While any murder case is hard on those closest to the victim, Ted Shaughnessy’s case has actually garnered much interest due to his connection with those who planned his killing. The two accused of masterminding the whole thing are none other than Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison, Ted’s son and daughter-in-law. As seen in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Ghosts Can’t Talk,’ this story involves money, conspiracy, as well as heartbreak, which has also served to add to the world’s curiosity about the current whereabouts of the killer couple.
Who are Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison?
Nicolas Shaughnessy was adopted by Ted and Corey Shaughnessy from Russia, and the three seemed like a happy family. From what Corey has shared since her husband’s death, the parents tried to support their son as much as possible and provide him with a good home. However, like any family, there were ups and downs in their relationship, though the extent of the same is perhaps something that Ted and Corey were perhaps not wholly aware of.
According to Corey’s statement, she also welcomed Jaclyn Edison into the Shaughnessy home with open arms. The latter’s home situation had apparently not been the best, and she had shared with her partner’s parents how her father was physically abusive towards her, which meant that Ted and Corey decided to have Jaclyn in their home in order to help the woman their son had come to care for. Corey also mentioned in one of her court statements how she had gifted Jaclyn a “half-carat diamond solitaire pendant” on her 19th birthday.
As it turns out, Ted Shaughnessy was the owner of Gallerie Jewelers in Austin, Texas, and did not seem to lack money. He and his wife, Corey, allegedly even had a life insurance policy that would have allowed their beneficiary, Nicolas, to earn a sum of $2-8 million in case of their death. At the age of 19, both Nicolas and Jaclyn were living in College Station, Texas, with the former going to trading school. He also seemingly had plans to start his own business, for which he had borrowed $30,000 from his mother.
On March 2, 2018, the Shaughnessy family home in Travis County, Texas, was broken into by apparent intruders who had started to shoot at Ted and Corey. While her husband was shot down in the hallway, Corey tried to valiantly shoot back and then fled to a closet in order to call the authorities. Her actions likely helped save her life, only to uncover that the apparent home break-in may have had more sinister origins. Not long after the police arrived at the crime scene, Nicolas and Jaclyn were contacted, and they rushed to the house.
When the investigators tried to see just how the shooters broke into the house, they noticed an open window, which was likely the entry point, given no other signs of break-in. Corey stated that the window was actually in Nicolas’ room, something that would soon lead the authorities on the path of uncovering a massive conspiracy. In August 2018, Nicolas was indicted in the case of his father’s death. He was accused of hiring Arieon Smith and Johnny Leon to kill his parents, though Corey survived the attack. Jaclyn was later also accused of contributing to the planning of the same in April 2022.
Where are Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Edison Now?
During the trial for the murder of Ted Shaughnessy, it was uncovered that Nicolas Shaughnessy had been the main planner behind the death of his father and an attempt to kill his mother. He had hired two men and offered them tens of thousands of dollars to break into his family’s home and kill his parents. Nicolas has since confessed that the initial plan had been to actually commit the crime himself. However, he claimed that he realized at the last moment that he could not go forward with the idea of doing the act himself.
On the day of his father’s murder, Nicolas had apparently gotten into an argument with his mother over the money she had lent him. Along with Arieon Smith and Johnny Leon, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Ted, and the three were sentenced to 35 years in prison, with no parole possibility for 20 years. He is now at Clemens Unit in Brazoria, Texas, with an expected release date of May 27, 2053, with a possible eligibility on November 26, 2035. Another name added to the case was that of Jaclyn Edison, though the investigators claimed that she had been of immense help in recovering various crucial clues pertaining to the case.
For her crimes and alleged involvement in the conspiracy to kill Ted and Corey Shaughnessy, Jaclyn was sentenced to 10 years of probation in the form of deferred adjudication, which means that the sentence will not be added to her permanent record. During her probation period, Jaclyn was not allowed to leave Texas, and her passport was seized. She also had to spend two days in jail every year on the anniversary of her father-in-law’s death. Jaclyn is also not allowed any contact with the victim’s family, with many members of the same being unhappy over the ultimate sentences offered to those who committed the crimes.
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