Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20190616

And did it lead to murder . She is absolutely coldblooded. Soon, there would be questions for mother and daughter. It was another shock. Welcome to dateline. Army, when he was attacked in the middle of the night, police launched an investigation that would reveal eyebrow raising secrets, secrets that might hold the key to murder. Here is keith morrison. The wind in the Northern Prairie sweeps across a vast flatland. Grave markers around a military ceremony. The final resting spot for a few dozen veterans, many of whom died in combat. This is where he is resting now. Major David Shannon, who lost his life in 2002. His mother shirley comes here to visit and remember. His sister brenda too when shes in town. Oh, how they worried that war might put him here. Except war didnt. No, there never was a thought back then about what could happen far from combat, what did happen. All those strange things down south in north carolina. Fayetteville is an old town, steeped in revolutionary and civil war history. Smack in the middle of the bible belt. But now, cargo planes buzz in and out of Pope Air Force base. All past the confines of the city sprawls the immense ft. Bragg, home base of the computer whiz, David Shannon, his house was here, a few blocks off base. The major, his wife joan, and their four children. It was july, 2002. Like a sauna that night, so hot and humid. And then a light rain that cooled it down again. David and joan watched a movie on tv, fell asleep. And then i dont even remember hearing the first shot. I remember something woke me up. And then you heard a shot . And i know whatever woke me up, i know my ears were already ringing. And i turned the light on. And i see that hes shot. You know, it shocks you. Never, ever forget that image. Thats burned in my brain forever, no matter how much i try to here is the person i love. Hes dying. [ sirens ] and by the time the police and the ambulance wailed up to the door, it was too late. David shannon, just 40, was dead. All it took was a look, in fact, for lead detective mike murphy to see what happened in davids bedroom was highly intentional. It was an execution. The intruder came in while he was sleeping, placed a gun to his head, and shot him in the chest. And joan . The shock of it didnt help, of course, nor the fact that she was sound asleep when it happened. By the time she calmed down enough to talk to police, she wasnt very helpful. I did not clearly see the person who shot david. Im not sure if i saw or just had a feeling of Somebody Just leaving the room. But i thought it was a shadow. Did you actually see a shadow or did you tell the police you thought it was a shadow . It was a movement, like a shadow that left. She tried to follow the intruder down the hallway. She was worried about the safety of the children. She returned back to her bedroom. Thats where she made the 911 call. The children. Joan and davids eldest daughter daisy was out of town. But their two young boys, just 7 and 10, slept through it all, unaware of what happened. Down the hall was shannons 15yearold daughter elizabeth, who told the cops she was also in bed, and spending the night with liz was her best friend vera thompson, also just 15. Both their statements were similar. They were listening to music, watching tv, and they fell asleep. Five people in the house, and not a one saw or heard a useful thing to help determine who committed this horrible crime, or why. And there werent many clues either, at least not in plain sight. But that wasnt necessarily because the killer covered his tracks. The home was cluttered. There was filth, clothes all over the floor. Dishes in the sink. Food on the counter tops. And the crime scene itself, what did that look like . Finding evidence is like, you know, finding a needle in a haystack. The house was in such disarray. The cops picked their way carefully through the clutter but found no fingerprints, footprints, or any usable dna. Though on the floor near davids body, they found two live bullets from a. 9 millimeter semiautomatic handgun. Joan confirmed david kept guns in the house but couldnt say where those two live rounds came from. She also tried to help police make sense of the shadow images her waking eyes saw. But she just couldnt. I know i wasnt 100 wide awake and aware of what was going on. There was a lot of blank spots in my memory. So little to go on. Except there was one curious discovery in that bedroom. Something quite unusual in a family home like this. The question was, what did it mean . Coming up, solving a murder means finding a motive. There must have been something he was doing at work. This must have been a hit. Professional or personal . The person who shot David Shannon might be familiar with joan shannon. When dateline continues. 