True Crime with Kendall Rae
True Crime with Kendall Rae

Steamy Texts, A Shotgun, & 2 Mistrials: Who Killed Lisa Techel?

October 1, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On May 26, 2012, a shotgun blast ended the life of Lisa Techel, a 23-year-old pregnant woman, and her unborn daughter Zoe in the remote town of Agency, Iowa. The murder was the first in the area in over 15 years, and the initial suspect was a mentally ill neighbor named Brian Tate, who had been feuding with Lisa and her husband Seth over bizarre acts of vandalism. But the investigation soon turned toward Seth himself, leading to a tangled saga of secret sexting, a discarded weapon, and three separate trials before justice was finally served.

A Tight-Knit Family and a Growing Feud

Lisa Marie Caldwell was born in 1989 in Ottumwa, Iowa, named after Elvis Presley's daughter. She was described as the life of the party, a gifted state-champion-level bowler, and someone who threw herself into everything she did—including her family. After her parents split, she became a second mother to her younger twin half-siblings and bonded with her stepmother Amy over episodes of The Golden Girls. She pursued a degree in criminal justice, worked as a jailer and reserve deputy, and was following in the footsteps of her father, Todd, a sheriff's deputy.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:01) **Episode Open & Case Introduction** - Kendall Rae introduces the murder of a pregnant woman, Lisa Techel, and explains why this case made her particularly angry.
  • 2 (04:41) **Who Was Lisa Techel?** - A detailed portrait of Lisa’s life, her close-knit family, and her relationship with husband Seth.
  • 3 (11:10) **The Morning of the Murder** - Seth’s account of the shooting and the immediate aftermath at the remote Agency, Iowa trailer.
  • 4 (16:54) **The Neighbor: Brian Tate** - The bizarre feud between Seth/Lisa and their disabled veteran neighbor with paranoid schizophrenia.
  • 5 (21:43) **Brian’s Alibi & Suspicion on Seth** - Investigators clear Brian and begin focusing on Seth as the prime suspect.
  • 6 (32:19) **The Second Phone & The Affair** - A friend reveals Seth’s secret track phone used to sext a coworker, unraveling his story.
  • 7 (36:44) **The Missing Shotgun** - The murder weapon is found dumped near the trailer, and Seth forgot to list it.

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Show Notes

On May 26th, 2012, 23-year-old Lisa Techel was found shot to death in her bed at her home in rural Iowa. Lisa was 17 weeks pregnant with her first child, and suspicion immediately fell on a neighbour who had been involved in an ongoing dispute with her and her husband. But as investigators dug deeper, they uncovered secret relationships, intimate text messages and a missing shotgun. What followed was a complicated case that would take three trials and two hung juries before Lisa and her family finally got answers.

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