Texas Wine and True Crime

The Shaughnessy Scandal: A Tale of Betrayal

Brandy Diamond and Chris Diamond Episode 149

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What happens when familial bonds are stretched to the breaking point by secrets and betrayal? In this gripping episode, we unravel the tragic case of Ted Shaughnessy, whose life was abruptly ended in a crime that shocked Austin, Texas. Joined by Teri from "True Crime and Wine Time," we explore the chilling involvement of Ted's adoptive son, Nick, and his secret daughter-in-law, Jackie. Discover the turbulent paths that led these young conspirators from a Russian orphanage to the heart of a murder-for-hire plot, influenced by their tangled web of young love, desperation, and misplaced priorities.

We'll delve into the consequences of their actions, from the sophisticated use of home security systems to the unraveling of an elaborate conspiracy. As we dissect the investigation, learn how deleted videos and suspicious behaviors paved the way for legal revelations. The story takes a turn into the tragic dynamics of the Shaughnessy family, examining the emotional turmoil faced by Ted's widow, Corey, as she grapples with the shocking betrayal of those she held dear. The community's initial support for Nick, seen as a successor to his father's business, adds another layer to this complex narrative.

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Speaker 1:

so great to be here. I've got a few people in the studio with me, as usual, Chris.

Speaker 2:

I am here.

Speaker 1:

You are definitely here and we have a guest. Well, this is more of just a collaboration effort, but she came to our humble domain and decided to record with us. Terry, hi, I am here. You are here. Tell everybody who you are, what you do and why you're here.

Speaker 3:

I am Terry True Crime and I do a lot of things, but I won't share all of that, because that might be TMI, but I am a co-host of True Crime and Wine Time.

Speaker 1:

Yes, we've enjoying some wine which we just shared with you and what we're sipping tonight, but tonight's case is about an Austin case. It is An Austin case. Ted Shaughnessy is who we're talking about. He is our victim, yes. And then Corey Shaughnessy, who was the wife of Ted, who survived this attack yes. And then we have the culprit, who we now know was involved in this crime, and that is their adoptive son, nick, and their daughter-in-law secret daughter-in-law because they didn't know that these two actually got married.

Speaker 2:

Secret daughter-in-law Secret.

Speaker 1:

What did I say?

Speaker 2:

Secret daughter-in-law Is that what I said? Does that sound fun and interesting?

Speaker 1:

Well, it was a secret initially it was, it was and.

Speaker 2:

It was, it was, and that is Jackie Edison.

Speaker 1:

Yes, so you wanted to do this case. I had never heard of this case. I had never heard of it either.

Speaker 3:

And there's a lot to this. There is, and living in Austin, it's been a big deal and I am shocked it hasn't gone all throughout Texas, because it's crazy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's a very interesting case and I think that when we talk about one of the victims, which is the mother who survived this attack, she actually had not been shot, nothing happened to her, but she was shot at and ended up in a closet call 911. And then it progresses from there. But you have someone of influence in Austin. Her and her husband, ted, owned a jewelry store, a popular one.

Speaker 2:

He said it's quite large, correct?

Speaker 3:

It was. It was very popular In fact. It was a place that they would find the type of diamond, the clarity, the cut. They would do custom things for you.

Speaker 2:

His dad was like a jewelry maker, or he just owned the actual jewelry. He owned the jewelry store.

Speaker 3:

They had a jewelry maker from my understanding, but they also gave back to the community, so they were very involved with the community in Austin.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, in fact, when they met in LA in the sixties they had talked about I'm sorry he was from LA. The couple met when they were in an arcade in Arizona. They marry in the nineties and they wanted to open a jewelry store. Yes, they had picked out a name, it was going to be called the gallery and then they decided to. When they when they were going to do this, they also decided they were going to adopt a son. Yes, and they did so. They adopt Nick from a Russian orphanage.

Speaker 3:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

So what did you? What did you find out about Nick and their feelings Adopting from Russia? Like what was that research like?

Speaker 3:

So the first thing I found interesting is Nick was 18 months old and he was adopted, which is a little older than most newborns who go into an orphanage. They usually get adopted pretty quick, so I found that interesting. And they say that when they met him they knew. Corey said it was almost like an instant bonding and they just knew. She also says that animal crackers were involved. Okay, and I am just gonna say what 18 month old isn't gonna love the person who's getting them?

Speaker 1:

yeah, I was. I mean I like animal crackers I like them too.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, no doubt but the thing that was interesting about orphanages in russia back in the day that is different from what I know about orphanages in Russia back in the day. That is different from what I know about orphanages in the US. They did not believe in letting the infant get attached or bond with humans. So they intentionally didn't hold them love on them because they wanted them to bond with their adoptive parents. So if you think about that, he was 18 months old before he had true human love and contact.

Speaker 2:

Get to one of the psychology behind that, though, because what if they don't ever get adopted, or just get adopted much later and later, and as that progresses? You know, down the road, the ramifications of that, not having that bonding Probably a lot of. I mean those are that bonding?

Speaker 1:

Um, probably a lot of. I mean. Those are like. I mean there has to be really formative years. I know there has to be some, some reason, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

We'll have to look. I mean, I think there's a reason.

Speaker 1:

A baby comes out crying Right, and then you start to wonder do babies cry more when they're not coddled? And were they constantly dealing with crying children and all they wanted was to be held like, but if they just kind of interesting?

Speaker 3:

if they wrapped them and swaddled them tight and then just left them. They felt like they were being held. So that is very interesting, is just very interesting. Yeah, and what does it?

Speaker 1:

do to the I mean you as a developmental person from a baby and they say oh well, maybe these things don't affect you because you were too young, you don't remember them. I don't, really, I don't believe that.

Speaker 3:

I don't either.

Speaker 1:

That human contact is something children have to have and need and what it does to them psychologically. I mean we hear about this different things with abuse or not being treated and neglect, and what it can do at a very young age and how it can go into their teen and adult years and some of the decisions they make because of those things that you may not have known, even really affected you but did.

Speaker 3:

Well, and I've read stories about kids who don't like to be hugged or touched. It's because they grew up in a home where they weren't hugged or touched. Yeah, it's uncomfortable for them. Yeah, so you're 18 months old and you've not. I mean, it makes my heart hurt.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

But I'm going to just say it's not an excuse for him, but he did get adopted.

Speaker 1:

He did get adopted into a loving family, a very loving family, and they took him, went to Austin, started living their life, opened their jewelry store. What did you know? I mean, I found that this couple in my research. People liked them.

Speaker 3:

They did. They were very well liked. Everyone loved that. It was said that Ted would see somebody outside who looked like they were having a hard time. He would say hey, do you need food? Do you need money? Can I help you with?

Speaker 1:

anything.

Speaker 3:

So they were very well liked and they were very active.

Speaker 1:

And he would go to different businesses around his own business and say hi, like he's just kind of an engaging neighbor and engaging business owner with other business owners.

Speaker 3:

So he was and they said Nick loved to go with him and interact with him and would talk to people. So Nick was kind of inquisitive about that as well. With people.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay. So he's growing up, he's going to school. People thought I mean people like this kid.

Speaker 3:

They did. I mean, and if you look at the pictures of him he looks like-.

Speaker 1:

An all-American boy, an all-American kid, that's right, all-american kid.

Speaker 3:

Now his friends did say he became fascinated with money yes, early on, finances early on and that he wanted to get rich. And that was something he wanted, which I found interesting, because he never had to want for anything.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Maybe just the influence of his father was a successful businessman and, um, you know things you can do with money.

Speaker 1:

Well, and I think he probably understood math, I think he probably understood finance, I think he probably even felt like he understood it above levels of anyone that he was engaging with as a teenager I mean typically, when you see people who because, by the way, he wanted to be a day trader, right, that's what he wanted, and he knew that, being as a teenager, and I think that's because he knew he was good at it, or at least he thought he was good at it.

Speaker 3:

I was going to say, yeah, thought he was good at it, or at least he thought he was good at it. I was going to say I think he thought he was good at it. But what I found interesting is he planned to get rich day trading all while sitting at home in his bathroom.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, oh yeah. The drive to do, which is really interesting.

Speaker 2:

A lot of people's dream right.

Speaker 1:

Well, hey, you know what that's a business? I mean, people do it as a business and a livelihood, and if you're a good trader and you know how to make money trading, by all means. But again it's like did he really understand it? I would really like to know what his influence was with this. Was his father into trading as a business owner? I could see that I could see how he would use some of his assets to grow and and use the and use his business owner. I could see that I could see how he would use some of his assets to grow and and use them and use his knowledge.

