Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In April 2009, Heather Strube met her husband, Steven Strube, in the parking lot of a Target store in Snellville, Georgia. The duo was going through a problematic custody dispute over their son. The couple met, and Steven handed over their child to Heather. However, as soon as Steven left, an unknown assailant arrived at Heather’s car and shot her. Dateline NBC will now re-examine the brutal murder and uncover details of how Heather’s mother-in-law, Joanna Hayes, was responsible for the crime. The episode airs Friday, March 15, at 9 p.m. ET.
On April 26, 2009, after the meeting, Steven Strube left the parking lot. ABC News reported that Heather tucked her son into his seat. However, an unknown assailant came right at Heather’s window and shot her in the head. The outlet also mentioned that the killer didn’t hurt the kid. After police discovered the body, they started the investigation. Subsequently, they contacted Heather Strube’s husband and began the interrogation.
Although he was able to prove that he left the parking lot after the swap, police still considered him a suspect. As the investigations progressed, investigators discovered a surveillance video and showed it to Steven. The publication mentioned that Steven identified the person in the video as his mother, Joanna Hayes.
Almost eight months after the murder, Joanna Hayes was arrested and charged with murder in December 2009. As per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the jury found Hayes guilty and sentenced her to life imprisonment. Joanna Hayes is currently serving her sentence at Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville, Georgia.
Heather Strube’s murder case explored
After the incident, police started their investigation with Steven Strube. Although he left the scene, they thought that he might have arranged a hit-for-hire, per Oxygen. However, authorities had a breakthrough when a truck driver told them he saw an individual with a white pickup truck. Oxygen reported that the vehicle belonged to Heather Strube’s mother-in-law, Joanna Hayes.
As mentioned earlier, authorities showed Steven a video that helped them get close to finding the culprit. After watching it, Steven identified the person in the video as his mother. Subsequently, authorities called Joanna Hayes for interrogation, but she reportedly maintained her innocence. However, in December 2009, they finally arrested her and charged her in Heather Strube’s murder case.
The trial began in 2011, and the prosecution team alleged that Hayes wore a disguise while committing the murder, per ABC News. The prosecution also alleged that Hayes never liked Heather and didn’t want her to have custody of her grandson. The prosecutor said, “This person pulls out a gun, places it on Heather’s forehead, and shoots her. The defendant didn’t like Heather. She didn’t want Heather to have custody of Carson in the divorce.”
Hayes always maintained her innocence
During the trial, a woman testified that Heather was scared of her mother-in-law and didn’t feel safe around her, per ABC News. Meanwhile, another testimony noted that Joanna Hayes once commented on how she would commit a “perfect murder.” Meanwhile, the defense noted that their client had no involvement whatsoever in the slaying. After listening to several testimonies and arguments, the jury deliberated for two and a half days before reaching a guilty verdict.
The court sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole. During the sentencing, Joanna Hayes cried and said she had never harmed anyone in her life. She said, “It hurts me to hear others say that we had a strained relationship, because we did not… I did not commit this offense because I loved her just as much as anyone.”
Hayes is currently booked at Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville, Georgia.
