Shanna Golyars stalking

Shanna Golyar's stalking refers to an extensive digital harassment and impersonation campaign conducted by Shanna Golyar against David Kroupa and others between 2012 and 2015 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Golyar murdered Cari Farver in November 2012, then impersonated her victim for over three years, sending more than 12,000 threatening and harassing messages to Kroupa, his ex-girlfriend Liz Golyar, and others while pretending Farver was still alive.

The stalking campaign involved creating fake email accounts, social media profiles, and text messages purporting to be from the murdered victim. Golyar sent graphic threats, explicit images, and detailed surveillance information to her targets, including photographs taken outside their homes and workplaces. She also physically vandalized property, slashed tires, and set fires to maintain the illusion that Farver was conducting a stalking campaign. The deception was so elaborate that law enforcement initially investigated Farver as the perpetrator rather than the victim.

Golyar's motivation stemmed from her romantic obsession with David Kroupa, whom she had briefly dated. After Kroupa began a relationship with Cari Farver, Golyar murdered Farver and assumed her digital identity to eliminate her rival while simultaneously portraying herself as a fellow victim of Farver's harassment. The case remained unsolved until digital forensics experts traced the messages back to Golyar's devices and IP addresses.

In 2017, Shanna Golyar was convicted of first-degree murder and second-degree arson in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The case is notable for its unprecedented scale of digital impersonation following a homicide and the challenges it presented for law enforcement in distinguishing between victim and perpetrator in the digital realm. It has become a significant case study in cyberstalking, digital evidence collection, and the intersection of homicide with sustained online harassment campaigns.