Murder With My Husband - 237. The Pom Pom Killer

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

In this episode, Payton and Garrett explore the chilling case of Wanda Holloway, a mother so determined to ensure her daughter’s success that she was willing to kill for it. Links- linktr.ee/murderwithmyhusband Case Sources: TexasMonthly.com - https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/the-cheerleader-murder-plot/ Greensboro.com - https://greensboro.com/mother-gives-court-tearful-testimony-says-she-didnt-want-cheerleaders-mom-killed/article_9bcaf5a8-d91f-5a0b-b2a3-3d3a07c356dd.html WeGotThisCovered.com - https://wegotthiscovered.com/true-crime/what-happened-to-wanda-holloway-the-mom-who-plotted-to-kill-mother-of-a-14-year-old-to-make-her-daughter-a-school-cheerleader/ ChicagoTribune.com - https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/08/25/in-texas-a-tale-of-cheerleading-murder-plot/ DailyMail.com - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098473/Wanda-Holloway-s-daughter-Shanna-breaks-silence-Texas-Cheerleading-murder-plot.html Chron.com - https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/lakehouston/news/article/Remembering-Channelview-strange-cheerleader-mom-12539969.php HubPages.com - https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/Wanda-Holloway MentalFloss.com - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/526769/pom-pom-hit-when-texas-was-struck-cheerleader-moms-murder-plot NYTimes.com - https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/05/us/texas-mother-gets-15-years-in-murder-plot.html HoustonianMag.com - https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2018/11/wanda-webb-holloway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prime Big Deal Days is coming October 8th and 9th, which can lead to involuntary deal squeals, like the infamous deal on a new massager squeal. Save big on Prime Big Deal Days, October 8th and 9th. At Wealthsimple, we're built for whatever you're building. Built for Jane, who wants to break into the housing market. We're built for Ted, who's obsessed with what's happening in the global markets and built for Celine Who just wants to retire and explore the world's flea markets?

So take a moment and think about what you're building for we've got the financial tools to help make it happen Wealth simple built for possibilities visit wealth simple comm slash possibilities You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder With My Husband. I'm Peyton Morland. And I'm Garrett Morland. And he's the husband. And I'm the husband.

It's October! Spooky season everybody. Spooky season, October. we're getting way spooky over here you're watching on YouTube my feet are up on the table they're gonna remain here for the remainder of the episode legs are a little tired today so happens when you squat 800 pounds at the gym so happen when I ice yeah I squatted 475 today and I'm feeling it so So my legs are up here. You haven't even gone to the gym today.

Was that necessary? Like let's think for a second, was that necessary? What am I just saying? Are you gonna lie to all our listeners? I thought we were on the same team, we're not on the same team. Don't worry listeners, I got your back. We were on different.

I'll never let him lie to you. We're on different teams, it's okay. Well, you guys know the drill. Subscribe, share, leave a review, go check out our Patreon, Apple subscriptions, get bonus episodes, go watch our Twitch on Thursdays, Sundays, Tuesdays. Yeah.

Gary, you got your 10 seconds for this week? Yeah, I think for my 10 seconds, we're gonna talk about donuts for a second. I don't know how controversial this is. I think Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donutsuts as far as donuts, I'm not talking about their other stuff. I mean I don't even really drink or eat their other stuff but as far as donuts go, I think that their donuts are the bottom of the tier list. Like not very good. Like their donuts are eh. I think that there's so many local and just

better donut shops. I think that their glazed donuts are like too airy. You know what I'm saying? Like airy? Yes I said airy. Fluffy? Yeah like fluffy yeah. But not no no bread in there just air. Yeah it is just straight air. They're a lazed potato chip bag but a donut? Yeah it's just they're just not that great. I think that it's far as donuts go again. Just kind of Maybe C tier not not B tier not a tier not a like just not very good I just thought I don't know I guess that's my 10 seconds this week and I just say that because The other night people wanted donuts and only thing open was Krispy Kreme because it was like 10 o'clock at night

So I'm gonna grab some Krispy Kreme donuts came home I ate went on the way home regretted it when I got home because it wasn't that good. And I don't know, I think it kind of honestly upset me a little bit. But I won't knock Dunkin' because I haven't had Dunkin' donuts in a long time. So maybe I'll try Dunkin' and then compare

to local donut shops. That's what I got for my 10 seconds. Hot take, I don't know, 10 seconds, however you want to take it. Let's hop into today's case. Our sources for this episode are Texas Monthly dot com, Greensboro dot com, We Got This Cover dot com, Chicago Tribune, Daily Mail, Cron dot com, Hubpages dot com, MentalFloss dot com, New York Times, and Houstonian Mag dot com. Okay, so Garrett and I, well, we might not be parents, at least to a human being just yet.

