MURDERED: Anastasia WitbolsFeugen

The gist

Anastasia Witbolsfeugen was found shot in Lincoln Cemetery on October 23, 1997, with no gun at the scene. Her boyfriend Justin initially seemed the most suspicious—he disappeared after her death and was found dead from a self-inflicted shotgun wound two days later—but police pivoted to blaming her friend Byron Case after Kelly Moffat, under a grant of transactional immunity, confessed years later that Byron pulled the trigger. Byron was convicted and sentenced to life, but the case is riddled with investigative failures and alternative theories that cast serious doubt on his guilt.

Key takeaways

• The original investigation was deeply flawed: Police never pulled phone records for any of the parties involved, never properly processed Justin's car despite it being available, never collected skull fragments Bob claimed to find, and failed to establish a definitive time of death for Anastasia (she was last seen around 8:30 PM, found at 4 AM).

• Kelly's confession came with major red flags: She testified under transactional immunity after nearly three years and was inconsistent about whether Justin or Byron did it—telling her dad Byron was guilty, but her rehab counselor that Justin did it. Her substance abuse disorder and grudge against Byron (he'd cut off contact and moved away) gave her motive to implicate him.

• The "tacit admission" is extremely weak: Police relied on a barely audible phone recording where Byron allegedly says "we shouldn't talk about this," but the audio quality makes it nearly impossible to confirm what was actually said, and his response could mean many things.

• Justin's behavior and death suggest he knew more than Byron: Justin bought a new shotgun the morning after Anastasia's death (hours after she was already dead), didn't leave a suicide note, and allegedly told Byron he "didn't mean" to have him kill her—suggesting Justin may have been directly involved. Police never adequately investigated his death or searched his car for evidence.

• Anastasia's father Bob displayed deeply suspicious behavior: He visited the crime scene unprompted, claimed to have heard the gunshot from miles away and "knew she was dead," found skull fragments no one else could locate, submitted a list of 31 cars and license plates from that night, and later served seven years for statutory sodomy of a 15-year-old girl. Betsy Owens (Anastasia's mother) reported Bob had exposed himself to children and allegedly molested another child.

• A stun gun was found on Anastasia's bed: This suggests she may have been protecting herself from someone in her home, possibly Bob, but police never explored this angle or investigated whether abuse was occurring.

• Byron's innocence team has since identified three alternative suspects: Justin (most plausible given his suicide and purchase of a new gun), Patrick Rock (a family friend Anastasia could have called for a ride), and Bob himself (given his suspicious behavior, criminal history, and odd demeanor during the investigation).

• Byron has maintained his innocence throughout: He stuck to his original story at trial and on the stand, and attorney Brian Russell took his case in 2019 after becoming convinced Byron never received a fair trial, though Byron has exhausted his appeals.

Notable quotes

"No, I did it because Justin asked me to. And a murderer is someone who doesn't feel bad about what they did. I feel bad, but what's done is done." — Byron Case's alleged response to Kelly when she said killing someone makes you a murderer.

"Boom, there goes the neighborhood." — Bob's reaction when clapping his hands together after telling police he heard a gunshot and knew his daughter was dead.

"The investigation and claims of a tacit admission leave a lot to be desired. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is no longer investigating Anastasia's death. Her case is closed." — Host summarizing the inadequacies of the investigation.

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full episode if you're interested in a deep dive into how a flawed investigation, unreliable witness testimony, and investigative tunnel vision can result in a conviction that may be unjust—or if you want to hear the full details about Bob's suspicious behavior and the gaps in the case that make Byron's guilt questionable.