Forty-four-year-old Eva Shoen was the wife of Sam Shoen, a U-Haul heir. The couple lived in Telluride, Colorado, with their two young children. On the morning of August 6, 1990, Eva was found murdered in their home, shot once in the back of the head. Their daughter found her body, laying at the top of the main staircase. Sam had been away on business that weekend and immediately returned to be with his family. Only one important piece of evidence was found: a pair of sunglasses near the home.
Detectives learned that Sam's business trip was last-minute and that he had taken Eva's car. They questioned Sam and soon found a possible motive for Eva's murder. In 1986, Sam's siblings had overthrown their father Leonard from being the owner of the company. Sam and some of his siblings took his father's side and filed several lawsuits in an attempt to take separate their money from the company. It was now believed that Eva may have been murdered in retaliation.
Since their home was very isolated, authorities believe that the murder was not a random act of violence. Authorities also believe that the killer or killers watched the Shoen family and waited until everyone had fallen asleep. They entered through the unlocked back door and shot Eva in her bed. After the killer(s) left, Eva was able to get out of her bed and crawl to the stairs where she collapsed and died.
Authorities continued to look into the feud in the Shoen family and questioned the two brothers who had overthrown Leonard. However, they cannot say for certain if they were involved in Eva's murder. Sam and his children left Telluride after Eva's murder and have not returned since but continue to search for answers in Eva's death.
Suspects: Sam Shoen was ruled out as a suspect because he was not in Telluride at the time of the murder. He believes that his two brothers may have played a role in Eva's murder. He believes that they may have hired someone to kill him, but the killer shot Eva instead. However, they deny any involvement.
Detectives examining the bullet that killed Eva found that the gun used had a design flaw. They were able to determine that the bullet came from a .25 caliber Locrin handgun. However, they were unable to find the murder weapon.
Extra Notes: The case was featured as a part of the December 2, 1992, episode and was updated on January 5, 1994, episode. After the case was solved, it was featured on Cold Case Files and Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice. Some sources spell Eva's last name ""Schoen"".
Results: Solved. A viewer called the telecenter after the segment was repeated and claimed that his brother-in-law, Frank Emer Marquis, was the killer. Marquis had previously served time for several burglaries and rapes. He had told the viewer that he was involved in the murder and ""covered up"" all the evidence against him. Authorities were able to record this conversation.
