What happened to Cari Farver's killer, Liz Golyar? The twist-filled case is the focus of Netflix's 'Lover, Stalker, Killer' (2024)

• Netflix's "Lover, Stalker, Killer" looks at the murder of Cari Farver.
• Farver and her killer, Liz Golyar, were both casually dating mechanic Dave Kroupa in the same year.
• Here's what happened to Liz Golyar.

A strange love triangle that ended in murder is the focus of Netflix's latest true-crime documentary "Lover, Stalker, Killer."

In 2012, 34-year-old mechanic Dave Kroupa was recently single after separating from his long-term partner. After joining a dating site, he started casually seeing 42-year-old housekeeper Shanna "Liz" Golyar, and they both agreed to be non-exclusive.

However, the situation turned deadly when Golyar learned that Kroupa was seeing another woman, 37-year-old computer programmer Cari Farver.

Kroupa and Farver were only seeing each other over a two-week period in November 2012, but Farver stayed at Kroupa's apartment for a few days because it was close to her work.

On November 13, 2012, Farver briefly ran into Golyar, who had turned up unannounced to collect some of her things from Kroupa's place. But after leaving the apartment building that day, Farver was never seen again.

For the next three years, Golyar impersonated Farver by sending Kroupa thousands of emails and texts, threatening him and intimidating him. She also sent herself similar messages, pretending to be Farver.

Golyar also vandalized cars belonging to herself and Kroupa and burned down her own home — which killed her dogs, cat, and pet snake — and blamed it on Farver to further the lie that Farver was threatening her.

While the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office initially investigated the claims that Farver was stalking Kroupa and Golyar, they weren't able to find proof that Farver was still alive.

It wasn't until 2015, when they came to believe Farver was actually dead, that detectives started to look at Golyar as a person of interest in the case. They ultimately figured out the truth after finding data that proved she was the one sending Kroupa and herself the abusive messages.

In 2017, the authorities discovered an old SD card belonging to Golyar, which Kroupa had kept in storage, and found deleted photos that appeared to show Farver's dead body.

After also uncovering a blood-stained seat in Farver's Ford Explorer, the police deduced that Golyar stabbed her to death on or around November 13, 2012.

Though they didn't initially have enough evidence to arrest her, Golyar unwittingly helped make the case against herself when she was shot in the leg in December 2015 and blamed Kroupa's ex Amy Flora, whom she insisted was threatening her and responsible for Farver's disappearance. Authorities came to believe that Golyar had shot herself in an attempt to frame Flora.

Golyar was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2017 and is serving a life sentence

A year after they started investigating Golyar, authorities arrested her on a first-degree murder charge on December 22, 2016.

Following a trial in Nebraska, Golyar, who pled not guilty to the charges, was convicted of killing Farver and was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Timothy Burns with no chance of parole in August 2017.

"Cari Farver did not voluntarily disappear and drop off the face of the earth. Very sadly, she was murdered," Burns said in his ruling.

Golyar was also found guilty of second-degree arson for burning down her own home and given a sentence of 18 to 20 years, to be served consecutively.

"To us as detectives, it's a win because we have somebody behind bars, but at the same time, we're also telling a mother that her daughter has been killed," lead investigator Jim Doty told People. "It's a very sad outcome for [Cari's mother]. I'm sure there was a part of her that still had hope that maybe Cari would come back someday. It wasn't a joyous occasion by any means."

Golyar is still serving her sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women after unsuccessfully appealing her conviction in 2018. According to ABC News, she still maintains her innocence and believes that Farver's real killer remains at large. Farver's body has never been found.

In 2020, Kroupa told ABC that although he’s glad Golyar was caught, he also still feels emotional for Farver’s family.

"I want Liz to go away and never do this to anybody again. Nancy and Cari's son were foremost … in my mind … They're, unfortunately, the ones that have to live with the repercussions,” Kroupa said.