Original subtitles

Good night, son.

Good night.

And remember, you've got camp in the morning, so we've got to be out the door

8 a .m., all right?

Okay.

According to Joan, this was an average evening. Her two young boys had gone to

bed.

Liz, open up.

Can you turn the music off?

John Shannon's 15 -year -old daughter, Elizabeth, and her friend Vera are still

up. We're going to watch a movie and go to bed.

Whatever. Don't stay up too late, ladies. One hour, then lights out, okay?

Okay, okay.

You had Elizabeth Shannon and her friend Vera that was staying the night with

Elizabeth. Night, Mrs. Shannon.

Night, girl.

Jenny, don't fall asleep on me.

David, did you hear that?

You said we were going to watch a movie.

Oh, Tony, I can barely keep my eyes open.

Dave.

I know, I know.

Tomorrow night, I promise.

You know, that's what you said last night.

Tell me what happened. She was crying.

I asked her what had happened, and she stated that her husband had been shot.

You were in bed.

I was down to sleep. So was David.

Did you see anyone?

No, it was so dark, and it happened so fast.

It was like a shadowy figure who just started running away.

An intruder was there in the bedroom, but she could not describe.

what size or anything, that it happened very quickly, and the intruder, after

the shots, was going down the hallway.

Now, did you hear anyone leave the house?

No, I just called 911.

Oh, my God, my kids are still in the house. Please, I can't go back inside.

The shooter could still be here.

Ma 'am, I'm going to need you to wait over here, okay?

Okay.

Unsure if there are more victims, the first responders enter the home.

As we proceeded down the hall, and that's where we located the two small

children asleep, cleared that room, everything was okay in there.

We proceeded past that door to the next bedroom, and the door was locked.

And we

asked them if they had heard anything out of the ordinary.

Once the home is secure and everyone is accounted for, police make their way to

David and Joan Shannon's bedroom.

We located David lying in bed. He was face up.

He had a bullet hole in his forehead and one in his chest.

It was obvious that David was the intended target.

Dispatch, we have one Caucasian male, two gunshots, deceased.

It's a tragic end to a love story that begins 12 years before.

Thousands of miles away.

David?

That's me.

And I hope you're Joan. I am.

Joan told me that she met Dave through a friend. It was a blind date.

Joan immediately liked Dave.

Can I get you guys any drinks for tonight?

What's your house like?

David Shannon is stationed at an Army base in Rochester, New York, when he and

Joan meet.

So, in 25 words or more, what's your story?

I don't think I'll need all 25.

I grew up in North Dakota, joined the Army right after I got out of school.

Dave had a steady job. He was a military man. He was a career guy.

He made it obvious that he was going to stay in the Army.

He came from a very good family.

I joined Special Forces, and I've been there ever since.

Special forces sounds top secret.

Something like that.

Special forces are what we know as the Green Berets. Thank you. But David

Shannon was not a special forces soldier. He was in a support role

special forces unit do its job.

Well, what about you? And take as many words as you need.

Well, I was married before to someone who wasn't very nice.

She was unhappy in the marriage and was abusive.

She divorced her husband, went to a business school, got her GED.

I do have two great girls, Rosie and Liz.

My sister is helping to take care of them until I get back up on my feet.

Do you have kids?

Not yet, but I definitely want to be a dad.

Cheers. Cheers.

Their first date turns into a second.

And then a third.

Soon they are seeing each other exclusively.

David provided a lot of stability to Joan that she did not have.

They glazed at each other's eyes like they were madly in love. They finished

each other's sentences.

They seem perfect together.

And just about a year after they meet... You should take the girls to Disney.

Or at least Florida.

Joan can't let another day go by without making it official.

David, stop.

What?

What's the matter?

Nothing's the matter.

Everything's perfect.

David, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I can't imagine life without you.

And I don't want to.

David, will you marry me?

Yes.

Yes, of course, yes.

