If you’ve spent any time falling down the true crime rabbit hole, you’ve seen the video. It’s the one of a young woman in a police interrogation room, twirling, singing "Amazing Grace," and casually chatting about giving her boyfriend the "nose job he always wanted" with a bullet. That woman is Shayna Hubers. Since that chilling footage went viral, the biggest question trailing her case hasn't been if she did it—she never denied pulling the trigger—but rather when she might actually walk out of prison.
Honestly, the math on the Shayna Hubers release date is a lot messier than people realize. You see "life sentence" in the headlines and assume she's never coming home. But in the state of Kentucky, "life" doesn't always mean life.
It’s complicated.
The Current Timeline for Shayna Hubers' Release
Let’s get the hard numbers out of the way first. As of right now, Shayna Hubers is serving a life sentence at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women (KCIW) in Pewee Valley. But because her sentence includes the "possibility of parole," she has a very specific date on her calendar.
According to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, her parole eligibility date is September 16, 2032.
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Wait. 2032?
If you're doing the math in your head and thinking that seems soon for a murder conviction, you’re not wrong. Hubers shot Ryan Poston six times in his Highland Heights condo back in October 2012. By the time 2032 rolls around, she will have been behind bars for roughly 20 years. In Kentucky, for a murder charge that doesn't involve aggravating circumstances leading to "Life Without Parole," the baseline for parole eligibility is often 20 years.
She gets credit for time served. That's the kicker. Since she’s been in custody essentially since the night of the shooting in 2012, those years count toward her "20-year" wait.
Why there are two different sentences in the records
If you’ve been Googling this case, you might have seen a 40-year sentence mentioned. That’s because she was actually tried twice.
- Trial One (2015): The jury found her guilty and recommended 40 years.
- The Twist: That conviction was tossed because it turned out one of the jurors was a convicted felon, which is a big no-no in Kentucky law.
- Trial Two (2018): This backfired on her. Big time. The second jury was even less sympathetic and recommended life in prison.
Basically, by fighting the first sentence, she ended up with a much "heavier" one on paper, even if her parole eligibility date stayed roughly the same.
What "Parole Eligibility" Actually Means
There is a massive misconception that "eligibility date" equals "release date." It doesn't. Not even close.
When September 2032 hits, Shayna Hubers doesn't just get handed her bags and a bus ticket. She has to stand before the Kentucky Parole Board. These are the people who decide if she’s actually fit to rejoin society. They look at everything: her behavior in prison, the impact on the victim's family, and that infamous interrogation video that showed what many perceived as a total lack of remorse.
The Poston family has been incredibly vocal. They’ve attended every hearing. They will almost certainly be there in 2032 to argue against her release.
Is she a model inmate? We don't have every detail of her disciplinary record, but we do know she’s stayed busy. She famously made headlines for a brief prison marriage (and subsequent divorce) to a transgender inmate named Richard McBee (also known as Unique Taylor). These kinds of "extracurricular" activities don't always sit well with parole boards looking for signs of quiet rehabilitation.
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The Factors That Could Change Everything
Prison is unpredictable.
While 2032 is the date she’s eligible, her actual Shayna Hubers release date could be decades after that. If the board denies her at the first hearing, they can "defer" her for another 5, 10, or even 15 years. In some cases, they can issue a "serve-out," meaning she stays for the rest of her natural life.
Then there’s the legal side. Hubers has tried to appeal her second conviction multiple times. In 2020, the Kentucky Supreme Court dealt her a major blow by unanimously affirming her life sentence. They weren't swayed by arguments about "extreme emotional disturbance" or the way evidence was handled.
At this point, her legal options are running thin.
The "Self-Defense" vs. "Execution" Debate
To understand why her release is such a hot-button issue, you have to look at the "why." Hubers claimed she was a victim of domestic violence. She told police Ryan was "mean" to her and that she feared for her life.
The prosecution painted a different picture.
They showed the 75 texts she sent him in an hour. They brought up the fact that Ryan was supposed to have a date with Miss Ohio USA (Audrey Bolte) the very night he was killed. The "nose job" comment? That was the final nail in the coffin for her public image. Shooting someone "just to stop them from twitching" or to "put them out of their misery" after you've already shot them several times rarely looks like self-defense to a jury.
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What to Expect Next
If you are tracking this case, don't expect much news for the next few years. Hubers is currently 34 years old (as of early 2026). By the time she sees the parole board, she’ll be 41.
The Kentucky Department of Corrections (KDOC) updates inmate profiles regularly. If she gets in trouble inside—fights, contraband, etc.—that 2032 date doesn't necessarily move, but her chances of walking out on that date plummet to zero.
For now, she remains at KCIW. The facility is a medium/minimum security prison, and it’s where she’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
Actionable Takeaways for Following the Case:
- Check the KOOL System: The Kentucky Offender Online Lookup (KOOL) is the only place for "official" updates. Don't trust random TikTok rumors about her getting out early.
- Understand the "85% Rule": In many Kentucky violent crime cases, inmates must serve 85% of their time. However, with a "Life" sentence, the 20-year parole eligibility rule usually takes precedence over the percentage math used for fixed-year sentences (like 40 years).
- Watch the Parole Board Minutes: When 2032 approaches, the parole board's schedule is public. That will be the first real indication of whether she has a shot at freedom.
The reality? Shayna Hubers has a long road ahead. Whether she's a "cold-blooded killer" or a "victim of a toxic relationship" is a debate that will continue to rage on social media, but for the law, the only thing that matters is how she spends the next six years leading up to that first hearing.
Keep an eye on the official Kentucky DOC portal for any shifts in her status or location, as inmate transfers can sometimes signal changes in security classification or behavior.