But there's one thing I definitely understand about parenting and that's that you always want the very best for your kid. I mean, I know like I would literally go to the ends of the world for Daisy. So I can only imagine what I would do for an actual tiny little person because the hope is that your kids will always do

a little better at life than you did, right? That you'll be able to learn from your own past and your own mistakes and then put that wisdom onto them. That they'll be a little smarter, a little kinder, maybe even a little more successful than you are. I mean, that is the best case scenario. But today's story will have you questioning how far is too far when it comes to a mother wanting the best for her child.

Because the subject of today's case wasn't only willing to conspire, manipulate and lie to help her daughter achieve her goals. She was actually willing to murder to help her daughter achieve her goals, she was actually willing to murder to help her daughter achieve her goals. Okay. I would say that's a little too far. So for today's story, we're actually traveling to the suburbs of Houston to a little place called Channel View, Texas.

Now if you've ever watched the show Friday Night Lights, this is the sort of setting that I imagined this story taking place in. Because Channel View, especially back in the 90s when our story begins, was all about high school football. And Garrett and I were actually just talking about this the other day, how high school football, it seems in different regions of the United States is a really big deal.

Have you ever seen on TikTok or social media the high school football games in Texas? Well, that's where we are. Oh, yeah, I knew that. But they have full on arenas. Yeah, like actual. It's insane. I just have a question. Yes.

Were you paying attention to any of the beginning of the story? I wasn't paying attention to enough. Okay, well we're in Texas and we're talking about high school football games. I think you are too, but I just don't think you knew we were in the same place and on the same page. I'm aware. Okay, but it is true.

Like we were talking about this. It is such a big deal. Whereas like the high school football games in my high school were literally in like a potato field. Potato field, yeah, okay, so basically showing up to those bleachers on a Friday night was practically church for the people in Channel View. It was a place where football players

were worshipped like gods and cheerleaders were their goddesses, not just the most popular kids among the halls of their high school, but really the most well-known people in town. The star football players and cheerleaders were little celebrities in their own right. And this was the place that Wanda Holloway came to know and love. The place that she actually called home for her whole life where she chose to stay

and then settle down and then raise her family and make sure that they found their place in this little Friday night lights scene and to Wanda Holloway that was the ultimate form of acceptance. But growing up Wanda Holloway who was initially known as Wanda Webb, which I mean, Wanda Webb. It's kind of cool. It sounds like a literal Marvel superhero. So Wanda Webb, as she was known then, lived on the south side of the I-10 in Channel View. And this was actually considered the rougher part of town. Her parents were blue collar workers. Her father had a job at a concrete plant

while her mother worked at the high school cafeteria. And this was something Wanda was always self-conscious of, something that she felt made the other kids look down on her. Which is probably why Wanda worked over time to fit in while simultaneously standing out. From an early age, Wanda was what some described as an overachiever. She was bubbly, outgoing.

She was the kind of person who went out of her way to make sure that everyone in the room liked her. But still, there was something about Wanda that kind of gave a lot of kids, I guess, the ick, like, if you will. Maybe it was her try-hard nature or her deeply religious upbringing. The family actually went to a very conservative Baptist church every week without fail. But regardless, Wanda always fell short of falling in the popular crowd at school no matter how hard she tried. And it definitely didn't help that her father would not allow her to try out for the cheerleading squad

or the drill team. He said it went against all of their religious beliefs, claiming the skirts were too short and the blouses were too low cut. I feel like it's like footloose, low key in a sense. Yes. So it was a ground rule that devastated Wanda. She felt like it was the one thing holding her back from really making

something of herself and becoming important at school from becoming the person that she felt she was destined to be. And she probably vowed to herself early on that she would never be as strict with her own children as her father was with her. never be as strict with her own children as her father was with her. So Wanda's father couldn't have been happy when Wanda at only 16 years old and in high school got pregnant with her boyfriend, Tony Harper. There we go, Wanda. So the two got married in a shotgun wedding in 1972.

