Who Is Corey Shaughnessy & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Background
Corey Shaughnessy spent decades building a life filled with purpose, love, and commitment. Alongside her husband, Ted, she co-founded Gallerie Jewelers in Austin, Texas, a business that became both their livelihood and their shared passion. The couple met in the early 1980s at a video arcade and quickly bonded over their mutual love for jewelry. They built their life together through hard work and mutual respect, turning their store into a local staple.
In 2000, Corey and Ted adopted their only child, Nicolas, from Ukraine. Corey described the connection as instant. Raising Nick became central to her identity. She poured her energy into parenting while maintaining her role in the family business. To the outside world, they seemed like a close, successful family. But behind that image lay a truth that would eventually shatter Corey’s world.
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The Night That Changed Everything
In the early hours of March 2, 2018, Corey’s life was turned upside down. She awoke to gunfire inside her home. Reacting instinctively, she reached for her .357 revolver and returned fire, engaging in a shootout with masked intruders. When her gun ran out of ammunition, she took cover in a closet and called 911. Her husband Ted lay dead near the kitchen. Their dog Bart had also been shot and killed.
The scene was chaotic and terrifying, but Corey survived. Initially, she believed the break-in was a robbery related to their jewelry business. She cooperated fully with police, offering her phone and agreeing to multiple interviews. But in the days that followed, the investigation took a disturbing turn. She found herself treated as a possible suspect, adding to her trauma.
Standing by Her Son — Until She Couldn’t
After the murder, Corey broke the news to her son, Nick, who was living two hours away in College Station with his wife, Jackie Edison. The couple arrived at the scene and soon moved into Corey’s home to support her. Unbeknownst to Corey, police had begun suspecting her son’s involvement. Investigators could not yet disclose this to her, and she continued to defend Nick’s innocence.
Corey supported him emotionally and financially. She helped him return to the family business, even as investigators gathered evidence linking him and Jackie to the murder plot. It was only after reading the arrest affidavits that her certainty began to falter. She had hired her son the best defense lawyer she could find, still hoping that the accusations were some horrible mistake.
When she finally accepted the truth — that her son had plotted to have both her and Ted killed — the emotional impact was devastating. She realized she had unknowingly sheltered the people who wanted her dead.
From Grief to Strength
Corey’s strength was tested beyond imagination. The physical survival was only the beginning. She endured public scrutiny, complex grief, and a complete rupture of trust in the one person she loved unconditionally. The son she had raised and protected since infancy had placed money and ambition above family.
Despite everything, Corey remained determined to tell her story. She participated in interviews for Dateline NBC and CBS’s 48 Hours, offering her perspective not just as a victim, but as a mother and a survivor. When prosecutors offered Jackie Edison a plea deal — just 120 days in jail and probation — Corey refused to attend the hearing, sending a powerful video statement instead. In it, she addressed Jackie directly: “You are a monster. You are evil, and everyone needs to know it.”
A Life Reclaimed
Today, Corey lives out of state under a different name. The trauma of that night and the betrayal that followed will never fully leave her. But she is determined to move forward, to honor Ted’s memory, and to live the life she nearly lost. In her own words, “I’ve been given life. And I need to do something with it.”
She continues to reflect on the son she once knew — the little boy who played with animal crackers and dreamed of race cars. That child is gone. In his place is a man who confessed to hiring hitmen to murder his parents. Yet, even now, Corey says she still loves the boy she raised. That love, though forever changed, reflects the complexity of her story — one of resilience, heartbreak, and survival.