Are you crazy? I'm going to make you so happy. You'll see.

Joan and David marry in a small private ceremony surrounded by family.

Dave legally adopted Rosie and Elizabeth.

To me, it was a perfect situation.

The girls were happy.

They had a daddy for the first time.

Over the next seven years, Joan gives birth to two little boys, and David is

promoted to major.

They moved to Fayetteville and bought a house there.

They appeared from the outside just to be a typical Fort Bragg military family

stationed in Fayetteville.

They seemed happy, and it was like the American dream.

But on Tuesday, July 23, 2002, that American dream turns into a nightmare.

David Shannon is dead.

The biggest piece of evidence of the crime scene was really David's body.

He'd been shot twice.

Probably never saw it coming.

Whoever did it wanted to get David.

Came in, bang, bang, out.

Almost professional.

This was an execution -style killing.

Police also discovered there wasn't any forced entry into the home.

Any idea who would have done this to your husband?

No. Everybody loved David.

He didn't have an enemy in the world.

Any bad habits, drugs, gambling, anything that would have mixed him up

wrong people?

No, nothing like that.

And I would know.

We shared everything.

Everything.

Where did Mr. Shannon work?

He was a major at Fort Bragg in the Special Forces.

Hanson, could you wait right here for one minute?

Sure. Thank you.

Mr. Shannon was Special Forces.

I need the team to contact his commanding officer down at the base now.

He's going to have something to do with the job.

Within hours of David Shannon's execution, news of his murder starts to

I felt like I got punched in the stomach and knocked upside the head, and

I just felt horrible.

Who would do this?

Did he have any enemies? Did he have enemies at work?

Detectives questioned Joan about David's position with the military.

What did Mr. Shannon do for Special Forces?

He worked in the IT department.

He had a top -secret clearance, I think, but he couldn't tell us much.

Okay.

Officer Guybold's going to do a gunshot residue test on everyone. Pretty

standard procedure.

The swabbing looks for any gunpowder to show if someone has fired a weapon

recently. Thank you. Can I come this way?

This is a standard procedure for any shooting. They tested negative for the

gunshot residue test.

Later that day...

Investigators followed their first lead.

One of the angles that investigators wanted to look into was there someone,

because of what he knew or what he was working on, that would have wanted him

dead.

Colonel.

Detective Jones.

A minute of your time?

Of course.

Walk with me.

What can you tell me about Major Shannon?

Well, he wasn't on the ground, but he oversaw the IT department.

And if that isn't working, the lies are in danger.

Was he working on anything that may have made him a target?

Everything he was working on made him a target.

Can you be more specific?

No.

But I can tell you he was liked by everybody in his unit.

He had no disciplinary issues.

In fact, he was a model soldier.

His death is a real tragedy.

While detectives follow up with David's superiors...

Officer Godbold finds something surprising in the Shannon home.

And they looked in the closets. They found what could only be described as a

massive amount of pornographic magazines, videos,

different types of toys.

Looks like Major Shannon was more of a computer nerd than a secret spy.

Well, there might be more to the Major than the military knows.

Take a look at this.

This is quite a haul.

They have four kids.

When do they have time for any of this?

Exactly.

Let's make sure we talk to Joan about their special collection.

Okay.

So how are you holding up?

I don't know.

I can't even go in our room.

I know. It's tough.

And I appreciate you sitting down with me today. I'll keep it brief. I just

a few questions.

Of course.

So you and David, you had a good marriage?

We had our ups and downs.

David worked a lot.

I had my shift at the bank.

And we still had to parent our kids.

And how about romantically?

How was that part of the marriage?

You want to know about our sex life?

I guess I do.

The pornographic videos and sex toys and that sort of thing was certainly

something that was unique and different and curious to the police.

That was good, too.

Great even.

Do you think David was faithful?

I loved my husband very much, and he loved me. There was never any doubt

that, but... Never mind.

But what?

