Kriti Mehrotra
It was early in the morning of March 2, 2018, when the entire world turned upside down for Corey Shaughnessy as her loving husband of 30 years was killed in their suburban Austin, Texas, home. As explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: Ghosts Can’t Talk,’ the couple had awoken to their dogs barking at around 4:30 am, just for Ted Shaughnessy to go check the cause with a gun in hand. However, neither of them could have ever imagined that he would never return as their adopted son, Nick Shaughnessy, had hired two men to take their lives in order to quickly inherit their wealth.
Corey Shaughnessy Had Built a Good Life With the Love of Her Life
Although not a lot of details regarding Corey Shaughnessy’s background or early years are publicly available as of writing, we do know she was always ambitious, caring, and passionate. It’s thus no surprise that she stood right by her beau in his endeavors, especially after they tied the knot in a beautiful, cozy ceremony in January 1988 and decided to settle down in Austin, Texas. According to the aforementioned original, they owned a pawn shop during their early years before ultimately finding their calling in the world of jewelry, leading them to establish Gallerie Jewelers.
Corey had actually come across Theodore “Ted” Shaughnessy for the first time at a video arcade in Phoenix, Arizona, in the early 1980s, only for them to soon fall head over heels in love. Little did either of them know at the time that they had found their forever, but the chemistry, easy conversations, and innate sparks soon led them to realize they shared something truly special. The duo hence decided to build a life together, starting with marriage, a home, business, and then children — they really wanted to be parents, but it just wasn’t in the cards for them biologically.
As per Corey’s accounts, she had fallen pregnant several times yet had trouble keeping them till term, which is what drove the couple to ask themselves their motive behind wanting a family. Once they were certain it had nothing to do with biological aspects, they chose the path of adoption and found their son in Ukraine — Nick Shaughnessy became theirs at 16 months old in 2000. He was their only child, so they worked hard to give him the best possible life, all the while also operating their jewelry store and making continuous efforts in their marriage even after decades.
Corey Shaughnessy Still Vividly Remembers the Night She Lost Her Husband
The Shaughnessys seemed like an idyllic family by the time 2018 rolled around, with Ted at the front of Gallerie Jewelers, Corey serving as an appraiser, and Nick evolving into a career day trader. The fact that the couple were now empty nesters was also significant, especially as their son had moved two hours away to College Station to live with his engineering major partner, Jaclyn Edison. The younger duo had actually eloped to tie the knot in secret at the tender age of 18 around July 2017, but it didn’t come to light until well after the fateful early hours of March 2, 2018.
According to Corey, she and Ted had gone to sleep after a relaxed evening at home as usual, only to be jolted awake by the sounds of their dogs barking at around 4:30 in the morning. Since it was not uncommon for deer to end up on their property, her unassuming husband decided to step outside with the rifle he kept near their bed while she chose to drift back to sleep. She had just closed her eyes again when she heard several gunshots ring out from right outside their bedroom door – in the kitchen – so she grabbed the .357-caliber pistol she kept nearby.
Corey walked towards the sounds before suddenly seeing a bright flash through the Japanese curtains she had hung, following which she opened fire at what she believed to be an intruder. “I do not remember the sound of my gun,” she said in the show. “I remember seeing the muzzle from the opposite gun. (The unknown assailant was) shooting at me, and I’m shooting at him.” She quickly ran out of ammunition, though, and while she believed she was moments away from death, she somehow managed to grab her cell phone, rush to the closet, and dial 911.
Corey Shaughnessy Was Unhappy With the Police’s Approach to Her Husband’s Case
Corey asserted in the original production that the only thing running through her mind while calling the emergency line was that responders would thankfully find their remains in minutes. She was certain she would be fatally shot, but that never transpired; instead, she was able to step out of the closet, be the first to find Ted dead on the floor, and meet officers at the front door. It was then that the shock of what had transpired really hit her, just for her to have to relive it when she informed their son. Nevertheless, she was fortunate to emerge physically unscathed.
Considering the circumstances, Corey understood when the police’s initial line of questioning seemed to raise concerns against her or Nick, so she was extremely cooperative with them. She gave her prints for gunshot residue testing even after telling them she had used her weapon, handed over her clothes for forensic analysis, and even agreed to her phone and home being searched. However, once the pattern continued, she began feeling as if detectives were purposefully asking her convoluted questions to get an “a-ha” moment rather than focusing on real leads.
That’s because, upon hearing there were two intruders based on the different shell casings recovered from the scene, Corey was sure Ted’s murder was the result of a robbery gone wrong. Since they were well-known jewelers in the area with products at home too, she believed it was highly likely someone desperate for easy money had targeted them without any qualms about casualties. The fact that she was unable to collect on her late husband’s $1 million life insurance despite being the sole beneficiary on suspicion of the case having “foul play,” infuriated her further.
Corey Shaughnessy Never Expected Her Son to be Behind The Attack
Corey believed the “foul play” was targeted at her, unaware that officials had cleared her of any suspicion quite early and were actually focused on her son, Nicolas “Nick” Shaughnessy. She was thus investigating her husband’s murder herself at home too, desperate to bring him justice while also trying to carry on his legacy by continuing to operate their jewelry business. According to the episode, the sole reason she had even filed a claim for his insurance was to cover the cost of still running Gallerie Jewelers, even after Nick and Jaclyn had moved in with her to help out.
When Corey realized investigators were seriously looking at Nick in connection with the matter, she hired him the best attorney she could because she had no reason to doubt his innocence. After all, although he and Jaclyn had hidden their marriage, they had dropped everything after the tragedy, moved in with her to ensure she wasn’t alone, and were actively helping out. She credited them with being her support system, the reason she didn’t break in the months to follow, only for all her trust in them to shatter on May 29, 2018, as they were arrested for solicitation.
Nick and Jaclyn were formally accused of orchestrating a murder for hire plot against both his parents in order to benefit from their business, home, and respective life insurance policies. The details in the legal papers were what finally made Corey realize the truth behind the matter, especially as they contained a mountain of evidence against them in the form of texts. The fact that a .40 caliber handgun missing from Nick’s room was found with the family of one of the hitmen who was later arrested, which turned out to be a murder weapon, didn’t help matters either.
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Corey Shaughnessy Has Chosen to Lead a Private Life Today
While Corey has not spoken to Nick since the day of his arrest, she did play a role in how the case came to a conclusion for him, as she pushed for him to accept a plea deal via a third party. In the end, in the spring of 2021, her son and the two shooters accepted plea deals in exchange for 35 years in state prison with the possibility of parole — they avoided the death penalty. As for Jaclyn, shortly before she was to stand trial in 2022, she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit capital murder by terror threat or other felony, for which she was given 120 days in jail.
Corey did not attend Jaclyn’s sentencing hearing, but she did send in a video victim impact statement wherein she asserted that she believes her short sentence to be a slap in the face of justice. Coming to her current relationship with Nick, she has still not spoken to him in any manner because his plan also included her murder, so she considers herself dead to him. “I am supposed to be dead,” she said. “I’m a ghost and ghosts can’t talk.” She has since written him letters that she never plans to send, expressing how she still loves the boy she raised but hates the man he is now because he has taken everything from her. She also knows he has apologized, but she believes it is too little, too late. So, she is now choosing to move forward in life under a different name in a different state.