Speaker 1:

As we find out, clearly, his father must have been more successful at that than right, but that's what I'm saying, like, what was his influence, his dad, as a business owner? But could?

Speaker 2:

have been the clientele, though, as well, too. True, these it's. It is like gambling so you could have a lot of high rollers going in this store.

Speaker 1:

That's very true.

Speaker 2:

I said it's a very well, I won't say exclusive jewelry store, but well-known popular. So you probably saw people like that going in there.

Speaker 3:

And people with money came in there. So that's what I wondered, because you would think he would see his mom and dad, who were at the jewelry store all the time and they worked hard. They put blood, sweat and tears into it. Yes, they did. It's interesting he didn't pick up on that piece of the work ethic.

Speaker 1:

That's what I mean, Like where did he pick?

Speaker 2:

Well, I get the impression that these are well-off people. They probably went to the country club there in Austin growing up and stuff and probably being surrounded. I mean, the neighborhood they lived in, I assume, was somewhat more affluent and so, yeah, a lot of those seeing that around you and there probably was a lot of people that were day traders. But those people might have had money in the bank too.

Speaker 3:

And so can risk those ebbs and flows of the market Right Well but I also wonder, because his dad liked to race cars, that's right. And Nick kind of got in that Racing cars is somewhat like gambling, oh my gosh. And it's not a cheap sport, that's a rich boy sport, it's not a cheap sport.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I kind of wonder if it's like owning a plane, you know it's a personal plane.

Speaker 1:

Chris's dad owned a plane. We could have a whole podcast about Chris's adventures, Right on the plane. Or not on the plane.

Speaker 2:

Some good plane stories.

Speaker 3:

There comes that TMI stuff yeah.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and that's why I don't own a plane to this day.

Speaker 1:

Oh yes, in 2016,. He meets a girl. He's starting to. You know, this is what happens. You're teenagers, you start to think girls are cute. And you know, I also was trying to find in some research. You know, did he ever have crushes on girls? Was he known for that? Was this his first?

Speaker 3:

girlfriend. I couldn't find any of that either. Nowhere did it say he was like a player. Did he have a bunch of girls that he crushed on? I couldn't find anything that anybody talked about that which led me to think she was that first, because I think I know with my boys that first girl.

Speaker 2:

He was sitting at home in his robe. It's hard to meet girls when you're sitting at home in your robe. Day trading.

Speaker 1:

Well, yeah, I guess.

Speaker 2:

Just meet girls online.

Speaker 1:

She ended up being the one who got to see him in his robe while he was day trading Because they end up moving. Well, first of all, when they meet, she moves in with the parents. She's not from Austin, she was actually from Jersey. Parents divorce Father moves to Austin. She goes with dad but then starts to say, hey, life at dad's is not what I want or what I expected. Correct.

Speaker 3:

So he's, you know they started dating hanging out and Corey and Ted were like oh you know you've got a rough life, things You're always hanging out here, why don't you just move in.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so they were open to that and inviting to it, and so she does. So they are all four living under the same roof. But then these kids get older, they finish high school, go to college. They're going off to college and they go to College Station A&M area, bryan, texas together. But what the parents don't know is that these two secretly get married, correct?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and he moved away to you say he was going to college.

Speaker 1:

She was, she was, he was the day trader. Correct, yeah, and he moved away to you say he was going to college last year.

Speaker 2:

She was, he was the day trader, but I mean out of high school. Somebody would have had to affront him some money.

Speaker 1:

Oh, no doubt about it, he never worked right. He borrowed money from his mother.

Speaker 2:

He actually borrowed Initially.

Speaker 1:

We end up finding out he borrowed money from more people and Jackie had student loans yes.

Speaker 2:

But like initially I guess they said they were okay with him just moving away. Oh, go be on, son, Be a day trader.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, I mean I think that he probably had gave them no other reason to think he wouldn't be successful at it, and I think, as supportive, parents.

Speaker 2:

Was he going under the guise of actually going to college and day trading, like initially how it started? No, I don't think so.

Speaker 3:

She was going to college. It almost sounds to me like the parents were like. He wants to try this for a year or so. Call it a gap year, call it whatever.

Speaker 2:

Let him try it. I mean, you have to have a little bit of confidence in that ability.

Speaker 3:

And if your kid never?

Speaker 1:

gives you any reason, yeah, to think they're gonna do something wrong. I could see, yeah, I mean, give him a shot. I mean if he's never really been a bad kid and people like him and he's you know, I mean if you want to support that and you have the funds and money to support that. I mean, who says he wouldn't have been successful at it? And I think she would. They were just giving him a shot. I mean, college isn't for everyone out of the gate. Maybe they were pretty liberal on that stance. So they thought, okay, our kid can be successful. The dad was successful running a business. And maybe in the back of their mind too, they thought, well, he at least would have the jewelry business right, like, we can bring him back into the family business.

Speaker 2:

So there could have been a lot of thought process to that he would have to exhibit some sort of you know savvy yeah right To be able to, you know, pull it off they were supporting her because she wanted to become a mechanical engineer Yep.

Speaker 3:

She got into A&M Yep, so of course they had already lived together. Don't tell the parents and I don't understand. I tried to research and find why they kept it a secret. Was it because they thought the parents would think they were too young? I couldn't find anything. I couldn't find anything.

Speaker 2:

It's hard to just in this day and age, for two kids to do that too, with no real reason. I mean, you'd see a lot of people at that age might get married because of a pregnancy or something like that.

Speaker 1:

Which kind of makes me think like this is their first real relationship.

Speaker 2:

I feel like these two kind of dove in. What's the advantage for both of them to be married? Maybe for her because of monetarily but, for him trying to lock that down at 19,. That's.

Speaker 3:

I think she as a female. I mean, if her home was that tumultuous if she was going through that. She saw him as somebody stable, knew he came from a good family.

Speaker 2:

Were his parents paying for her college, or did her parents actually? I mean, just going to a and m, that's an expensive school she had loans.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I read loans, yeah but she got in, I mean, you know. So she was smart, yeah, she was smart, and mechanical engineering is not an easy subject to study. So mean, I think they saw something in her. But then that goes to my question what else did they see in her and what and did? Is there something we may not know that happens under roofs? That said, maybe they weren't very accepting of this relationship. But then I think to myself, maybe they were just trying to support their son, but in the background maybe they weren't feeling as confident and positive in these two. Who knows?

Speaker 3:

Well, and you think about it, you know, as parents, if I tell my son I don't really like her, is it going to push him faster to go marry her? Do this so you'd be more supportive.

Speaker 1:

Or was it just simply them living this exciting elopement Right and the idea that this is our thing, nobody has to know Like? I think there's some people who feel that way and I respect that. I know people who've eloped Now. People knew they were eloping but see, in this situation they don't. So I think you have a little bit of uncertainty behind this marriage. A friend of theirs marries them, right? Yes, a friend of theirs.

Speaker 3:

So it wasn't a total secret. Yeah, just one person. Secret from the parents, which was interesting. And as somebody who eloped. Normally you elope for a reason, but I could not find their reason.

Speaker 1:

Yes, you're very true about that. She wasn't pregnant?

Speaker 3:

No, and I can't help but wonder did she do it for financial security to lock him down?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Or who was the driver behind the wedding?

Speaker 2:

Could have been both of them, I mean, and it could have been, I guess their friend went and got that little online, minister he did. Yeah, I can't think of what it is.

Speaker 1:

We've had a lot of friends married that way. Yeah, it's become a thing, an absolute thing, like I mean. Then when you go to a wedding you're like wait, who's marrying you and you know sometimes it is a surprise who's officiating.

Speaker 2:

I'm all for it.

Speaker 1:

I think it's great. I mean, it's like whoa, I've known him for 40 years and he's marrying us. Like I think that's pretty cool, so All right. So let's talk about the actual crime. March 2nd 2018. This is at 430 in the morning. They, ted and Corey, are sleeping. It's in the middle of the night and they hear a noise. The dogs start barking. Their alarm, their alarm goes off. The dogs yeah, exactly, that's exactly, butter. Thank you, butter, for being our alarm system. Um, but they hear something. It startles them enough for ted to grab his weapon, yes, and then he makes his way out of the bedroom. Cory, his wife hears gunshots. Yes, she, she grabs her weapon, exits the bedroom. Does she see anyone? At first, we know it's dark in the house it's dark.

Speaker 3:

She said she never sees their faces. She does say because she heard the gunshots, she came out. She did see figures and that's why she fired her gun. So she did fire at them. Yeah, she fires at them and they did fire at them yeah she fires, and they fired back at her. They sure did.

