Woman sentenced in man's murder

PORTLAND, Ind. - A Fort Recovery woman was sentenced to 171/2 years in prison Wednesday for voluntary manslaughter with 71/2 years suspended, and was the last of three women convicted for the January 2020 murder of an Indiana man.

Unlike her co-conspirators, Hannah Knapke's case did not go to trial and she instead entered into a plea bargain in September. She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and was found guilty by Jay County Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison.

Before her sentence was handed down Wednesday, Knapke heard from three members of Shea Briar's family. Briar was shot in the back in January 2020 after he was lured into a vehicle by his child's mother, Esther Stephen, and her co-conspirators Shelby Hiestand and Knapke. He later died of his wounds. Knapke reportedly agreed to allow the use of her vehicle for the deed as Stephen's vehicle would be too recognizable.

Tiffany McLaughlin, Briar's aunt, didn't feel Knapke's sentence was long enough, but said she was glad she didn't have to sit through a third trial. Stephen and Hiestand each were convicted and sentenced to 55 years in prison after jury trials earlier this year. Having to see Briar moaning for help in police dashcam footage presented at the trials had been hard for Briar's family. While Knapke wasn't the ringleader and didn't pull the trigger, she had still been part of it, McLaughlin said.

Sharon Taylor, Briar's grandmother, noted in an interview with law enforcement, that Knapke reportedly said she didn't know who Briar was. After telling Knapke about Briar's childhood and adult life, Taylor said his murder had left a hole in her heart. Knapke became vocally emotional when Taylor insisted Knapke could have made a difference in Briar's ultimate fate.

"Part of you died, too," Taylor said, pointing out how Knapke had lost her scholarships and her time at college, and would always carry the stigma of being a co-conspirator to murder.

Knapke sobbed as Tracy Hoevel, Briar's mother, told Knapke how her son hadn't had a quick death - Briar lived for hours after being left to die in the early hours of that cold, snowy morning. Her son's death could have been prevented, but he was dead because Knapke had been too scared to do the right thing, Hoevel said.

After Knapke gave a brief, emotional apology to her friends and family and Briar's family, Hutchison said that of the three women involved in Briar's murder, he felt she had the greatest understanding of her actions.

Knapke was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison, with 7.5 years suspended, to be served as a probationary period. She was also given credit for time served from her arrest Jan. 22, 2020, to the current day.