NORFOLK, Va. — A man, involved in an alleged love triangle, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to second-degree murder of a Norfolk school teacher.
Edward Shaw, 72, is accused of working with his ex-lover, 23-year-old Teniqu Cushman, in planning a shooting that left 50-year-old Caroline Hendrix dead in 2017.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and firearm in commission of a felony before his trial began on Tuesday. He is looking at 43 years in jail, but his sentencing date isn't until January.
Hendrix was a local teacher at Oceanair Elementary School. The former Principal of Oceanair Elementary School Dr, Lawrence C. Taylor stated:
There is not a day that goes by that we do not think of Caroline Hendrix’s sweet, kind, and gentle soul. Caroline’s memory will live on through the friends she made during her more than 20 years in education, but more importantly, through the hundreds of children’s lives she graciously touched while serving as one of Norfolk Public Schools’ prekindergarten teachers.
Talbot Park Baptist Church Pastor Aaron Brittain said Hendrix had been an active member of the church for 30 years and said in a statement that:
“We’re glad it’s resolved but it’s not going to bring Caroline back and nothing can. It will never change that,” said Brittain.
Norfolk police said this was a case of mistaken identity, and that Shaw and Cushman's planned target was another man. Cushman's lawyer Kristin Paulding also said that Hendrix was never the target.
Ms. Hendrix never came up in anyone’s conversation and Ms. Cushman has really been distraught and very emotional over the fact that Ms. Hendrix, a woman she didn’t know, an innocent bystander was killed in this particular case,” said Paulding.
In court, Cushman said that she met 72-year-old Edward Shaw online, but they later met in person at the Oceanfront. Prosecutors said that Cushman and Shaw had a sexual relationship, and Shaw gave her money to pay for college and start-up an HVAC company.
At the time, Cushman also had a sexual relationship with another man, Alex Novak, who she also met online. However, when Novak and Cushman’s relationship went awry, investigators said Cushman texted Shaw and said she "wanted someone to be taught a lesson."
To which Shaw said that "he needed more than a lesson."
Investigators said that the person they were referring to was Novak.
Novak was a key witness. In court, he testified that he was with his good friend, Caroline Hendrix, on New Year's Eve in 2017 house-sitting for a friend.
Novak said Hendrix went outside to walk a dog, but she came back a few minutes later because she saw a man being suspicious. Novak testified that just before 8 p.m., Hendrix was in the driveway getting into a van when he heard shots.
Novak said he ran outside and saw Edward Shaw. Novak said he immediately drew his gun and shot Shaw five times, hitting him in the stomach and shoulders. Medics rushed Hendrix to the hospital, but she died from her injuries.
Investigators said Shaw drove to Chesapeake where he called 911 dispatchers and told them he was in a road rage incident. He lied and said he was shot on the interstate. Investigators said they never found evidence that proved Shaw's claim was true.
Detectives searched Shaw's car and found bullets, binoculars, and a zoomed-in picture of Alex Novak. Investigators also went to Shaw's work in North Carolina and found Novak's phone number and address.
As part of her plea agreement, Cushman was set to testify against Shaw in the trial. But now, Cushman will have her sentencing on November 22, 2019 and Shaw will have his sentencing on January 16, 2020.