Alex Thomas
Shanna Golyar’s web of destruction and deception has finally unwound and delivered her to a cell, where she’ll spend the rest of her days. The Iowa woman’s crime-spree began in November 2012, when she brutally murdered 37-year-old Cari Farver. Golyar became overwhelmed with jealousy after she discovered that Farver slept over at an apartment belonging to the man they were both dating.
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After the murder, Goylar created what Judge Timothy Burns called “twisted plot of lies, deceit and impersonations through digital messaging,” the Omaha World-Herald reports.
She posed as Farver in a series of fake Facebook accounts and e-mails — going so far as to send a message to Farver’s mother on Mother’s Day. Goylar even became so engrossed in her elaborate facade that she burnt down her own house, killing her two dogs, her cat and her snake; she blamed Farver, who was already nine months dead, for the fire.
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Farver’s relatives suspected something was amiss. The woman they knew wouldn’t simply disappear and abandon her son, Max. And she certainly wouldn’t post the expletive-laden rants that Goylar wrote and attributed to her. In May, the final chapters of the terrible story began to unfold, as Judge Burns found Goylar guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree arson. The verdict followed a 10-day-long trial.
Finally, on Tuesday, Goylar was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In his sentencing, Judge Burns declared, “What some people are capable of has always astounded and mystified this court,” the World-Herald reports. After nearly half a decade, the case is finally closed. But Farver’s family is still heartbroken and without closure, as Cari’s body was never found. Her mother noted, “We’d still like to know exactly what happened and where my daughter ended up so we could take care of her.”