Dave and me, we had an arrangement.

What do you mean, an arrangement?

We had an open marriage.

Questions arose. Could there be other people involved in the relationship?

Any jealousy?

Was David seeing someone?

The fact that David and his wife were involved in this very unique lifestyle

help them develop some leads in who would have wanted to kill Major Shannon.

And David was okay with this?

Okay with it?

Maybe it was his idea.

Early on in their relationship... That was nice.

Joan and David discover they share similar tastes in most things.

I know a way that we could make it better.

Including sex.

Okay, I'll bite.

How?

Well, have you ever thought about being with someone else

in bed?

Other than my husband?

Yeah.

At the same time?

David, what are you getting at?

I think it would be really hot to see you with someone else.

But only if you wanted to.

I don't know what to say.

Don't say anything. Just think about it.

Okay.

Over time, David convinces Joan to experiment with couples he finds online.

Joan presented herself as very much a middle -aged wife and mother of four

children. They didn't seem like somebody that would be involved in the swinger

lifestyle, but in fact they were.

I had no clue they were into this. I really knew nothing about the lifestyle.

It was a shock. It was a real shock.

With this new angle to pursue, police take a closer look at David's computer.

David and Joan, they've been very busy.

According to David's emails, they're active members of the Fayetteville

Gangbangers, and they like to capture the moment.

Joan is not camera shy.

They found lots of information, lots of instances where David had communicated

with other members of the Swingers Clubs, videos from the Swingers Clubs,

pictures.

and some of Joan and David's sexual activity.

The club had parties at local hotels, parties at local homes, and that sort of

thing.

It's quite the party.

Yeah, the pool's a nice touch.

I'm David, by the way. This is Joan.

Hi. Mark, I like your dress, and, uh...

Pretty much everything else I can see.

Are you hitting on my wife?

Uh, yeah.

Definitely. That's what we're here for, right?

That's right.

The rule was that you could basically have sex with whoever you wanted to have

sex with.

But you didn't get emotionally involved.

Anything goes, Mark.

There's only one catch.

What's that?

I get to watch.

Shall we?

Up to you.

Just sex.

Nothing more.

It's the one rule they cannot break.

But could David or Joan have crossed that line?

In the days following the murder of 40 -year -old father of four, David

Fayetteville police discover the couple's provocative secret life.

Joan and David had double lives.

They had this private activity that they probably didn't tell a lot of people

about. Being involved in this swinger club obviously brought more people into

the investigation.

Investigators track down a few members of the Fayetteville gangbangers.

Sure. Do the names David and Joan Shannon ring a bell?

Yeah. Fun couple.

Why are you asking?

Did you know David was murdered?

What?

I was just with him a few weeks ago.

Did he have any enemies?

Dave?

No, he was a great guy.

Come on, Mark. I know about your little secret club.

You sleep with the wrong man's wife?

Look, man.

They slept with a lot of people.

And we all did.

The person you should be talking to is Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Wolfman.

Thanks.

Come on in, Detective.

So I just had a few more questions.

So what do you know about Jeffrey Wolfman?

Jeffrey, he worked on base with David.

And I guess you could say he was a member of the club.

And what about his wife?

He never brought her.

I thought it was a couple's thing.

David got Jeffrey for me.

Hey. Hey. How you doing?

So, Joan, the moment you've been waiting for.

This is Jeffrey.

Joan, finally.

David was in an online chat room for the sexual swing activities, and he saw a

guy on there who went by the nickname The Black Stuntman.

And The Black Stuntman was Jeffrey Wilson.

Very nice.

Well, I am pleased.

He told Jeffrey, would you like to have sex with my wife?

Well, you two get to know each other.

I'll be back in a little while.

Take your time.

We'll get started.

Is that right?

Mm -hmm.

That's good.

After several sexual encounters at swingers' parties... So what do you want

do tonight?

Well, you already know what I want to do.

