Dateline: Who was Heather Garraus and what happened to her? Disturbing details of the 2007 incident revealed

Dateline's exclusive podcast, Internal Affairs with Josh Mankiewicz, Episode 4 deals with an unusual, Grimm Reaper-style murder of a 37-year-old woman from Greeley, Colorado. On January 23, 2007, Heather Garraus, a wife, mother, and the assistant bank manager of CSECU, was brutally shot in the parking lot of her workplace.

Heather's murder was not a random act of violence, it was a pre-planned execution murder by someone known. The gritty crime was the result of a dark love story, infidelity, and jealousy. Heather's husband, Ignacio Garraus (Ig), had been involved with Shawna Nelson, a former Weld County sheriff's dispatcher. Shawna was married to Weld County Sheriff's deputy Ken Nelson. However, when Ig chose to end the relationship, Shawna was heartbroken and refused to let go of him. Turns out her obsession was unreal and turned deadly!

This is the story of Heather Garraus, a selfless and kind woman who became an innocent victim of a deadly love triangle, whose murder shook the entire community in Colorado.

Here is what we know about Heather Garraus and what happened on that chilly winter night in 2007.

Who is Heather Garraus as per Dateline?

Born on February 8, 1969, Heather Lynn Garraus spent her childhood in the Boulder area and went to the University of Northern Colorado. A hardworking and dedicated student, she landed a job in CSECU, the credit union, as the assistant bank manager.

Heather married Ignacio Garraus, a police officer, on July 27, 1991, in Northglenn. Their marriage faced challenges when Ig was involved in an extra-marital affair with Shawna Nelson, a former sheriff's dispatcher. The affair resulted in the birth of a son, while Shawna revealed during the trial that she was pregnant in 2004 but had an abortion.

When Heather came to know about her husband's affair, she was heartbroken, but she decided to give Ig a last chance. To save their marriage, Ig decided to cut all ties with Shawna, and the couple broke off with her on December 18, 2006. However, this angered Shawna, who threatened both Heather and Ig over a series of texts.

Shawna's threats masked a deadly intention as she planned to kill Heather Garauss out of jealousy and revenge. Her inability to handle rejection led to the untimely death of a 37-year-old, vibrant, and selfless woman.

What happened to Heather Garraus, as per Dateline's Internal Affairs?

On January 23, 2007, Heather Garraus was gunned down in the parking lot just outside her workplace in Greeley Credit Union. After 30 minutes, Heather succumbed to the brutal gunshot wounds. As per Oxygen True Crime, the witnesses revealed that the gunperson arrived in a grim reaper mask and a long coat with a gun. She then asked Heather to get down on her knees. The murderer hit Heather two times on her head and uttered,

"You have ruined my life."

The witnesses, including Heather's colleague Carol Rose, guessed it was Shawna Nelson who killed Heather, in a grim reaper mask and a black long coat. The investigators found a grim reaper mask inside their family truck, an alarming evidence that stated it was Shawna who killed Heather.

Shawna tried to deviate the incident and blamed her best friend, Michelle Moore, and her husband, Ken, for Heather's murder. However, Moore, who played a significant role in planning Heather's murder, decided to testify against Shawna in court. On February 26, 2008, Moore pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the first-degree murder of Heather Garraus. As per 9News, in exchange for her testimony, Moore received a nine-year reduced prison sentence on April 2008.

As per Fox News, in 2008, Shawna Nelson was convicted of first-degree murder of Heather Garraus and was sentenced to life imprisonment without any option for parole by the District Judge Roger Klein.

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Currently, Shawna Neslon is serving her life imprisonment at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility.

Also read: Dateline: The Landing - 5 harrowing details about Heather Elvis' disappearance, revealed

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