary soon received a telephone from a pistillate named Kristi Sibray.

Sibray was an acquaintance of Briar's erstwhile fiancée, 29-year-old Esther Jane Stephen. Stephen, who went by the sanction E.J., was a section precocious schoolhouse softball coach. She and Briar shared a young girl together.

Sibray, a erstwhile constabulary officer, told detectives that successful the months starring up to Briar's murder, Stephen came implicit often and that she was accompanied by her adjunct coach, 19-year-old Shelby Hiestand.

During those visits, Sibray said Stephen would confide successful her astir problems she was having with Briar. Stephen and Briar had precocious breached disconnected their engagement, and Briar had filed a tribunal petition to found parenting clip for the girl they shared.

"He wanted to supply for her … and helium conscionable truly wanted to person immoderate visitation," Tracy Hoevel, Briar's mother, told "48 Hours."

But according to Sibray, Stephen wasn't blessed astir it.

"She didn't privation to stock the baby. That was her baby. That was her child," Sibray told "48 Hours."

Sibray told investigators that Stephen would sermon ways to get escaped of Briar, but that she didn't deliberation thing of it astatine the time.

"I conscionable truly thought she was venting. I did not deliberation that was for real," Sibray told "48 Hours."

And Sibray said she had that aforesaid mindset when, implicit time, the conversations grew much elaborate — and assorted methods were discussed. At 1 point, Sibray said Stephen and Hiestand told her they enactment pills successful Briar's tea.

"They crushed up ibuprofen, I judge … And helium did portion the full glass, but thing happened to him," Sibray told "48 Hours." "I'm like, 'are you serious?' ... I didn't adjacent … judge her. … Because I conscionable could not spot her doing that."

But erstwhile Sibray learned of Briar's murder, she said she instantly viewed each those conversations successful a antithetic light.

"I felt similar I failed due to the fact that however did I miss this? How did I miss these signs?" Sibray said.

A time aft speaking to Sibray, detectives brought Stephen and Hiestand successful for questioning.

After initially denying engagement successful Briar's murder, they some admitted they took him to that agrarian roadworthy and that Hiestand changeable him successful the back.

Hiestand told detectives she blacked retired past fired the weapon astatine Briar.

E.J. Stephen and Shelby Hiestand were arrested and charged with murder, but they would some aboriginal plead not blameworthy and erstwhile Stephen went connected trial, she placed each the blasted connected Hiestand.

Stephen took the basal and insisted she had nary crushed to privation Briar dead. And arsenic for those pills successful Briar's drink, Stephen said that it was Hiestand's thought and that she lone went on with it due to the fact that she thought it was an guiltless chemistry experiment.

What would a assemblage think?