Joan and Jeffrey begin seeing each other weekly.

Mom.

Oh, you remember Jeffrey.

I guess. Where's Dad?

At work.

Joan eventually brought Jeffrey to her home and introduced him to Liz and

her two small children.

What's for dinner?

Order pizza.

Jeffrey and I are going now.

Elizabeth was very aware that Jeffrey was Joan's boyfriend.

Jeffrey asked David if he could see Joan one -on -one, which initially David was

okay with, but Jeffrey began going out to dinner, coming back to the home, and

it became more than just a sexual relationship.

When was the last time you saw Jeffrey?

A few days before David was killed.

Wait, you don't think that he had something to do with this, do you?

Right now, everybody's a suspect.

Thank you for your time.

Sure.

Someone like Jeffrey Wilson that she's having this relationship with would be

pretty much a prime suspect.

Investigators bring Jeffrey Wilson, a .k .a. Black Stuntman, in for questioning.

How long you been swinging?

You'd be surprised.

There's a lot of women out there like Joe.

He would find women who were married or in a dating relationship where the woman

was not getting everything she needed emotionally, and he would be the

relationship stuntman. He would fill in where the main guy couldn't do the job.

Major Shannon was there every time, taking pictures or shooting videos or

whatever, and as I was, at least at first.

And then what happened after, at first?

Things changed.

Joan wanted more.

More what?

Everything.

Jeffrey Wilson tells detectives that over a few months, Joan developed deeper

feelings for him.

What if we could feel this way all the time?

That would be nice.

But Joan...

We talked about this, baby.

I don't care what we talked about.

When I'm with you, I'm perfect.

We're perfect. You know it. I know you know it. Joan, don't do this.

Do what? Be happy?

Be with somebody I love?

We have fun, but it can't be more than this. You know that. All I know is I

to be with you.

And I don't want to be with him anymore.

It was all about the sex for you.

What about all the dates with Joan? The dinners? It just seems like it was more

than just about that. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. That was all Joan's idea.

She said she wanted to spoil me.

Asked me what I wanted. I said a motorcycle.

And she offered to pay for it.

I mean, what was I going to do? Say no?

She was buying him things.

He was profiting from this relationship.

Wilson tells detectives that as soon as Joan fell for him, David Shannon took

notice.

Sex was one thing.

Falling in love was another.

Help yourself.

Hey, you want one? Are you serious?

Look, man, you can't be in my house. I told Joan already, no more one -on -one.

Okay, okay, I get it.

No disrespect.

Okay, good. Then get your stuff and get the hell out.

He did not want Joan seeing Jeffrey anymore.

He and Jonah began sneaking around and still seeing each other, even though

David didn't want them to. When I tried to cut it off with Joan, she wasn't

trying to hear that.

And that was around the same time Adrianna got shot.

You know, I was just going to ask you about that.

What were you going to do? Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Hold on. I've told you

everything.

And I've been honest. Come on, Jeff. He tells you to back off.

And then he gets shot in the head.

That looks bad, Jeff.

Looks bad for you.

It was a love triangle. It was Joan married to David while falling in love

a man, not her husband.

And that sometimes leads to murder.

Investigators in Fayetteville, North Carolina, are bearing down on Jeffrey

Wilson.

They now suspect he shot and killed David Shannon while he slept.

Listen, man, I don't know what to tell you. I didn't kill David.

In fact, I was at work that night. I was at the hospital on base. You can check

it.

When detectives check Wilson's alibi, they find he is telling the truth.

There wasn't anything there.

But Jeffrey's information was very helpful. It kind of led the

a different direction.

If Jeffrey wasn't involved, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at the

other person in that relationship, Major David Shannon's widow, Joan.

She was allowed to have these sexual affairs with other people so long as it

just about sex. But she crossed the line when she started falling in love with

Jeffrey. You just need to clear up a couple of things.

Okay. Joan's story was that she was asleep in the bed next to David and she

heard a loud pop.

