It's not just grief that family members are contending with following the slaying of 25-year-old Heather Strube.
The family lives in fear since Strube was gunned down in front of her toddler on the afternoon of April 26, according to Strube's mother, Mary Allen.
"We all feel in danger," Allen said Wednesday.
Allen says she knows the mysterious assailant who killed Strube is still on the loose, and she fears being the next target. Police said a suspect wearing a wig and mustache approached the young mother in the parking lot of a busy shopping center in Snellville. The pair argued momentarily and then the suspect shot Strube once in the head.
The shooting occurred moments after Strube exchanged custody of her 20-month-old son with her estranged husband, Steven Strube. The shopping center was a routine drop-off spot for the couple, Allen said.
Her daughter chose the spot, Allen said, because it was a public place monitored by security cameras. Strube was concerned for her safety because of the contentious divorce she was going through, her mother said.
"There is a lot of us that feel guilt for not being with her that day, because many times at the drop-off and the pickup somebody went with her," Allen said.
Snellville Police said Wednesday that they do not believe Steven Strube was the shooter. They said he drove off before the suspect walked up. Police said surveillance video from the scene indicates the shooter may be a woman. Investigators haven't ruled out the possibility that Steven Strube was involved, but "we're leaning towards that he's not involved," Capt. Harold Thomas said.
Chief Roy Whitehead said the couple's marriage was on the rocks in part because of Steven Strube's infidelity. He is still dating the woman he had an affair with during the marriage, according to Whitehead.
Heather and Steven Strube separated in June 2008.
Since then, Heather Strube had been working as a wedding coordinator at her parents' florist shop in Conyers while pursuing her associate's degree in business at Georgia Perimeter College. A close friend, Shahin Gooneh, 24, of Atlanta, said Heather Strube began dating another man in recent months.
She was moving on with her life after the painful dissolution of her five-year marriage, her mother said.
In divorce papers, Heather Strube accused her husband of adultery, as well as physical and emotional abuse. Steven Strube denied those allegations in a response filed with the court in Newton County.
Steven Strube could not be reached at his home or place of business on Wednesday.
Allen said the couple reached a divorce settlement about two months ago. They were still waiting for a judge to finalize it.
Gooneh, who knew Strube since grade school, said she had no enemies. She was good-hearted — the type of person who once found a $20 bill on the street and turned it in to police, he said.
Her primary concern in life was for her son, Carson. A fund has been established to help support the child. Checks should be made out to the Heather Strube Memorial Fund and sent to Fidelity Bank, 1945 Ga. 138, Conyers, GA 30013.
Heather Strube's parents have temporary custody of Carson. A Rockdale County judge issued a temporary protective order April 30 barring his father from contacting the boy or his grandparents while he is in their care.
A hearing is scheduled for July 9 to decide whether the order should stay in place.
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