The Murder of Shaundra Murr
For this case I watched an episode of Homicide Hunter. It’s season 3 episode 3, titled ‘Weapon of Choice.’
A young mother is killed in front of her children.
Background
Shaundra Lynn Schell was born on October 6, 1966. At the time of her death, she was married to a man named Brent Murr, and together they had two kids named Amber and Joshua. Brett and Shaundra often fought over custody of their kids, and were separated at the time.
Shaundra was a homemaker, and was described as a wonderful mother and outgoing person.
Shaundra Murr
An Accident or Murder?
On May 28, 1990, Shaundra, her boyfriend Brian, Amber and Joshua, all went to pick up Shaundra’s friend Lisa Jones and her son for a birthday party.
Lisa and her son were getting ready to walk out the door, when they heard a crash and a scream. When Lisa went outside, she saw Shaundra lying in the street, badly injured, but still alive. Brian was trying to stop the bleeding from Shaundra’s injuries.
Shaundra had injuries to her legs, torso and chest. The children had been in the car, and were kicking the windows and trying to get out. Shaundra begged Lisa to take the kids inside, so they wouldn’t see anything. Lisa rushed them into her home, and Shaundra was rushed to the hospital with Brian by her side.
Shaundra later passed away from her injuries. This was now a homicide investigation.
Shaundra with her kids, Amber and Joshua
The Crime Scene
At the crime scene, the police found Shaundra’s white tennis shoes on the ground. They knew it wasn’t an accident when they saw them, and a set of skid marks that were caused by spinning tires. Whoever had hit Shaundra had accelerated the car and burned rubber into the ground.
There was a large group of onlookers at the scene, and the police spoke to them to see if anyone had seen anything. There was a woman named Andrea Williams, who said she and her boyfriend had seen the whole incident.
Andrea said they had been driving on Maple Street, where the accident happened, and saw Shaundra and Brian walking. While they were walking, a dark blue car drove by, and there was an exchange of gestures and insults.
Andrea said the blue car drove off, slammed on the brakes, put the car in reverse and swerved into Shaundra. Shaundra was pinned between the dark car and a silver car. The blue car then kept reversing, and finally backed over Shaundra. The car hit the curb, slammed into a fence, ran over Shaundra again and then left the scene.
The silver car was found nearby, and there was paint transfer from the blue car. The police knew that Andrea was telling them what had happened in great detail, but when they asked her for a description of the man, she said she couldn’t remember.
The Suspects
Another witness told the police that they had seen two passengers in the vehicle. A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for a blue Sedan, with damage to it, and possibly two passengers in the vehicle.
The first suspect that the police wanted to speak to was Brian, Shaundra’s boyfriend. The police went to the hospital to look for him, but he wasn’t there. A witness said he had been kicked out for being too emotional.
The second suspect was Brent, Shaundra’s husband. They had gotten married in 1985, but were separated at the time. The police discovered that there were a lot of arguments in their marriage, mostly over custody of their kids.
The police located Brent at a Memorial Day party on the other side of town. The police told Brent that they were looking into something that involved Shaundra. They asked him where he was all day, and Brent said he had been at the party since the early morning. This was confirmed, and Brent didn’t drive a blue colored car. He was eliminated as a suspect.
The Blue Car
The police stopped over a dozen blue cars, but none had damage that was consistent with the crime scene.
It wasn’t long though, when Lt. Kenda received a call that the blue car was found. It was in poor condition, there was blood found on it and silver paint from the other car. Two passengers were in the car, a 21 year old man and a 22 year old. They were brought down to the station, and the car was sent in for testing.
The car was full of beer and liquor bottles, and the testing confirmed that it was in fact blood on the car.
The man who was found in the driver seat was a man named John Richey. He worked as a painter. John was questioned. His eyes were bloodshot and reeked of alcohol. He told the police that he didn’t know anything about an accident.
The second passenger was Michael Schell, Shaundra’s younger brother. He worked at a local credit union. Michael was so drunk when he was brought in, that he could barely sit up, let alone tell the police anything about what happened. The police told Michael that the car he was in had been used to kill his sister. Michael became very emotional, and the police believed he had no memory of what happened that day.
Michael and John were both held at the jail. They were able to be held because of unrelated misdemeanor offenses.
The Obsessive Ex
While John was being held, he agreed to talk. He told Lt. Kenda that there had been another man in the car that day, and that he had fled the scene.
The driver was identified as Harry Theodore Sedlak, also known as Teddy. Teddy had become friends with John and Michael while he was dating Shaundra. Shaundra had dumped Teddy for Brian, and Teddy was still infatuated with her.
John said that he, Teddy and Michael had been drinking all day. Teddy drove around after Michael and John had passed out, and decided to drive to see Shaundra.
Shaundra had gotten a restraining order against Teddy, and he continued to stalk her after they broke up. A warrant was put out for Teddy’s arrest.
Brian’s Story
While the police were looking for Teddy, Lt. Kenda received a visit from Brian.
Brian said that he and Shaundra had gone to pick up Lisa and her son, when suddenly Teddy drove past. Teddy and Brian exchanged gestures and words. Teddy then reversed his car and hit Shaundra, even after she had moved out of the way. Brian said that Teddy had made eye contact with Shaundra each time he ran over her.
Arrest and Conviction
Just 24 hours after Shaundra was killed, Teddy turned himself in. His lawyer advised him not to say anything.
On August 23, 1991, Teddy pled guilty to second degree murder. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. John and Michael were never charged.
Teddy Sedlak was released in 2007.
Teddy Sedlak
FINAL THOUGHTS
I can’t even imagine what Shaundra’s kids have gone through since that day. I can’t even imagine what Brian has gone through. It’s heartbreaking to know that Teddy only served a short sentence for brutally killing her. It might not have been premeditated, but he clearly didn’t stop to help her or call 911. He deserved life in prison in my opinion, but I guess the justice system doesn’t always get it right.
Sources
https://murdervictims.com/case/shaundra-murr/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60875142/shaundra-lynn-murr
http://www.allreadable.com/53c71AtK
https://www.publicpolicerecord.com/colorado/doc-prisoner/SEDLAK_HARRY/66010
