"Jackie and I didn't know that it was gonna happen that night"- Nicolas Shaughnessy's role in the 2018 murder of his jeweler dad explored

Nicolas Shaughnessy, the mastermind behind the murder-for-hire plot against his Austin-based parents, is scheduled to spend 35 years in prison for charges of capital murder. The murder plot ended with Ted Shaughnessy, the owner of Gallerie Jewelers, losing his life to multiple gunshot wounds while Nicolas's mother, Corey Shaughnessy, escaped the gunfire narrowly.

While Nicolas's neighbors considered him a "weird guy" and were not surprised by the turn of events, Nicolas appeared in an exclusive interview with Fox 7 Austin to explain how one thing led to another without him having complete control of the situation. He explains,

"Jackie and I didn't know that it was gonna happen that night. Like after we did Johnny the funds, there was no like time frame, you know, there was no, it's going to happen the next day, it's going to happen two days from now. and so that when I got that call from my neighbor, the first call, that's what woke me up on the morning of and immediately, immediately just, I knew something had happened."

Nicolas Shaughnessy talks about his regret for his actions and wishes to repair his relationship with his mother, Corey. The Dateline NBC episode Ghosts Can’t Talk features exclusive footage around the 2018 murder of Ted Shaughnessy.

The episode aired on January 12, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST and is available for streaming on Peacock and NBC.

---

"Jackie and I had gone to Austin, originally to attempt ourselves" - Nicolas Shaughnessy talks about his original plan

Nicolas Shaughnessy sat down with the Fox 7 Austin CrimeWatch reporter Meredith Aldis to share his thoughts on the murder-for-hire plot behind the 2018 murder of Ted Shaughnessy. He takes accountability for his actions but also calls out his ex-wife, Jaclyn Alexa Edison, for escaping heavier charges.

Nicolas and Jaclyn had hired two men, Johnny Roman Leon III and Arieon ONeal Smith, and promised them $10,000 each for the murders of Ted and Corey Shaughnessy. Nicolas Shaughnessy shares that the original plan was to commit the murders themselves. He says,

"Jackie and I had gone to Austin, originally to attempt ourselves, but ultimately it couldn't, like I was too cowardly, you know, I'm not that, I couldn't do that myself and so it was, the later trips were used to identify just a routine, you know, a pattern of what was going on when we weren't in Austin."

Nicolas and Jaclyn were in debt as they owed Corey $30,000 that she had lent to fund Nicolas's day-trading business. They also owed a neighbor in Capital Station $2,600. The week leading up to Ted's murder, Nicolas had had an argument with his mother about the money and also had his personalized bracelet, a gift from his grandparents, sold off for $530.

However, when he was asked if the crime was driven by financial gain, considering Nicolas Shaughnessy bragged about inheriting $8 million from his parents upon their death, he added that he aspired to have the Shaughnessy's social status. He shared,

"I don't, that, that's one thing I don't want to get hung up on, you know, is the financial aspect was a part of it, but it was never a necessity. You know, there were always, that wasn't something that had to happen like that. The store, the business, the, the status."

Nicolas assured that there had never been a serious tone to his plans for the murder and blamed his cowardice for not being able to call off the plan after having paid the hitman, Johnny Leon, the first $1,000. He mentioned receiving a call on the morning of March 2, 2018, when he used his phone to look into the cameras at his parents' Austin home.

Nicolas shared his goals after his arrest in 2018, saying,

"Long term, I want to repair a relationship with my mother. Short term, find anything that will produce income legally."

Nicolas Shaughnessy has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the capital murder of Ted Shaughnessy.