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Ann Marie Green
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Jim Axelrod
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Jenna Jackson
Some stories have a way of sticking with you. For me, it's the 48 hour series Murder in the Orange Grove. But Audible has a best of 2024 list that's packed with unforgettable listens you won't stop thinking about.
Ann Marie Green
Check out Framed.
Jenna Jackson
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Ann Marie Green
Head over to audible.com 48hours and discover all the year's best waiting for you.
Jenna Jackson
That's audible.com 48 hours audible. There's more to imagine when you listen foreign.
Ann Marie Green
Welcome to Postmortem. I'm your host Ann Marie Green. And with me today are CBS News chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod and producer Jenna Jackson to discuss Shootout at the Shaughnesses. Thank you so much for joining us, guys.
Jim Axelrod
Thanks for having us.
Jenna Jackson
Yes, thank you.
Ann Marie Green
The thing about this hour is, you know, the story starts off one way and it ends in a way that's completely different than you expect. There's a break in at Ted and Corey Shaughnessy's home in Austin, Texas. Ted is killed, but his wife Corey actually survives. And initially it seems like this could have been, you know, a robbery gone wrong. But as the police start investigating, it looks more and more like this is an inside job. So before we get into the discussion, let's just hear a quick recap of the broadcast.
Jim Axelrod
Before dawn on March 2, 2018, intruders entered the home of Ted and Cory Shaughnessy, killing him and one of the family's rottweilers, Barton. Corey says she shot back and called 91 1.
Jenna Jackson
I didn't close it. There were shots fired. Help me.
Jim Axelrod
Okay, we're helping you, ma'am.
Jenna Jackson
Help me.
Jim Axelrod
Paul Salo and James Moore of the Travis County Sheriff's Department say bullet casings were scattered on the floor. We had.40 caliber M380. It was a hell of gunfire. At first, Corey Shaughnessy thought it was a botched robbery. The family business had made them wealthy. Being a jeweler, you might someday be a target. But Ted Shaughnessy didn't have any known enemies. And then assistant DA Amy Meredith says it didn't look like a robbery. There were still valuables all over the house.
Jenna Jackson
There was nothing stolen.
Jim Axelrod
But there was something missing from the Shaughnessys house. A Handgun from a bedroom once belonging to their son Nick. He and his high school sweetheart, Jackie Edison, rushed to Austin from the home where they were then living two hours away. We began discussing the alarm system for the house. Corey says the family only armed the alarm when they were away, Though Nick had access to the settings through a phone app. Police suspected he and Jackie were involved in the murder. But in the following days, the couple moved in with Corey.
Jenna Jackson
You could have told me aliens landed on the front yard, and I would.
Ann Marie Green
Have believed that before.
Jim Axelrod
I would have believed that Nicholas and.
Jenna Jackson
Jackie planned to have us killed.
Ann Marie Green
I was incredibly impressed by her.
Jenna Jackson
She's an impressive woman. She really is. She had a literal shootout. Like, I feel like part of that even gets missed. In all this craziness, she literally had to shoot back at two hitmen who broke in in the middle of the night. I can't fathom that. And then hid in the closet when she ran out of bullets. Like, there's so much trauma, you know.
Jim Axelrod
She had a good marriage. Like you. You go to bed, and you've got somebody next to you in the bed who you love. You have a gorgeous home. You have a thriving business. That guy, that husband of yours is beloved in the community. So as you close your eyes, you're thinking, you know what?
Jenna Jackson
This is good.
Jim Axelrod
Life's a heavy lift, and we're making it happen. You're awakened a few hours later, and there is a hail of gunfire in your house, and your husband's dead. Like, think about how you have to fold all of that into your reaction. Just that.
Jenna Jackson
Just that is traumatic. And then the rest of this craziness unfolds. And it's the other person you love most in the world who did this.
