Corey Shaughnessy: Wife of slain Texas jeweler accuses daughter-in-law of evading murder charges

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

AUSTIN, TEXAS: In 2018, Austin residents were shocked by the shooting of Ted Shaughnessy and his wife, Corey, who were suspected of a poorly executed heist.

The wife of the Texas jeweler accused her daughter-in-law of carrying out a targeted attack from which she managed to flee.

Authorities eventually cleared Corey and found that her son, Nicolas, conspired with Jaclyn Edison to plan the murder, using two hitmen.

Nicolas Shaughnessy and Jaclyn Alexa Edison didn't disclose their marriage to parents

According to Corey, the couple was informed about the murder and they had a two-hour drive to the scene and began acting strangely, including testing Edison's hands for gunshot residue.

Edison started crying when she found out investigators were going to test her hands for gunshot residue. Sgt James Moore, a Travis County Sheriff's Office detective at the time, stated, "That was a major red flag for me. We knew there was something more to this at that point."

Investigators discovered that Nicolas and Edison were involved in a murder when they searched their home in College Station.

They found ammunition of the same brand and caliber as the crime scene, a marriage certificate, and suspicious text exchanges on their phones. The couple had never disclosed their marriage to their parents, Corey, or Ted.

"I thought it was incredibly stupid," said Corey after discovering that her son was married. "You're too young. This was really dumb."

They also discovered suspicious text exchanges on their phones, suggesting they were arranging a hit. Additionally, they found bank receipts showing Edison withdrew $1,000 from her account just days before the murder.

Corey Shaughnessy believes Jaclyn Edison's sentence is outrageous

In 2018, police arrested Nicolas and Edison for criminal solicitation in the murder of Ted Shaughnessy. Corey's belief in her son's innocence began to crumble after reading the arrest affidavits.

Just two weeks after her arrest, Edison began cooperating with investigators and pointing the finger at Nicolas. Authorities released Edison on a reduced bond. Police tracked 21-year-old Johnny Leon, who eventually acknowledged having been in the Shaughnessys' home the night of the murder.

Leon's phone records around that time showed intensive communications with a man named Aerion Smith, age 20, who later confessed to firing the shot. Both were arrested for capital murder.

A new district attorney offered them a deal: plead guilty to a reduced charge of murder, avoid a possible death sentence, and serve just 35 years. Jaclyn Edison got a deal too, plead guilty to attempted solicitation of capital murder, and serve just 120 days in prison plus 10 years' probation.

"It is an outright dismissal of everything that I went through as a victim," Corey said. "And it's a dismissal of Ted's life."

Edison insisted the Shaughnessy are overstating her role in the murder plot. "I think Nick is, is saying whatever he has to say to kind of clear his name," Edison said. "Corey is very much in denial about what really happened."

She is on probation for 10 years and faces 20 years in prison if she violates the terms. Now, more than five years after the murder and living out of state under a different name, Corey seems to have made her peace with what happened, CBS reported.