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In 2018, a wealthy jeweler from Austin, Ted Shaughnessy, was shot to death in a hire-to-kill murder plot arranged by his son and his daughter-in-law. Two intruders stormed into their southwestern Travis County home in the early hours of March 2 and tried to kill the Shaughnessy couple in return for a handsome payment.
While Ted Shaughnessy was shot dead as he tried to confront Johnny Leon and Arieon Smith in their hallway with his handgun, his wife, Corey Shaughnessy, exchanged fire with them and ran out of bullets. Corey hid in the closet and dialed 911. Detectives discovered no sign of forced entry and soon linked the murder plot to the couple's son, Nicolas Shaughnessy, and daughter-in-law, Jaclyn Edison.
The Dateline NBC episode Ghosts Can’t Talk chronicles the murder of Ted Shaughnessy as it airs on January 12, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST. The synopsis reads,
"A quiet night in Texas turns deadly when gunfire erupts at the home of local business owners."
What happened to Corey and Ted Shaughnessy? Details explored
Ted Shaughnessy was an American Gem Society Registered Jeweler who was married to Corey Shaughnessy, a Certified Gemologist Appraiser with Gallerie Jewelers, which the two established in Central Austin in 1995. The Texas-based couple had a son named Nicolas Shaughnessy, who was married to Jaclyn Edison.
On March 2, 2018, Corey and Ted were asleep in their bedroom when strangers awoke them inside their house around 4 a.m. Ted grabbed his handgun and walked down the hallway when he was met with gunfire. Meanwhile, Corey Shaughnessy grabbed her .357 magnum handgun and shot back at the unknown intruder till she ran out of bullets, as per Oxygen.
At 4:46 a.m., the local police responded to a 911 call made by Corey as she hid inside a closet. The deputies reported to their home to find their family dog dead. The 55-year-old Ted Shaughnessy suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was found lying in the kitchen in a pool of blood and pronounced dead at 5:14 a.m., as per Austin American-Statesman.
Who was arrested for the 2018 murder of Ted Shaughnessy?
As the investigation into Ted Shaughnessy's murder began, officials from the Travis County Sheriff's Office realized that the Austin home was the target of murders and not a burglary. There were no signs of forced entry, but a door was left ajar in Nicolas Shaughnessy’s room.
The investigators dug around to find Ted and Corey's son, Nicolas Shaughnessy, and his wife, struggling with debt from Corey and a neighbor. Nicolas stood to gain $2 million in insurance money from his parents, as he was the sole beneficiary. A tip to the police revealed that Nick Shaughnessy was allegedly on the lookout for a hitman in Capital Station, Texas, to have his parents executed.
He had promised $10,000 to 22-year-old Johnny Leon, who, in turn, promised $5,000 for each murder to 21-year-old Arieon Smith. Smith tried calling Nicolas several times on March 2 and eventually proceeded with the plan.
With phone and internet records pointing to the Shaughnessy murder plot, the Travis County Sheriff's Office arrested 19-year-old Nicolas and his wife, Jaclyn Alexa Edison, along with Johnny Leon and Arieon Smith, on charges of capital murder.
Nicolas Shaughnessy, Johnny Leon, and Arieon Smith were sentenced to 35 years in prison, while Jaclyn was put on 10 years of probation.