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It had been a long night at the home of major David Shannon, now deceased, but the investigation was just beginning. The only thing that was perfectly clear was that somebody wanted this man dead, wanted it badly, shot him in the head and the chest while he slept. His wife joan sleeping soundly, then startled away beside him. She had seen the shadow of a person, just subscribed the subject as a male subject. Just like that, in a split second, the kids lost a father. And their life together over their 11year marriage was over. David and i had a good marriage. If he were alive, he would say, we had a good marriage. I do miss him. I miss what we had. Theres not anybody that would ever be able to replace him. The murder of an army major was big news in fayetteville, especially an officer working in special ops. Its waves are felt all over. And news of this one skipped upcountry and crossed the windy prairie to a place called langdon, north dakota. Thats where the major was from. This is where he grew up, where he became an unusual young man. He was quiet. He wasnt one that was dating. He didnt have a lot of friends. Brenda strong is davids older sister. He wasnt into sports. He just was introspective. But his mother shirley says david always knew exactly what he wanted to do. I am going to be an army man. Thats what he said. How old was he when he first started saying that . Maybe 6, 7 years old. By 19, david had enlisted. He was eventually stationed in upstate new york. And thats where he met joan. He was funny. He had a sense of humor. He was extremely shy. David was different than the other guys how . Oh, because he treated me a lot different. He treated me like i had value. Which was Something Wonderful and new for joan. Sexually abused at 12, abandoned by her parents, married to an abusive husband, had a baby with him at 18, another one in short order, and soon single again, working in a topless club, hooking up with the wrong kind of man. And then she met her knight, her savior. She met david. So before the men had wanted you for sex but that was it. This guy wanted you for you. He was willing to protect without controlling. He treated me like an equal. Less than a year later, joan asked david to marry her. I realized he was this really, really great guy. I didnt want anybody else to have a chance to find that out. So in a small north dakota church, joan taft became mrs. David shannon. I thought he found somebody that was good for him. He was obviously happy. And she, what was your impression of her . She just seemed very nice, very sweet, very attentive to him. Very much in love. They complemented each other, is what they did. It sounds almost as if youre talking about jonas if she was one of your children. She was almost like a daughter to me, yes. As for joans two young daughters, daisy and elizabeth, david wanted them to be part of his new family. Because he loved me, he loved them. And so he did. David shannon became both a husband and a father. They were all having a good time being a normal family, you know. Everybody getting along, fighting, as you do. He loved them, definitely. Soon the shannons became six, with the birth of their two boys. And in 2000, david took the family south to fayetteville, when he was transferred to ft. Bragg. David loved the military. He loved being the soldier. You talk about somebody having a first love or something they loved more than anything. He loved that uniform. And the military had been good to david. He was major shannon by now, well on his way to becoming a colonel. And that was the phone call the shannon family was really looking forward to from ft. Bragg. Not the one they got that devastating morning in july 2002. They said, davids been shot. Hes been murdered. It couldnt be, he was in special forces, he must have been into something odd, there must have been something with what he was doing at work that, you know, this must have been a hit. We felt that something had gone wrong, that he found out something that he was not supposed to have known and they got rid of him. Execution style, somebody came in with the intent of killing him. With the intent of killing him. But here was an odd thing. There wasnt any sign of an intruder getting into the house. It was raining outside, remember. But nobody tracked any wet footprints inside. What she was telling us didnt really it just didnt really match up at the time. And Something Else that didnt seem to match . Stashed away in the bedroom were dozens and dozens of pornographic magazines and videos and a cache of sex toys. Joan gave investigators a completely unexpected and surprising answer. I told them that david and i were swingers. And suddenly the investigation turned on its heel and headed in a whole new direction. They would meet couples on the internet. And her husband would prearrange it, then they would engage in some type of sexual relation with the couple itself. Did that make your investigative mind click . The person who shot David Shannon might be familiar with joan shannon. Maybe the swinger lifestyle might have had something to do with that. Finally, a possible lead. Had the shannons unusual sex life created a motive for murder . Coming up, an intriguing new lead. David actually said, you need to meet my wife joan. Was there a fatal love triangle in this circle of swingers . When dateline continues. [ giggling ] lets play dressup. Im a slick chick [ doorbell ] [ slap ] your nails xfinity