Catherine Shelton: A timeline of the cases with links to the former Texas attorney

A large number of males have dropped lifeless round Catherine Shelton. She’s by no means spent an afternoon in prison. Is she chargeable for any in their deaths? Journalist Jenna Jackson has been looking for a solution to that query for years.

2002: A journalist’s obsession starts

Greater than two decades in the past,”48 Hours” manufacturer Jenna Jackson began researching an notorious Texas lady named Catherine Mehaffey Shelton and were given hooked.

Catherine Mehaffey Shelton

Atypical issues have took place to the lads within the former protection legal professional’s existence: an ex-boyfriend discovered overwhelmed to dying, a former lover shot within the again, a contractor discovered lifeless and bare in one among her houses; those are simply among the incidents that experience added to the thriller surrounding Catherine Shelton.

Assist from some professionals

Jenna Jackson enlisted lend a hand from protection legal professional Brian Benken and previous prosecutor Lisa Andrews to kind throughout the many accusations. Benken and Andrews are each “48 Hours” specialists.

Loss of life 1: George Tedesco

The primary dying of a person related to Catherine Shelton used to be that of Houston anesthesiologist George Tedesco. He and Shelton had as soon as dated, but if the connection ended, Shelton sued him announcing they have been “commonplace legislation” married and he or she had a proper to part his property. 

January 15, 1979: Tedesco discovered lifeless

At the day George Tedesco used to be scheduled to seem in courtroom in a dispute with Catherine Shelton, he used to be discovered brutally overwhelmed to dying in his storage. Investigators discovered a tire iron at the premises that they believed to be the homicide weapon.

After his dying, Shelton broke into the crime scene to get again assets she stated belonged to her. A few of the issues Shelton admitted to taking: a TV, pottery, $140 in money, her driving force’s license, and an vintage sword. Tedesco’s circle of relatives later filed a wrongful dying lawsuit in opposition to Catherine, but it surely by no means made it to trial.

Gary Taylor

Afterward in 1979, a Houston reporter named Gary Taylor who lined the courthouse says he started a courting with Catherine Shelton.

After an issue of weeks, Taylor says, he attempted to get a divorce with Shelton and he or she changed into livid. Taylor says she even as soon as put a pistol on her bedside desk, he thinks, simply to remind him who used to be boss.

Taylor went to his buddies within the DA’s place of job who have been nonetheless investigating Tedesco’s unsolved homicide. It used to be recommended that he and his roommate may secretly report Shelton at the telephone.  

But if Shelton came upon that Taylor used to be operating with the DA, tensions escalated additional. Taylor’s roommate referred to as Shelton and were given her response on tape. 

At the tape, Shelton is heard screaming, “he is were given to beg for my mercy.”

January 17-18, 1980: Gary Taylor is going to Catherine’s space

In early 1980, the placement grew to become violent. Gary Taylor’s house were burglarized. Catherine Shelton didn’t admit duty for the housebreaking, however Taylor says she informed him she may lend a hand him get his property again if he got here to her space.

As soon as in her space, Taylor says Shelton informed him there used to be one thing for him in her bed room closet. Taylor says when he stepped into the closet, the lighting went out and he heard a gun click on.    

Shot fired

Gary Taylor says he may see Catherine Shelton status within the bed room preserving a gun pointed on the closet. He says he grabbed a chair and charged at her. Shelton fired a spherical that went throughout the chair and grazed Taylor above the ear. Taylor says he threw the chair at Shelton and ran down the hallway towards the door.

Gary Taylor shot within the again

“After I were given to the door I ended, I clicked the deadbolt, I opened the door. And that is the reason after I felt the shot within the again,” says Taylor. Catherine Shelton used to be arrested. She stated she shot Taylor in self-defense. 

April-June 1980: Catherine Shelton on trial

In April 1980, Catherine Shelton went on trial for taking pictures Gary Taylor. The trial led to a hung jury, cut up alongside gender strains. The seven males stated accountable. The 5 ladies stated she used to be no longer accountable.

At a 2d trial, Shelton claimed Taylor held a gun on her and stated she used to be looking to break out from him. She used to be discovered accountable and sentenced to ten years. On the other hand, her conviction used to be overturned on enchantment. Fairly than undergo any other trial, Shelton pleaded accountable to annoyed attack and were given probation. She used to be briefly barred from training legislation. She would later persuade a pass judgement on to put aside her conviction.

Would possibly 5, 1980: Loss of life 2 | Tommy Bell

Tommy Bell used to be a former consumer of Catherine Shelton’s who used to be named together with her within the wrongful dying lawsuit filed through George Tedesco’s circle of relatives – which by no means made it to trial.

