Sherri Papini, the infamous kidnap-hoaxer featured in the Hulu doc Perfect Wife, has a new boyfriend, reportedly. And Papini picked the wrong guy if she hoped the relationship might help her retreat from the true crime spotlight, according to Reddit.
In 2016, Papini, a young married mother of two, disappeared while jogging near her home in Redding, California. With his wife missing, Keith Papini, Shari’s ex-husband and the father of her two children, did what any husband would do, and raised the alarm. The story caught on nationwide, but Papini showed up a few weeks later. She claimed that “two Hispanic women” kidnapped her, tortured her, and then released her.
Fast forward to 2022, when investigators reveal that Papini made the whole thing up: There was never any kidnapping. Sherri was in Southern California the entire time with her ex-boyfriend, whom she encouraged to injure her as part of the ruse. Otherwise, some of Papini’s injuries were self-inflicted. Papini served 18 months in prison for lying to Federal Agents and Defrauding the California Victim Compensation Board, followed by 36 months of supervised housing.
Who is Shawn Hibdon?
In June 2024 the Daily Mail published photos of Sherri Papini and her new boyfriend, Shawn Hibdon, embracing and kissing in a parking lot near Orland, California. Sources told the Mail the couple met before Papini went to prison. Hibdon, a widower and father of two who owns Hibdon Auto Center in Orland, about 60 miles south of Redding, had been seen picking Papini up from her halfway house in Oakland, California. Hibdon has also reportedly purchased Papini a $755 thousand property in the mountains east of Redding. But as it turns out, Shawn Hibdon carries another true crime controversy into the relationship.
What happened to Brittany Hibdon?
In September 2021, Shawn Hibdon’s late wife, Brittany Hibdon, died suddenly, just four days after telling Shawn she wanted a divorce, according to JusticeforBrittany.org, a website claiming Brittany’s death was not adequately investigated. The preliminary autopsy showed Brittany, who was 37 when she died, had COVID, but the timing of her death has online sleuths talking. Brittany had no full autopsy. Meanwhile, Justice for Brittany says Sherri and Shawn were set up by a therapist seeing Sherri and the Hibdons as a marriage counselor before Brittany’s death.
Some are also now questioning where the money Shawn raised through GoFundMe went. And whether Brittany’s life insurance policy payout may have possibly paid for Sherri and Shawn’s new home east of Redding. It’s not clear when Sherri and Shawn started dating. So far, Shawn has not been accused of any crime, and allegations of foul play relating to Brittany’s death are unconfirmed.
