Mother-in-law charged with murder

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The mother-in-law of a woman killed in front of a Snellville Target store was being held without bond Thursday at the Gwinnett County jail on murder charges.

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This was an artist's sketch of the suspect in the slaying of Heather Strube on April 26, 2009, outside a Target in Snellville.

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Gwinnett County Detention Cente Joanna Hayes is charged with murdering her daughter-in-law, Heather Strube, in a parking lot near a Target in April.

Heather Strube was shot dead April 26 after picking up her son from her estranged husband in a custody swap.

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Joanna Hayes has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to Roy Whitehead, Snellville police chief.  She is accused of shooting and killing her daughter-in-law, Heather Strube, on April 26  in the Scenic Highway store's parking lot.

Strube, 25, had just picked up her 18-month-old son from her estranged husband, Steven Strube, when she was shot by someone police say was wearing a wig and fake mustache. Police believe Hayes was the one wearing the disguise.

Steven Strube was ruled out as a suspect, police said in May, because he drove away before the shooting occurred. The child was not harmed.

"We have evaluated anyone who could possibly be a suspect, and all others have been eliminated," Whitehead said.

Surveillance video from the store indicated the attacker could have been a woman. A white pick-up truck witnesses reported at the scene of the crime is similar to one driven by Hayes, police said earlier.

Following the indictment Wednesday, Hayes was arrested in Meriwether County, where she had been staying with friends, Whitehead said. The GBI assisted Snellville police and the Meriwether County Sheriff's Department with the arrest.

Hayes was transferred to the Gwinnett County jail later Wednesday evening.