Bell used to be discovered shot to dying in his house. Bell’s roommate informed investigators Bell were taking part in Russian roulette through himself in his bed room.

1981: Marriage and a transfer to Dallas  

In 1981, Catherine married a person named Clint Shelton and so they moved in combination to Dallas. In 1988, Catherine Shelton were given her legislation license again and opened a convention. This era of Catherine’s existence used to be moderately quiet, however that might exchange in 1999.

June 8, 1999: Loss of life 3: | Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen used to be a consumer of Catherine Shelton’s. She had reportedly been serving to Hansen through doing a little immigration paintings for him. Hansen used to be in america from Canada. In 1999, Hansen used to be doing a little contracting paintings in Shelton’s new house she had but to transport into.  

On June 8, Hansen used to be discovered placing bare within the Shelton space the place he were operating. Consistent with newspaper stories on the time, his dying used to be dominated an twist of fate through autoerotic asphyxiation.

The falling out

Marisa Hierro used to be a former worker at Catherine Shelton’s legislation follow. When she left the process, Hierro began her personal immigration consulting trade. Shelton, she says, used to be no longer glad about it. The 2 accused each and every different of scamming their respective shoppers. Consistent with Hierro, Shelton additionally began threatening her.

“She’s screaming, ‘You will not are living to look Christmas.’ I imply, she stated it precisely like that,” says Hierro. 

Shelton denies ever threatening her. Hierro says she feared for her protection as a result of what took place to Chris Hansen. Hierro says she knew him and that about 30 days earlier than his dying, he had informed her a few warfare he used to be having with Catherine.

December 20, 1999: Loss of life 4 | Michael Hierro

Marisa Hierro and her husband Michael pulled into their driveway one December evening and have been met with gunfire. Marisa says she noticed two masked figures: a bigger particular person— a person— preserving a gun and a petite blonde lady giving orders. Michael Hierro used to be shot lifeless. Marisa Hierro used to be shot within the arm and badly injured.

Marisa informed police Catherine Shelton used to be accountable and that she had identified her voice as the girl giving orders. On the other hand, Catherine had an alibi and maintained that she used to be blameless.

DNA discovered close to the Hierro crime scene

Police discovered two latex gloves and a masks made from pantyhose in a Porta Potty on a building website online close to the homicide scene. Clint Shelton’s DNA used to be at the masks.

February 25, 2000

Clint Shelton used to be arrested and charged with homicide and annoyed attack. He used to be discovered accountable and sentenced to existence in jail for taking pictures the Hierros. “48 Hours” spoke to him a couple of years into his sentence.

“I didn’t homicide or try to homicide any person,” stated Clint Shelton. “And I used to be no longer there that evening.”

Catherine Shelton hasn’t ever been charged in connection to the crime.

December 20, 2001: Marisa Hierro sues for wrongful dying

Marisa Hierro sued Catherine and Clint Shelton for wrongful dying in 2001. That go well with by no means went to trial. Catherine Shelton countersued announcing Marisa Hierro had falsely accused her and Clint for the crime and that each one of her claims have been unfaithful. Marisa did not display up for trial, so Shelton received through default. The pass judgement on dominated that Hierro libeled Catherine Shelton through accusing her of homicide and awarded her tens of millions of greenbacks in damages. 

August 27, 2017: Loss of life 5 | Sam Shelton 

The deaths of guys with hyperlinks to Catherine Shelton didn’t finish there. In 2017, a 70-year-old veteran named Sam Shelton— no relation — used to be residing in Shelton’s house. She says he used to be sick and had no circle of relatives to handle him.

When Storm Harvey blew via Houston, Catherine Shelton says Sam died of herbal reasons within her house.

Catherine Shelton bumped into hassle when, after he had died, she signed Sam Shelton’s identify on a rent software to check out to hire a space. Catherine claims her intentions have been excellent; she says she used to be looking to get a brand new space for Sam’s nurse and her circle of relatives who had misplaced their house within the hurricane.

2022: Catherine Shelton in her personal phrases

Catherine Shelton sat down with Jenna Jackson once more just lately to talk about those instances and to set the report directly.

“I’ve by no means killed any human being… I’ve by no means paid any person to kill any human being, promised any person that I might pay them to kill any other human being, introduced any person the rest of price,” says Shelton. 

Catherine Shelton used to be charged with a prison for fraudulent use of figuring out knowledge. She is lately dealing with trial scheduled for this summer season.