And in 1973, Wanda and Tony had their first child together. And it was a little boy named Shane. Now, at this point, Wanda abandoned her dreams of pursuing a degree and one day starting her own business. And instead she became a stay at home mother while Tony, her young husband went to work. And they lived comfortably for a bit, seeing as Tony's parents owned three gas stations in town

and his mother had a little lingerie gift shop. So perhaps as a way of getting out of the house every now and again, Wanda actually stuck with the church. This was probably because this was the one community that she actually had her entire life and felt like she could rely on. She really belonged there and at church, she was actually the popular kid.

See, most people knew Wanda as the pretty young woman who played the piano beautifully during the services. And those at church said they always believed she was a kind, lovely person. She was refined, well-spoken and always the best dressed. So Wanda must've been ecstatic when then in 1977, she found out she was pregnant with her own little girl, someone she could project all of her unachieved hopes and dreams on

in the same town. Not sure about that one. It was a little girl she named Shauna. But as some teenage marriages do, Wanda and Tony actually grew apart over the years as they matured. And then in 1980, when Shawna was just three, the couple decided to get a divorce.

Now, luckily for Wanda, she got to keep the house. And at this point, Wanda focused all of her energy on her little girl, Shawna. It was clear to almost anyone who knew them that Wanda was obsessed with her daughter. You keep saying Wanda and you're probably not gonna know what this is, but if you watch Marvel, all I can think of is Wanda was obsessed with her daughter. You keep saying Wanda, and you're probably not gonna know what this is, but if you watch Marvel,

all I can think of is WandaVision. Every single time you say Wanda. A lot of you guys aren't gonna know that, so ignore me, but just throwing it out there for those who do know it. I can think of as Fairly Oddparents. Like that's a good one too. That's a good one too, yeah.

So Wanda dressed Shauna in outfits that matched her own. She paraded her around town like a mini version of herself, but Wanda couldn't provide the life that she wanted for her and her kids. She felt like she needed a new person who could front the bills for the finer things in life, which is when she decided to marry an older man living in the town of Beaumont, Texas, about an hour away. Wait, Beaumont? Isn't that where Footloose is? Yeah, Beaumont. That's hilarious. It was a brief relationship which caused her to actually run back to Tony temporarily after it ended.

But after running it back with her ex-husband and that not really working out, Wanda was introduced to another wealthy bachelor through her church. And it was a man 20 years her, named C.D. Holloway. Now, C.D. had owned a series of oil fields. He had his own private plane. Oh my, this guy's rolling in it. How wealthy he must have been at this Baptist church. And to Wanda, I mean, this was striking gold.

The two married, it gave Shane and Shawna a brand new stepdad and Wanda more money to spend on her kids, she got to move to the nice part of town and she felt like she now could provide Shawna the life at school that she never had. Now at this point, Wanda could throw Shawna the lavish birthday parties she always dreamed of. She could invite all the neighbors. It was a surefire way to make sure

Shana was one of the most popular kids on the block. She also bought her expensive clothes. She got her dance lessons, pretty much anything she asked for. But I don't want you to think Shana was just a little spoiled girl. She, you know, she was a good kid. And as many said, none of this really seemed to get to her head. She was an excellent student. She was polite and kind, and she didn't seem to complain about the fact that her mother had enrolled her in rigorous gymnastics classes, despite not really taking an interest in the sport.

But for Wanda, this was the path that her daughter needed in order to make the middle school cheerleading squad that was coming up. And this was something that Shauna wanted more for her mother than for herself. But Shauna bit the bullet and hopped in the car early every weekend to make her own way down to Alpha Gymnastics Studio. And there she trained with the best of the best teachers who were certified with the National cheerleading association Who could teach them in everything from tumbling to form to dance? but over time Wanda pushed Shana further and further encouraging her to practice despite an ugly cold or a twisted ankle and

Suddenly Shana started to feel like This isn't very fun anymore mom Yeah, and the more that Wanda pushed, the less Shauna wanted it for herself. And the one saving grace was that Shauna's good friend was there with her through it all. And it was her friend named Amber Heath. Now Amber and Shauna were actually neighbors.

