The Hand in the Window: 'The Other Me'

Key Concepts

• Dual Nature/Charming Facade: The concept of an individual presenting a pleasant and likable exterior while harboring a darker, violent interior.
• Manipulation and Deception: The use of charm and charisma to gain trust and exploit others.
• Opportunistic Violence: Committing violent acts when the opportunity arises, rather than through pre-meditated planning.
• Domestic Violence: The pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.
• Cold Case: An unsolved crime, typically a murder, that has been inactive for a long period.
• Confession and Evidence Gathering: The process by which law enforcement obtains admissions of guilt and supporting details from a suspect.
• Rapport Building: Establishing a connection with a suspect to encourage them to share information.

Summary of "The Other Me" - The Hand in the Window, Episode 5

This episode of "The Hand in the Window" delves into the disturbing duality of Shawn Great, a man arrested for kidnapping, rape, and murder, who shattered the sense of safety in Ashland County. Prosecutor Chris Tanel emphasized that Ashland County is generally safe and that Great, who had only been in town for less than two months, was an anomaly.

Shawn Great's Background and Early Life

Investigators pieced together a troubled past for Great. He reported being abandoned by his mother as a child and began a criminal record at age 20, with convictions for burglary, abduction, and brandishing a knife at an ex-girlfriend. He fathered children with three different women and moved frequently throughout rural Ohio. Detective Kim Major noted Great's ability to charm people, aided by his attractive appearance. His own mother is quoted as saying, "Yes, he's good-looking, but the devil's good-looking, too," drawing a parallel to Ted Bundy's manipulative charm. The episode posits "absolute parallels" in Great's calculating yet opportunistic nature and his charm, suggesting he used these traits to facilitate his crimes.

Christina Hilddrth's Account: The Charming Facade Crumbles

Christina Hilddrth met Shawn Great about a decade before his crimes in Ashland. She described him as "very friendly" and possessing a way of making people feel important, particularly noting his "piercing blue eyes" that made one feel like the sole focus of his attention. Initially, Great would "just sort of show up" at her house, which she found acceptable due to his charm. Their relationship became romantic, and for a time, it was enjoyable, involving outdoor activities.

However, this changed when Great moved into Christina's house without being on the lease. His charm began to fade, replaced by moodiness and an ability to make her feel "horrible." Christina endured a five-year relationship with Great, during which she learned little about his past, only that he was estranged from his family and disliked his mother. As their cohabitation continued, Great became increasingly difficult. He disliked her children, lacked employment, and spent his days making engraved wooden signs. He was often mean and moody, and when Christina wanted to end the relationship, Great refused to leave.

The situation escalated dramatically one night when, after a fight, Great physically assaulted Christina, hitting and choking her to the point of suspecting a broken finger. During the assault, he attempted to drag her to the bathroom. Christina's plea, focusing on her inability to work and pay bills with an injured hand, seemingly de-escalated the situation. At the ER, she reported Great's abuse to a nurse, leading to police involvement. Great fled the ER, and Christina, fearing for her safety, stayed with her mother.

Christina later discovered Great had been living in her house, hiding inside the couch. He would crawl in and out through a slit in the back during the day and emerge at night. When Christina returned to retrieve belongings, she requested police presence. Officers found Great in her closet, leading to his arrest. In 2010, Shawn Great was found guilty of domestic violence for the attack on Christina and sentenced to six months in prison. Christina believes that if she hadn't changed her approach, Great "would have killed me in that bathroom." She remains haunted by their years together and struggles to understand his transformation from charming to "evil."

Tim Dennis's Experience: The "Other Me" Emerges

After serving his domestic violence sentence, Great moved to Mansfield, married, and had a daughter, but divorced within a year, with his ex-wife gaining full custody. In 2013, she filed for an order of protection against him due to threats.