Speaker 1:

But they didn't hit her and she didn't hear them either. So, yeah, she runs back in the room.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, she goes to the closet, goes to the closet, calls 911. And this is transcripted at 446am. And she says, quote, I'm in the closet, there were shots fired, am. And she says, quote, I'm in the closet, there were shots fired, help me, um. And that's when she says I didn't see the shooter's faces, um, but they go to the wrong house, but there's no. So she did, so I was. We were talking about this earlier. We've seen this in cases either the caller gives the wrong address to deviate and give time because of something they've just done.

Speaker 2:

Also, too, she called from a cell phone, I presume correct. She did, I actually know, the address is not tied to that cell phone, correct? If you call 911.

Speaker 3:

No, they just get the GPS closest to where you are.

Speaker 1:

So I mean, she could have given, I mean. It could have just been next door. I mean, I've looked at GPS and seen the people across the streets address right Like it is right next to each other, so they go to the wrong address, so there's a delay. Yeah, like versus an actual home phone that has a physical address.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know, physical address tied to it though, exactly, yeah, with a little dial you spin rotary. But yeah, I mean they can track that specifically to the house. That is the biggest caveat with calling from a cell phone.

Speaker 3:

It is, but the police did get there in 15 minutes. They did. I know that sounds like a long time, but guys it takes a lot longer than that sometimes when they actually know the address in Austin. No.

Speaker 2:

I believe it. We're fortunate, where we live, cops are here in three minutes if you were to call 911.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Because I mean the station's right there.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, For us it's not.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

I mean, that's why we have a security system and they're there within five minutes, that's what I mean. Because it'll take the cops 20 minutes, 25 minutes, to get through the gate to me.

Speaker 1:

And Glocks and Rottweilers and all yeah those things. Um, okay, so when dispatchers arrive, corey gets out of the closet. She's talking to them. Um, they find ted at the bot near in the kitchen or near the kitchen, um bullet holes in the kitchen fixtures. I mean it looks like a barrage of gunfire has gone off in this home. Um, one of the rottweilers they had two of them. One of them was deceased. We know that they, the dog was shot. We had talked amongst ourselves and said why not the second dog? And I thought maybe it got startled and ran the other direction, I would assume. I mean, typically you shoot a dog that's coming at you, right? So that's my thought is one was coming.

Speaker 3:

Then the shot went off and the other one, I would say you'd have to get rid of that second dog eventually I know you would think right that dog runs away, then like well I'm gonna say if you came into my house they would go for bow first, because bow would come at him the minute a gun fired bear would be out the back dog door and he would be hiding somewhere you would not find him.

Speaker 1:

I mean, Butter doesn't even like the vacuum cleaner. If you came to arm with the Jimmy Johns in our house.

Speaker 2:

Butter would be your best friend and show you where all the good stuff was.

Speaker 3:

If they came with food yeah, I'll show you around Bear would come back.

Speaker 2:

I'll show you where the booties kept, sir or ma'am, whoever's robbing you?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, but what's interesting, Ted never got any gunshots off.

Speaker 1:

And do you think it's just because he didn't see anyone?

Speaker 2:

They just probably got the drop on him.

Speaker 3:

I think, because we learned that there was more than one person. That's right Two different guns. I think they got the drop on him yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, unfortunately, he tried to go downstairs and see what that noise was and protect his family, but in the meantime he was shot. What we know now is two intruders. There were two different guns used in this crime. Again, Corey, his wife was not hit and they wanted to know. You know what happened, Tell us what happened and, of course, she's going to call her son, who is in college station, and tells him about about what's happened oh, absolutely, I mean, I would do the same thing, I know and yeah, like where you know, can you come, can you come I?

Speaker 1:

need you yeah, your dad has just been killed and him and jackie leave the apartment. Or were they living in an apartment or a house? They were living in an apartment. They were in an apartment because I was thinking of their assets when we get to the end of this. I had thought about did they give them a house or gift them a house, okay, so I was a little curious of that, what those assets look like as a young couple.

Speaker 3:

They were living in an apartment. So I mean, she did call them and I do think it's important to know they had an alarm system. Yes, they did, but they didn't set it when they were home. They only set it when they were away from the home, and I know a lot of people who do that. We used to be guilty of that.

Speaker 1:

Is it because people just don't want that? I would assume it's because they just don't want the alarm to accidentally go off when they're at the house. I mean, what is?

Speaker 3:

With the door open or if your dog set it off, or, in my case, my husband's. Like you sleepwalk occasionally and you open the door and you freak me out Cause I think someone just broke in cause. The alarm goes off.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you freak me out because I think someone just broke in because the alarm goes off. Yeah, yeah, I was going to say there was quite a few times when we had ours, our old one that I would open. The new one now works much better, but our old one, would you know, it didn't really have. You, couldn't really set zones and things. I would frequently open the sliding glass door and set off on a Saturday morning when.

Speaker 1:

I'd forgotten.

Speaker 2:

But the dog out or something like that, and then have to do the phone call of shame as they're calling you. I'm sorry, you set off.

Speaker 3:

They have gotten much better. Yeah, they have gotten a lot better.

Speaker 1:

All right, detectives didn't find any forced entry into the house.

Speaker 3:

All the doors and windows were locked except for one, and that was in Nick's bedroom, who no longer lived there, but his parents kept his bedroom intact.

Speaker 1:

Yes, they did, and the screen had been removed from the window and was propped up on the side of the house, so they pulled it out and just set it. Right set it down. Like you said, they normally did not put the alarm system on, but it is found out later that Nick had the phone app for the systems and he had actually accessed the system several times from his apartment in College Station around the time that this happened.

Speaker 3:

And all of the checking the system was before his mom called him, so he was checking it beforehand for some reason, maybe just being a good son, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Just waking up and thinking you should check that and I assume they had a you know, probably a quite robust security system as well. You know, given their affluence and just the nature of work lots of cameras and things like that.

Speaker 1:

Well, and they also only allowed it to one other person besides them as the couple with the system, and that's their son.

Speaker 2:

I mean that's another piece of this right. Well, that's the only other person you would give access to.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know, I don't know. There's some people who trust other people with some information, like that a neighbor, I mean. You never know who will hand that out, for whatever reason it who?

Speaker 2:

will hand that out, for whatever reason.

Speaker 3:

I'm not that trusting. I have some friends that are that trusting and I have access to it, but I mean I trust my sons but they do not have access to our security system. I mean, my older one lives in LA. Why does he need to know what's going on in my house? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So I mean, but I think this helped in this investigation because they didn't have to look very far when they were looking at these records. So, despite the alarm system not being activated, the system did record that the bedroom window opened at 427 am. The system also recorded glass breaking in the kitchen at 444 am, which was the windows now we know being the parade barrage of gunfire going off, and this showed that the shooters were in the house 17 minutes prior to Ted actually being shot. Yes, and this actually goes along with what the nine one one call was like with Corey, and she made that call at four 46. So timing is everything. It is timestamps or everything, especially in this case.

Speaker 3:

And I wonder, because most alarm systems, if they're off, do not record glass breaking, so it tells you they had a very robust security system.

Speaker 1:

I mean to know glass broke. I was. I mean, I was a little bit, I was just turned off. It does not, it's off.

Speaker 3:

It's off. Yeah, that's the whole reason. You turn it off, right, yeah, so interesting.

Speaker 1:

All right, so security videos also detected were also deleted. Okay, so some videos right were deleted and I assume I'm going to let you take this one. I think that's why he was on the app.

Speaker 3:

Oh, and I assume I'm going to let you take this one. I think that's why he was on the app. Oh, because he could go in and delete the video. So when I saw that, I went on to our app and I looked Okay, I can go in and delete the videos as they happen.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you would think it would have been wiser to maybe disable the camera or something, just overall.

Speaker 3:

Right.

Speaker 2:

I mean it still would show something, but I think that's less of a footprint you would leave to cover tracks.

Speaker 1:

I don't know, he just did not think about this at all.

Speaker 3:

He didn't, and that makes me wonder, like at all.

Speaker 2:

Potentially why the day trading didn't ever pan out, but that's a whole other talk show, that's true.

Speaker 1:

Another talk show. There's your sign right there. Um, ted is pronounced dead chris. At 5 14 am, the travis county medical examiner said he died from multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Um, now he drives down. He's with his parents at this point. Now we were talking, terry, about him going and looking at his window on where his bedroom is right, the one where the screen was removed. Now I was reading that some believed that he was trying to listen in and see what investigators were saying inside and what they thought. What are your thoughts on that? And, by the way, police note this.

