Son of slain jeweler pleads guilty, sentenced to 35 years

<p>AUSTIN, Texas &mdash; The son of a slain Texas jeweler was sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday after admitting he hired someone to kill his father. </p>
<p>Nicolas Patrick Shaughnessy, 22, entered a guilty plea to a murder charge during a virtual court hearing. His attorneys in a statement said he accepts full responsibility for his role in his father’s death, according to the <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/04/07/austin-man-serve-35-years-murder-hire-plot-kill-parents/7122323002/?utm_source=SND&amp;utm_medium=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=statesman">Austin American-Statesman</a>.</p>
<p>Shaughnessy’s family members said in a statement that they were unsatisfied with the plea agreement.</p>
<p>“It would be our hope that you are never released from prison,” the family wrote. “We understand this plea but are not happy about it."</p>
<p>Nicolas Shaughnessy and his now ex-wife, Jaclyn Alexa Edison, were <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cba0db67c23b43eb9c9a2f9d0b6180c7"> arrested on a count of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder in May 2018</a>. </p>
<p>They were charged with hiring people to kill Shaughnessy’s parents, Ted and Corey Shaughnessy, who were in the bedroom of the Travis County home during the break-in.</p>
<p>Ted Shaughnessy was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in a hallway. Corey Shaughnessy returned fire until she ran out of ammunition and hid in a closet to call 911, authorities said.</p>
<p>Detectives did not find signs of forced entry into the home, except for one that had been opened in Nicolas Shaughnessy’s bedroom. Detectives discovered he would receive $2 million in the event of his parents’ death.</p>
<p>Arieon Smith, 23, one of several suspects in the case, also pleaded guilty to murder in the same hearing and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. </p>