Shayna Hubers’ case - A detailed case overview

Shayna Hubers was twice convicted of murdering attorney Ryan Poston in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and is serving a life sentence with parole eligibility after 20 years. The case began on October 12, 2012, when Poston was shot six times in his condo. Police arrested Hubers that night after she called 911 and claimed self-defense.

The story returns to TV in Snapped with an encore. The episode titled “Shayna Hubers” first aired on December 11, 2016, and is set to re-air on Oxygen on Friday, September 26 at 7:00 pm ET.

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Shayna Hubers’ case timeline

Investigators arrived to find Poston dead at the scene. Hubers told officers the shooting followed an argument and alleged abuse. Prosecutors later said Poston planned to end the relationship and had a scheduled date that night, a point that framed their theory of motive during the trial. According to ABC News (2018), jurors rejected self-defense in the retrial.

Campbell County sentenced Hubers to 40 years (Image via Pexels)

The first trial began in April 2015. After about five hours of deliberation, a jury found Hubers guilty of murder. Campbell County Judge Fred A. Stine sentenced her to 40 years, calling the killing "cold-blooded". That first verdict did not stand. A year later, the court granted a new trial because one juror failed to disclose a felony, which state law bars from jury service, as reported by ABC News (2016).

The retrial opened in August 2018. The defense argued Hubers acted under extreme emotional disturbance and again raised claims of abuse. The state presented messages, witness accounts, and a timeline that pointed to intent. A jury deliberated for about five hours before returning a second guilty verdict, according to the NKyTribune (2018).

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Shayna Hubers: interrogation and evidence

A key thread ran through both prosecutions: what Hubers said and did in the interrogation room. Police video showed her making remarks about giving Poston the “nose job he wanted” and singing while alone. Prosecutors used those clips to counter her account of fear. A&E’s case write-up notes officers found an orderly living room and no visible injuries on Hubers that night, details the state pointed to when arguing against self-defense.

Text messages between the pair were examined as part of the case (Image via Unsplash)

The record also shows heavy texting in the months before the shooting. Friends and family described a strained, on-and-off relationship. E! News reported messages in which Poston tried to end contact and where Hubers vented to friends, material that the state said showed obsession rather than protection.

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Shayna Hubers’ second trial and sentence

At sentencing after the 2018 conviction, the court imposed life in prison. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported the judge saw no reason to reduce the jury’s recommendation and remarked that Hubers picked up a gun from a table and fired six times.

WCPO’s coverage from the first sentencing also captured the judge’s earlier assessment of the act as cold-blooded and detailed the failed bid to classify Hubers as a domestic-violence victim for parole purposes.

As of the most recent public record, Hubers remains incarcerated at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women. The Kentucky Department of Corrections lists her parole eligibility in 2032.

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Shayna Hubers on Snapped

Snapped revisits the investigation, the interrogation tapes, and the opposing trial stories that jurors heard. Viewers see how the self-defense claim was presented and why two juries still found intent to kill, according to on-air summaries and segment teases.

Snapped keyart (Image via Oxygen)

The Snapped episode Shayna Hubers airs again on Oxygen on Friday, September 26, at 7:00 pm ET.

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