Speaker 3:

They see him kind of like scouring around the area where the, where they believe that people had gained access to the home and he points it out before anybody says anything to him, so great he's like, oh, they must have gone in through my room, kind of thing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I guess there was some suspicion, like you said, that he had maybe overheard chatter of how the suspects gained entrance to the home.

Speaker 3:

Now the thing that was also interesting, that police noted. They said he was a little emotional at first, which is good, and he asked did he suffer?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, that's an odd statement.

Speaker 3:

I found that odd, because he was shot. What do you think?

Speaker 1:

At this point though, yeah, he knows. So I was thinking, okay, maybe he doesn't know, but he does know. The mother has already made the phone call, he's already on the scene, he already knows what has happened to his dad, because he gets there at like 8 and they pronounce him dad at like 5 something. Yeah, but he knows I'm sure his mother's, like your father's, been shot right there. He knows there's gunfire. Um, it's a very interesting question to ask that's not the first question.

Speaker 1:

No, I would have asked yeah, and and knowing that you've talked to your mother already about this and investigators aren't even gonna know that, really right, like, what are they gonna? How are they gonna know about it's gunshots? Of course he suffered like.

Speaker 3:

It is a very strange, strange question I mean, if you were gonna ask that question, I would have thought you would ask the paramedics that's what I'm saying, like why in that?

Speaker 1:

why ask the police that question? It makes no sense. They're not going to be able to give information on that Because they're not going to know.

Speaker 3:

Because, I mean, he was shot multiple times. Yes, he was, you know, so maybe he didn't die with the first shot. So I that's just not the question that would come to my mind.

Speaker 1:

Well and it's not a emphatic question it doesn't offer any sort of I don't know. I mean, maybe some people would say like, oh, I didn't want them to suffer, so I hope they didn't, but that again seems like at a later time, not when they're immediately on the scene, like looking into this.

Speaker 3:

Right, I would have been more wanting to console my mom.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly that's what I mean. I it is is he's kind of more concerned with this window and being in this area than he is really being by his mom.

Speaker 2:

The demeanor is very telling. I would think of this this instance.

Speaker 3:

Well, and then the more interesting thing, the detectives say then kept wandering away from the police because press had arrived. Yes, they liked talking to the press. A little bit, jackie liked talking to the press, which to me is another tell, oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that is a little odd, because that, to me, is drawing. You know, once again not the smartest. You know these aren't the smartest of criminals, and so you know to draw attention.

Speaker 1:

Well, and they start lying very quickly, Like the son admits, like he tells them he had a great relationship with his parents and he loved his dad, and you know and they also tell him that they weren't, that they didn't reveal they were married. Well, that's right.

Speaker 2:

But he also tells them that he hadn't been in his parents house at all and I think in like over a month.

Speaker 1:

And they end up once they start pulling his records, they realize it's a host of host of lies. A host of lies, right. So he's. They don't know, they're married. Now he's telling police he hasn't been in to see his parents in over a month. But then they find out from phone records he actually was in the area. Um, not just in the area, but he was in the area two day. What do we always say? What was going on 24 to 48 hours before we have a victim? Well, he's just there two days prior to the shooting.

Speaker 3:

Terry right and the fact that people think there's not traces of that nowadays. I know it amazes me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, never carry your cell phone if you're going to commit a crime.

Speaker 1:

He didn't think of any of the digital footprint in any of this.

Speaker 2:

Go get you a burner.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, We've covered cases with burners and let me tell you they're unsolved cases, Exactly. They're unsolved, and burner phones were used and you can't find them. I mean, it makes it very difficult. We're not offering any advice, by the way. All right, so there were nine .40 caliber handgun casings.

Speaker 2:

I think I accidentally just did, you just did.

Speaker 1:

That's okay. You've done it a few times at our live show too. Were found near Ted's body. During the search of the house they also find an empty box of .40 caliber in the dresser drawer in the bedroom next to the window. Corey informed them that the bedroom belonged to Nick. They also find three 80 caliber casings. So we've already said this we have two guns here. We now have two killers here. Police identify that pretty, pretty quickly.

Speaker 3:

Well, yeah, go for it.

Speaker 2:

As I say, there was four guns if we count Ted and Corey there we go, yep, but none of those casings were from cory's and we know ted didn't get any shots off, yeah yeah, yeah, and, and cory had a a revolver too, so all her casings were there present large caliber revolver as well. Yeah, hey, way to go cory way to go.

Speaker 1:

Cory, yeah, when you need it it's there. So, um, all right. So let's talk about what happens after this crime. Jackie and him continue their relationship, but then something very interesting happens. Terry and Chris, I wanted to share my seven day journey with Magic Mind, personal experience with the both of you and what the seven day journey was like with experiencing Magic Mind.

Speaker 1:

So in the beginning I just wanted to give it a taste, give it a shot. Literally, it's a little shot in a cup. I was full of curiosity and excitement to see how I felt after day one. Well, of course, I didn't feel much, but easy to take, take it in the fridge, take it out and drink it every morning with my coffee. But day two and day three, I began to notice subtle changes. My mornings felt a bit smoother and I didn't experience the usual mid-morning energy dip. My focus seemed slightly sharper and I felt more present during my meetings.

Speaker 1:

Now, midway through the week, the effects of Magic Mind became more pronounced. I felt a noticeable increase in my ability to concentrate on tasks without getting easily distracted. There was also a sense of calm that accompanied this focus, which was a pleasant surprise. Day six, I started to notice that consistent energy that I feel. Now. The most significant change was the consistency of my energy levels. So, unlike the highs and lows I experience with coffee sometimes or other caffeine drinks we choose, magic Mind provides a steady stream of energy throughout the day. I felt more productive. I felt less inclined to take breaks and tired, and you know, working from home sometimes you think you can get in a quick nap, but this consistent energy helps me maintain a higher level of productivity in my daily work and my podcast work.

Speaker 1:

And then day seven is all about reflection and my week, and there is no doubt in my mind that I have this right stuff to get my day started, and so do you. So go check out Magic Mind, the science behind the product, and you can get your first discount at magicmindcom slash Texas. Just put in that code Texas20. Okay, I'm going to go to you on this because this is something you know. We know that people don't want to believe that people they love care about, people who have raised them, they have relationship with, that they could be responsible for anything like this Correct Mother lets Nick and Jackie move in with her after Ted dies.

Speaker 3:

Correct, which makes sense, total sense. Because, mom, I mean I wouldn't want to stay in the house alone where this just happened and you were shot at Right. You were shot at what if they come back? Yep Plus, you saw your husband deceased on the floor and she found out they were married during this time, so she couldn't just say, oh why doesn't my son come here? He can day trade, she can stay in college, they both move in with her.

Speaker 1:

Yes, they do, and I agree with you. I think, from like a woman's perspective of if I have, you want that comfort there, you don't want to be alone. She's not even sure if she was a target, she's she shot at, so she can only assume that they were after both of them.

Speaker 3:

So so I understand her thought, I mean and they all had gone to the police station. Yes, they did. I mean, Nick and Jackie were in College Station. Yes, you know it took them time to get there. So why would you think?

Speaker 1:

that they were involved at all.

Speaker 3:

You want them to be there to comfort you, and they gave video interviews. They turned over their phones and stuff to police. So I am totally understanding that she didn't think that they could possibly be involved, because in the beginning why would she? Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2:

Well, they're cooperating. They're cooperating, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, they are living together, they're all living together. And the jewelry store that they had opened, he's going to start running this. Yeah, that's the plan. So Ted is now gone, corey is going to have her son run this jewelry store and he starts going and talking to other businesses right around their desk where his dad used to go in and have those conversations, and he says, hey, I'm here now, I'm going to be running the business, and he seems very excited about it.

Speaker 3:

He did, and I mean they even posted on their Facebook page announcing that he was gonna be taken over and there were so many comments people saying, oh, that's great. I remember Nick being there when he was young and stuff. So everybody was excited that they were gonna, that Nick was gonna step in and stuff. So everybody was excited that they were going to that Nick was going to step in and continue.

Speaker 1:

Well, and that also goes to show you how the community viewed them Like he wasn't the bad kid who wasn't following in his father's footsteps and wasn't going to turn out like his dad. He was very much involved in the family business very much involved, and admired his father, or so it seemed Never got in trouble.