Ann Marie Green
There was some incredible detective work done here by detectives Paul Salo and James Moore. They discovered these text messages on Nick and Jackie's phones that seemed. Seem to suggest their involvement in hiring the shooters. But the trail kind of runs cold until detective Moore spots a small detail on the security video from Nick and Jackie's porch, Recorded just two days, really, before the attack. Here's detective Moore talking with Jim about what he saw on the security video.
Jim Axelrod
I see two individuals show up to his front door. Moore says he noticed something about one of the men that made him freeze the video. Something he was wearing. A green Anderson T shirt. Window company.
Jenna Jackson
A window company.
Jim Axelrod
This feels like a break. And it only happens because you isolated a frame of the video from the security camera.
Jenna Jackson
Yeah.
Jim Axelrod
He and Salo drove to the window company where their hard work Ran into more good luck. By sheer coincidence, an employee's daughter said she'd actually met the man in the freeze frame. Apparently, he'd only worked there for a few days. Four years earlier, and this woman still remembered his name. Sergeant, what are the odds of a hit like this on the identity? It was crazy that we got that break.
Ann Marie Green
Okay, so that was a lucky break for sure. Right. But it's not just luck, because I didn't even. I couldn't even figure out why he zeroed in on that T shirt. Something about it stuck out to him.
Jim Axelrod
Yeah, you know, this is sort of one of the controlling principles of police work, but this case in particular. Luck is the residue of design. Right? The harder you work, the luckier you get. I mean, you can say luck all day long, but unless Detective Moore is staying on this to the degree he did and kept his behind in the chair in front of the screen and went over and over, they would have missed it.
Jenna Jackson
Jim's exactly right. They left no detail unturned. And they searched and searched to figure out who this guy was, and thankfully found somebody who remembered him from four years earlier. You know, so it's pretty amazing.
Jim Axelrod
It still makes my hair stand up in the back of my neck that that's how they broke this case.
Ann Marie Green
That shirt would not have jumped out at me enough to follow up on it. Yeah, and then once they were.
Jenna Jackson
They drive all over the state. You know, they drove all over the state for, like, several days in a row to finally figure out which office of this window place someone remembered this guy.
Jim Axelrod
Okay, but. But even. Let's take it one step further. They managed to find someone who remembered the guy while he was working there for the brief number of hours he was. And they remember that. I mean, that is a stroke of luck. But again, it's only enabled by an incredible amount of hard work.
Ann Marie Green
Now, we should add that the man in the T shirt they identified in the video was not involved in the killing, but he knew someone who. And that led police to Nick Shaughnessy and his girlfriend Jackie, who we later find out is actually his wife. Right. So, you know, the way this investigation sort of unfolds and comes together is really incredible. What was Nick's relationship, though, like with his parents? It seemed like they adored him. They gave him all sorts of opportunities.
Jim Axelrod
Nick Shaughnessy had everything. He had two parents doting on him. He had. He had every material comfort, anything he wanted. So he was indulged. And people might say, well, he was overindulged. And. But that doesn't create somebody who launches this kind of plot. Right.
Ann Marie Green
I mean, they even helped him start his business as a day trader, giving him money. Everything seems like he was on the right path.
Jenna Jackson
And I. I think his parents thought he was on the right path for the most part. Corey said at one point during our conversations, he wasn't super motivated yet. I mean, I'm a mom of twin teenagers. That is not unusual. You know, I think they thought their relationship was fine.
Ann Marie Green
So as I'm watching the hour, this episode is really a masterclass in interviewing. Not only securing an interview, but also getting answers to tough questions. Both of you did that. Jim, your interview with Nick was really something. And Jenna, you approached Jackie right after she's released from prison for an interview. I thought, there's no way this woman's gonna talk. And then she stands there and answers your questions.
Jim Axelrod
Let me just hop in here for a second because this needs to be said. The degree of difficulty of walking up to someone who, you know, doesn't want to talk to you, and you approach them and not only get them to talk as opposed to just clamming up or running away, but then tell you things that become helpful in understanding the scope of. Of the story. No one understands how hard that actually is. You see the final product on tv, sometimes you're like, oh, you know, Jenna really needs to be called out for what a top shelf job that was.
