Heather Snyder and the Murder of Joe Shymanski

Heather Snyder is the ex-wife of Washington, D.C., photographer Joe Shymanski, who was shot in the driveway of his Calvert County, Maryland, home on September 3, 2023, and the former girlfriend of Brandon Holbrook, the man convicted of killing him. Snyder has never been charged with a crime in connection with the murder, and prosecutors confirmed she had a verified alibi placing her in Pennsylvania when Shymanski was killed. She has publicly denied any role in planning or carrying out his death. Shymanski’s family and friends believe she was involved, and a Pennsylvania detective indicated on camera that an investigation touching on her exists but could not be discussed.

The Marriage and Divorce

Snyder and Shymanski met at Eastern Market in Southeast D.C., where she ran a vegetable business and he ran a photography business with his partner, Alton McDougle. They married in July 2014, bought a home in rural Calvert County, and had two children.¹

Their divorce was finalized in October 2022 and was described by those close to the couple as extremely contentious.² Disputes centered on finances and custody exchanges. Shymanski had primary physical custody during the school year; Snyder, who had moved back to Pennsylvania, had holidays and most of the summer. Weeks before Shymanski’s death, a court reduced the financial settlement he owed her. Both spouses recorded their interactions with each other. Shymanski left audio messages for his children calling Snyder “manipulative” and “toxic.” Snyder alleged he had been emotionally and physically abusive during the marriage.¹

Her Relationship with Brandon Holbrook

Snyder told investigators she became friends with Brandon Holbrook in late 2021 or 2022 and that a romantic relationship began a few months later. Holbrook lived in Reedsville, Pennsylvania, roughly 200 miles from Shymanski’s Maryland home. He had a criminal history that included guilty pleas to at least five counts of indecent exposure.¹

Snyder told police she had ended the relationship roughly a month before the murder because of Holbrook’s charges. Text messages presented at trial showed the two were still in regular contact and had met in person in the days before Shymanski’s death. Shortly before the killing, Snyder texted Holbrook, “Wish I was in your bed.” She later described such messages as “goodbye” moments rather than evidence of an ongoing relationship.¹

Prosecutors also introduced a January 2023 exchange in which Snyder complained to Holbrook about Shymanski’s alleged abuse and Holbrook replied, “I have other solutions in mind, but probably not the best way to go.” Snyder later called that message a joke and described her own texts about being “tired of being patient” and hoping for “karma” as venting about the custody dispute.¹

Her Actions Around the Murder

Shymanski was last seen alive around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, 2023.² The next evening, Labor Day, Snyder called 911 at 7:47 p.m. to report him missing. She told deputies she had driven from Pennsylvania to drop off their children for a scheduled custody exchange and found no one home, though his phone, wallet, keys, and shoes were inside.³ Bodycam footage recorded her going into the house to retrieve pajamas for the children, and she and the children spent that night at a neighbor’s home.¹

In her police interview with investigator Joshua Buck, Snyder said she did not have a boyfriend, despite her continuing communications with Holbrook.³ She also disclosed that Holbrook had given her a gun before the murder, which she said was for target practice. The weapon was stored in her closet and was never tied to the killing; no bullets or casings were recovered at the scene.¹

Prosecutors presented security video that placed Snyder at a store in Pennsylvania, roughly three hours from Shymanski’s home, when he disappeared. Authorities have not identified her as a suspect.¹

What the Trial Said About Her

Holbrook was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder on April 9, 2025, and sentenced on July 18, 2025, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.⁴⁵ The prosecution’s theory was that Holbrook was obsessed with Snyder, drove from Pennsylvania to Maryland, shot Shymanski in the driveway, and returned to Pennsylvania with the body.

The defense pushed hard on Snyder. Attorney Brendan Callahan argued Holbrook had no personal reason to kill a man he had never met and that Snyder was the person with an obvious motive: sole custody of the children and potential control over a $1 million life insurance policy Shymanski had taken out four months before his death, naming the children as beneficiaries. The defense noted her name came up more than 400 times at trial.⁶²

Snyder was called as a witness and invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege, declining to testify.³ She later said her criminal lawyer had advised her to do so because “people twist your words.”¹ After Shymanski’s death, Snyder petitioned to be appointed guardian of the children’s inheritance under the policy, but she was pressured to withdraw the petition, and a third-party guardian was appointed instead.²

Her Public Denial

In an interview with CBS correspondent Nikki Battiste for 48 Hours, which aired in October 2025 and was recorded in May 2025, Snyder denied any role in the murder or its planning. “I didn’t,” she said. “That’s the torturous part. It’s almost like they want to believe that I was involved with it. They want that true-crime narrative. And it just simply wasn’t the case.” She said that at the time of the murder she and Holbrook were “just friends” and that the most she had ever said to him about her ex-husband was that Shymanski “should be in jail for the way he was acting.”³

The Family’s Allegations

Shymanski’s relatives and friends have publicly accused Snyder of orchestrating the killing. His niece, Janine Shymanski, said, “She just needed it done and she found her person that would do that for her.”³ His business partner, Alton McDougle, told authorities he believed “Heather, at least, planned it” and that her behavior on the night she reported Shymanski missing was an act designed to “paint a picture that he was missing because she knew the plan.”¹ The family runs justiceforjoeshymanski.com, which posts court records and solicits tips, focused on why a stranger would travel 200 miles to commit a premeditated killing.⁴

Snyder has said she is open to letting Shymanski’s family see her children if they stop publicly accusing her of involvement in the murder.³

Where Things Stand

Snyder has not been charged with any crime in connection with Joe Shymanski’s death. Holbrook’s conviction is on appeal, and Calvert County prosecutor Robert Harvey has described the case as remaining open, declining to comment further while the appeal is pending.¹ When Battiste asked Pennsylvania Detective Jessica Aurand whether there is a current investigation into Snyder, Aurand said she knew the answer but was not permitted to give it: “Yes. But I’m not allowed to say.”³

1
CBS News. Joe Shymanski Maryland Murder Brandon Holbrook Trial Heather Snyder Interview
2
Justice for Joe Shymanski. Facts of the Case
3
CBS News. My Uncle Joe’s Murder
4
Justice for Joe Shymanski. Justice for Joe Shymanski
5
The Bay Net. Holbrook Sentenced Life Without Parole
6
AOL News. Family of Murdered Photographer Wonders Whether Killer Was the Only One Involved