home. Cameras. Xfinity home. Disarm the system. Doors open. Morning. Welcome to the neighborhood. Do you like my work . Secure your home with x1 voice control. And have professional monitoring backing you up with xfinity home. Demo at an xfinity store, call or go online today. While investigating the murder of major David Shannon, police discovered the seemingly straitlaced military officer and his wife were not as conservative as they appeared but did their complicated love life lead to their murder . Here again, keith morrison. They seemed from the outside, at least, ordinary, exemplary. A good marriage, four attractive kids. But Murder Investigations have a way of shattering what seems to be. And now the shannon family secrets were spilling out. Of course you can have no idea what might exist behind the photo of family values. Thats what detectives are for, after all. The shannons may have moved to the bible belt, here to fayetteville, north carolina. Lots of churches here. But there are also other activities that occurred at night that had nothing whatever to do with family values. Joan and David Shannon were swingers. Enthusiastic members of clubs whose sole purpose is to organize various combinations of spouse swapping. As joan told the police, she and david had been swinging for years, long before moving to north carolina. Fayetteville, after dark, to their happy surprise, offered plenty of Fresh Opportunities to continue their lifestyle, as its called. David discovered that, said joan. We get here, he gets on the computer, and he finds the location of a club. Right off the bat . Sure did, yes. Who knew . It was as if this conservative bible belt state somehow needed secret outlets for its more lurid desires. He would go on the internet. There were a lot of swinger sites. David would look for people on these swinger websites. The Swingers Club david found was one of many in fayetteville. And this particular one catered to both couples and singles. And how did that affect your marriage . I think it improved it. Because, you know, so many marriages fall apart because somebody cheats. But its not the sex. Its the betrayal, the lies. I dont associate sex and love together. In fact you both liked it a lot. We did. We did. The shannons often met couples at hotels. Sometimes they even brought them home. Always trying to be discreet, of course, so their four children wouldnt find out. They would often find themselves hustled off to a friends for the weekend and come home to find their bedroom rearranged. Their daughters had an idea that something was going on in their absence. But murder exposes secrets, as they say. Maybe there was some sort of triangle involved here . Some type of love triangle. We asked questions, the couples they might have met, anybody that she was involved romantically with that maybe her husband didnt know about, or did know about. Did she offer anything . She identified a guy by the name of Jeffrey Wilson. Jeffrey wilson . Turns out david actually met him first online. Jeffrey was also in the army, based at ft. Bragg, like the major. He went by the name black stuntman. By now, deputy da billy west was monitoring the investigation. They were chat friends, chatting about the swinging lifestyle and that sort of thing. And david actually said, you need to meet my wife joan, and invited him to a swinging party. They all got together at a local hotel, just social that first time, no sex. There was a second Swingers Party that both of the shannons and jeffrey attended. And at that party, he i think as well as others did have sex with joan. But after this happened, joan and jeffrey started seeing one another. That was okay, though, according to the rules the shannons had established, as long as it was just sex and nobody got romantically entangled. Anyway, wilson was married with kids. There was no indication that his wife knew what he was up to on the side with joan. We started doing some one on one, is what they call it, when the other person is not there. David always knew when i was with jeff. And the relationship with jeff started, it was a sexual only. And in the process it developed into a friendship. Sometimes joan even brought her new friend by the house, introduced him to her daughters. Then according to jeffrey and according to daisy, elizabeth, joan fell in love with him, told jeffrey she wanted to run off with him. But this was no love affair, no matter what her curious daughters thought, said joan. She was emphatic about that. Whether he knew it or not, she said, jeffrey was nothing more than a friend with benefits. But this never became a romance from your point of view . No. No. There wasnt really an emotional attachment . There was no love there. But now, of course, Police Needed to talk to Jeffrey Wilson. An affair was one thing. But now, wilson found himself caught in the middle of a Murder Investigation of a higher ranking officer. Coming up joan says, i cant take this anymore, i want to be with you. Might someone else have wanted David Shannon dead . Police are about to put more than one suspect under the microscope. When dateline continues. Ngs. You know what i do instead . I snack on blue