Rule of thumb, it's usually best not to carry baggage from a previous relationship into a new one.
Not that Robert Shiver has any choice, even though he looks very happy with Savannah Chrisley, who posted photos on Nov. 4 of them kissing.
Before they met, however, Lindsay Shiver—Robert's estranged wife and the mother of his three children—had been accused in the Bahamas of plotting to have him killed. She has not yet entered a plea and is currently free on bail.
None of which came as a surprise to Savannah, who acknowledged sliding into Robert's DMs after reading about the case online.
"It's fine," she quipped to Nick Viall on the Sept. 14 episode of his The Viall Files podcast. But other than that sordid-sounding state of affairs, the 38-year-old insurance executive was a "normie," she described, "a normal person and I love it."
Not to mention, Savannah cracked, he was "too hot to die."
As for her take on what happened, the 26-year-old—whose parents Todd and Julie Chrisley are currently serving prison sentences for tax fraud—said that was for Robert to share and she had too much respect for him and his kids to say anything more.
So, in the meantime, here's what is known about the case against Lindsay Shiver:
Who is Robert Shiver?
Originally from Thomasville, Ga., Robert played football for Auburn University, the deep snapper starting as a walk-on before graduating in December 2008 with a degree in marketing.
"Mainly I am just trying to set an example of work ethic, both on and off the field," the 6-foot-3 athlete told 247Sports' Auburn Undercover ahead of his senior season, having earned a scholarship. "I know a lot of freshmen who come in kind of go college crazy with all of this big-time atmosphere with Auburn. You have to show them they are here for two main reasons—football and school."
Robert also found love in college with Lindsay after meeting the former beauty queen (Miss Houston County 2005) and fellow marketing major at a fitness class in 2007.
After graduation, Robert was signed by the Atlanta Falcons in 2009 as an undrafted free agent but was cut before the regular NFL season began. Today, according to his social media, he's an executive vice-president at Senior Life Insurance, based in Thomasville.
Robert and Lindsay married on March 6, 2010. He wished his wife a happy eighth anniversary on Facebook in 2018, calling her "an amazing woman, wife and mother." His family photos highlight their three tow-headed sons, the youngest of whom was born in 2019.
And before their life together imploded, Lindsay had an active social media presence as well.
"So thankful for that fitness class 13 years ago that brought us together and all of the love, laughter, and life we have created ever since!" she posted on Instagram in 2020. "I love you babe. Cheers to many more."
Lindsay's Instagram is now private, but her photos circulating online show normal-looking family scenarios: Mom putting candles on a shark-themed cake for their son's birthday, the whole family decked out in Auburn gear, the kids boogieboarding in the crystalline waters of a Bahamian beach, where the Shivers have a vacation home.
Robert's most recent Facebook post is from June 26: He had updated his cover photo to a view of a luxurious pool with the ocean in the background, palm trees silhouetted at sunset.
What happened to Robert and Lindsay Shiver's marriage?
According to Georgia Superior Court records reported on by AL.com, Robert filed for divorce from Lindsay on April 5, citing "adulterous conduct" on her part as the reason he was entitled to end their 13-year marriage. She filed her own divorce petition the next day, per court records, stating their union was "irretrievably broken with no hope whatsoever for a reconciliation" and alleging he'd been abusive.
"Wife feels unsafe in the marital home and has installed locks on the interior doors of the home for protection," her filing stated. "Husband has abused the Wife in the home in the children's presence on multiple occasions, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally."
In their respective petitions, each requested primary physical custody of the kids and sole use of their 7,000-square-foot house in Thomasville.
As reported on by the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, Robert also stated in his filing that he shouldn't have to pay Lindsay alimony because she was "able-bodied" and could earn her own living.
In her response, per the Times-Enterprise, Lindsay argued that as a stay-at-home mom since her children were born, her employment opportunities were limited. She also maintained in her filing that "any extramarital relationship" she had occurred when she and Robert were separated and therefore was "legally condoned by the husband."
E! News has reached out to a rep for Robert regarding the allegations in Lindsay's divorce filing and the case against her but has not received a response. Public records show the next court date pertaining to the divorce proceedings is scheduled for Nov. 16.
How did Lindsay Shiver end up accused of conspiring to kill husband Robert Shiver?
Lindsay, 36, was arrested July 21 in the Bahamas along with Terrance Bethel, 28, and Faron Newbold Jr., 29. Authorities allege that she was having an affair with Terrance and plotted to have Faron kill Robert.
