Shannon guilty of murder

Fayetteville Online ^ | Sep. 1, 2005 | Paul Woolverton

[aaronbeth]

Joan Shannon appeared to shrink in her seat as one-by-one the jurors in her murder trial announced their votes Wednesday that she is guilty of murder for the death of her husband, Army Maj. David Shannon.

Staff photo by Mike Spencer Joan Shannon listens in court Wednesday after she was found guilty of murdering her husband. At right is investigator Robert Baker. David Shannon's sister, Brenda Strong, sat directly behind Joan. "No!" she whispered. "No!"

David's mother, Shirley Shannon, bent her head and cried while another of his sisters, Virginia Schanz, held an arm around her. David Shannon's family maintains that Joan is innocent of his murder, that the blame solely lies with David and Joan's daughter Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Shannon testified that Joan gave her the gun and pressured her into killing David on July 23, 2002, so she could collect on his life insurance policies and be with a boyfriend.

[aaronbeth]

This mom pressured her troubled teenage daughter into murdering her husband- the girls' adoptive dad- so she (the mom) could be with her boyfriend. Mom met boyfriend thru pre- murdered husband, while they were involved in swingers club. Talk about messed up. Two younger children, boys aged 10 and 12, are now have a dead father and in prison for life mom. Sister in prison for about 31 years. Crazy.