diamond almonds. Wasabi soy sauce . mmm dont deny your cravings. Eat em all the flavors you crave, in a superfood. Blue diamond almonds. Crave victoriously. Im and im an emt. Erer when i get a migraine at work, its debilitating. If i call out with a migraine, thats one less ambulance to serve a community. I just dont want to let these people down. Excedrin migraine. Relief that works as hard as you do. My mom washes the dishes. Before she puts them in the dishwasher. So what does the dishwasher do . Cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuckon foods, the first time. Wow, thats clean cascade platinum. Lets see, aleve is than tylenol extra strength. And last longer with fewer pills. So why am i still thinking about this . Ill take aleve. Aleve. Proven better on pain. Welcome back to dateline. Im craig melvin. In the case of the murdered major, one thing became abundantly clear. Nothing was as it seemed in the shannon household. The family kept secrets. For starters, the army majors wife and mother of four was in a sexual relationship with a married man. But did the affair lead to murder . Once again, keith morrison. It was quite an eye opener. That is, which joan shannon told detectives that she and her now dead husband, major David Shannon, were regular and enthusiastic swingers. But when joan told them she developed a special one on one thing with a married man named Jeffrey Wilson, now that was a real lead. Could it be the major was the victim of a jealous lover . So detective murphy paid a call on wilson, also a soldier here at ft. Bragg. Jeffrey did confirm he was involved in a romantic relationship with joan shannon. Where was he when this murder occurred . He was actually working at the time of the homicide. In fact, a little checking revealed it was an unassailable alibi. Jeffrey wilson was innocent. Of murder, that is. But as for a threemonth relationship with joan, wilson was very cooperative. He revealed every lurid detail. Back in april, they were probably meeting for sex about two times a week. And in july, and of course the murder occurred on july 23rd, at least four times a week. So now the deputy d. A. Began to flip the idea of a love triangle motivate on its head. By the way Jeffrey Wilson was talking, it seemed to west the person who had reason to kill david was not jeffrey but joan. From jeffreys point of view, he describes how she was in love with him, that she was not in love with her husband, that she didnt want to be with her husband, that she financially could not afford to leave her husband. Wilson said he kept telling her he was only in it for the sex, didnt want to run off with her. But if secret sex was all he wanted, joan, he said, kept pushing for more. And the situation actually continued to escalate. I think it was around july 18th. Again, that would have been five days before the murder. Jeffrey describes how he talks to joan and joan says, i cant take this anymore, i want to be with you, cant we just run off together . David shannon knew, of course, that joan was seeing Jeffrey Wilson. After all, he invited jeffrey to join them in the first place. But maybe he wasnt so happy about the cozy friendship joan seemed to be developing. That broke the rules. David told joan that she could no longer see jeffrey because he could see that joan and jeffrey had become romantically involved. And i believe it would have been sunday, shes actually having sex with Jeffrey Wilson, and actually david is killed in the Early Morning hours of tuesday. If you ask joan, and of course we did, wilson just didnt understand. Didnt understand that the affair was actually winding down. Why would he say you were in love with him then . Hes a very selfcentered and into himself and believes the whole world loves him. I didnt. We were actually pulling apart. It was coming to the end. Really . Detectives added it up and heres what they had. A story of some shadowy intruder that didnt seem to check out. The swinging, the affair. The story, true or not, that she wanted out of the marriage. And by the way, she stood to collect 700,000 in insurance money. The detective confronted joan. And she . Well, given her lifestyle, she said, she wasnt surprised at his attitude. Hes disgusted. Hes automatically prejudiced against me and focuses on that. Hes determined hes going to get me. In north dakota, David Shannons family tried to keep up with the shocking information. The murder, the revelations about swinging, and now joan was telling them that she had become a suspect, to which they replied joan . Not a chance. We tried to play the scenario. Did joan have a part in it . None of us could see that she could possibly have done that. It is just not in her nature to do that. She cant. But brenda did have somebody else in mind. Now, elizabeth . I could see it. Elizabeth . The shannons 15yearold daughter . Is it possible she was a coldblooded killer who executed her very own stepfather . The man who adopted her, raised her, provided for her . Maybe, said davids sister brenda. Daisy and elizabeth were always troubled, said brenda. And when elizabeth hit her teens, watch out. David and joan did not have the tools needed to deal