Ann Marie Green
And Jenna, what were you thinking when you were approaching her?
Jenna Jackson
I mean, apart from trying not to throw up. Right. I knew she didn't want to talk to us because I had been to visit her twice in jail, and the second time, she wouldn't even come out to say hello. So she knew who I was. She. She didn't want to talk. I genuinely always want to hear someone's story, whatever it is. And I feel like people always surprise you, and people generally want to tell their story. So I was just trying to be, you know, not intimidating and like, look, we're doing this story. You're a part of this story. We really want to hear what you have to say. And while she said, I don't want to talk, I said, okay, well, I'm going to ask you some questions anyway. And she just kept answering them.
Ann Marie Green
And I was sort of caught off guard listening to her answer.
Jenna Jackson
She had thought about this, you know, so whatever you make of her, it at least gives a little more insight into her, which was nice.
Ann Marie Green
So true. And then, Jim, your interview with Nick in prison after he's incarcerated. First off, you're sitting across from him. There's a glass separating you two. What's it like interviewing someone in a maximum security prison? Do you have to sort of block out the environment?
Jim Axelrod
The biggest impediment in a situation like that is most of the time when you interview someone you've never met before about something sensitive, you want to establish a sense of trust. And that's done before the lights go on and the camera goes on by. You know, how you doing? I just want you to understand, this is what I'm going to talk to you about. All that's out the window when you have to walk in and some public information officer from the prison is saying, all right, you got five minutes to sit down and let's get going. Tweak the camera and let's. And then you have an hour. And this is my one shot. The first thought in the front of my mind was, look in his eyes. Make sure he knows you are listening to him, because that is crucial. And I said to him, I'm like, look, Nick, you know, I'm going to ask you questions that are not going to be comfortable, but this is your chance to actually explain to a lot of people who are wondering what kind of guy would do this. So if you have something to say, now's the time to say it. That doesn't mean I have suspended my own sense as a human being of, oh, my God, I'm sitting across a guy who tried to have his parents killed.
Ann Marie Green
You're describing kind of the delicate balance, all the different thoughts that go through your head. And that's part of the reason why I was so impressed with your approach to him, because you did ask the questions that the outraged viewer would ask, but not in an outraged way that would stop him from answering your questions. So I want to play part of your interview with Nick. He very quickly accepts what he did, but accepting what he did is different than taking accountability. Right? So, Jim, here's what you ask Nick.
Jim Axelrod
Were you at all thinking, what am I doing?
Jenna Jackson
Of course, it was always in the back of my head, like red flags, like, stop, don't go the back of your head.
Jim Axelrod
Why not the front of your head?
Jenna Jackson
I guess the, the. The validation or approval from Jackie.
Ann Marie Green
So that's when I was like, there it is.
Jenna Jackson
Best moment ever, Jen.
Ann Marie Green
Yes, there it is. Because the whole time I'm thinking, geez, he seems, you know, really ready, willing and able to take responsibility for this.
Jim Axelrod
Somebody said to me, and this is the highest compliment I think I've ever received, they said, man, that was disappointed dad vibe.
Jenna Jackson
Yeah.
Ann Marie Green
So as I was watching the interview with Nick, I kept on thinking, why am I unsatisfied with his answer? He's taking responsibility. I know, but I still feel unsatisfied. And it's because you don't say those words without breaking down, without tears in your eyes.
Jim Axelrod
Something that is such a great observation on your part.
Ann Marie Green
So Jackie only had to serve 120 days in jail. Nick and his two accomplices, they each got sentences of 35 years. Big difference. Jenna, you know, you spoke to Jackie and you asked her about that, and she seemed to think that was fair. Based on her what she says is her involvement. What was your reaction to hearing the sentences that everyone got?
