In March 2018, an unknown assailant entered Ted Shaughnessy’s house and shot him dead. The incident shocked the entire community and prompted authorities to launch an investigation. However, the police discovered that Ted’s son, Nicolas Shaughnessy, along with his then-wife Jaclyn Edison, planned the gruesome murder.
On March 2, 2018, Ted’s wife, Corey Shaughnessy, exchanged fire with an unidentified suspect who broke into their house. As per ABC News, Ted’s wife called 911 and told the authorities that her husband had been shot multiple times. The police arrived and found Ted’s body in the kitchen. The investigation progressed, and the authorities named Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison as the prime suspects. According to the police affidavit, the police apprehended the duo in May 2018 and charged each of them with “soliciting to commit capital murder.”
In the following months, the investigators revealed that the duo hired a hitman to kill Nicolas’ parents. According to ABC News, the authorities found text messages between Nicolas and Jaclyn talking about how to move forward with the plan. Additionally, the police also found “A box of .380 caliber ammunition, with six rounds missing from the box.” Subsequently, Nicolas and Jaclyn pleaded guilty for their crimes. As a result, the court sentenced Nicolas Shaughnessy to 35 years in prison, while Jaclyn Edison was sentenced to 10 years probation.
The aforementioned case will feature in the latest episode of Dateline. The episode, titled ‘Ghosts Can’t Talk,’ will air on NBC on Friday, January 12, at 9 p.m. ET.
What was Nicolas Shaughnessy’s motive behind murder-for-hire?
Although Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison’s plan didn’t work, the duo did everything to murder Ted and Corey Shaughnessy. According to FOX7Austin, Nicolas was in financial trouble and owed his parents thousands of dollars. Citing the detective’s interrogation with Nicolas, FOX7Austin also noted that he owed almost $30,000 to his mother.
Additionally, the police’s search warrant revealed that he and his mother, Corey, allegedly argued over the loan. The police also learned that Nicolas Shaughnessy was the only beneficiary of his parents’ life insurance policy worth $2 million. This meant that Nicolas would receive the whole amount in case both of his parents died.
In the end, the police officers concluded that the duo had been facing financial problems for a long time. Nicolas Shaughnessy also admitted in an interview that he and his then-wife, Jaclyn Edison, hired a hitman to kill his parents. Initially, Nicolas said that money was only one aspect of why they decided to kill Ted and Corey. However, it soon turned out to be a serious conversation.
Nicolas admitted that his initial plan was to kill his parents themselves
During an interview with CrimeWatch reporter Meredith Aldis (via FOX7Austin), Nicolas said, “Not financial. 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.”
The culprit added, “It started off very passively jokingly about what if you know, this could be ours, and then it became an unfortunate, like serious conversation.” Shockingly, Nicolas also revealed that the original plan was to murder his parents themselves. However, he backed out and called himself “too cowardly” to do something like that. Also, Nicolas Shaughnessy didn’t like how his ex-wife, Jaclyn Edison, pinned everything on him and never took any responsibility.
Nicolas Shaughnessy is currently serving his sentence in Clemens Unit, Texas.