So they had known each other since elementary school. They were basically growing up together. They were literally a one minute walk from each other's homes. I was just talking this morning to somebody about how sports these days are so much different. I mean, I guess this is back then, but these days there's so many club teams and thousands and thousands of dollars and year-round. It's just crazy. The level people are at in sports these days with how many

Extras there is in sports is kind of mind-blowing. I know Introducing TD insurance for business with customized coverage options for your business Because at TD insurance we understand that your business is unique. So your business insurance should be too Whether you're a shop owner a pet groomer a or a consultant, you can get customized coverage for your business. Contact a licensed TD Insurance Advisor to learn more. by debilitating tremors, Sunnybrook was the only hospital in Canada who could provide Andy with something special. Three neurosurgeons, two scientists, one movement disorders coordinator, 58 answered questions, two focused ultrasound procedures, one specially developed helmet, thousands of high intensity focused ultrasound waves, zero incisions, and that very same day, two steady hands.

From innovation to action, Sunnybrook is special. Learn more at sunnybrook.ca slash special. So Shana and Amber would have sleepovers at each other's homes. They would attend gymnastics together. Wanda and Amber's mom, Verna, were even a lot alike. I mean, you basically have two daughters and two moms who were very similar, but I think it's important to note that in many ways, Verna was the woman that Wanda always wanted to be. So back in her day or in their day, Verna was a twirling champion back in high school. What was that? Like color guard? Yes. Okay. While Wanda, you know, sat on the bleachers as we know. And I'm not sure whether they were in high school together

at the same time or place, but just knowing that Verna had this history and also had an extremely competitive nature when it came to her daughter, it rubbed Wanda the wrong way. I mean, it felt very competitive and it was everything that Wanda had made up in her head her entire life I don't know what's gonna happen right now, but no way she kills her best friend or her best friend's daughter that will be If that's a we're going that's

It's nuts. This is not so in Wanda's mind there was an instant rivalry between her and Verna Even though their daughters are best friends and having sleepovers and they're faking nice Wanda's mind, there was an instant rivalry between her and Verna, even though their daughters are best friends and having sleepovers and they're faking nice. But it wasn't just Wanda. I mean, Verna was also very competitive and saw this mom and daughter

as competition for her and her daughter. And this was something that Amber and Shauna actually refused to acknowledge, or if they did, they didn't take it too seriously. So the girls were like, our moms are just, you know, our moms are moms. But it wasn't just Verna that Wanda was annoyed with. It was Verna's daughter Amber, her daughter's best friend as well.

Wanda hadn't been crazy about Amber ever since a recent event. So when it came time to choose seventh graders for the cheerleading squad, Amber had beaten Shana out of a spot. And the worst part is she didn't even go to Shana's school yet. Amber was still transitioning from her old school into Alice Johnson Junior High.

This is where Shana went. So this made Wanda furious over the situation and she ended up going to the school board and complaining. Oh no, she bothered other parents about it. Don't if you're that parent, message me, don't be that parent. I mean, she's literally going to parents and the school and saying this isn't fair. My daughter actually goes to this school. This girl's just transitioning here. And this is her daughter's best friend. She felt like if it weren't for Amber,

Shawna definitely would have had a spot on the team, but it only caused her to push Shawna harder. There was no way her daughter was not gonna make the cheer team next year. Not if Wanda had anything to do with it, but Shawna didn't share the same resentment for her best friend. Amber in a way she might have even felt like she'd done her a favor. It actually seemed to make the two girls even closer when Amber finally made the full transition to Alice Johnson, Jr. High.

