'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAICAQUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABQYREiEIFAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAURAAECBwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEMjNxcrH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AIj6P1qts3Xqem1TekvCShf/AEPOOqymNwxTqFYdCOEHoKnMHt7zFq1PPJQiLyyu7Hk+ljycYx8Glckufus0bw//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The deaths of multiple men in Catherine Shelton's life have been the subject of persistent investigations, although she has never been accused of killing anyone. For decades, allegations and media stories have followed the disgraced defense lawyer, who has been referred to as a killer on multiple occasions.
It started with the murder of an ex-boyfriend named George Tedesco in 1979. On the day he was scheduled to appear in court for a dispute with Shelton, he was discovered viciously bludgeoned to death in his garage The deaths continued for years, each more confusing than the other, until the 2017 death of an elderly Sam Shelton.
An upcoming episode of 48 Hours on CBS is scheduled to chronicle and examine the intriguing case of Catherine Shelton. The episode, titled Chasing Catherine Shelton, will air on the channel in two parts at 9 and 10 pm ET, respectively, on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
The synopsis states:
"A journalist finds herself in a game of cat and mouse with a skilled former attorney dogged by mayhem and suspicions of murder. Why do bad things happen to the men in Catherine Shelton’s life? Follow '48 Hours' contributor Jenna Jackson's quest for answers."
A timeline of the strange occurrences in Catherine Shelton's life, starting from 1979 to 2017
One of the first victims to have died in defense attorney Catherine Shelton's life was Houston anesthesiologist George Tedesco. He was found bludgeoned to death in his garage in January 1979. His family even filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Catherine, but no further action was taken.
That same year, she started dating a Houston reporter named Gary Taylor. Their relationship soon became strained and he claimed that Shelton would sleep with a gun next to her bedside. It only got worse when she found out that Gary was secretly planning to work with the DA, who were still investigating Tedesco's case.
At the beginning of 1980, things became violent after an encounter between the two when Taylor alleged that Shelton shot him in the back. She was immediately arrested but claimed that she attacked him in self-defense. In April 1980, Catherine was sent to trial in the shooting case that ended with a hung jury.
In a subsequent trial, Shelton received a ten-year sentence after being proven guilty but her conviction was reversed on appeal. Shelton later accepted probation after pleading guilty to aggravated assault rather than facing another trial. She was briefly prohibited from working as a lawyer. She would later persuade a judge to overturn her conviction.
In May 1980, Tommy Bell was found shot in his home. Bell was Catherine Shelton's former client and was also named in Taylor's wrongful death lawsuit. Not much information is known about his death.
Catherine later relocated to Dallas after marrying Clint Shelton in 1981 and reclaiming her legal license in 1988. However, in 1999, one of her clients, Chris Hansen, was discovered naked and hanging in the Shelton home he was working on.
In December 1999, a former employee named Marisa Hierro and her husband Michael Hierro were shot in their driveway by two masked figures. While Marisa survived the grave injuries she incurred during the gunfire, her husband was shot dead. She alleged noticed a blonde and petite woman, who was ordering the two men on how to carry out the shooting.
Clint Shelton, Catherine's husband, was arrested in February 2000 after DNA found at the crime scene connected him to the Hierro shootings. He was charged with murder and aggravated assault, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison. In 2001, Marisa Hierro filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the couple, but no trial was scheduled.
In a countersuit, Catherine Shelton claimed Marisa fraudulently implicated her and Clint in the crime and that all of her allegations were unfounded. Marisa failed to appear at the trial, and the case was ultimately ruled in Catherine's favor.
Lastly, in 2017, Shelton was linked to the death of a 70-year-old veteran named Sam Shelton. She was reportedly taking care of him. He passed away during Hurricane Harvey and it was alleged that he died of natural causes inside their house.
In the latest update, Catherine was charged with a felony for fraudulent use of identifying information and is currently facing a trial scheduled for this summer.
CBS 48 Hours airs Catherine Shelton's case this Saturday, December 17.