with what those two girls dished out. It was boys, drugs, violence. If she got angry, she would destroy something of theirs. That was hardly elizabeths view of things. She conceded she was no angel. She acted out all right, never denied that. But elizabeth always claimed it was the adults who made it ugly and hostile at home, where arguments and not affection were the family routine. Joan admits she was overwhelmed with the task of parenting elizabeth, realized she was manipulated easily by her daughter. I gave up. I hate to admit it. I gave up on that child. I didnt know what to do. Joan turned the task of parenting elizabeth over to major david, the military man, who did what he could to keep military order. He was definitely the tough one. He was the one that would decide the punishment, how long the grounding was going to be. A war of wills. David would ground her. Elizabeth would escape. David responded with locks and alarms on her bedroom doors and windows. She squirted out anyway. Nothing seemed to work. What can you do, if you cant keep your kids at home . You cant chain them. Clear message to david. You cannot control me no matter what you do. Thats right. In fact just a couple of weeks before he was murdered, david called home to north dakota to vent, ask his mother for advice for dealing with that girl. I did ask him, i said, would she do something . Do something, what did you mean, would she do something . Do something violent, yes. He says, i dont think so. But you asked the question for a reason. I did ask him, yes. Because i did not trust her. Coming up, someone from inside the house that night steps forward. She was extremely emotional and she began to lay the facts on the table. When dateline continues. Calling all sunscreen haters. Youre gonna love this. New coppertone sport clear. Not thick, not hot, not messy, just clear, cool, protected. Coppertone sport clear. Proven to protect. My gums are irritated. I dont have to worry about that, do i . Harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. Crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. It works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. Gum detoxify, from crest. Who got an awful skin condition. With uncontrolled moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like youre itching all the time. And you never know how your skin will look. Because deep within your skin an overly sensitive immune system could be the cause. So help heal your skin from within, with dupixent. Dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you cant see it. At 16 weeks, nearly four times more patients taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin compared to those not taking it, and patients saw a significant reduction in itch. Do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, a severe reaction. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision. If you are taking asthma medicines, do not change or stop your asthma medicine without talking to your doctor. Help heal your skin from within. Ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. Here i go again on my own goin down the only road ive ever known like a drifter i was born to walk alone youre a drifter . I thought you were kevins dad. Little bit of both. If you ride, you get it. Geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15 or more. And relief from symptoms caused feel the clarity of nondrowsy claritin by over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. Like those from buddy. Because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. Feel the clarity. And live claritin clear. Murder, that most abhorrent of crimes is shocking enough. But in the days after major David Shannons sudden passing, the shocks resumed, as disturbing suspicions began to circulate and grow. By the time they laid the major in the ground, the question of who did this dreadful thing seemed to be heading toward an early answer. It was elizabeth. Davids family was convinced that rebellious elizabeth was so full of hate, she actually shot and killed her own stepfather. An opinion supported by several anonymous calls to the fayetteville pd. We had Crime Stoppers tips coming in, saying that Elizabeth Shannon was actually bragging about the homicide. Vera thompson was telling people about the homicide, that Elizabeth Shannon might be involved. Vera thompson, remember her . She was elizabeths best friend who was staying at the house the night of the murder. Police brought her in again for questioning. And this time they grilled her. She was extremely emotional. She didnt want to tell on anybody. At that point in time she began to lay the facts on the table. And, oh, what facts they were. Vera was elizabeths buddy, her bff. They talked about everything, went everywhere together. When she started bringing up facts, we were able to corroborate some of the information. Vera provided plenty of supporting details. How just days before the shooting, she went with elizabeth to a field and test fired the murder weapon. Cops later found matching shells there. And how elizabeth dumped the gun that night with a guy from the neighborhood named dee humphrey who was waiting near