Brandon Horst Murder: Where Are Heather Horst and Aaron Allen Now? – Brandon Horst and Heather Schwarz are high school sweethearts who reconcile after Brandon’s stint of duty in the Middle East; when they struggle to conceive, the strain leads to secrets, adultery, and deception, culminating in a diabolical homicide.
Authorities rushed to the Horsts’ home after receiving a frantic 911 call one night in August 2013. Brandon Horst was found dead inside, with his wife, Heather, making the call. ‘Heart Of Darkness: Murder On The Home Front,’ a documentary on Investigation Discovery, explores how a cold-blooded plot to kill Brandon resulted in his untimely death. So, if you’re interested in learning more about this case, we’ve got you covered.
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What Caused Brandon Horst’s Death?
Brandon was a 25-year-old man from St. Paul, Minnesota, when the incident occurred. Before his mother married Mark Horst, who adopted him, he was reared by his mother for the first few years of his existence. Brandon was a member of the Minnesota Air National Guard who had spent six months in Saudi Arabia before returning home. He then married Heather, his high school girlfriend, and they were living together when he was killed.
Heather contacted 911 early the next morning, August 5, 2013, to report finding Brandon in a pool of blood in his bedroom. The 25-year-old was found face down in the bed with a gunshot wound to the head when authorities arrived. There was a 9mm shell casing found at the location, but no weapon. Because no valuables were taken from the house, it didn’t appear to be a break-in.
Who Killed Brandon Horst and Why?
Heather told police that Brandon arrived home from work at 10:30 p.m. on August 4, and she departed to conduct an errand with his stepsister, Angela Penoncello. Heather discovered her husband died when they arrived after midnight. She also stated that the pair had fought in the days leading up to the murder and that he had previously abused her.
A gun missing from the Horsts’ wine cabinet was later identified as the murder weapon. When authorities looked into the couple’s relationship, they discovered that things were not going well. Brandon and Heather had previously cheated on each other, and Heather claimed Brandon was physically aggressive. Marcus Strombaugh, who said he had been having an affair with her since before her marriage, claimed Brandon was aware of the affair and was considering divorce.
Angela was living with her fiancé, Aaron Allen, at the time of the incident. Zubrina Phillips and Steven Koderick, another couple, shared the house with them. Heather came over to the house on August 4, 2013, unhappy and claiming to have had a miscarriage. Heather said Brandon beat her after learning she was pregnant, according to Zubrina. Heather had previously mentioned two miscarriages, which she blamed on Brandon’s beatings, according to Zubrina.
During the early hours of August 5, 2013, the detectives discovered a few deleted texts between Heather and Aaron on the former’s phone. As a result, Aaron was interrogated. He eventually went to the cops and informed them of what had transpired.
Heather stated that she wished Brandon dead after she came home, claiming to have had a miscarriage. Steven and another Allen friend were supposed to assist with a staged break-in in which Aaron would slit Brandon’s throat.
Heather went shopping for clothes, shoes, and gloves before the other men abandoned the idea, leaving Aaron to carry it out. As a result, Aaron was assigned the task of shooting Brandon. Aaron waited in the basement after Heather left him off at her house before going upstairs to the bedroom and killing Brandon once with a gun Heather had given him.
Aaron later recalls her requesting that he “throw at least two or three rounds into him (Brandon)” in order to secure her husband’s death. Heather provided him with a portion of Brandon’s life insurance payout, which she was the sole beneficiary of.
According to the text messages, Aaron shot Brandon between 12:17 and 12:27 a.m. Heather and Angela then picked up Aaron, who had dumped a rucksack containing the murder weapon at a dog park, where the cops eventually discovered it.
They dropped Aaron off at his place before returning to the Horsts’ house, where Heather made the 911 call that started the investigation. Zubrina later testified that she overheard Aaron telling her partner, “He did it.”
Heather Horst and Aaron Allen: Where Are They Now?
When Heather told Aaron about the physical violence, Aaron said he “saw red.” He wanted to put an end to the suffering because he had been abused and witnessed his mother being assaulted as a child. Aaron pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March 2014, when he was 25 years old.
He was condemned to 40 years in prison a few months later. He is still detained at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Oak Park Heights, Washington County, according to records. In April 2040, Aaron is expected to be released.
Divorce, according to the prosecution, was not an option for Heather since it would result in her losing her financial security and her home. As a result, they claimed she was the one who killed Brandon. The defence, on the other hand, claimed that Aaron acted alone and was acting out a fantasy.
Heather, who was 25 at the time, was found guilty of first and second-degree murder, as well as conspiracy to commit first and second-degree murder. She was condemned to life in prison without the chance of release in May 2014. Heather is still being held at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, Scott County, for the time being.