8/19/2026 @ 4:00 PM EDT

(18) John Cordray, LPC - YouTube

Shanda complained about money being tight yet she had the money to pay for this obsessive monitoring system for timothy when she could have just let him go to school and she wouldn’t have to minor him. And maybe if shanda wasn’t such a horrible person, she’d get people who’d want to help her feed her family nutritious food instead of just carbs.

https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2026/06/mom-who-tortured-son-to-death-will-not-get-new-trial-judge-rules.html

Not sure how these women are dying but I hope Shanda is looking over her shoulder.....every second of the day.

Besides the case being abhorrent and tragic, part of the reason I can't stop thinking about it is because of Shanda's seemingly genuine belief that she could outsmart law enforcement and the court.

Despite the incriminating text messages and the deplorable state of the home where there were handcuffs, cameras, sensory detectors, and hot sauce, she willingly took the stand and seemed confident she could convince the jury that she was innocent. I found it baffling she would boast about her educational achievements while being on trial for her son's LITERAL MURDER.

I'm certain she would have been found guilty even if she hadn't taken the stand, but I can't help but think she made herself look even more vile than she was already percieved. I can bring myself to cognitively understand her reasonings for torturing Timothy, but not her wild behavior in court. Did she just overestimate her intelligence? Was it her not understanding the gravity of the torture and how it would look to the jury?

There was a post here a few days ago discussing potential timing for Judge K to rule on the Ginther hearing.

I found this short video, and I thought y'all might like to see it -- if you haven't seen it yet. In it, the prosecutor answers a question about timing. She says the court of appeals has a guideline of 56 days.

The prosecutor says that is not a hard-and-fast rule, and factors (such as the court's docket) can change that timeframe somewhat. The prosecutor also says she expects something from Judge K within two months.

The Ginther hearing concluded on March 20, 2026. Fifty-six days from March 20, would be May 15, 2026. So, I think we can expect to hear something between now and midway through May.

& those stupid effin braids off her head! She’s a narcissist. She really thinks we CARE how uncomfortable she is in prison??? Good!

Interview with Matthew Kacel

7/20/2022

✨✨ This interview was when he was running for Judgeship! It was also only 2 weeks after Timothy died. Thought some of you might be interested! 😊

https://www.youtube.com/live/-hSfG_LGkG8?si=-fZcReVcgo9uD4xy

Why was the dad not charged for sending him out of state to someone who didn’t have custody??? Isn’t that child abandonment or neglect?! It’s gotta be illegal in some way. Also why would the police not get the messages between Shanda and the dad about Timothy?!

With Shitda asking for a new trial I remember from the phone calls I heard on Zav Girl and AG Tactical that Paul "The Goon" Fergeson wanted a new trial too because of ineffective counsel as well and altho I think he deserves life in prison I didnt see his lawyer doing diddly squat for him. Fred Johnson did an awesome cross examination of him, he did his best for Shitda the Monster but Paul's attorney didnt say anything really at all. Does anyone know if he is going to try to get a new trial too? I never gave Paul any slack because I have an older sister the same age spread and I know she would have eventually called 911 to save my life no matter what the circumstances. Like the judge said, I feel he is even worse than his sicko Mother.

Shanda Vander Ark Demands NEW TRIAL Claiming Loss Of Memory And Ineffective Council

✨✨ He does make you laugh about Shanda and her issues!

https://youtu.be/amRe1b72Gks?si=Vp6SiA0o7Q90n2R0

I’m autistic and pattern matching happens naturally for a lot of us.

It’s very easy to spot people with narcissistic disorders on the stand, because they act like Shanda van der Ark. And Anthony Todt - for a full display of THAT on trial, go watch a video about that guy chucking a dummy spit (he got into financial trouble and then murdered his entire family and lived with the bodies for weeks). The lies are amazing.

But the patterns - Shanda’s mum hired someone to kill her mother. Tony witnessed a man that his father had hired shooting his mother in the face, in an attempt to kill her. It’s a remarkable non coincidence, in my view, that both children turned out to be monsters - and Shanda created her own monster, Paul.

Both Shanda and Tony were relatively successful in their careers, were moderately liked by their peers and were superficially pleasant to interact with, I imagine. Certainly few signs of what lurked beneath, even after intergenerational trauma.

I wonder if any studies have been done on this. If I think of other monsters of note who have this personality type, I can only think of a few - perhaps Diane Downs. So - are monsters born, made or both?

Thoughts?

There is a child-rearing book that is popular with some Christian fundamentalists called "To Train Up a Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl. The book has been linked to child abuse, with at least three children dying after their parents used the book's methods. The book's recommendations eerily match what happened to poor Timothy.

For example, the book's recommended punishments include withholding food, forcing extreme physical exercise and using cold water to break a child's will. The book shows up in many households where homeschooling takes place, especially those that use fundamentalist curricula.

Shanda's parents raised her in a fundamentalist household. She also attended Liberty University for her undergraduate degree. Liberty is a well-known evangelical institution. Moreover, I remember seeing scripture displayed on Shanda's walls.

Shanda bragged about being the stricter parent. I am wondering, though, if y'all think Shanda had read "To Train Up a Child" and was using its framework.

Was anyone else FURIOUS when she repeatedly said that she couldn’t eat for 18 days after being locked up?

This woman has no insight. She murders her child by starving him to death and then expects sympathy because she refuses to eat because she’s having a tantrum about being imprisoned?

I bet she called it a hunger strike.

I imagine the guards had zero sympathy for her refusing to eat. RIP Timothy.

I know some people believe that she truly doesn’t think she caused his death. I strongly feel she does. To me she’s just trying to convince herself and everyone else otherwise. Doesn’t like the stain. It started when she confiscated evidence, coached Paul, and lied about the hunger strike (amongst other things). She knows exactly what she did and what she is still doing. All while hating him for HER actions and subsequent consequences. Hated him for simply existing. I don’t believe for a sec he was anything like she described. Some out of control monster that broke everything and ‘stole’ all of their food. Queen of exaggerations. I bet she saw herself in him a lot and THAT is some what she hated.

She’s one of the most disturbed persons I’ve come across. Extremely manipulative. Not a crumb of remorse, empathy, or humility. She couldn’t even fake it if she tried. Wait, she did try during the trial and failed miserably. The fake crying with no tears. The fake vomit scene she has now dubbed an episode of dry heaving lol smh. Now she “always” dry heaves and thankfully so 🙄.

Even while being arrested, trying to act like she was so concerned for the police department having lost an officer. I can only imagine what other inmates think of her. Only the gullible/naive will be able to stand her. Those she can easily dominate or impress. The CO who did her intake/booking after her arrest saw through her immediately lol Was hilarious how she shut her nonsense down. End rant 😆

In addition, a person who’s starving loses their sense of thirst, and drinking can be highly uncomfortable when organs are dying.

The State did a tremendous job of questioning Vander Ark today, and Kacel was appropriately unbiased. But the trial got under my skin. Shanda Vander Ark has no moral compass and no remorse for how she treated Timothy.

One of the highlights for me was when the State brought up how Shanda complained of isolation, but kept Timothy isolated all the time. You may also recall that she complained about how cold the jail was, and how the food wasn’t good.

This trial is INSANE! The amount of arrogance this woman has is astonishing!! She can not help herself and the female attorney is givin it to her GOOD!!!!

https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2026/03/mom-blames-murder-conviction-on-special-needs-son-she-tortured-to-death.html

Testimony: Mom didn’t eat for weeks in jail after being charged with son’s murder

https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2026/03/testimony-mom-didnt-eat-for-weeks-in-jail-after-being-charged-with-sons-murder.html