Both girls were in honor classes. Shawna became vice president of her class and Amber became president. This was also something that probably bothered Wanda to no end was that Amber was president and her daughter was vice president. And on top of that, Amber was actually voted most spirited and friendly for the yearbook at the end of the year. But when the summer came and went

and it was time for eighth grade to start, Wanda saw it as a fresh new opportunity for Shauna to get a leg up on Amber. Wanda even started volunteering at Shauna's school, hoping she might find new opportunities and ways for Shauna to become the most popular girl at school. Oh dude, she needs to chill the f out. But what she didn't realize was her close involvement was going to be detrimental to Shauna's cheerleading career. So in order to understand what happened next, I actually have to explain how cheerleading went

at this school back in the 90s in Texas, okay? Because apparently cheerleading at Channel View, at least, was not totally a matter of skill. It really began as a popularity contest. From what I can tell, this is how it happened. Kids were elected to try out for the cheerleading squad by other students who voted. So you would vote who you wanted to be on the cheerleading squad and then there would be tryouts. That's interesting. And this is probably where

like cheerleaders being the most popular in school comes from because like back then it actually was a thing, right? It was a popularity contest. I mean, obviously cheerleading has probably come a long way since then. So here's where Wanda saw an opportunity to sort of control the narrative. She figured maybe Shana could campaign a little harder this year to get her fellow students to vote for her and Wanda could help with that. So Wanda called her ex-husband Tony and said, hey, could you help us get some rulers made up that say vote for Shawna Harper for cheerleader?

And her dad, Tony, was like, yeah, that's a great idea. And this is how, literally what it's called, ruler gate began. What does that even mean? Ruler gate, okay. So the rulers come in, Shawna starts passing them around to kids at school, says, vote for me to try out for cheerleading.

And then she gets pulled into the principal's office and those rulers apparently go against the school election code, probably because they are seen as gifts or briberies. So Shawna stops. She doesn't want to get in any more trouble. election code, probably because they are seen as gifts or briberies. So Shauna stops. She doesn't want to get in any more trouble, but when she tells her mom one is like, absolutely not. Like I said, she's now volunteering at the school. I just know this is gonna piss so many. I just know that I can't say it.

Never mind. Okay, so Shauna stops handing the rulers out, right? Number one is volunteering at school. When Wanda goes to her daughter's school to volunteer, she starts handing the rulers out. After her daughter got pulled into the principal's office and they said, absolutely not. Okay, I have to say, I just know one of you out there is like this and you need to stop it. You need to stop it right now.

I'm not mad at you yet, just stop it. Don't be, do not be like this. Wanda is like, my daughter is going to get this cheerleading spot and I'm going to hand out these rulers. So she starts handing out the rulers to the kids thinking it'll change things. Obviously it makes it worse. Wanda is now called into a meeting at the school with some of the other cheerleaders moms.

Oh my gosh, PTA to the max. Okay. So all the moms, all the cheerleader moms come in and they have a council with some of the school representatives and they bring Wanda in and they're like, listen here, sit down, Wanda. And guess what they decide at this little meeting that the rulers are okay. No, that Wanda's daughter, Shana, because Wanda went and handed out the rulers, is disqualified from

running to try out for the cheerleading squad. So most moms would probably just tuck their tail between their legs by their kids, some ice cream, apologize, say sorry, I ruined your chance. I should have done every single one of them. Wanda reaches out to the school board and says, please reconsider. This is nuts. Now, by this point, everyone at school knows what's going on. So Shauna is embarrassed.

She's in eighth grade. Ruler gate has happened. All the other cheerleaders know, because their moms knew, and they were at the council meeting. So Shauna goes to her mom, and she's like, mom, please, I don't want to be a cheerleader anymore. I don't care. Please, canleader anymore. I don't care. Like, please, can we stop?

I don't even want to try out. But Wanda's like, no, Shauna, you are going to be a cheerleader. And it really pours salt in the wound when she learns that yet again, Amber had made it to tryouts, but Shauna hadn't. And this is when Wanda Holloway snaps. Now Wanda's gut reaction is that Amber is the crux of her problem.

If it weren't for Amber, there would have been that one remaining spot on the team back in seventh grade and the only natural fit would have been for her daughter. And then now it's led to all of this and ruler gate and the meeting and Shana at school. And so Wanda starts wondering Wanda, you're the fricking problem. How can I get Amber off the team? This eighth grader, this mom is wondering, how can I get this other eighth grade girl kicked off the

cheer team? So she starts poking around for ways to get Amber disqualified. There's nothing on Amber or her mother, Verna for that matter that is controversial enough to get her removed. I mean, Amber is a model student and that is when Wanda comes up with an idea. She needs to pay a visit to her ex-brother-in-law. So this is Tony's, Shawna's father, 36-year-old brother, Terry. Now this is sketchy for a few reasons. Mainly because Terry has a bit of a reputation around town for being an alcoholic with a violent streak. He's had several run-ins with the law, mostly minor charges like drunk driving.

