The Murder of Hannah Zehner Brim
For this case I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 22 episode 4, titled ‘It Won’t End Well.’
A 23 year old pregnant mother disappears.
Background
Hannah Zehner Brim was a mother of a toddler, and about five months pregnant at the time of her death. Her parents said she was struggling, mostly with her marriage. Hannah was living in an extended stay motel while trying to figure out what to do with her marriage, she and her husband were separated at the time.
She was described as a great mother, but had struggled with drug addiction and mental health issues in the past.
Hannah Zehner Brim
The Disappearance
On January 23, 2016, the manager of the hotel called Hannah’s parents Art and Susan Zehner. The manager said Hannah was set to check out the next day, but that no one had seen her for about two days.
Art and Susan tried calling Hannah, but all the calls went to voicemail. They tried calling Hannah’s friends, but no one had seen or heard from her since January 19.
Art and Susan went to the motel, and were let in by the hotel manager. All of Hannah’s belongings, except her jacket and purse were in the room. Her car was not in the parking lot either. They knew something was wrong, and they called the Gainesville, Florida police.
The Investigation
Officer Nicholas Byrd arrived at the motel, he had known the Zehner’s since he was a teenager. He immediately noticed something strange in the room. There was a small makeup bag on the desk, and inside it was a VIN number for a vehicle. The car was registered to a man named Nelson Armas. Nelson claimed he hadn’t seen or heard from Hannah in 3-4 days, and didn’t know where she was.
The police obtained Hannah’s phone records. After searching them, they believed Hannah had disappeared on January 19. Her phone activity stopped on that day, as well as her social media activity.
The first person that the police spoke to was Hannah’s estranged husband. He told them that yes, they were going through a rough patch, but that he loved her and wanted to get back together. He said he hadn’t heard from her since January 19, and had been at home with their son. He also said he didn’t have a vehicle to get around, and he was ruled out. Hannah’s parents also agreed that Hannah’s husband loved her, and would never harm her or their unborn child.
A Strange Story
The police wanted to determine who the last people were that saw Hannah before she disappeared.
Hannah’s friend Abrianna said she saw her at noon on the 19th. Hannah had dropped her off at work, and texted her an hour later. Abrianna said she told Hannah that she’d call her after she got off work, but she never heard from her again.
The last person Hannah had spoken to that day was a friend named Rebecca. Hannah and Rebecca had been friends in high school, and recently reconnected. Rebecca said she and Hannah were supposed to hangout on the 19th, and run errands. There were several phone calls between the two of them between 2-2:30pm.
Rebecca told the police that while she was waiting to be picked up by Hannah, a small silver car pulled up on a dirt road on her property. She said the doors were opened, but that she didn’t see anyone around the car. She walked outside, and a man popped up from the ground. He told her to go away, and that he was having sex with the person he was with. Rebecca said she never saw anyone else near the car.
Rebecca said the car then drove away a few minutes later. She described the man as being a white male, average build, with dark hair and beard. Rebecca also said Hannah canceled their plans a few minutes after the car drove away.
The kind of car that Rebecca had seen matched the description of Hannah’s car. She drove a silver Toyota Camry, and Rebecca now believed she could’ve seen the man who did something to Hannah.
A Secret Relationship
While the police were speaking to Rebecca, a man called the police and said he had been with Hannah on January 19. His name was Nelson Armas, and he was the owner of the car with the VIN number in Hannah’s makeup bag.
Nelson, a married man, said he and Hannah had an affair. He said he used her as a “bandaid, and as a “crutch,” and that she was always there when he needed someone. Nelson said Hannah wanted a relationship with him, but that was never his intention with her.
Nelson said he left her hotel room around 1:30pm on the 19th. He said they argued, and he walked out. When the police asked him if that was the last time he saw her, he said no. He said Hannah drove up alongside him, and pleaded him to get into the car. He said they then drove on Highway 441, and drove out of Gainesville.
He said while they were arguing, and that Hannah slapped him in the face. He told her to pull over, and he got out. The police asked him how he got back to Gainesville. He said he hitchhiked back, and walked the 13 miles home once he got into Gainesville. The police didn’t believe his story. His phone records showed that he was with Hannah up until her phone shut off.
Rebecca was finishing up with her interview in the room next door. She was walking by to leave, when she saw Nelson. She told the police that Nelson was the man she had seen on her property. The police were also convinced that Nelson did something to Hannah, but they had no physical evidence. He was released.
The Surveillance Footage
The police were now focused on Nelson. They examined his social media accounts, and noticed that he had thanked one of his friends on Facebook for letting him stay on her couch.
They reached out to his friend Stacie. She said she had been at Walmart at 9pm on the 19th, and that Nelson met her there. The police obtained the surveillance footage, and confirmed that Nelson had walked inside. That wasn’t all, Nelson had driven to the store in the car that was believed to have been Hannah’s.
The car then sits at Walmart for four days, until Nelson is dropped off by a man driving an El Camino, to pick up the car. The man in the El Camino was tracked down. He said that Nelson had asked him to help him get rid of a car, Hannah’s car. He said Nelson gave it to a local tow yard, and asked the tow yard to crush the car.
Luckily, the car hadn’t been crushed yet, and the tow yard turned it over to the police. The car was indeed Hannah’s car, and sadly, evidence would show that Hannah was dead. Her blood was found in the trunk of the car, and there was a lot of it.
The police obtained a search warrant for Nelson’s mother’s home. The police found more evidence in some burn piles. They found pieces of a jacket and floor mats from a car. When they confronted Nelson, he became nervous, and denied hurting Hannah.
Arrest and Conviction
More evidence continued to build against Nelson. Nelson was held in jail on unrelated charges. An informant called, and said Nelson told him that he threw a knife out a car. He drew a map, and led them to a Smith and Wesson knife.
He soon broke down, and told another inmate that he killed Hannah to keep their affair a secret. Nelson was worried that Hannah was going to tell his wife. The inmate told the police where Nelson told him where he put Hannah’s body. The police search the area for two days, and found Hannah’s remains.
Nelson Armas’ trial began in August 2019. He was found guilty of first degree murder, grand theft of a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years for theft, and five years for tampering with evidence.
Hannah’s dad Art, said he wanted to confront Nelson when he saw him in court, but listened to his wife who begged him not to.
Nelson Armas
FINAL THOUGHTS
Nelson is a piece of shit. He not only killed Hannah, who he claimed to care about, but killed her unborn child. He still claims to be innocent, despite all the evidence against him. I feel so bad for Hannah’s family, and I hope they are doing well, and happy with the justice that was served.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/hannah-brim-murder-where-is-nelson-armas-now/
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190814/armas-guilty-gets-life-term-in-hannah-brims-murder
