The Murder of Heather Strube
For this case I watched an episode of American Monster. It’s season 8 episode 10, titled ‘The Man Who Got Away.’
Background
Heather Allen was born on April 20, 1984, to parents, Buddy and Mary Allen. Heather had one younger brother named Henry. Heather’s parents were very religious, so it was no surprise when Heather met her future husband, Steven Strube, in a teenage youth group.
In May 2004, Heather and Steven got married. In September 2007, their son, Carson, was born. Heather was so excited to become a mom, and would’ve done anything to give herself and Carson a better life.
Heather Strube
Heather with her son, Carson
The Divorce
Heather was very busy with being a mom, and working at the family flower shop. Carson was described as being a good baby, and was always at the flower shop with Heather.
Heather began telling her friends that she was having issues with Steven’s mom, Johanna Hayes. Johanna would often come to the flower shop, and try to take Carson out of the shop. Heather told her friends that she had to start being strict with Johanna about not taking Carson out of the shop.
Around Valentines Day 2008, Heather discovered that Steven was most likely cheating on her. Johanna had given her a receipt for some jewelry that Steven had purchased. Heather told her that Steven hadn’t given her anything.
Heather decided she was done with the marriage. The custody arrangement was that Heather would be the main custodian, and Steven would get Carson every other weekend. Heather also wanted to meet in public places when they did hand Carson over to each other.
By March 2008, Heather had met a new man named Mike Vickers, and things seemed to be going well for her. Mike and Carson really bonded, and her family liked how happy she was.
The Murder
On April 26, 2009, Heather went to Target in Snellville, Georgia, to pick up Carson. Steven arrived in his minivan, handed Carson to her, and left.
Around 6:03pm, the Snellville police dispatch received a call. Several witnesses had seen the custody exchange between Heather and Steven. They had also seen a strange skinny man shoot Heather, and walk calmly out of the parking lot.
When the police arrived, they found Heather’s maroon Cadillac Escalade parked. Inside, Carson was sitting in his car seat. Heather’s purse was in the car, and the police identified her by her drivers license.
Heather was found near the drivers side door. She had been shot in the head.
The Strange Skinny Man
Once the police secured the area, they walked into Target to look at the surveillance footage from the perimeter of the shopping center.
On the surveillance footage, the police could see Steven’s minivan pull up near Heather’s maroon Escalade. Steven handed Carson to Heather, and left. Heather was still alive when Steven pulled out of the parking lot, but not for long.
As soon as Heather walked to the drivers side of the car, this skinny man approached her. The eyewitnesses described an argument between the two, so it seemed as if Heather knew this person.
The man was described as skinny, slender, and obviously had been wearing a wild wig and mustache. The witnesses also said the man was wearing a button down shirt, khakis and carrying a bag.
The police were able to see that the man had entered the parking lot on foot, and left in the direction they walked in from after they shot Heather. The police found it odd that the person seemed so calm. They also noticed that the person walked with a unique gait.
A canine unit was brought in to track the smell of the suspect. The dogs led the police to the parking lot of an extended stay hotel. The dog lost the scene in the parking lot. The police believed the killer had driven away in a vehicle that had been parked there.
The White Truck
The police interviewed Steven, and asked him where he had gone after he dropped his son off. Steven said he had gone straight home. The police couldn’t officially rule Steven out. They knew he wasn’t the shooter, but weren’t sure if he had hired someone to shoot Heather.
On April 28, the police received a call from a truck driver that had been staying at the extended stay hotel. He described the strange skinny man that the witnesses from Target had seen. He said he saw the man sitting in an older model white Ford pickup truck, with an extended cab and distinctive molding on the side. He said the man was looking in the direction of the shopping center with binoculars and taking pictures.
Several witnesses had agreed to meet with a forensic artist to create a sketch of the man.
The police sketch
The police went to Steven’s parent’s house to continue their investigation. While they were there, they saw a white Ford pickup truck, like the one the truck driver had described. They asked the truck driver if he’d be willing to drive to the house to see if he recognized any of the vehicles. He positively identified the truck as the one he’d seen the skinny man in.
The truck was registered to Steven’s mom, Johanna Hayes.
Mother vs. Son
On April 29, the police went back to the house with a search warrant for the truck. The truck had obviously been thoroughly cleaned. They did find a receipt from a fast food restaurant in Luthersville, Georgia, and a hair that was consistent with being from a wig.
The police asked Johanna where she had been on April 26. Johanna said she was in Luthersville working on her parents house. She said she had a receipt from 7:19pm from the fast food restaurant in Luthersville.
The police did their own experiment. They drove from Johanna’s house to the fast food restaurant. They determined that she could’ve killed Heather at 6pm and made it to the restaurant by 7:19pm, where she purchased ice cream.
Nine days after the murder, Steven was brought into the police station. He was shown the police sketch and surveillance footage from the shopping center. The police asked him if he recognized his mom from that video. Steven seemed to be coming to the realization that it was his mom. He said, “I’m going to throw up,” and that he was thinking of how screwed up Carson’s life was going to be.
The police asked Steven if he’d be willing to call his mom while they recorded the call. On the call, Steven can be heard telling Johanna that the person looked and walked like her. Johanna said, “so you told them that it looked like me, huh?” She also said, “then I guess they’ll be coming here to arrest me tonight.”
The Arrest and Conviction
On May 7, 2009, Johanna Hayes was questioned by the police. She was shown the surveillance footage. She asked the police if it was the same footage from the news. They told her they believed it was.
Johanna was asked if she recognized that intersection, and she said no. As the interview went on, she became confident and arrogant. The police had learned that Johanna was very controlling, especially over Carson.
On June 25, the police interviewed Steven Strube Sr. He told them that things became really bad when he divorced Johanna. He said Johanna had once put a gun to his head. He also told the police that Johanna had once owned a Rossi .38 caliber handgun.
The bullet that Heather had been killed with was found to be consistent with either a Rossi or Taurus .38. It couldn’t be proven if the gun that had been used was the one that Johanna had once owned.
Johanna Hayes was arrested and charged with murder. Her trial began in May 2011.
The prosecution said Johanna had carefully planned the murder. She got a wig, a fake mustache and the clothing. She knew where Heather and Steven would be meeting to do their custody swap. She waited until Steven left the parking lot, and shot Heather in front of Carson.
The Snellville Police Corporal, Dean Boone testified that Johanna talked to him about how she didn’t think Heather was a good mom. Johanna had said that Heather would hand Carson off to Steven in dirty diapers, and that it happened on more than one occasion.
On May 27, 2011, Johanna Hayes was convicted of murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.
Johanna Hayes
Other
Johanna had filed an appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court. Her conviction was upheld.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really hope and believe that Carson was too young to have seen or remember anything from that day. I’m sure he knows what happened to his mom, and why is grandmother is in jail. Heather seemed like such a great mom, daughter, friend, etc., and all she wanted in life was to give Carson a good life. Heather was killed by someone she once called family, and that is so heartbreaking. It seems like Johanna had been out to destroy Heather’s life for awhile. I hope she rots in prison forever.
Sources
https://abcnews.go.com/US/joanna-hayes-trial-alleged-murder-daughter-law-target/story?id=13562734
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/target-shooting-suspect-son-mom-why-did-you/laipn67enAXP4aU22H1dWJ/