Normally, if someone's next to a gunshot victim, there's blood all over them.

Your clothes were completely clean.

I sleep wrapped up in blankets.

There was blood on the blankets, wasn't there?

Yeah, yeah.

There was very little or no blood spatter on Joan, on her clothing and

of thing, and they found that to be very unique.

There's just one other thing that I just didn't get, John.

The report said that when you went outside to call 911, you left your kids

behind. As far as you knew, the killer was still inside the house, right?

I guess I just panicked.

I mean, people panic in those situations, don't they?

If there was a gunman in the house.

a parent would immediately go and protect their children, even if they

putting their own life at risk.

Khabib, you just panicked.

Or you knew your kids were safe inside the house because you knew David was the

only target that night because you killed your husband.

I didn't kill my husband.

I loved him.

You tested my hands.

I didn't fire a gun.

Instead of wasting my time, why don't you get out there and find the real

killer?

One week after the murder, a call comes in that sends the case in a new

direction. Hello?

Hey, I need to talk to someone.

It's about the David Shannon murder.

That no one could have predicted.

I think I know who did it.

After there was quite a few investigative leads followed and dead

finally got a...

Tip on the hotline.

I was at this party, and I heard these girls talking about the murder.

What girls?

Elizabeth Shannon and her friend Vera.

She said she shot her stepdad.

She bragged about it.

It's crazy.

Certainly once the tip came in, that certainly led a focus to Elizabeth.

They had interviewed Elizabeth and interviewed Vera the night of the

they really weren't considered suspects at that time.

The 15 -year -old showed no traces of gunshot residue when tested the night of

the murder.

But a closer look at Liz's history reveals years of neglect and turmoil.

Liz would have had somewhat of a troubled background growing up as a

would be sneaking out the window, sneaking boys into the house through the

window. She would run away. She'd get in trouble. She had issues with drugs.

The witness goes on to tell detectives.

that the real problems are with her mother.

I don't think Elizabeth bonded with her mother. Don't think she wanted

Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was never given any attention or love or guidance.

Mom, where were you?

You were supposed to pick me up from school.

She'd been left and neglected her whole life coming up. It's like you don't give

a crap about any of us and you never did. Hold on, babe.

I'm on the phone.

You come back here and clean that up, young lady, right now.

Investigators attempt to bring in Elizabeth Shannon for questioning, but

taken off. They learn that Elizabeth had ran away and left the house, and Joan

said it had been several days since Elizabeth had ran away. What's going on?

they speak to the other teenager in the home that night, 15 -year -old Vera

Jackson. But I didn't do anything.

Vera, you and Elizabeth were talking about how you shot her father.

You have a witness that heard you.

Vera denies she and Elizabeth had anything to do with David Shannon's

I told you everything I know.

You know how much time you can get for this?

20 years.

They basically scared the truth out of her. They made it clear to her that they

didn't think that she was telling everything that she knew about the night

the murder.

I wasn't even really there.

What do you mean?

Okay,

Vera.

You're doing the right thing. Just tell me what happened.

Well, I guess it started the day before when me and Liz went to practice

shooting guns.

Vera and Elizabeth went out to, like, a... construction site, and they

with the gun.

Vera was a 15 -year -old girl. I think she was scared. I didn't know exactly

what to do except be there for her friend.

She had no idea what Elizabeth was up to at that time.

Where'd she get the gun?

Liz's mom, Mrs. Shannon, she gave it to her.

It was her idea.

This was all her idea.

I think investigators were shocked, but all of it was starting to make sense and

kind of come together at this point.

Liz's mom, Mrs. Shannon, it

was her idea.

This was all her idea.

Elizabeth telling me she'd been on her, telling her what to do, telling her how

to do it.

This was just doing what her mom told her to.

Certainly the biggest bombshell in Vera's statement to investigators was

not only did Elizabeth Shannon kill David Shannon, but she did it because

mom, Joan Shannon, wanted her to.

