Lindsay Shiver Appears in Court Beside Alleged Lover and Accused Hitman in Husband Murder Plot Case

Lindsay Shiver, a former beauty queen from Georgia, appeared in a Bahamian courtroom in August 2023 alongside two men accused of conspiring with her to kill her estranged husband, former Auburn University football player Robert Shiver.

The unusual courtroom appearance drew widespread attention after reports described Shiver sitting beside her alleged lover, Terrance Adrien Bethel, while both faced allegations connected to a suspected murder-for-hire plot. A third defendant, Faron Newbold Jr., was also accused of involvement.

Authorities alleged that the plan targeted Robert Shiver, with whom Lindsay was going through a contentious divorce. The couple, who share three sons, had filed for divorce in Georgia in April 2023 after more than a decade of marriage.

The case came to light through an unexpected discovery. Bahamian police were investigating a reported break-in at Grabbers Bar and Grill on Great Guana Cay when they examined a suspect’s phone and allegedly found WhatsApp messages relating to a plan to kill Robert.

According to reports citing the investigation, one message allegedly included a photograph of Robert alongside the words “Kill him.” Prosecutors viewed the messages as evidence of a conspiracy, while the defense disputed the allegations and argued that the messages had been taken out of context.

Lindsay, Bethel and Newbold were arrested in July 2023. All three pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy-to-commit-murder charges.

At the August 2023 court proceedings, Lindsay was granted bail of $100,000. Bethel and Newbold were also released on bail, subject to conditions that included electronic monitoring and restrictions on their movements. Lindsay was required to comply with court-imposed conditions while the case proceeded.

The allegations emerged amid a bitter separation involving disputes over finances, property and custody of the couple’s children. Both Lindsay and Robert had made allegations against each other in divorce filings, though those separate claims did not establish that the alleged murder plot had occurred.

The case has continued for years. In July 2026, Lindsay’s U.S. attorney publicly argued that evidence placing her in the United States on the date of the alleged conspiracy raised serious questions about whether Bahamian prosecutors had jurisdiction to pursue the charges. That is a defense argument, not a court finding that the case is invalid.

In August 2026, a Bahamian Supreme Court justice also declined prosecutors’ request to revoke Lindsay’s bail over alleged problems with her electronic monitoring device, finding that she had reported the malfunction and complied with requests from the monitoring company.

As of October 2026, the criminal allegations against Lindsay, Bethel and Newbold remain allegations, and all three are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

What began with a phone discovered during an unrelated investigation has become a complex international legal case involving a marriage breakdown, disputed digital evidence and a prosecution that continues to face challenges.

Sources:

New York Post:  nypost