AL - Karen Shahan, 53, murdered, Homewood, 23 July 2013 #1

Status
Not open for further replies.
As one who lives in the region, I can say that immediate family, parents, siblings, kids, etc. are usually included in obits unless there is a reason not to. Even if they are also deceased, they will be listed as such.

This. And if your second cousin's husband's brother's great aunt had a stillbirth, it would probably be listed as a "precedent in death." We Southerners usually put all kinfolk in the obits.
 
This. And if your second cousin's husband's brother's great aunt had a stillbirth, it would probably be listed as a "precedent in death." We Southerners usually put all kinfolk in the obits.

Sometimes even our "beloved companion Fido". ;)
 
The absolute last thing a spouse worries about when their partner has been murdered is an obituary. The very last thing. It is a public notice of death and I can't imagine what that would be like when you're in a state of shock. I imagine it was done for the family. It's not important. It's hard enough when your husband dies from a terminal illness and family later complains that you forgot to mention them. jmo
 
In my going thru and clicking closed the multitude of windows I had open re: Karen's homicide, I quickly copy/pasted them into a quick list for us to have to refer to when need be to any/all things stated in the media about the case..

Links to media re: Karen Shahan homicide Birmingham, AL

http://interactives.cbs42.com/photo...ide-investigation-/crime-scene-investigation/

http://m.timesdaily.com/news/state/article_59e812f4-f474-11e2-b883-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=jqm

http://www.wset.com/story/22931651/homewood-police-continue-homicide-investigation-thursday

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/07/woman_found_slain_in_homewood.html

http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=28309&pricat_art=1

http://m.myfoxal.com/autojuice?targ...roner-identifies-woman-found-dead-in-homewood

http://www.cbs42.com/2013/07/25/karen-shahan-murder-investigation-continues/

http://www.cbs42.com/2013/07/23/body-found-in-homewood-prompts-homicide-investigation/

http://www.wsmv.com/story/22920189/wife-of-ala-preacher-found-dead-in-home

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jul/24/wife-alabama-preacher-found-dead-home-suburban-bir/

www.atoast2wealth.com/2013/07/29/wife-of-alabama-minister-found-murdered-in-home-no-leads-in-case/

http://blackchristiannews.com/state...most-brutal-murder-of-associate-pastors-wife/

Chattanooga Times Free Press - Minister's wife found slain
www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx?issue...

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20130726/APN/1307260692

Thanks, Smoothie!

This list is so helpful!

:yourock:
 
I spoke with a coworker of Shahan's at Hobby Lobby today. I shop at that location for my business on a weekly basis She reiterated that it was they who DID ask for a welfare check by LE. I am not aware that the mother worked with her and don't believe this to be the case. I have no information about Church members being coworkers. Karen Shahan did "close" the Hobby Lobby location on Monday night and left there around 8:30pm. Additionally, I was informed that she was wearing a nightgown when her body was found. Additionally, I learned that Richard Shahan had gone to help move one of the two sons, the one that lived in Franklin, TN, back to Birmingham to live in their home and go to college in Birmingham. Mr. Shahan was described as catatonic during the memorial service. The body has not been released by investigators.

Thanks for sharing the above info as well as clarifying that her coworkers are who contacted LE requesting the welfare check on Karen that morning.. I guess I am left with the question of why is it that the church, themselves are the very ones who are stating that it was church officials who found Karen deceased on Tuesday morning?? (and yes, I realize that you, personally do not have the answer to this question as I am merely pointing out the different info that we have)..:waitasec:

She was found late morning July 23 by church officials after not showing up for a previously scheduled appointment and work.
http://www.thealabamabaptist.org/pri...9&pricat_art=1
 
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/07/brutal_slaying_of_homewood_pas.html

Brutal slaying of Homewood pastor's wife is exception, not norm, for the city, mayor says
By Carol Robinson |
on July 24, 2013 at 5:21 PM, updated July 24, 2013 at 5:38 PM


Snipped

"Co-workers of Karen Shahan became concerned when she didn't show up for work Tuesday at Hobby Lobby in Wildwood. Homewood police officers were dispatched to the scene on a welfare check. Police have not said how the woman died, but said it was apparent that she was murdered. The house appeared to be in disarray, authorities said."

+

"A co-worker of Shahan said many of them just learned of her death this morning and said they are sad. They said they weren't allowed to discuss it further, and referred calls to the company's home office."

"Vince Parker, a Hobby Lobby spokesman, released the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our employees. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.""

My personal opnion is, based on articles, videos, and supported by what BrianB said above about chatting with a store clerk: It was a co-worker and friend who initially called the police for the welfare check. The two are not mutually exclusive. The co-worker who said "many had not learned of her death until this morning" may not have been working in the store on Tuesday and is obviously not the person who called the police. Also, her identity was withheld from the public. Thus they learn about it the next day when they go to work and hear what happened.

The 'Corporate' arm of the Hobby Lobby ordered the employees not to talk about it. i.e. Vincent Parker, Hobby Lobby Spokesman located at headquarters in Oklahoma. Hobby Lobby is very sad about the loss, etc. They just want it to go away and not blemish their 'culture'.
 
