TRUE-LIFE
Why was a friendly postie gunned down in cold blood?
YOU’RE THE JUDGE!
In October 2021, postal worker Devan Schreiner was not a happy woman.
She’d gone through a bitter split with her ex-boyfriend and fellow postie Jason Schaefer, 33.
The former couple shared custody of their son, then 5.
Only, Jason was now dating Devan’s 19-year-old sister.
To make matters worse, Devan had been fired after ‘an incident’ between the warring exes at work.
She’d had to get a new job for the post office in the neighbouring city of Loveland, in Colorado.
Devan ranted about Jason to friends and her boyfriend Andrew James Ritchie, known as AJ, then 34.
In the heat of the moment, furious with her ex, she’d even joked, ‘I swear I just want to kill him.’ And... ‘Party in the woods, bring your own shovel.’
Then, on Monday 11 October, Jason applied to the courts, wanting to be the primary carer for their son, and sole decision maker.
No, it’s fair to say that Devan Schreiner wasn’t happy at all.
Deadly ambush
Jason, however, was trying to get on with his life.
He’d been a postie in Longmont for 10 years.
Did the same picturesque route every morning, always with a smile on his face.
Went above and beyond for people on his patch.
Hand-delivering letters to residents who were too elderly to easily make it to their mailboxes.
And on Wednesday 13 October, two days after lodging custody papers with the courts, he began his shift as usual.
Waving to the people he passed. It was a beautiful autumn day and the sun was shining. Just after midday,
Jason stepped out of his van in the Somerset
Meadows neighbourhood. Swung his bag of letters over his shoulder.
Standing at a cluster of mailboxes at the end of the street, he began sorting through his bag of post.
Then someone approached from behind.
Suddenly, four ear-shattering gunshots rang out in the sleepy street.
Jason fell to the ground, soaked in blood.
He’d been shot three times by a mystery assassin.
And the bloodthirsty killer had even shot the dad of one in the face. In broad daylight, as the postie simply carried out his job.
Paramedics and police swamped the scene, but Jason was declared dead.
Jason’s postmaster arrived, and immediately asked, ‘Did the baby mama do it?’
He meant Devan. The police were quickly asking that same question.
The next day, 47 postal trucks took part in a procession in Jason’s honour.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported seeing someone running from the scene.
