A South Carolina man who pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in front of her young son will serve the rest of his life in prison.
John Patrick Shea, 29, appeared in court on Wednesday to apologize to the family of Jillian Angner, a 25-year-old woman he shot in March 2023 while driving her 6-year-old son to school.
Shea, who had previously dated Angner and began stalking her after their breakup, asked for a life sentence after pleading guilty to all four felony charges against him, including Angner’s murder and the attempted murder of her son.
According to a press release from South Carolina’s 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Shea pleaded guilty to Angner’s murder shortly after his trial began.
According to prosecutors, Shea admitted to the premeditated killing of Angner and pleaded guilty to “the attempted murder of Angner’s young son, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.”
According to prosecutors, Shea and Angner’s relationship ended in October 2022. In the months that followed, Angner reported “multiple instances of stalking and break-ins at her home” allegedly perpetrated by Shea.
On March 2, 2023, Shea arranged for a friend to drive him to Angner’s home. The friend thought the ride was for a “drug run” and didn’t realize he was driving Shea to Angner’s house.
As Angner was packing her car to drive her 6-year-old son to school, she was ambushed by Shea, who opened fire on her and her son while they were in her Jeep Cherokee.
He’d been waiting for them to come out. Angner was hit several times, resulting in a critical wound to her neck. Her son “escaped by crawling out of the back of the vehicle and hiding in a nearby marsh,” according to prosecutors.
Angner was hospitalized and put on life support. She never regained consciousness and died on August 5, 2023.
Shea was apprehended days later as he packed his car with suitcases and prepared to flee. When he was taken into custody, he was carrying his passport and birth certificate.
During the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigation, authorities searched his apartment and discovered “defaced photographs of Angner, tarot cards, a voodoo doll, a makeshift shrine, and literature related to satanism and the occult.” Shea’s mother wrote a letter expressing her concern about her son’s behavior and mentioning a threat to his brother’s life.
Authorities also discovered evidence that Shea was possibly stalking other women he had dated since 2008, “along with notes about each encounter.” Shea also appeared to try to create an alibi for himself by leaving his car parked at a bar.
Shea’s murder trial had begun on Tuesday, with seven witnesses taking the stand. Before testimony could resume on Wednesday, the defendant admitted his crimes and pleaded guilty “without recommendation or negotiation from the state,” according to courtroom reporting by local news outlet The Island Packet.
Shea told the court, “I can’t take the pain in my heart anymore. I sincerely apologize for what has happened here.” He stated that he was “mentally sick and mentally unstable” at the time of the crime.
He then pleaded with Circuit Court Judge S. Bryan Doby, “Your honor, please spare my life. Please, spare my life. I beg you: please spare my life. I made a mistake.
Shea eventually got his wish, as he was sentenced to life in prison for Angner’s murder, as well as the maximum sentence for the remaining three charges.