In Mansfield, Great befriended Tim Dennis, whom he met at a market where Great was selling his wooden signs. Tim found Great to be a "really nice guy" with an "easygoing personality." They engaged in typical friendly activities like playing pool and cooking. Great confided in Tim about his family and emotions. The friendship soured when Great asked to borrow money, which Tim declined due to past negative experiences. Great responded with a barrage of angry texts, including curses and threats of bedbugs and roaches, culminating in the statement, "Meet the other me." Tim described this as a moment where he "just froze" and immediately thought of a "monster." Tim saw Great one more time, noting he seemed "different, angry, dark, and even a little scary." After a few years of friendship, they lost touch. Upon hearing of Great's arrest for kidnapping, rape, and murder, Tim struggled to reconcile the two sides of his friend, concluding that "There's two persons living inside of him."

The Confession: Unraveling a Decade-Old Murder

In the summer of 2016, Shawn Great was on the run from a child support warrant in Mansfield. He fled from a police officer into the woods and evaded capture, even with a canine unit. He then appeared in Ashland, continuing his pattern of charming people and turning on them.

Detective Kim Major, who had obtained a confession from Great regarding his recent crimes, felt there was more to uncover. On September 15, 2016, Detectives Major and Brian Evans met with Great at the Ashland Jail. Before presenting the charges, Major conducted another interview. Great revealed he wanted to discuss a cold case from around 2005 or 2006 involving an unidentified murder victim found in Marion County. He identified the victim as "Dana," a door-to-door magazine salesperson who had sold a subscription to his mother.

Great recounted inviting Dana into his grandparents' house, initially showing her his baseball card collection. He then confronted her, accusing her of ripping him off like she did his mom. When Dana asked who his mom was, Great inferred she did this to many people. He then pulled her into the living room and strangled her until she passed out. When she woke up in the basement, he panicked, retrieved a knife from upstairs, and stabbed her in the neck. He then hosted a bonfire that evening, placing a couch in front of the basement door to conceal the body. The next morning, he dumped her body in the woods.

To prove his confession, Great revealed he returned months later and burned the body with gasoline. Detective Major recognized this as Great's first victim and his first killing. When asked about his motive, Great mumbled, "I don't know. I really can't explain a lot of it," and even asked the detectives to help him come up with a motive. He expressed concern that admitting to Dana's murder would lead people to believe he was responsible for "thousands" of victims, stating, "I'm not that cold." He claimed to have "four bodies" and promised he had revealed everything.

The Demonstration: A Chilling Display of Violence

During the nearly three-hour interview, the detectives built rapport with Great, even engaging in light-hearted banter about his marijuana purchases. They eventually asked Great to demonstrate his strangulation technique. Initially hesitant, Great agreed to demonstrate on Detective Evans, not a doll or stuffed animal. Detectives Major and Evans were unarmed, but jail staff were aware of the demonstration.

Great demonstrated on Detective Evans, explaining how he would get victims in a chokehold, push their head forward into the crease of his arm, and then "just do that" with a quick flex. Detective Major filmed the demonstration, noting the fluidity of Great's movements and his detached description of a victim's last breath leaving their body. Great detailed how he strangled Elizabeth Griffith, describing how he would "help" her die by getting her in a chokehold and pressing forward.

After the demonstration, Great reiterated that he had revealed all his secrets and had "four bodies." However, Detective Major sensed he was holding back. A few days later, she confronted him again, and Great admitted to withholding information.

Conclusion

The episode highlights Shawn Great's profound capacity for deception and violence, masked by a charming exterior. His history of domestic abuse, manipulative behavior, and opportunistic killings, culminating in his confession to multiple murders, paints a disturbing picture of a man with a deeply fractured psyche. The investigation into his crimes, particularly the detailed confession and chilling demonstration, underscores the challenges law enforcement faces in understanding and prosecuting such complex cases. The narrative suggests that Great's violence was not always premeditated but often arose from opportunistic situations, fueled by an underlying darkness that he himself struggled to explain.