So Wanda thinks, okay, my ex-husband's brother, Terry, probably needs my money. And since he's the closest thing I know to a criminal, he's the perfect guy for the job. So one night around December, 1990, Wanda pulls up to Terry's home. She knocks on the door and he answers. And she says, I need to talk to you about something, but not here. Meet me at Bose. This is a little convenience store. Those around the corner in Texas. Minutes later, I imagine Terry climbing into the passenger seat of Wanda's car, and she starts asking him, how much do you love your niece?

Shauna, he's like, I love her. She's like, what would you do for her? Terry's like, I'd do anything for her. Why? And that's when Wanda breaks the news. She needs Shauna's rival and her mother killed. This is like I just what? What like what is freaking up?

Wanda says to Terry, can you please take a hit out on Amber and Verna Heath? Terry's like, well, Wanda, I don't kill people. I'm just a drunk driver. Yeah, I don't kill people, let alone 13 year old little girls for that matter. And he goes, and I don't know anyone who would, especially after he hears Wanda's reasoning. He's like, well, why do you need them dead?

And she's like, my daughter needs to be on the cheer team, Terry. Not only was Terry insulted that Wanda thought he could be capable of something like that, he had actually been working pretty hard to turn his life around recently. He had stopped drinking, going to clubs. Instead, he had been working on strengthening his connection

to his faith. So after Terry turned Wanda away that night, he laid in bed wondering, should I go to someone with this information that like my sister-in-law just came to me and asked me to do this? Good point. I think I'd be offended too if someone came up to me and said, Hey man, can you kill someone

for me? But he decides and Betty's like the dude, okay, she's just being crazy. She's just obsessed. She's just taking it a little too far. Nothing's going to happen. Like certainly one is not serious about killing a 13 year old girl and her mother. So he kind of brushes it off and he forgets about it until he saw Shawna on Christmas Eve that year. So Shawna was over at Terry and Tony's parents' house

opening presents, grandma and grandpa celebrating that night when later in the evening she goes over to her uncle Terry and she slips him a piece of paper. And on that paper it says, mom wants you to call her at this number. So Terry calls it thinking, okay, maybe Wanda is like going to apologize for asking me to kill those people. But when he calls her, he finds out the opposite is true. Wanda is on the phone asking if he has reconsidered her offer. Now, Terry is baffled by this. If he doesn't do something about this, who knows what that means Wanda will go to in order to get the job done? Will she find another hired hitman? Will she be as desperate to do it herself? Terry knows something's probably got to be done to stop her if she

is now doubled down. But how? Well, Terry goes to his brother, Tony, her ex-husband, tells him the whole situation. He's like, listen, your ex-wife came to me is asking me to kill a 13 year old and her mother so your daughter can get on the cheer team. And Tony offers some really sound advice here. He says, I'm not going to confront Wanda, my ex-wife, myself. Instead, he says, Terry, I think this is serious enough that you should just go to the police and tell them what she said, which is smart because here's something else that Terry needs to consider. If Wanda does do something and he doesn't mention to police that she had came to him twice asking him to do it, he could be liable. Yeah. Could he

be considered an accessory to murder at the very least have their blood on his hands? So Terry at this point heads down to the Harris County Sheriff's Department and shockingly he's a pretty hard time trying to convince authorities that this isn't a prank. I mean, think about it. You have this middle-class town in Texas where football is life. Sure. But a woman trying to take a hit out on her daughter's cheerleading rival in middle school? I mean, it sounds like something out of like a just cheesy crime novel. I would be so pissed if I'm like, all right, I'm going to tell the police and they laugh at me.

Right. That sucks. Not to mention the last and maybe only hit these detectives had investigated in this town was a man trying to kill his wife for insurance money, which seems a lot more real and probable. Yeah. So it takes some time, but eventually police find Terry's claims legitimate enough to at least act on them.