Thanks for sharing the above info as well as clarifying that her coworkers are who contacted LE requesting the welfare check on Karen that morning.. I guess I am left with the question of why is it that the church, themselves are the very ones who are stating that it was church officials who found Karen deceased on Tuesday morning?? (and yes, I realize that you, personally do not have the answer to this question as I am merely pointing out the different info that we have)..:waitasec:

PERHAPS as 'landlords' the church had the key to the property? And they let LE in the home - thus the two versions of the same story? Mebbe
 
Didn't LE used to routinely let the communities of violent crimes know if they had to "be on the lookout for" or "take reasonable measures to protect"?

Why am I not seeing this anymore in cases of murders and abductions?

Doesn't the community need to know if there's a maniac on the loose, what way this person gained entry? ETC, ETC,

I mean, I'd be very afraid if I lived in the immediate area----and perhaps unnecessarily so. But we don't know, do we?
 
The absolute last thing a spouse worries about when their partner has been murdered is an obituary. The very last thing. It is a public notice of death and I can't imagine what that would be like when you're in a state of shock. I imagine it was done for the family. It's not important. It's hard enough when your husband dies from a terminal illness and family later complains that you forgot to mention them. jmo

I totally agree. I am a Birmingham native, and my family is as Southern as you can get...and we don't do long obits either.
But especially under those terrible circumstances, I doubt anyone was up to writing an elaborate obituary.
 
I wonder if the church owned homes had alarm systems. Articles have said most people rented in the area and moved frequently, the neighbor said she's getting an alarm, and the Mayor or someone said most police calls are about alarms going off instead of actual crime.
 
PERHAPS as 'landlords' the church had the key to the property? And they let LE in the home - thus the two versions of the same story? Mebbe

ding! ding! ding! meanmaryjean, I think we may just have a winner as to how these two versions mesh wrt both the coworkers and church officials!.. Thanks for relaying what should have been the simple, obvious, yet it had eluded my mind up til now..
 
Didn't LE used to routinely let the communities of violent crimes know if they had to "be on the lookout for" or "take reasonable measures to protect"?

Why am I not seeing this anymore in cases of murders and abductions?

Doesn't the community need to know if there's a maniac on the loose, what way this person gained entry? ETC, ETC,

I mean, I'd be very afraid if I lived in the immediate area----and perhaps unnecessarily so. But we don't know, do we?

I'm not sure if they have ever done this on a consistent basis when it was warranted but I can only remember one case in recent memory where LE actually came out to warn the public and that was in the Jessica Ridgeway case. But other than that one they didn't even do it in some of the most high profile cases where children were kidnapped/raped, and later found murdered by a pedophile who was a stranger. Not once warning any of the communities. :(

In fact I have seen police come out many times and say they believe the victim was "targeted" as if to imply it was someone known to them and it turned out to be a total stranger. For example, two cases come to mind where this was done although there are many more. The Hufsted parents and Sara Walker...all three victims were murdered by strangers. The motives were home invasions for the purpose of robbery......and murdering the victims inside the dwelling in order to silence the witnesses. So 'targeted' may simply mean LE thinks the suspect targeted this particular house to rob.

I haven't read much about this case but it seems the house was found in disarray. That makes me think that this poor woman may be the victim of a home invasion.

I hope LE can solve this case.
 
If Karen closed the Hobby Lobby that night maybe someone thought she had that days cash from the register on her. If someone had been in the store late and noticed that there was a lot of cash in the drawer they may have followed her and waited until they thought she went to bed to come into the house. jmo
 
ding! ding! ding! meanmaryjean, I think we may just have a winner as to how these two versions mesh wrt both the coworkers and church officials!.. Thanks for relaying what should have been the simple, obvious, yet it had eluded my mind up til now..

I think what happened was I FINALLY got enough coffee in me after my night shift :)
 
Was she a manager at HL? Someone could have also have thought she might have access to money inside the church. That might not explain her home being in disarray though.
 
If Karen closed the Hobby Lobby that night maybe someone thought she had that days cash from the register on her. If someone had been in the store late and noticed that there was a lot of cash in the drawer they may have followed her and waited until they thought she went to bed to come into the house. jmo

By "closing" I think that meant Mrs. Shahan was there until close and did closing duties. I don't think that means she was the last or only. My understanding is that she rarely worked checkout. She was the Floral Department Manager.
 
By "closing" I think that meant Mrs. Shahan was there until close and did closing duties. I don't think that means she was the last or only. My understanding is that she rarely worked checkout. She was the Floral Department Manager.

Okay, well scratch that possibility.
 
A couple of thoughts......i thought someone might have saw her leaving work and followed her. I think HL closes at 8:00, then they have closing procedures, but given that it is dusk here at 8:00, it would have been dark by time she left to go home. Just a thought she couldve been followed and it wouldnt have been robbery he had in mind.


Regarding obituaries, unfortunately i have lost enough loved ones, the norm here is that when the family goes to the funeral home to make arrangements, the director sits with them and together they write the obituary.
 
Mrs. Shahan seemed like a very unlikely target for murder. Has her death been officially classified as homocide yet or is that based on the cop's statement for now? I hope the authorities give a statement when they get all the evidence or autopsy reports.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
164
Guests online
2,143
Total visitors
2,307

Forum statistics

Threads
590,033
Messages
17,929,207
Members
228,043
Latest member
Biff
Back
Top