Jenna Jackson
I'm from Texas and have been crime reporting here for over 20 years. Even 35 years for a murder. And an attempted murder is pretty low in Texas. I was kind of amazed at those plea deals. But Jackie did cooperate eventually with the police. She filled in some blanks. So, you know, that could be what sort of led them to these plea deal talks. Yeah. I don't know if we'll ever know fully what went into that decision.
Jim Axelrod
We won't. But there was a woman who survived the murder of her husband, and she was a target, too. And after the entire process has been completed, she is feeling a sense of not just sadness and frustration, but rage about the system not protecting her because she feels the people who are responsible for this were not dealt with, and it plagues her.
Ann Marie Green
DA Jose Garza did not speak with us, but he did provide a statement. Let's play a clip from the show.
Jim Axelrod
A district attorney spokesperson sent us a statement saying our office takes acts of violence seriously and is committed to holding people who commit violent crimes accountable. The statement also said Edison is on 10 years probation, and if she violates the terms, she could face 20 years in prison. Corey Shaughnessy says a full explanation from authorities would have helped her make sense of something that has always struck her as impossibly wrong. So no one's ever explained to you why this enormous disparity in sentence?
Jenna Jackson
No, absolutely not.
Jim Axelrod
So this is why sometimes DA s simply issue a statement. Because I can tell you, if that was done at a news conference, the first question that I'd be asking is. Hang on. You do not answer the question, why the disparity? So appreciate the statement, but could you please tell me why the disparity?
Jenna Jackson
Yeah, I mean, I agree with Jim. They're not answering the question that we asked.
Ann Marie Green
You spoke to investigators, and they were convinced Jackie knew something about the murder plot and did nothing about it. Nothing to stop it. Let's hear a clip from detectives Moore and Salo.
Jenna Jackson
They're both to blame.
Jim Axelrod
Who took more action? It's Nick. You take Nick out of this, you don't have the incident, you take Jackie out. Still happens. That's a really important point. Let's underscore that, Emory. You take Nick out of it, it doesn't happen. Take Jackie out of it, it still happens. So, yes, disparity, sure, maybe. But this much disparity, I think that's the frustration and anger of Corey and others. It's not that they were. She was treated differently. It's like we're not even in the same universe of sentencing.
Ann Marie Green
At the heart of this broadcast is Corey. Not only does she have to live through this nightmare of an experience of witnessing her husband's murder, but also an emotional journey to discover that her son. What could be more heartbreaking than this? Her son is behind it. When we get back, we're going to get into more of Corey's side of the story.
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Jenna Jackson
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Jim Axelrod
It also has so much resonance today.
Lindsey Graham
The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in a mirror, so when we look in.
Jenna Jackson
The mirror, the only thing we see.
Lindsey Graham
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Jim Axelrod
Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America.
Jenna Jackson
But when a social media fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection. Claudine Gay is now gone. We've exposed the DEI regime and there's much more to come.
Jim Axelrod
This is the Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's on the Media. To listen, subscribe to onthemedia wherever you get your podcasts.
Ann Marie Green
Welcome back to Postmortem. Now, the real victim in this story is Corey, who not only loses her husband and nearly loses her own life, but ultimately also loses her only son. Jimmy played Corey. A clip from your interview with Nick in which he apologizes to her. Let's hear Nick's apology and then Cory's reaction to it.
Jenna Jackson
I wish I could tell my mom how truly sorry I am, that this is not something I'm proud of and I failed her. A son, it means nothing to me.
Jim Axelrod
Do you think he believes it, what he's saying? I don't know that person. I have no idea who Nicholas Shaughnessy is. And Corey says there is no point responding to an apology she was never meant to hear.
Jenna Jackson
In my mind, I am supposed to.
Ann Marie Green
Be dead, and so I'm a ghost.
Jim Axelrod
And ghosts can't speak.
Ann Marie Green
It's such an interesting way of phrasing that feeling.