And they start coaching him. If they are going to catch the 36 year old Wanda in the act, prove that this is real. Bust her for this hit for hire plan. They need Terry to play along. So over the next few weeks, Terry pretends to change his tune to Wanda. And with every conversation they had, it was being recorded by the police. So he tells Wanda, okay look, I can get this done. What you wanted, I can do it. But here's what it's gonna take. 2,500 to kill Verna, but 5k to kill Amber since she's a minor. And this was something Wanda hemmed and hawed on for a number of days. Amber was certainly the immediate problem. With her gone, there would definitely

be a spot open on the team that Shawna could step into. But this is expensive. I mean, $7,500 in 1990 just lying around for both of these hits. However, if she just got rid of Verna, the mother, maybe Amber would be so distraught that she would just drop out of cheerleading. So she calls Terry back and says, listen, okay, let's just go with Verna since that's all I can afford. But the one thing he can't get her to say out loud is that she explicitly wants him to kill Verna. He has to sort of lead her to the water saying like, you her dead dead right to which during one phone conversation Wanda says I don't care what you do with her you can keep her in Cuba for 15 years I just want her gone Terry's like okay I hear you but I

need the down payment before I can complete the job obviously because in order for this to stand they need money in the hand. Oh, has Wanda not realized at this point, she's being set up, man. And so this is when Wanda makes plans to meet him in person. And on January 28th, 1991, Wanda drops Shawna off at the church and then heads over to a motel a few miles away, and Terry is waiting there, miked up. There, she sits down with Terry and removes her one and a half carat diamond

earrings and hands them over to him as down payment. And during the conversation she's overheard saying, I couldn't pull the trigger myself, but I can sure do it this way. Upper Canada College inspires boys from senior kindergarten to year 12 to find their passions and realize their potential. An IB World School, UCC offers a supportive environment, cutting-edge facilities and a best-in-Canada financial assistance program. UCC, a place where tradition, excellence and innovation meet. Learn more at our open house events on October 15th and 16th. Register now at cause and effect dot ucc dot on dot ca. Get to know yourself and your roots

better in 2024 with Ancestry DNA. Want to know where your family comes from in northern France? Maybe you'd like to see how your genes influence certain traits like diet, fitness, and allergies. There's so much of you in your heritage to discover. Don't wait. Ancestry DNA kits are on sale now for a limited time. Visit ancestry.ca for details. Terms apply. Now the following day, Shana was in the garage practicing her gymnastics when police showed up, surrounded the family home with a warrant for her mother Wanda's arrest. And as officers swarmed the house, Shana watched Wanda remove all of her jewelry and calmly place it on the kitchen

counter as she looked at her daughter and said, Grandma's coming over and I'll be back. Shana had no idea why her mother was being handcuffed and placed into the back of a police cruiser. Oh, not gonna lie, kind of badass. Insane, absolutely insane, but a little, you know, kind of badass. So by the following day, Wanda was released on bail and she was sent home to face her daughter

with an explanation. I mean, Shawna's like, yo mom, like why were you arrested? Yeah. And Shawna's like, yo mom, like why were you arrested? And Shawna is horrified to learn that her mother had been conspiring to kill her best friend and her best friend's mother. Crazy, crazy.

Had Wanda gone to someone other than Terry Harper, someone with a little less of a conscience, who knows what would have happened to Amber and Verna? But at this point point they're alive. And they were just as stunned to hear about Wanda's plan as Shana was. And as you can imagine, so was the entire town. Now, poor Shana was the one who really suffered

in all of this. As the story hit the media, Shana's entire world seemed to crumble. I mean, obviously like how do you go to school and everyone's parents are talking about how your mom was trying to kill another mom and daughter so you can make the cheerleading team. I mean, school becomes a walking nightmare for Shauna.

Ironically, the social life that Wanda wanted for her daughter all along was decimated in seconds after the release of those headlines. Shana was never invited to parties. She dropped out of dance and gymnastics. She avoided any place where someone might be whispering about her and her mother. Shana became riddled with depression and anxiety and even began blaming the circumstances on God, turning her back on the church.

At home, things were just as bad as Wanda awaited her trial. Her ex-husband Tony sued Wanda for custody of the kids saying, obviously they're not safe in your custody. And all of the money Shana's brother Shane had set aside for college instead went to Wanda's defense. Wanda's trial began in August of 1991 where she pled not guilty to the charges against her. In fact, during her trial her defense team took an interesting stance. They suggested that Wanda was framed by her ex-husband and ex-brother-in-law as an attempt to just gain custody over her children. Holy crap. So they're like all of this was a setup, it was a custody battle. I think

it's just I don't understand how, I don't understand this part of the justice system because you're not supposed to lie in court. Obviously everyone does. But like the attorneys are deliberately making up a story and lying. Like how is that legal? How is that allowed?

