Murder of John Kowalczyk involving Ralph N. Shambaugh, Jr. featured on Everyone Has A Motive

Crime Scene Tape photo
John Kowalczyk was killed while dropping off his son in a parking lot in Vienna, Virginia. Pic credit: Monsters and Critics

The murder of John Kowalczyk involving Ralph N. Shambaugh, Jr. is featured in an episode of Everyone Has A Motive on Investigation Discovery.

On June 10, 1993, Kowalczyk, 38, of Fairfax, Virginia, waited in a parking lot in Vienna for his former wife, Katherine Hymen, to pick up their son, Nicholas, after a scheduled visit. When the then-12-year-old went to throw something away in a nearby trash can, shots rung out.

Kowalczyk was struck in the head and was pronounced dead.

Two months later, when Kowalczyk’s former father-in-law, Stanley Hymen, 72, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, became a suspect in his murder, he shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.

Their bodies were found in a Florida condominium, along with a suicide note proclaiming his innocence.

An investigation revealed that Ralph N. Shambaugh, Jr., a groundskeeper, conspired with Hymen to kill Kowalczyk, but investigators could not determine who pulled the trigger as there were no witnesses and the murder weapon was never found.

Attorneys argued that a custody dispute between Kowalczyk and his ex-wife led to the murder. Several months before he was shot to death, the former couple was supposed to go to court regarding their two sons.

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James Sabol testified that Shambaugh told him that a powerful person offered him $25,000 to kill Kowalczyk. He wanted Sabol to drive the getaway car, but he refused.

Telephone records indicated that Shambaugh called Hymen three hours after the killing and $9,000 was deposited into a West Virginia bank a few weeks later.

Shambaugh was arrested and booked into the Fairfax County Jail on capital murder charges.

However, he denied killing Kowalczyk and conspiring with Hymen.

In December 1994, a jury deliberated for 20 hours before finding Shambaugh guilty of conspiring to kill Kowalczyk.

Gun and capital murder charges were dropped following a mistrial.

Shambaugh was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Everyone Has A Motive airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.

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