Jenna Jackson
Yeah, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear that. You know, as a parent, I mean, I just don't know how you accept that news and then how you deal with it.
Jim Axelrod
You heard Nick's bloodless, almost pulseless tone when he was apologizing to his mom. It's like robotic. And then Corey, who's working hard to keep it all together all these years later, still, you could hear the emotion in her voice as she's sort of. I'm not even going to respond because I'm supposed to be dead. She has to still, every day of her life, try to make sense of the absolute senseless.
Ann Marie Green
Do you believe Nick's apology?
Jenna Jackson
I mean, he's sorry. He's sitting in prison for 35 years.
Jim Axelrod
Exactly. No tears, no emotion. No. If those signs matter to you in terms of judging authenticity. Did I feel like I was talking to somebody bereft? No.
Ann Marie Green
It's hard to believe that the child that you poured so much into. And we're all parents here, so we know how much the parenting process also changes us. We become different people as a result of being parents. So I can only imagine how difficult it was, despite the evidence, for her to come around, to finally sort of believe that he was part of this plot. What's your take on that process that she talked about it, why it took so long?
Jenna Jackson
I mean, I think as a mom, if you told me one of my twin boys plotted to kill me, I would immediately think you were trying to frame them. Like, no one's gonna believe that, you know, And I think she. She felt like a suspect in the beginning, and so then I think she was like, well, they're just grasping for straws now. They're going after my kid. That's not gonna happen. You know, one of her attorneys told me a story at one point, there was a moment of realization for her that was heartbreaking. She was in a conference room at the law firm. And this was after Nick had admitted to everything, had been presented with all the evidence and you know, had already turned against him. And he was about to take this plea deal. And it took up till that point for Corey to hear every piece of the evidence connected and laid out in front of her. And this attorney said you could see it just wash over her. Oh my God, he really did this, like. And she had to leave the room because she got so emotional. And then she came back and she was like, okay, like, what's the next step?
Jim Axelrod
I thought about this a lot afterward. Like, as in my particular case, as a parent, at the end of the day, as you get to be older, really what, what else matters? Your relationship with your kids, with your family, with what you're going to leave behind. Those are your fingerprints and footprints. And I just kept thinking about Corrie. As she gets older, she will not have the luxury of being able to fold in even more, grasp even tighter to her kid. She has to do just the opposite, which is figure out emotionally how she can, how she can forget him, move on.
Jenna Jackson
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ann Marie Green
So to your point, Jim, when you ask Corey how she feels about her son now, she says something really interesting. I want to play some of that sound.
Jim Axelrod
Do you still love your son?
Jenna Jackson
I love the person I knew to be my son before this happened.
Jim Axelrod
You love that 8 year old boy racing cars with his dad?
Jenna Jackson
Yes.
Ann Marie Green
I don't know how you do both.
Jim Axelrod
Yeah. You know, Corey's got a life sentence of her own. If you think about it, she's got this uphill emotional climb. I feel for her.
Jenna Jackson
I do too. She's in an impossible situation. There's no good answer. And at some point, even if it's the full 35 years from now, her son's going to walk out of prison. So it makes it even more difficult.
Jim Axelrod
You asked about how do you interview Nick in prison. I got to be honest with you, I thought more that was easy in a sense. Like I knew where the lines were, I knew what my objectives and goals were. It was more complicated to sit down with Corey because I had to also establish a safe sort of interview space. I've interviewed murderers before. I've never interviewed somebody whose kids or son and prospective daughter in law were plotting to kill her. I had never done that before. And I didn't quite know where the lines were or how to get Corey to be able to talk about some of this stuff. But I was much more intimidated trying to get Corey's story out of her than Nick's out of him.
Ann Marie Green
Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. Lastly, you end the hour with a postscript that reads as a parole requirement for the next 10 years, Jacqueline Edison must spend the night in jail on the anniversary of Ted Shaughnessy's murder. In your experience reporting true crime is this unusual?
