The disappearance of Michael Golub on May 20, 2003, sparked a complex legal battle involving Chad and Shannon Floyd. This case, filled with animosity, conflicting testimonies, and inconclusive evidence, remains one of the most perplexing unsolved mysteries in Kansas history.
Michael Golub, 27, originally from California, had moved to Kansas as a teenager. He supported himself by performing odd jobs, sometimes working as an auto mechanic. Golub was a former boyfriend of Shannon Floyd, now 30, and the two were involved in a custody dispute over their son.
On May 20, 2003, Golub was supposed to pick up his five-year-old son from Shannon Floyd's home after finishing work at Kramer Harvesting. However, he never arrived. He left behind a fiancee and an infant son. Two days later, his gold and brown Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck with toolboxes and Trego County, Kansas license plates was found abandoned on a remote county road in northwest Grant County, Kansas.
The Arrest and Charges
In June 2006, Shannon Albers Floyd and her husband, Chad Floyd, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Golub's case. The arrest came after investigators uncovered a series of potentially incriminating details.
There was a great deal of animosity between Shannon and Golub, and they frequently disagreed over child support and visitation issues relating to their son. The Floyds wanted to move to Montana, but they were unable to do so because Golub had filed for custody of his son. Authorities believed Michael was shot at their home the night he disappeared.
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Evidence suggested that Michael and Shannon often clashed over custody and child support, and Chad reportedly offered Michael $50,000 to drop his custody case. Golub's blood was found on the Floyds' front porch after his disappearance; it had dripped between the planks. The couple had purchased a gun the day Golub disappeared, and investigators found Golub’s blood had dripped between the planks on the Floyds’ front porch.
Richard Guinn and Barry Disney of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office claimed Chad and Shannon Floyd shot Golub when he came to pick up his son.
The Trials and Mistrials
The couple's first trial took place in July 2007. Lawyers Monnat and Kurt Kerns, both of Wichita, argued for the defense that there were people near the Floyds’ house that night who would have heard gunshots - but didn’t - and that a different friend of the Floyds showed up unexpectedly when the killing was supposedly taking place. The Floyds' defense attorney said there was insufficient proof Golub was dead, however. The defense also suggested that Golub’s role as an informant in a local drug case led to his disappearance.
Ultimately, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and a mistrial was declared. Despite two trials in 2007 and 2008, neither jury could reach a verdict, and the charges were dismissed.
Legal Aftermath and Current Status
A spokeswoman for the Kansas Attorney General said that after each hung jury, Monnat and Kerns asked the judge to dismiss the case in a way that would prevent the state from reopening it. This is called dismissal with prejudice.
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“The concern is that if a third trial based on the exact same evidence ends in a hung jury the court may seriously consider a dismissal with prejudice,” said Ashley Anstaett on behalf of the attorney general.
The Wichita Eagle reported that Chad and Shannon Floyd would be able to relax in western Kansas free of the murder charges that dogged them for the past three years.
The case remains unsolved, though charges could be refiled if new evidence emerges. The body of Michael Golub, 27, has never been found.
Key Players and Evidence
Here's a summary of the key players and evidence in the case:
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Golub | Victim; disappeared on May 20, 2003 |
| Shannon Floyd | Ex-girlfriend of Golub; charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder |
| Chad Floyd | Husband of Shannon Floyd; charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder |
| Richard Guinn & Barry Disney | Kansas Attorney General’s Office; prosecuted the case |
| Monnat & Kurt Kerns | Defense attorneys for the Floyds |
| Evidence | Description |
|---|---|
| Golub's blood | Found on the Floyds' front porch |
| Purchased gun | The Floyds purchased a gun the day Golub disappeared |
| Abandoned truck | Golub's truck was found abandoned in Grant County, Kansas |
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