Vera was never charged with anything.

She had been with Elizabeth the night of the murder and after the murder.

But there was never any evidence that she was an active participant in the

crime. Hours after Vera's interview, Fayetteville police arrest Joan Shannon

for the murder and conspiracy to commit murder of her husband, David.

I didn't suspect Joan.

I was still living in La La Land, that they were perfect for each other. It was

a shock.

Police then get a tip on the other actor in that conspiracy, her daughter,

Elizabeth.

Law enforcement responded to that area, which was a local mobile home park where

she was hiding.

Fifteen -year -old Elizabeth Shannon is arrested and taken to the same jail

where her mother is being held.

She was advised that she had a right to have a lawyer. She did not understand

that, and she thought, but I'm 15, I don't have any money, I can't hire a

lawyer. So she thought that she had no choice but to talk to law enforcement.

Elizabeth, we know that you did it.

Just tell me what happened.

You're in a lot of trouble.

But if you lie, it's just going to make it worse.

Okay.

I shot him.

And what did you do with the gun?

I ran outside and Vera and another friend were out there waiting.

So I gave them the bag with my bloody clothes and the

gloves.

And the gun.

Why? Why would you do this?

Because Mom wanted me to.

She told me that she couldn't do it without me.

She needed me.

Elizabeth says her mother spent months trying to convince her.

Liz, come sit with me. That she had to be the one to kill David. Hey.

Joan wanted David dead because she did not love him anymore, and she wanted his

insurance money. It was just honor, honor, honor. Kill him, kill him, kill

We could start over.

When he's gone, we could be a real family again.

I'll be able to buy you anything that you want.

Mom, I don't know.

Liz.

Think of all the time we could spend together if David wasn't around anymore.

I can't do this without you.

Lizzie wanted a better life. Her mother promised her brother life. And if she

did this, you know, life would be better and things would be normal.

According to Elizabeth, Joan manipulated her to pull the trigger by suddenly

showing her love and attention.

She begins to start spending time with her where she had never done that

She's taking her to the mall. She's taking her out to eat.

She was talking to her and listening to Elizabeth, something that she

desperately wanted, a mother figure.

If I thought for one second that you could get in real trouble for this, I

never let you do it.

Promise.

You promise?

I promise.

I love you.

But now her mother's promises ring hollow.

Joan Shannon hasn't lifted a finger to help Elizabeth since her arrest and is

still proclaiming her own innocence.

She told me that she loved me and thought we would be a family.

To use doting affection that had been absent before in order to entice her to

it. was just one of the worst things I've ever seen a parent do to a child.

In August 2005, Elizabeth accepts a plea deal, taking the stand to testify

against her own mother.

She tells the jury exactly what happened the night of July 22, 2002.

Around 11 o 'clock, Joan tells her.

We're going to watch a movie and go to bed.

Which is the code that's good to go?

Okay. Once Joan gives her daughter the code word,

there's no going back for Elizabeth.

She got the gun that her mother had provided for her and walked into the

where her father was sleeping.

Stands over the only father she's known all her life.

He's still breathing.

Good girl.

Now get rid of the gun.

Go.

Joan is my sister and I love my sister.

But it just became evident that Lizzie's telling the truth.

The jury also sides with Elizabeth Shannon's version.

Joan Shannon is convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus 13 years.

David and Joan seemed to be living somewhat of a double life.

It was not the type of couple that you think would be going to swingers clubs

and swingers parties.

And that double life eventually opens the door to betrayal and murder.

As for Elizabeth, she receives a 25 to 31 year term for pleading guilty to

second degree murder.

She did this for one reason only, and that was for her mother's love.

And not only did she not get her mother's love, she's got a mother that

admit it. What happened, it wasn't right.

Joan betrayed Elizabeth by using her.

What a daughter would do for a mother's love, certainly in this case, it was

murder.