the house. Humphrey was interviewed. He admitted it was true. Veras story added up. So everything was believable. Then vera, just 15 years old, naive, frightened, no attorney representing her, dropped her bombshell. Vera eventually became aware of, through elizabeth, that joan and elizabeth had had some discussions about killing David Shannon, that her mother had attempted to poison David Shannon, that joan shannon and Elizabeth Shannon had conspired to kill David Shannon and it actually was elizabeth that had shot him that night. A conspiracy . Joan the brains, and elizabeth the brawn . Given the tumultuous relationship between mother and daughter, who could have imagined they could agree on anything, let alone murder . But, said vera, thats the story elizabeth told her. And it implicated both her best friend and joan shannon in a homicide. The arrest warrants went out for both of them simultaneously. Joan shannon was arrested actually before elizabeth was arrested and before elizabeth gave any statement in the case. David shannons family was in fayetteville for davids funeral. Right there with joan when the cops came, saw what they did. Joan had been practically paralyzed with grief, they said. And then arrested. They put cuffs on her. I imagine they read her her rights right then. But i dont know. It was another shock. Joan herself was unshakeable in her insistence she did not do it. She had no part, she swore, in any of it. I might not be clear on that night. Theres a lot i cant be clear on. But i know i didnt kill him. I know i didnt give elizabeth the gun. I know i didnt try to poison him. And i know i didnt try to get anybody to kill him. Although, to the police, on the day of her arrest, she said nothing at all. On the advice of paul herzog, the lawyer appointed to represent her, in the battle of her life. I found it difficult to believe she was involved in it with the way she presented herself. Very quiet, very passive. Joan insisted she had not solicited elizabeth to kill david, she loved david. And with an experienced attorney on the case, joans loyal inlaws began to relax. Once they finally started finding real evidence, they would know it was not joan. They would eliminate her . Right. They would eliminate her. Mmhmm. Especially once the Police Arrested elizabeth. But there was a little problem. Elizabeth had quite suddenly disappeared. Coming up, the hunt for elizabeth begins. Where was she . And would anyone believe her story . Coming up absolutely coldblooded. She would have done anything. When dateline continues. Im just a normal person who got an awful skin condition. With uncontrolled moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you feel like youre itching all the time. And you never know how your skin will look. 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On the outskirts of fayetteville, north carolina, is a mobile park. Quiet, wooded, secluded. And in the summer of 2002, it had a new resident. Elizabeth shannon was holed up in a trailer here hiding. We received a call saying that she was at such and such location. When we entered the home, we found her hiding, you know, underneath a futon in the living room. They arrested her, took her downtown, read her miranda rights and then questioned her without an attorney. At the time elizabeth, remember, was just barely 15 years old. And what did she say after two hours in that room . I told the story. The whole story . Uhhuh. Elizabeth confessed it all. Every grisly detail of that awful night in the shannon house. Assuming, that is, that what she told the detectives was actually true. It got to the point where i finally did for her. But it never would have happened without her. Her. Her very own mother joan shannon. She insisted her mom had wanted david dead for months. First by trying to poison him. Then later recruiting one of lizs friends to kill him. And finally she was like, would you be brave enough to do this . To do what . She wanted me to kill my step dad. In 25 years on the job, detective murphy had never heard a story quite like this. He pressed further, he said, pushing elizabeth to explain how her mother talked her into murder. And the answer, elizabeth says now, was this. It was love given and withheld. It wasnt an affectionate home overall. I wanted, like, a real mother Daughter Relationship and it was never really there. Prior to it, they were going out being a family. There was some type of parental involvement. And she liked that a lot. She liked it. That was something she was lacking. But having finally offered her daughter the maternal affection she so craved . Joan threatened to withdraw it unless she got that gun and used it to kill her father, or so elizabeth claimed. Sounds crazy at first, but when somebody is in your ear let alone your mother every day, it got to the point it was just normal. I just want to do this so nothing changes between me and her. And so elizabeth said on that night she took one of her stepfathers many guns, arranged ahead of time for a way to get rid of it, and waited while her parents watched their movie and fell asleep. She walked into the bedroom, placed the gun over her fathers