Speaker 2:

Business very much involved and admired his father, or so it seemed Never got in trouble. Yeah, never got in trouble Because even to make that statement, like you know, the kid had to have some sort of knowledge about how the business ran. You don't just grab somebody and just because they're family, and say you're going to take over the business.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Especially a successful business like that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah right and and nick did go to the other stores to, you know, tell him, which shows that he was doing what his dad had done and what he was taught. And he let him know we're going to have a reopening because they were trying to put something positive out there, I'm sure yeah after doing that and let people know, because that was their sole livelihood.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, and on the back end, you still have a deceased man found on his floor and they're trying to figure out and solve this crime, because right now there's no one arrested, there's nobody being held accountable for this. So on the back end, the investigators are looking into what has happened. Well, of course, they're jewelers. So the first thing they think is we, and even Corey, felt this way, that they were being, they were going to be targeted because they were jewelers and probably have money and jewelry on on their person at their home.

Speaker 3:

Right, I mean, because you think about it, they probably, if you leave the jewelry store late at night, you have cash, you don't go to the bank, you take it home and you're going to drop it off the next day.

Speaker 1:

It made perfect sense, yeah, perfect sense. And so they look at this. But what they realize is really what's going on in the house does not point to robbery. You don't have. You know, typically you want to find, especially if they know at this point that there were at least 17 minutes of time spent in this house before they encounter Ted. They're looking for something. So why aren't you flipping lights on? Why aren't you? You know there's no lights on, it's very dark, Remember? She says she doesn't even really see anything. And they didn't take anything. And they didn't take anything. And they didn't take anything. And it's like what? So I think they pretty. I'm gonna say they probably didn't spend too much time on this robbery. I think that's exactly what they thought at first.

Speaker 2:

But then, once they start looking at this crime scene, they quickly realize that this is probably not what is happening well, I mean, I still, I still, like you said, he was a jeweler he could have, even though I mean a person that's going to get very expensive items, you know, and coming to rob someone for a very specific thing, like I said, such as diamonds or gold or jewelry I mean, I think that's I still, and we discussed it earlier, but somewhat plausible.

Speaker 2:

I mean the way they gained access to you know, and and the alarming off. Obviously, when they see those things, they can maybe, maybe see it's an inside job. Yeah, but not having the lights on and not things, things not taken. I think that would be probably the same as somebody was going there and to to rob someone of, like I said, jewels.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

They don't have time. They want, you know, a traceable stone that's worth a grand versus a Ming vase, right? Something like that, yeah.

Speaker 3:

But, like you said about inside job, I think that's why they, initially, you've got to look at the people closest. So you look at Corey. Yeah, because, because she survives, she survives.

Speaker 2:

Because even in some way too like he could have if he had known about something like that you know, robbed his own family. I mean, there's a, you know the very good movie was very similar plot line that before the devil knows, you're dead. That's the family. Is the one responsible for trying to rob his family's jewelry store. Sorry, and you know, bad things happen.

Speaker 3:

And it makes sense, cori's in the house, she survived, she survived. She didn't give the address, that's right. And there was no forced entry into this house, remember.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, listen, this happens a lot. We have covered lots of cases that women survive or man survives and we find out it was they were supposed to both die right, which is really what was supposed to happen. Corey was not supposed to survive this, but they also look into her because she cashes the life insurance policy.

Speaker 3:

She does, and she fired the gun, but she didn't hit anybody.

Speaker 1:

That's right, that's right she did, and they're like okay, why do you need this money? Well, I mean, you know my husband is now gone and I have a business to support. I have a home to pay for, A funeral to pay for.

Speaker 2:

You know you did mention the cash that they had on hand where they could afford those bills. I mean I could see where they was. I mean I'm like you. Yes, you need to get that money the faster you get that ball rolling, to try to, oh my gosh, yes. As long as lengthy as that takes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but first of all you have to have a death certificate. You can't get paid till you have the death certificate, which you have to show to the insurance company.

Speaker 2:

They probably did have the cash cover most of those costs initially.

Speaker 1:

However, but it takes some time.

Speaker 2:

It's a process no, that's why I mean, that's why I think there's two ways to look at it because I mean, I think that's the most natural instinct to do, and but I can see where somebody initially might be like, oh, trying to cash in you know, the before the body's gone cold you know.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, if you have a car wreck you need to report it immediately if your house has an issue, you report it, it immediately, that's right. Someone dies, don't you report it to insurance? Oh, I think so too.

Speaker 1:

yes To me that makes common sense, total sense, to me too. But they do look at this, you know, I know that. But there is some. Sometimes there are bad people who are involved in these things, who try to cash out very quickly.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, corey had interviewed with the police multiple times, but that last time she met with him she did what I tell people take an attorney. Yes, she did, which you always do. That I mean from the beginning you should. But she didn't do it until she got frustrated Because she was like why are you looking at me? I'm innocent. Yeah, but little did she know that detectives had information that they couldn't tell her.

Speaker 1:

Yes, what was that? Tell us?

Speaker 3:

So they discovered that Nick and Jackie were in huge financial trouble.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they're not just looking into her, they're looking at who else would have the motive to take Ted out, right, well, and this young couple owes some money. They do, and Nick told.

Speaker 3:

On the day his dad was killed, he told the detectives that he owed his mother $30,000. Why would you say that right off the bat? I mean think about it If my dad had just been killed. I'm not thinking about the money that I owe my mom.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and we talk about this right. Why do people offer up statements when they're not asked a question about that statement and it's typically leading? They're either wanting to lead them in a different direction, they're trying to lead, detach themselves somehow, but he just says this.

Speaker 3:

He does. And then he also tells them oh. And my mom and I argued, trying to lead detach themselves somehow. But he just says this, he does. And then he also tells them oh. And my mom and I argued yeah, About this, because I hadn't paid her back.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so he's offering up information to police which you know, I don't know, I don't know if the thinking is that he's going to lead them. How does that lead him away from that, from him, Like that's what?

Speaker 3:

I know and understand about his statements. My only thought is he's like oh well, if I just tell him now, I'm not hiding it get it out of the way they'll know, I wasn't involved.

Speaker 1:

I think you're right about that Be just be overly forthcoming and they won't ask you, which is why you get a lawyer.

Speaker 3:

People like us who look into stuff like this are like yeah, you don't say anything, that you're not asked.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it's kind of unbelievable sometimes what people and they want to be closer to the investigation. Right, and they want to. So if I hand over my phone no matter, no matter what is on my phone if I hand it over and I'm forthcoming about information, maybe they'll look a different direction. But they don't. They start honing in on this couple Because they also find out that not only does he owe money to his mom, but he owes money to a neighbor, and that neighbor actually will come forward and say that they were going to tell the parents about the money that Nick owed them. And so to me it's like is this the only person and neighbor? We're thinking at least now, right, how many more people do they owe? Do they owe and what? What does that really look like? So they start looking into this couple.

Speaker 3:

Oh, they do. And then they find out they have $2 each of them in their bank account.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they like Snapchat this or like take a screenshot of this and send it as a text message to someone I don't know. It's just very strange.

Speaker 3:

It did say only you know I'm broke, why I think back. I mean, college kids are broke, they're broke, they are broke.

Speaker 1:

You're used to being broke, right.

Speaker 3:

But Nick put on the airs that he was a successful day trader. Yes, so that makes it even more interesting to me that she sent a text saying only you know I'm broke.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, I know, and you know it's because I feel like when and here's the thing I always say we never know what happens behind closed doors, what kind of conversations are had. You know, I I think from cory's actions she definitely did not see her son as a um, as a low life, or someone that was not contributing to society, or someone she didn't trust it because she lets them move in. So that tells me that there isn't. She felt comfortable enough to allow them in the home.

Speaker 1:

You know. But then you have to think why, at this age, at 19 years old, are you thinking so much about this type of money, about being rich, about not having enough, about knowing you're a struggling college student, one of you and the other one who's trying to make a living doing day trading, and that sometimes you and it's that adult thing. I think that kids at 19 don't quite have right, that you process the fact that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and it's a part of the game, but they don't, they're not educated enough. It seems like they're not prepped enough for disappointment of life and it's like, oh, we owe people money and that's what is important to us, that we're financially stable, that, oh no, we're going to be exposed. We're now going to be exposed, right, we're now going to be exposed. And what actions are we willing to take to cover up that exposure? And police are onto this and they think these two conspire and hire two people to kill them and, what's interesting, they were more worried about the perception people had about them.

Speaker 3:

Exactly, and that's the part that is so shocking. But, like you said, they're just not old enough to understand this and they were more worried about what people thought instead of real things. But I also find interesting that they didn't delete those text messages before they offered their phones up.

Speaker 3:

They didn't delete anything messages before they offered their phones up, they didn't delete anything. And I'm like really no, I mean, police still could get them, but they didn't even attempt to delete them, because they found conversations that said they were trying to hire a hitman. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And gosh, just leave that trail, are a hit man. Yeah, and gosh, just leave that trail. How many, how many cases have have we covered on our shows that have to do with multiple people being asked to commit a crime and none of them not one of them picks up a phone, calls police and says you know what? I'm being asked to murder someone, and you might want to know about this.