How is an attorney, like I just don't understand how that is allowed in the legal system and I mean, it continues to happen. They continue to make up stories, lie, to defend people. I just don't understand why we're allowed to do that. And there's no punishment for it. I mean, if anyone's pleading innocent and they're guilty, essentially any defense is a lie.

Now, some are more outrageous like this one. That's what I mean. Like, right. But there are other ones that I mean, convince people. I just don't understand. We go in the court and they say, OK, no lying. We're telling the truth. But yeah, but as an attorney, the whole defense is a complete lie.

Like why? Yeah, but as an attorney, it's your job. I get it, but it seems so hypocritical that it just seems so hypocritical. I don't understand it. I get it. So obviously this defense doesn't actually really work well when it comes to those tapes,

the conversations between Terry and Wanda. I mean between her saying send her to Cuba and I'd pull the trigger myself. Wanda looked pretty darn complicit in the entire thing and Verna Heath might have been the deciding factor in her fate. When Verna took the stand she told the jury that she'd been having nightmares ever since she found out about the murder for hire plot. She was afraid to get in and start her car out of fear it might blow up. I mean imagine how scary it would be to think that someone was like actually taking a hit out on you. Someone that you weren't even suspecting that the anxieties around the entire scheme was more than she could bear. And on

September 3rd, 1991, the jury returned with a verdict for Wanda and after two hours of deliberation, they decided she was guilty of solicitation of capital murder. Whoa. So she was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but that sentence didn't last. And it was because of a technicality. It turns out one of the jurors in this case

was on probation for a drug-related charge. Oh my gosh. And should have never been placed in the jury box to begin with, which meant that Wanda's entire trial was thrown out. A mistrial, right? Yep, her sentence was overturned. And when it came time for a redo in 1996, Wanda's defense smartened up.

This time she pleaded no contest and ended up with a 10-year sentence. The Heath family then sued her for $150,000, which she had to pay. But I mean, still, Wanda got off pretty easy. She only served six months of that 10-year sentence. Oh, really? During which C.D. Holloway, her husband,

who had been unusually quiet throughout this case, just quietly divorced her. But aside from Verna and Amber, I mean, the real victim in this case is Shauna. So in 2012, the then 34 year old Shauna broke her silence about the case to the media for the first time. Shauna said her relationship with her mother was rocky after her release from prison. But since getting married and having her own kids, it has led them to reconnect. Shawna says the whole thing also taught her a big lesson

on how to and how not to parent. She says she never pushes her two sons to pursue things they don't feel passionately about. And she's learned from her mother's mistakes. And she sees the irony in the situation, which is pretty profound if you think about it. Had Wanda not pushed so hard to control the situation, you have to wonder if things just would have worked out

for Shauna on her own. Perhaps Shauna's shining personality would have won her the campaign to try out anyways, and her talents very likely would have shown through at these tryouts that year, especially after so many hours at the gymnastics school. But instead, by pushing Shana, Wanda lost it all. In wanting the world for her, Wanda had effectively stolen

it from her daughter. And that is the story about Wanda Holloway. It is sad because you think the, I mean, I mean, Sean is the victim in all this, right? I mean, I get Amber in them then but they were never physically harmed or anything I mean obviously Emotionally harmed but Sean and definitely think out the blunt of it 100% because I mean she lost her childhood. She lost her mom She lost a lot. I Don't want to speak for her obviously and but even her stuff trauma or anything. But yeah, I mean, there's just so much her best friend. Yeah, it's just that's that's f'd up and that's not okay. It is pretty crazy though. The links

that parents will go to. Yeah. I mean, you see it all the time. I mean, we have joked about making a YouTube channel for parents at little kids games who are just like screaming at the refs and like screaming at their children and the kids are literally seven years old. Yeah. It's like what? I know. But that is our story for this week. We really hope you guys enjoyed it and we will see you next time with another episode. I love it.

I hate it. Goodbye.