The Murder of Halee Rathgeber
For today’s case, I watched an episode of Murder Loves Company. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Friends to the End.’
A 20-year-old woman is found dead in a soccer field.
Background
Halee Rathgeber was only 20-years-old when she died. She worked at the Texas Roadhouse in Evansville, Indiana, to earn extra money for school.
Halee was described as kind to everyone, and had a large circle of friends.
Halee Rathgeber
The Discovery
On Sunday, April 23, 2017, Halee worked a shift at Texas Roadhouse. She was invited out for drinks afterwards, but declined.
The next morning, on April 24, a woman and her daughter were driving past the Alcoa Soccer Complex, when they noticed something. It was the body of a young female. The police were called, and arrived about 20 minutes later.
The young woman was lying in the gravel in the parking lot. She had been shot once in the head. Next to her body, was a blood soaked blue towel. The towel was collected for evidence.
The police had to take photos of the tattoos that the victim had. There was no purse, wallet or keys in the area. The police also didn’t find a murder weapon, or spent shell casings.
Halee was eventually positively identified. Her mother, Heather, had found out that a body had been discovered through media reports on Facebook. Heather had contacted a friend that she knew from a nearby police department. She then received a text message asking for photos of Halee’s tattoos.
Someone She Knew
During Halee’s autopsy, the medical examiner had a sexual assault test done. There was no sign of any sexual assault.
The police knew that Halee had most likely known her killer. Halee’s body had been laid out in a snow angel position. She had also been shot in the back of the head, and the blue towel was found next to her body.
Halee’s fingernails were scraped, but only her DNA was found. The bloody towel also only had her DNA on it.
The police learned that Halee had worked the previous night. She had been planning to go to the library with her friend Ansley to study. However, her plans changed when she went to visit another friend named Jordan.
Jordan told the police that Halee had come by that night around 10pm to pick up her wallet. Jordan had been dating a man named Thaddeus Rice, and her friends didn’t approve of him. Thaddeus had prior run-ins with the law, and there were rumors on social media, that this man had killed Halee. Thaddeus had been questioned just a few weeks before Halee’s death for an unrelated crime.
Thaddeus was questioned, but soon cleared when another suspect came into the picture.
A New Suspect
Another friend of Halee’s named Isaiah Hagan contacted the police. He told them that he had seen Halee on the night she died.
Isaiah said he had been hanging out with another co-worker of theirs named Jake Allen. Isaiah said Halee texted him, and he left to go see her. Isaiah said that Halee had asked him to drop her off at the local dam in Newburgh, Indiana, because she was going to meet someone. Isaiah said he felt weird about leaving her there, but eventually dropped her off.
Isaiah said he tried contacting Halee around midnight, but she didn’t answer.
Jake was also interviewed by the police, but he had been home all night with friends, and was cleared.
The Cell Phone Records
A week after Halee’s murder, the FBI who were brought in to assist, were finally able to obtain her cell phone records.
Halee had been speaking to Isaiah like he claimed. Isaiah’s cell phone records were also obtained. The police made a shocking discovery. Isaiah and Halee’s movements were identical.
The police also obtained the surveillance footage from Halee’s apartment. Isaiah and Halee can be seen leaving the apartment together. The phone records then showed the phones traveling to the soccer fields around 11pm, not the dam like Isaiah said.
Around 11:25pm, Halee’s cell phone was shut off. It came back on around 3:20am near the southwest side of Evansville, and then shuts off again for good.
The next morning, Isaiah is back at Halee’s apartment searching through her car.
A Motive
The police obtained a warrant for Isaiah’s home, where he was living with his parents.
The police asked them if they owned a gun. Mr. Hagan said he did, but it was missing. The gun was a .9mm. The police weren’t able to determine if it was the murder weapon, because one was never found.
In the Hagan home, the police found an identical blue towel to the one at the crime scene. It was made from the same company.
On the night Halee died, Isaiah’s dad had been texting him, asking for the money that his son owed him. Isaiah had responded that he was waiting for her to get off work.
Isaiah had written two $300 checks from Halee’s account. One check had gone through, but the other had bounced. Isaiah’s dad covered for him, and was expecting the money back.
The police also learned that Isaiah was known for stealing things from his friends and former roommates. Isaiah’s parents claimed not to know about any of this behavior, but said that Isaiah wouldn’t kill anyone.
The Conviction
Isaiah was brought into the police station for a formal interview. He changed his story many times.
First, Isaiah said he dropped off Halee at the dam. Once he was confronted about their cell phone records, he admitted that they had gone to the soccer fields. He then said that he didn’t know where Halee’s phone went, but then said he had it the whole time, and eventually through it out the window. Halee’s phone was never found.
Isaiah Hagan was arrested, and charged with murder, robbery, and obstruction of justice.
At his first trial, it ended in a mistrial. At the retrial, Isaiah’s mom, Donna, admitted that she knew about the murder because Isaiah confessed to her, saying it was an accident. Isaiah had never admitted to the police that he killed Halee.
Donna later admitted to saying things that weren’t true.
In 2016, Isaiah Hagan was eventually sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Isaiah Hagan
FINAL THOUGHTS
All of this over money????? I know there are several cases like this where people kill over small amounts of money. But, would this have happened if Isaiah hadn’t been being pressured by his dad to give him the money? Isaiah also clearly had issues with stealing, and probably would’ve ended up in jail for robbery if he had continued.
Halee was only 20 years old. She had been planning to go to school, and all of that was taken away from her. Halee trusted Isaiah, but he was able to get her away from her home to kill her over money. He deserves a lot longer than 60 years in prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/halee-rathgeber-murder-where-is-isaiah-hagan-now/
https://www.14news.com/story/38394857/hagans-mom-admits-to-saying-untrue-things-during-trial/
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2377190165210/halee-rathgeber-murder-where-is-isaiah-hagan-now