Speaker 3:

And I don't. I mean I get. People don't want to get involved, or maybe they think I've got something, I've got skeletons in my closet that's going to open up a Pandora box. But we're talking about life or death. Somebody's wanting you to kill somebody.

Speaker 1:

Well, and the first one we know about is the guy, spencer, who married them. Yes, and I mean you have you think to yourself well, spencer, maybe he was like a pretty logical guy, I mean maybe, but he comes forward and says that he would have received $2 million if he helped kill his parents.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and, and we find out.

Speaker 1:

they asked multiple people and that's the offering different sums of money, like the fifth. Some were 50 000, some were in the million, some were a couple hundred thousand dollars. Yeah, they were, just they were desperate. They were desperate and they didn't care how much it cost and and they just wanted to find and I say they because you know we'll get into the conspiracy aspect of this but they're going to come to find out that Jackie wasn't so innocent in some of these conversations.

Speaker 3:

The text messages we find are between Jackie and Nick. That's right, and I mean what's interesting? The police were like OK, we know Corey's not involved. I personally think they were still questioning her. Oh, I think so too, just for information, because they already knew and suspected that Nick and Jackie were involved and they were just doing their due diligence on that. But yeah, we're going to find out. Jackie was much more involved. But going back to talking about Corey, she then realized okay, they're not looking at me anymore. She didn't know what the police had, but she began to feel that they were targeting Nick.

Speaker 3:

So, she did what any mother would do. She hired him an attorney because she was confident that her son was not involved and she thought they were just taking the easy way.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and not wanting to do an investigation and hey, which sometimes happens, it does, and it's easy just to pin it on someone on the inside, because people want a case like this solved. This is a millionaire family who own business owners in austin and police want these kinds of cases solved, that you want the community to feel a sense of safety and knowing that this person is off the street. But sometimes it takes just when sometimes you get tunnel vision, you do do and you hone in on what seems to make the most sense, which was her in the beginning. But now that they've done, they're thinking you know what, she's not the one who owes all these people money, right, and she's really. You know who is going to have the motive and the benefit of Ted being gone. And you know it's also because we do know that this is exactly what happens. They end up hiring two people who end up saying yes to this crime, but they didn't.

Speaker 1:

You know it's interesting, terry, because sometimes you hear about this and you hear that he wanted the business right or he wanted the family business, so he was ready. But that doesn't seem to be the case. He wanted the money, he just wanted the family business. So he was ready. But that doesn't seem to be the case. He wanted the money, he just wanted the money. He didn't want the hard work, he didn't want what his dad had built. It wasn't about any sort of like living up to expectations. He wanted the money. He wanted the money and the image, and so I found that pretty interesting.

Speaker 3:

I mean I do say it's great that Spencer said no, yes, he did, didn't pick up the phone and call anybody and prevent the death, but he does later work with the police. Yes, so I'm, like you, redeemed yourself a little bit there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, he ends up becoming like an informant for them. Right conversations could have prevented ted's death. Oh my gosh, I mean think about that. That's why, if you see something, you hear something, just say something, just call. It's better to be wrong than to be right and not make that call. Right, just make the call and you can do it anonymously. That's right. You don't have to tell them your name, you don't have to say tell them anything, just tell them you have a lead. Especially in cases like this, police don't care, they just want to know the information. Let them investigate it, let them figure it out, but give them.

Speaker 3:

But he should have, I should have all of them should have, because just think two people could have been killed. If cory would have died too, I know these people would have two deaths on them and I, you know.

Speaker 1:

it's a scary thing to think, though, knowing when Corey looks back on this and she says wow, my son and his wife were hiring people to kill us and I allowed them to move in with me after this was over. And you, I am, you know, do we know anything? Did you find anything in your research about any of the conversations after Ted's death between Jackie and Nick? Did you, because I would be thinking, oh wait, we didn't get the money. Mom is still alive, and what are we going to do now? I wonder if they would not have been investigated like they were, if, eventually, he would have gone through with it and had his mother killed.

Speaker 3:

Well, and that makes me wonder. I mean yes, he took over the business. So, he's like that's one step closer to the money, but it's not the life insurance that he would have gotten if both of them. So in my opinion and what I've seen happen, it was basically going to just buy time. They would have eventually needed all of it. But I mean, Corey protected him and got an attorney and she didn't believe it until they finally showed her evidence.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so they look into a couple of people right now that they know that they there's murder for hire happening. They end up finding a guy by name of johnny leone, the third. Um, so we actually know because there was video surveillance. So I I was trying to understand this in my research. So there he brought them to the house right. Nick showed the layout.

Speaker 3:

He did to the hitman. He wanted to make sure they were prepared. Yeah, they knew where to go, how, how to get in, how to remove, because if you think about screens, normally you pull the screen from the inside Yep, and set it out, you can't pull the screen from the outside. So that means, probably during that visit, when he showed him around, he lifted the screen up and put it where they could pull it from the outside. Yeah, yeah, not crazy. Screen up and put it where they could pull it from the outside. Yeah, yeah, isn't that crazy. The other thing that we're going to find about Jackie later on, but the text messages between Nick and Jackie she was wanting to know why it was taking so long. Yes, how much was it going to cost? We don't have the money up front. We need to do this, and I find that very interesting because of how it all plays out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they both showed active participation in this at least from the digital footprint of what police were looking at. So they end up finding another man.

Speaker 1:

I believe you pronounce his arian smith that's how I'm gonna pronounce it um, and this person actually was from fort worth, so they end up just and this is so leon tells detectives that he asked smith to take part for five thousand dollars a month. So this was going. He was going to get five5,000 for a month, but, like you were talking about earlier, when does that stop? Is that a? Is that one time? Is that a perpetual?

Speaker 3:

Is that forever? Is that a lifetime annuity, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you have an annuity to 20 years. You know it's like none of this conversation really takes place or how long, but again they're like just I think, just trying to pull any string they can to make this happen. Right, I mean they were 19. Yeah, 19 years old. So you see the sporadic with the number and the. It's just it's very amateur, very amateur, like All right. So during questioning, smith denied taking part in the murder, but he soon confessed his involvement and said that he was the one who had used the 40 caliber weapon to shoot and kill ted. He also told detectives to give him the death penalty. He said I've killed somebody, I deserve to die. We see this too. People say I did it kill.

Speaker 3:

I think it gets to them yeah, go for it. I truly think we hear this in some of the cases. They didn't think it was going to weigh on them taking someone's life. They don't realize that it's going to be there. So I do find that at least they say I deserve punishment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it haunts them. I mean our souls and our conscious is there for a reason. It is, and it goes with the good, but it also goes with the bad. So you know, when people say they live with the things they've done, that's truly what it means. Your body, literally, is affected by those things. That keeps you up at night, and so guilt is a thing.

Speaker 3:

It is a thing.

Speaker 1:

And you. So he's feeling it and it's there, and by this time now they have suspects, and now they're really worried about Corey oh who are they going to? Is she going to believe them too? Right, like gosh you, you have this woman who moved them in and now you know they've hired Hitman. You're concerned about her well-being because she's still in the house and, as far as you know, she was supposed to be a victim as well, Did they?

Speaker 3:

hire someone else Because they asked multiple people. Yeah, did they call the day after so that they could fake another burglary? Yeah, to have her killed.

Speaker 1:

Finish it out, finish it out, so they quickly, quickly arrest this couple. Yes, thankfully, thankfully, so they end up getting arrested and Nick's bail is set at $3 million, hers is set at $1 million, that's a lot, but it is murder and it's conspiracy to hire murder.

Speaker 3:

so it is, but I I still think they were married. They were a couple that's right they discussed it.

Speaker 1:

It should be the same yeah, yeah, um, but they aren't treated.

Speaker 3:

The same they, I mean they wind up reducing her bond to $250,000.

Speaker 1:

Yes, they did. And then they end up, actually, she ends up wanting to comply and work with investigators and tell them you know her side of what happened, Right Of what happened.

Speaker 3:

Well, it's interesting because Corey still believed Nick was innocent until she read the arrest affidavit. Yeah, that's when she was like holy shit.

Speaker 1:

Well, you see it all yeah. Like it's all you know. Now you see the investigation on paper.

Speaker 3:

And you move them into your house.