Jim Axelrod
I've never heard of it, Jenna.
Jenna Jackson
I've never heard of it. I think it's sort of brilliant. I mean, it is brilliant.
Jim Axelrod
It is. However, there are the other 364 nights of the year.
Jenna Jackson
That's right. I mean, it still seems like getting off easy compared to her cohorts who are every night in prison. But I did think it was an interesting thing that was in addition to this probation that I have never heard of before.
Ann Marie Green
Well, it was a great hour, fantastic storytelling, incredible. Interviewing thank you so much for joining us this week.
Jim Axelrod
Thanks for having us.
Jenna Jackson
Thank you.
Ann Marie Green
So join us next Tuesday for another postmortem and watch 48 Hours Saturdays 109 Central on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus. And if you are liking the show, please rate and review 48 hours on Apple Podcasts and follow 48 hours wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also listen ad free on the Amazon Music and Wonder app or with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts.
Jim Axelrod
If you like this podcast, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey@wondery.com survey.
Ann Marie Green
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Jenna Jackson
Lots of people don't. I didn't either until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits and the unexplained have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada as we journey through terrifying and bone chilling stories of the unexplained search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. They say Hollywood is where dreams are made, a seductive city where many flock to get rich, be adored and capture a movie, America's heart. But when the spotlight turns off fame, fortune and lives can disappear in an instant. When TV producer Roy Raiden was found dead in a Canyon near LA in 1983, there were many questions surrounding his death. The last person seen with him was Lainey Jacobs, a seductive cocaine dealer who desperately wanted to be part of the Hollywood elite. Together, they were trying trying to break into the movie industry. But things took a dark turn when a million dollars worth of cocaine and cash went missing. From Wondery comes a new season of.
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In the episode titled "Crossfire at the Shaughnessys'," CBS News' "48 Hours" delves into a harrowing true crime story that intertwines family betrayal, intense investigation, and profound emotional trauma. Hosted by Anne-Marie Green, the discussion features Chief Investigative Correspondent Jim Axelrod and producer Jenna Jackson, who meticulously unpack the complexities surrounding the tragic event at the Shaughnessy household in Austin, Texas.
On the early morning of March 2, 2018, Ted Shaughnessy was fatally shot during a break-in at his and his wife, Corey Shaughnessy's, residence. Corey survived the attack, firing back and calling 911 amid the chaos. Initial suspicions pointed to a botched robbery, given the couple's affluent status from their successful jewelry business. However, the betrayal ran deeper than mere theft.
Jim Axelrod (01:52):
"Before dawn on March 2, 2018, intruders entered the home of Ted and Cory Shaughnessy, killing him and one of the family's rottweilers, Barton. Corey says she shot back and called 911."
Despite the violent intrusion, valuable items remained untouched, casting doubt on the robbery theory. Assistant DA Amy Meredith noted the absence of stolen goods, further suggesting an inside motive.
Jenna Jackson (02:06):
"I didn't close it. There were shots fired. Help me."
Detectives Paul Salo and James Moore spearheaded the investigation, uncovering a critical piece of evidence: a handgun missing from the Shaughnessys' home, previously owned by their son, Nick. Nick, alongside his high school sweetheart Jackie Edison, became prime suspects when the couple returned from two hours away, raising red flags about their involvement.
Jim Axelrod (02:13):
"Paul Salo and James Moore of the Travis County Sheriff's Department say bullet casings were scattered on the floor. We had .40 caliber M380. It was a hell of gunfire."
As the investigation progressed, text messages between Nick and Jackie suggested their possible orchestration of the attack. The breakthrough came when Detective Moore noticed a man in a green Anderson T-shirt on security footage, a detail that appeared insignificant at first but proved pivotal.
Jim Axelrod (05:23):
"This feels like a break. And it only happens because you isolated a frame of the video from the security camera."
A window company employee's daughter identified the man, leading detectives to connect the dots and implicate Nick and Jackie. However, it was revealed that Jackie was, in fact, Nick's wife, adding layers of deceit and manipulation to the case.