Bahamian authorities said they learned of the alleged conspiracy in the course of looking through the phone and WhatsApp account of a man suspected of being involved in a burglary at a restaurant in Great Guana Cay (an islet at the center of the Abaco Islands), according to a police report reviewed by the Times-Enterprise.
The report stated, per the Times-Enterprise, that the suspects hatched their plan on July 16 on Abaco, and "with a common purpose" agreed to "commit an offense, namely the murder of Richard Shiver."
Lindsay sent Faron a photo of Robert on WhatsApp and wrote "kill him," and she admitted to detectives during questioning that she sent the message, according to a court document obtained by ABC News, after which she was arrested.
She has reportedly denied having an affair with Terrance. The trio were transported from Abaco to the capital city of Nassau, where they were jailed while awaiting a bail hearing.
On Aug. 1, Robert told the New York Post outside his home in Georgia that his kids didn't yet know the extent of what had happened.
"I'm going to try to tell them in the next day or so," he said. "They're young."
Robert also told the Post, "It'll all work out."
What has Lindsay Shiver said about the allegations she tried to have Robert Shiver killed?
After more than two weeks in Fox Hill Prison, Lindsay was freed Aug. 9 on $100,000 bail and ordered not to leave the Bahamas. A court clerk told Court TV that she has been told to avoid contact with Robert and her fellow defendants, but she is allowed to speak with her children.
Terrance and Faran were released from custody six days earlier after each posted a $20,000 bond, their lawyer told CNN. All three suspects were fitted with ankle monitors and were required to check in several times a week at a local police station.
None of them were required to enter a plea before posting bail.
E! News reached out to attorneys for Lindsay, as well as the Nassau-based lawyer representing Terrance and Faran, for comment but did not hear back.
Speaking to the NY Post on Aug. 11 outside the Nassau precinct where she was required to check in, Lindsay said, "It's been really tough."
Her alleged boyfriend Terrance, when asked about Lindsay's "kill him" WhatsApp message, told DailyMail.com after his release from custody, "Everybody says things out of frustration."
Police "have had both of my phones for three weeks," Terrance continued. "They've been through every single message—there's nothing there. None of us have anything to hide. People are taking everything at face value and defaming us."
He called Lindsay "a great mother" and said he had "too much respect for her and her children to want to hurt their father."
The three defendants appeared at an Oct. 5 court hearing, during which the case was adjourned until Dec. 1 to give prosecutors more time to present their case, according to DailyMail.com, prompting pushback from Lindsay's attorney Owen Wells.
"She is a foreign national and as a condition of her bail she cannot travel," the lawyer told the court magistrate, per the Mail. "She has three children that she would like to get back to as soon as possible. We ask that there is no delay."
Terrance and Faran's attorney Ian Cargill said in court, "We accept the seriousness of the offenses for which they are charged. We say on December 1 the Crown has no excuse as to why the VBI [Voluntary Bill of Indictment] is not ready. All of the parties involved would like to have a speedy end to this matter so they can get on with their lives."
Where does Robert Shiver stand with Savannah Chrisley?
"Sometimes… it just works," Savannah captioned her Nov. 4 PDA pics with Robert, punctuated with a heart.
Aside from finding him "so good-looking," as she said on The Viall Files, when asked her favorite aspect about Robert, she replied, "His heart, and the ability to listen and to understand and communicate."
It had already been a trying year for the reality TV star and Unlocked With Savannah host, who became guardian of her now-17-year-old brother Grayson and 11-year-old niece Chloe when her parents entered a federal lockup in January. Todd was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Julie seven after being found guilty last summer of 12 felony counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The Chrisley Knows Best stars had pleaded not guilty.
Then, barely a week after revealing her relationship with Robert, Savannah's ex-fiancée, Nic Kerdiles, was killed in a motorcycle crash.
"I don't know when the blows are gonna stop coming, but I'm going to try," she told E! News after her exit from Special Forces: World's Toughest Test aired Oct. 9. (She participated in the show during the summer.) Her plan was to "battle through" the tough times.
"It's not fun playing on the defensive, it's not fun being hard-hearted," she continued. "I've taken a lot of hurt, I've been scarred and I've allowed that to turn into anger. Now, I'm going to take that and try to turn it into something productive and live a life that is full and happy and where I can actually breathe."
Pressing forward with her new romance with Robert, she posted more photos with him to Instagram Stories Nov. 5, writing, "You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live a life that lights you up. Don't ever forget that."