Viswa Vanapalli
When a 58-year-old divorcee was found brutally murdered in her home, her family was left devastated. But as the authorities dug deeper, it became clear someone close to her was responsible for the slaying. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Web of Lies: Divorced and in Danger’ chronicles how the police zeroed in on Sheila Hackmeister’s son, Jason, for her murder. So, let’s find out exactly what happened then, shall we?
How Did Sheila Hachmeister Die?
Sheila Rae Hachmeister was a Texas native who graduated high school in Kansas in 1971. The 58-year-old got her bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas and married Bill Hachmeister in 1974; they later went their separate ways. She worked as a health information technician for many years. At the time of the incident, she lived in Topeka, Kansas, with her son, Jason. Sheila also had another son named Aaron.
At around 5 PM on September 10, 2011, the authorities received a call from Jason regarding his mother being found in a pool of blood. The house was a bloody crime scene. Sheila had multiple cuts on her body — at least 98, as per the coroner. She suffered defensive wounds, with one of her fingers nearly cut off. Sheila also had cuts on her hands and head, but the cause of death was strangulation — a twine was embedded into her neck.
Who Killed Sheila Hachmeister?
At the house, there were no signs of forced entry. While some items were missing, the place didn’t seem ransacked for any valuables. The authorities then began to focus on Jason, who lived in his mother’s basement at the time of the murder. They learned that at around 11:30 AM on September 10, 2011, Jason left home and ran multiple errands before he came home and called 911 at around 5 PM. However, the authorities believed that Sheila died a few hours before the 911 call.
The manager of a strip club told the authorities about a conversation she had with him in September 2011. After talking about wanting to kill his mother, Jason had stated that he did kill her and then had to change the carpet because it was blood-soaked. Furthermore, Aaron remembered seeing Jason with bruises on his body and what looked like carpet burns on his knuckles. But Jason tried to explain it away by saying he fell.
While Jason was in custody, letters were sent to news outlets, the police, and a friend of Jason’s implying that the writer was the killer and Jason was innocent. All of them were intercepted at the local county jail. According to the writings, the supposed killer claimed that Sheila had turned him down at a bar, leading him to track her down and kill her. In one of the letters, the person claimed to be an employee at the county jail and provided a work schedule as proof. However, surveillance from the prison captured Jason picking up someone’s work schedule from a trash bin.
The authorities believed Jason killed his mother for financial gain. He stood to receive $125,000 from a life insurance policy. Also, it was stated that Sheila was thinking about kicking Jason out of the house around the time she was killed. His fate was sealed when DNA was found on the rope that was used to strangle Sheila. Earlier, he claimed to have never touched that rope.
Where is Jason Hachmeister Now?
During a search of the house, the authorities found ample evidence of child pornography in Jason’s possession. In December 2013, he was convicted on 105 felony counts of sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison. In July 2015, then 40 years old, Jason was convicted of premeditated first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years to life behind bars. This sentence was to run concurrently with the seven-year term. Prison records indicate that Jason remains incarcerated at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility in Kansas. The earliest he can be released is in 2062.
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