Deadly Obsession: The Valentine’s Triangle That Ended in Blood

CHAPTER ONE

A Masked Figure in the Snow

Greeley, Colorado — 23 January 2007. It should have been an ordinary evening at the end of a law enforcement shift. But as Sergeant Heather Garraus stepped out into the icy air outside her police station, a figure emerged from the dark. Clad in a black robe with red trim — like a scene from a horror film or a Halloween party gone wrong — the masked assailant approached Heather, raised a gun, and shot her twice in the head.

Heather died instantly. The killer vanished.

Within hours, investigators were staring down a tangle of secrets, infidelity, and professional betrayal. The question wasn’t just who had killed Heather — but how had it all gone so far?

At the centre of the storm stood Shawna Nelson, 35 years old, a former nurse with a husband in law enforcement — and a long-standing affair with Heather's husband, Ignacio Garraus. Shawna was no stranger to scandal. She and Ignacio had been involved for years, even having a child together in secret. When Ignacio finally ended the affair, choosing to stay with his wife and come clean, Shawna allegedly refused to let go.

“This isn’t over,” she had warned.
And it wasn’t.

CHAPTER TWO

The Woman in the Robe

When officers found Heather's body in the snow, witnesses mentioned a figure in a cloak — a theatrical outfit with eerie religious overtones, sewn at home. That detail would later match a handmade costume found hidden in Shawna’s garage, complete with fibres linking it to the scene. But that wasn't all.

Forensics identified a boot print near Heather's body. The brand and size matched a pair of shoes belonging to Shawna. Traces of her DNA were found on them — as well as gunshot residue.

Still, Shawna denied everything. In court, she remained calm, even maternal. But the evidence began stacking higher: text messages, a destroyed SIM card, a disturbing search history. Then came the voice of her former best friend, Michelle Moore, who had helped Shawna carry out the murder — and later confessed.

“She said she just wanted Heather out of the way.
She said Heather had ruined everything.”

Michelle was sentenced to nine years for her role in the plot. But it was Shawna who had pulled the trigger.

CHAPTER THREE

Bloodlines and Boundaries

The case shocked not only the close-knit law enforcement community of Colorado, but also resonated far beyond American borders. This wasn’t just a crime of passion — it was a brutal reminder of what happens when obsession overrides reason, and professional boundaries are obliterated.

Shawna Nelson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her son with Ignacio — the child born of the affair — was left behind in the wreckage of three destroyed lives.

Heather Garraus, 37, was buried in her home state.
Her family, colleagues, and a town torn apart by scandal were left asking the same question:

How does love turn into murder?