The episode features poignant interviews with both Nick, who is serving a 35-year sentence, and Jackie, who received a significantly lighter sentence of 120 days. Their testimonies shed light on the emotional devastation experienced by Corey.
Ann Marie Green (09:03):
"So as I'm watching the hour, this episode is really a masterclass in interviewing. Not only securing an interview, but also getting answers to tough questions."
Jim Axelrod discusses the challenges of interviewing someone like Nick in a maximum-security prison setting, emphasizing the importance of establishing trust and maintaining professionalism despite personal emotions.
Jim Axelrod (11:16):
"The biggest impediment in a situation like that is most of the time when you interview someone you've never met before about something sensitive, you want to establish a sense of trust."
Jenna Jackson recounts her approach to interviewing Jackie post-release, highlighting the difficulty in eliciting genuine responses from someone initially unwilling to cooperate.
Jenna Jackson (10:06):
"I was just trying to be, you know, not intimidating and like, look, we're doing this story. You're a part of this story. We really want to hear what you have to say."
A significant point of contention in the case is the disparity in sentencing between Nick and Jackie. While Nick received a harsh 35-year sentence, Jackie was granted a mere 120 days in jail, contingent upon spending the night of the murder anniversary in custody for the next ten years.
Jenna Jackson (14:31):
"I'm from Texas and have been crime reporting here for over 20 years. Even 35 years for a murder. And an attempted murder is pretty low in Texas. I was kind of amazed at those plea deals."
Corey Shaughnessy expresses profound frustration with the legal system's handling of her case, feeling that the punishment did not align with the gravity of the crime and the betrayal by her son.
Jim Axelrod (15:01):
"There was a woman who survived the murder of her husband, and she was a target, too. And after the entire process has been completed, she is feeling a sense of not just sadness and frustration, but rage about the system not protecting her because she feels the people who are responsible for this were not dealt with, and it plagues her."
Corey's journey through grief encompasses not only the loss of her husband but also the heartbreaking revelation of her son's involvement. The episode captures her struggle to reconcile the love for her child with the horror of his actions.
Ann Marie Green (21:27):
"Do you believe Nick's apology?"
Jenna Jackson (21:29):
"I mean, he's sorry. He's sitting in prison for 35 years."
Corey's inability to fully accept Nick's apology without visible remorse underscores the deep emotional scars left by the tragedy.
Ann Marie Green (20:35):
"Be dead, and so I'm a ghost."
Jim Axelrod reflects on the long-term emotional impact on Corey, emphasizing the arduous path she faces in moving forward.
Jim Axelrod (24:03):
"Corey's got a life sentence of her own. If you think about it, she's got this uphill emotional climb. I feel for her."
The episode concludes by highlighting an unusual legal condition imposed on Jackie Edison: she must spend the night in jail every anniversary of Ted Shaughnessy's murder for the next ten years. This requirement is unprecedented and symbolizes the ongoing torment experienced by Corey.
Jenna Jackson (26:15):
"I've never heard of it. I think it's sort of brilliant. I mean, it is brilliant."
Jim Axelrod (26:22):
"However, there are the other 364 nights of the year."
Anne-Marie Green wraps up the discussion by praising the storytelling and interviewing prowess of both Jim and Jenna, acknowledging the emotional depth and thoroughness of their work.
Ann Marie Green (26:45):
"Well, it was a great hour, fantastic storytelling, incredible interviewing. Thank you so much for joining us this week."
"Crossfire at the Shaughnessys'" is a compelling exploration of a family's descent into tragedy, driven by betrayal and marred by systemic frustrations. Through in-depth interviews and detailed investigative reporting, "48 Hours" not only recounts the events but also delves into the profound emotional and psychological impacts on those left standing amidst the chaos. The episode stands as a testament to the intricate web of personal relationships, legal intricacies, and the enduring quest for justice.