Speaker 1:

You were sheltering them when this whole time you have no idea if they were plotting your demise. I mean, imagine, and they killed your husband yeah, and the fear already she had of being alone after losing him. And then you move the killers in. I mean that's what's so crazy. Or the hired. You know the brains behind the operation. You move them in.

Speaker 3:

How do you not start questioning? How could I have let that happen? How did I not know? I mean, I would be questioning myself. How did I not have any?

Speaker 1:

I'm sure she did I there's a lot of guilt and shame that go with that too. There would have to be, you know. I mean just like what is my judgment right and what's wrong with me, or why didn't I see this to save him, Right, you know, type of thing. But gosh, we could, we just we can do that to ourselves.

Speaker 3:

But I hope Corey I know she ended up probably leaving Texas and she started a new life for herself- and from research I found, found a couple articles she changed her name Well, and I I can found a couple articles she changed her name well, and I for her. I can't blame her, no, no, I mean I can't she. I will still say she shows some strength, even as this goes on, and some compassion.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, yeah, um now his up, his charges are actually upgraded, yes, to capital murder. Uh, the two hit men were also charged with capital murder. All three were facing the death penalty in this case. Now the da at the time said he was not interested in plea deals. He was going to move forward and go to trial with these. Um, and because the evidence was against her was weaker and as there was like no direct contact between herself and the actual killers, that was sort of nick's thing. Jackie was charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder which carried a life sentence. Yes, but we know that changes.

Speaker 3:

Welcome to a new district attorney. Yes, yeah, so.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so new DA comes on board and in April 2021, johnny Leon and Arion Smith were each sentenced to 35 years with the possibility of parole after they pled guilty to murder. Dropping the charges down from capital murder, I mean, I feel like these are significant changes.

Speaker 3:

Those are significant changes.

Speaker 1:

I mean we're not done yet. Corey wrote to Nick encouraging him to accept the deal, Same deal, and at this point she's still interacting with him and she wants him to have a chance at life. That's the only thing I can think as a mother.

Speaker 3:

I mean it was because he would be eligible for parole when he's around 36. I mean I was just so young I am crazy to think about that she had to just be hoping that he would rehabilitate, rehabilitate, come out and make amends and be a better person. I don't know that one. Like I said, as a mom, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

It's a it's tough.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know, I think there's probably a lot of sympathy and empathy for him and and and the way he started life, and then giving him what you know love and unconditional love and sometimes unconditional love is. You know it's a thing you carry and you don't. You know it's very tearing for a mother. You know you love your husband, but now he's no longer here, but now your son is here and how can you move forward with forgiveness, with feeling good about this terrible thing that has happened to your life, and that's really the only thing I can come up with with the situation with her.

Speaker 3:

That, or she didn't want to feel responsible if her son was executed, because then she would have had a say to some degree yeah, yeah, to do that, it's a hard thing, it is. I just hope I never have to be in that. Yeah, yeah, to do that, it's a hard thing, it is I. I just hope I never have to be in that situation, because I don't know. Now are you going to tell us about Jackie?

Speaker 1:

Well, she pled guilty to conspiracy to commit capital murder by terror, threat or other felonies, so that's exactly what they charged her with. Um she was sentenced to 120 days plus two and 10 years probation. So she gets 120 days for this conspiracy to commit capital murder and she spends two days in jail on the anniversary of Ted's murder.

Speaker 1:

So she goes and turns herself in for two days and spends two days in prison, which to me would be more of a halfway house because you go in and you're released and then she is on 10 years probation. Now, if she breaks this probation or violation of probation, she's going to serve 20 years in prison.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, but if she doesn't break probation, it's not a conviction on her record, that's right.

Speaker 1:

It's deferred. It's deferred because she basically helped them once she was going to be, once she was going to be indicted by a grand jury. So she says, hey, let me tell you what I know. And sometimes they have to make these kind of deals with the devil when they're dealing with some of these cases, right. And again it's like how did the DA feel about this case If they prosecuted and brought to jury in trial? Did they think they wouldn't get a conviction? Or was there something trying? Why the plea deals? A new DA, a new DA, right? So it's a win. Do you just want to get it off? Yeah, it's a win. You just want to be done with it and move forward.

Speaker 3:

And it doesn't cost the state any money.

Speaker 1:

That's right, and it doesn't cost the state any money.

Speaker 3:

That's right, because it's expensive to take people to trial and pull these out for long periods of time and you think about the time in 2022. I mean, COVID had happened. States were behind. Oh, still behind, Because everything got delayed, so I think a lot of things played into it. Yes, I do too.

Speaker 1:

And you know, sometimes it just turns out this way and the conspirator or she got a sweet deal.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean, and again, these are 19 year old kids we're talking about, and I try to remember this because mindset does have a lot to do with decision-making, especially when you're young like this, and she may be a part of even cory and the idea that they can have and maybe even the justice system. I mean, I have covered cases where police have said you know, this shouldn't ruin their lives. I mean these, this is real statements that come from police and, you know, do they sometimes base these adolescents and these adult decisions they make and think bad, bad judgment, that you know, temporary lapse of judgment here, but but their records have shown they've been good people otherwise. And so are we doing a disservice, putting them in jail forever, you know, rather than giving them a second chance? And I think this is a constant battle we feel with this justice system which, because we try to be fair, right.

Speaker 3:

And I agree it's hard and I'm so glad I'm not having to make that decision.

Speaker 1:

I know.

Speaker 3:

Because that that would be hard. Because you're right, they made this decision. Their brains aren't fully developed.

Speaker 1:

They're not and they don't Well, just like his. You know his lack of experience in day trading what he thought he knew he didn't know so well, right, and, and so I think you you're dealing with with very, but, but, but very adult mindset thinking, in my opinion, to even go there in the first place and think this is your out, and I would even I hope that they've looked at Nick and I've hope they've done some you know, tests or had some conversation psychiatrist and to think why would a good kid who was raised by a really good family, suddenly do this? Because this happens a lot, it does. Nick isn't the only person to do something like this as a teenager. And you know, was it the money, was it the necessity to have everything but not know how to work for it? Because maybe that part of being instilled in him didn't quite get there, it was just how do I get it?

Speaker 1:

He wanted to skip all of the hard work that His parents did hey it wouldn't be, he wouldn't be the first one felt entitled to it to some degree.

Speaker 3:

He did, and he wanted to skip everything and he didn't want to wait until he was 30 or 40 to get it from his parents.

Speaker 1:

Well, he regrets what he does and he accepts responsibility for you know, for their murder. Accepts responsibility, for you know, for their murder. Like you said, he accepted a deal and at 36 years old which will be half of the sentence, the 35 years is 17 and a half years he will be eligible for parole. So we'll see what happens whether they give it to him or if he has to then spend the next 17 and a half years in prison.

Speaker 3:

I think a lot of it's going to depend on what he does with his time in jail. That's right why he's in prison. What does he do?

Speaker 1:

I wonder if so. I know that we know that Corey left Texas, remarried, changed her name. Yes, do we know if she still has contact with Nick.

Speaker 3:

So my understanding from the research I did, he still mails her letters and stuff but she doesn't respond to him.

Speaker 1:

So that's interesting. So her view, you know. She tells him take the plea, give yourself a fighting chance. Yes, but now I have to realize what was done. What was done, and I'm going now to to then you know, good for her it is. I mean, I think it's healing and I think it brings her back. It does having to talk to him and I don't know how that, how good that is for healing for her.

Speaker 3:

I don't. And then I mean she was asked does she love her son? And she said she loves the boy that she raised, and she knew yeah. He's no longer that person. Yeah, and I mean, setting those boundaries have got to be hard, but she's also got to do what's best for her.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no matter. I mean, she was stuck by him the whole time, I mean, and having to separate, that all of the sudden wanted her dead. I know I mean, yeah, I can't imagine um, so yeah, so they are. Um, jackie is doing her, did her 120 days, right, so that's over. She then turns herself in on ted's anniversary and spends those. I don't know if I've ever heard of that part of a conviction that they turn themselves in on the anniversary. That is a special circumstance. I would assume that was with the plea Interesting.

Speaker 3:

I yeah, not sure. My thought is, they think she has to relive what she did every two years. She just can't go on and forget.

Speaker 1:

I agree with that. I would say that was. I've just never seen that I've not seen it.

Speaker 3:

I've heard of it one time in a DWI case years ago, probation and having to go in and do that yes. But I've never heard it in this situation.

Speaker 1:

But I think you're right. It's just a kind of a reminder of what happened and not being able to let that go.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and Corey, you know, wanted Nick to take the plea deal. She was not happy with what Jackie got.

Speaker 1:

No, she wasn't. She considered it a very light sentence compared to 120 days, yeah, and did she offer that much information that they already didn't have? I see that was another thought of mine.