head, squeezed the trigger. Then she placed the gun to the chest and she fired the second round. As far as prosecutor billy west was concerned, elizabeths tale had the ring of truth. I think she did it at the behest of her mother and in some respects to please her mother. So in exchange for her testimony, the da offered liz a deal. Instead of life without parole, she could plead guilty and get a sentence of 25 to 31 years. We felt that was appropriate. Offered joan the same plea deal that elizabeth had been offered. So that offer was extended by the state. No, i wasnt going to do it. Why not . Because when youre innocent, youre not going to say you did something that you didnt. Besides, as victim David Shannons own mother and sister insisted, elizabeth was a devious and manipulative liar. Especially when she got herself in a jam. So it didnt sound surprising that liz would try to set up her mom like that. Because as a child, if there was trouble, liz was usually there. But she always had to share the blame. She blamed somebody else . Oh, yeah. Even if she was caught red handed . Absolutely. Elizabeth always shared the blame. So now joan shannons fate would be decided by a jury. Da billy west told them about joan and davids swinging lifestyle. Joans affair. Jeffrey wilsons claim she wanted to run away with him financed with insurance money from davids death. Then there was the allegation that joan tried to poison david. And testimony from a young man who insisted joan asked elizabeth to recruit him to commit the murder and dispose of the gun. But the da saved his star witness for last. 15yearold Elizabeth Shannon herself who told the jury that joan used a truly devious weapon. Maternal love given and withdrawn to manipulate her into murder. I can take responsibility for my role in everything. But she was trying to put everything on me. Thats the point i kind of woke up and realized, like, let me just tell the truth. Was it true . On the stand elizabeths accusation was clear and powerful. Throughout the whole thing while i was testifying, she couldnt even look at me. Joan did not testify. She sat quietly and listened as her attorney portrayed liz as a liar and ruthless killer who acted entirely alone when she executed her stepfather. She is absolutely coldblooded. She is entirely selfinterested. Elizabeth . She hated joan. She hated her parents. She wanted out. Freedom. She would have done anything. When she killed david, she killed the only disciplinary shed ever had. Then she made a deal to get herself out of it. The idea that joan manipulated elizabeth wasnt even possible, said the defense. Certainly not for either of her parents. They couldnt keep her in school. They couldnt keep her in the house. They couldnt get her to do anything. Then all of a sudden joans going to get her to turn around and kill david . The jury deliberated a day and a half. Then they came back guilty. My heart dropped. You go numb. Its like, so many things flash through your mind and you just realize life as you know it is gone. It was so unbelievable. We knew joan was innocent and shed just been found guilty. It shattered our world in so many ways. Joan shannon will spend the rest of her life in prison for orchestrating the murder. She has no chance of parole. No more appeals. And elizabeth who actually pulled the trigger . She, too, was sent to prison for at least 25 years courtesy of the deal she cut with the da. I told the truth from day one. I wouldnt gain anything by lying. I would just sabotage my own life in the process. It doesnt make sense. They are in separate prisons now. Two hours apart by car. But really a world away. We asked if they wanted to speak to each other, make peace, perhaps. Look at our camera, we suggested. Speak from the heart. I still love i still love you, elizabeth. Its very complicated. Its very difficult. Youre still my daughter. And i know the situation is hard for both of us. And i am sorry i wasnt a better mother. I cant go back and change that. But elizabeth didnt like this idea. I dont have anything to say to her. Because it doesnt matter what i say. Its like shes not going to change. Shes not going to tell all these people that she lied. In the years following their fathers death, joan shannons two sons, davids sons, were living in north dakota and grew up in the majors boyhood home here. His mother became in joans absence their mother and grandmother. The boys believed in joans innocence, visited her sometimes, and talked to her on the phone. They were not speaking to their sister. And major David Shannon, his remains will spend eternity here just down the road from home in the old military graveyard under the black prairie sod and the wind. Thats all for this edition of dateline. Im craig melvin. Thanks for watching. I learned that he was arrested. I was shocked. I was just so confused. I didnt think it was real. In the rarefied world of the ivy league, he was the package. Star student, gifted athlete, wildly popular. He is one of the nicest guys ever. No one could understand how a weekend visit to his parents house ended in gunfire. Whos already dead . Charlie told the officers outside he was going to kill my mom