‘It is pretty typical’: Ex-prosecutor discusses claims of LCSO paying witness in Sievers case

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Mark Sievers and the late Dr. Teresa Sievers

A court hearing on Tuesday revealed the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is giving a monthly check to a key witness in the Teresa Sievers murder case.

Teresa Sievers was found dead in June 2015 inside her Bonita Springs home. Her husband, Mark Sievers, is accused of hiring Curtis Wayne Wright, a childhood friend, and Jimmy Rodgers to kill his wife.

Tuesday in court, Michael Mummert, Mark Siever’s defense attorney, asked for documents that prove the sheriff’s office has paid Taylor Shomaker $8,000.

Shomaker was a key witness in the case after she turned in Jimmy Rodgers, who was her boyfriend at the time, and Curtis Wayne Wright when she felt they were acting strange.

But former prosecutor Nicole Waid said it’s not uncommon for law enforcement to pay a witness.

“One could be for security reasons. Often times, law enforcement needs to move the witness, they have to house them for safety concerns,” Waid said. “And then there are other circumstances where law enforcement uses a confidential informant, and they pay that confidential informant for information about the case.”

Waid also explained the money could later be used against Shomaker in trial.

“The cross examination is going to consist of, ‘Well you’re just providing this information because the police paid you,'” she said. “It’s always an avenue they’re going to try to discredit a witness with.”

The sheriff’s office will not comment on the matter as the investigation is still active.

For previous stories on the death of Teresa Sievers, click here.

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