Speaker 3:

You had the digital footprint and you had the notes between them. She was wanting to know why it wasn't happening faster.

Speaker 1:

I don't know what did you need from her or what? And that see, that tells me they were worried, maybe worried about taking this to trial Like this kind of makes me think they needed her, they needed her, but they never tell us what they got from her.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and that's the thing. It's like there. To me, though, to offer only that sentence and to need her. Bad enough to get him even that plea deal. There was something missing. Yeah, there's something missing, and is it because a jury looks at him? Because I told you, I looked at, we saw a picture of these kids. They look like they just walked out of Highland Park Homecoming, right, I mean they don't. They look like our neighbors. I mean, these, these, these are educated kids. These are kids who I think, at least for him, came up in a good upbringing, right, but she wasn't. I mean, she had a decent, I'm going to say she had a decent upbringing, didn't read anything that she didn't. I mean she was going to college, right, she got into A&M. I, I mean she was going to college, she got into A&M. I mean she was doing well for herself.

Speaker 3:

I would love to know why.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they needed her for something, and this kind of sentence that's what it screams to me is they really needed her to talk? That or my other thought on that is she's very good at manipulating people. Yeah, but then you don't. But you, how do you manipulate yourself? Into a like they had to come with that deal before she said anything right, we're going to give you this if you cooperate, if you cooperate with us.

Speaker 3:

here's only what you're going to get Confirmed everything they had against. Just confirmed everything they had against. So that was yeah, she must have been able to say fill in the gaps for them that were missing from the digital evidence?

Speaker 1:

Oh, no doubt about it. I mean, they need you don't see this. Yeah, because that's unheard of. Especially when you have the digital footprint of the engagement and the interaction about this crime, right so?

Speaker 3:

I don't know. And then you have the friend Spencer, that's right, who is an informant. Yes, yes.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, two kids who you know, yeah, they were starting their lives and unfortunately, money greed, um, image, image, you know it's, I don't know it's. Um, it's kind of mind-boggling a little bit when you think of crimes like this. And what motivated this young man, who's who basically was rescued from the soviet union to come and live in America and be raised by a wealthy family and gave you everything you know and raised you with love and care and and you went around with your father and you enjoyed him and you enjoyed your family. And then what you know? I say this to my police law enforcement friends like what is it? What happens in the mind where? And they go, stop it, just stop trying to figure it out, because you're not going to figure it out, because you're not a sociopath, like there's a sociopathic behavior that happens, that it shifts and you're just, unless you're there, unless you really are your sociopath yourself, you're not going to understand the brain chemistry of why things in these decisions. But because I mean, I think I mean it's just wild.

Speaker 3:

He could have just waited. Eventually, you know, it would all come to him. Or I can't imagine he could have called his parents and said I failed at day trading. I know I can't pay you back.

Speaker 1:

I need accountability.

Speaker 3:

I need to come work at the store for you and need to learn that business. Or, hey, I need to go to college. This didn't work out. I mean why his first thought was to go to that.

Speaker 1:

And don't we think we raise our kids with that? Don't we think we raise our kids with enough accountability to come to us and trust us? Hey, you know what. You can tell your friends whatever you want, but I'm here to help you, protect you and make the right decision, no matter if it's good, bad or you're something doesn't feel right. That's a safe space.

Speaker 3:

It's an unconditional love and you try to raise your kids with it. Yeah, so that's what I'm like. Why is that the first thing you go to?

Speaker 1:

I don't so and.

Speaker 3:

But like people say, we can't understand because we're not um sociopaths who hire hitmen to kill our parents right so so we'll see what they do with their life. Jackie has now finished college yes, she has um.

Speaker 1:

He is in prison until at least the age of 36, um, and that is very young. That is, if he ends up getting out, he can start a whole new life for himself. You know, chris and I had covered a case with a young man actually not far from where we are, and he ended up killing both of his parents after he was found shoplifting at Six Flags and he this is a thing and he ends up shooting both of them as they come home from church and he drives his rides, his bike, to an Addison police officer and tells them that he has just shot his parents. And there is a this is a kid who was raised in the best private schools in Dallas, the best of the best and given everything.

Speaker 1:

And then one time you know something happens and you get in trouble and you don't know how to handle it. And then all these things come out in court right about how his father treated him and this, and you don't know if it's true, not true, but it's just that immediate reaction to disappointment that people have to learn to handle. And if you don't, the worst is like oh, I've got to get rid of the problem, I've got to fix this, and I'm going to do it, and if that means killing my father to get money, then that's just what I'm going to have to do.

Speaker 3:

That goes to show, though, that the brain's not fully developed, because that's part of it. Yeah, they that one thing the life is over. It's like my life's over. I have no choice.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, there's no, there's no rebounding from this. You know, and we know, as adults, that this too shall pass, this too shall pass, and life happens and and sometimes it sucks and we've got to admit when we're wrong and face the consequences, but then sometimes life's really great it is, but you don't let.

Speaker 3:

just one little thing I know, I've never had a thought, oh, I need to kill somebody for this. So it also shows, besides, just the lack of maturity of their brain, things like that. Something in there, just yeah, it wasn't quite right, wasn't quite right.

Speaker 1:

Well, wow, well, thank you for introducing me to this case. It was very interesting to research and learn more about and you know it reminded me of these like really big cases. You know that involve different people being asked to commit the crime within the crime and nobody speaking up.

Speaker 1:

So once again, if you notice anything, hear something, hear a neighbor scream I mean God, chris and I were just looking at a case the other day where three people heard the woman screaming within a 30 minute period and nobody called 911. And one guy decided to three hours later because it really bothered him this scream. Just call police, just just call. I mean, if it sounds like a blood curdling scream or it sounds like if it worries you, then that means your body's telling you to do something about it, right, I mean?

Speaker 3:

I used to when we first moved to the area we live now. I would hear gunshots and I'd be like Colin, and then I realized there's a gun shooting range close by. But if I hear it at an odd time of the day, I do write down exactly the time and look at the clock and then I watch the news, because I can't call for the gun range every time. I hear gunshots, but at least I've documented it in case. But if I heard somebody scream, blood curdling, yell, I'm calling 911.

Speaker 1:

Yes, just call and it really honestly. It goes to trafficking, it goes to child abuse so many things. It goes to animal abuse Everything. Be a good neighbor. We are responsible for our community and to do the neighborly thing and don't worry about pissing people off either. A neighbor we are, we are responsible for our community and to do the neighborly thing and you know, don't worry about pissing people off either.

Speaker 1:

Exactly Okay. And it's okay to be wrong to please go. Hey, you know what? We looked into it. There's nothing here. Well, great, at least I can go to bed and go to sleep knowing that I've done the right thing, exactly. So if anybody offers you money to kill someone, you know what to do.

Speaker 2:

Oh, we've told them.

Speaker 1:

Now, Terry, we've told them not what to do Now. Just do it Now. Just do it. All right, friend. Well, I hope we get to do this again. Yes, this was fun. This was so fun. Would you like to end it how? How we end our show. How do you end your show so?

Speaker 3:

usually I just tell people to stay safe, watch out for crime and enjoy wine time.

Speaker 1:

Oh, you do. Well, I like that. Well, ours is have fun. No, stay safe, have fun and cheers to next time. Cheers to next time. A big thank you this week to our sponsor, longhorn Cellars. We are enjoying their 2023 Twilight Rose this week, a blend of 85% Montepulciano and 15% Mouverdre. This medium-bodied rosé wine has notes of strawberry, raspberry and plums. And, Chris, what did you pair this wine with?

Speaker 2:

I paired it with a golden potato chowder with added some roasted corn and potato and sorry, roasted corn and carrots Cause I suspected this wine was going to be just a tad bit sweet. It wasn't really that sweet but just kind of bring out some of those notes. And we had a very simple salad with a hunt with a Chipotle ranch dressing. It's kind of a light little meal. And then, of course, you got the bread bowl that it was served in a big sour dough bread bowl.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, this was a really good wine, though I really enjoyed it. It was nice, very easy drinking. I've kind of rosés are slowly but surely growing on me, and so I felt like it'd be a good match and I think it all worked out well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it was still warm outside, so the wine went great.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was a summer wine with a fall dish.

Speaker 1:

Exactly Well. Thank you again, Longhorn Sellers. We can't wait to see you and everyone, Chris, on November 2nd. If you haven't got your tickets to that show, grab them now. We will be there very soon to visit our friend from Fredericksburg. Chris, thank you for the dish, and Longhorn Sellers, thank you Bye.