NORFOLK, Va. - Edward Shaw, the man charged inkilling a Norfolk elementary school teacher in a 2017 New Year's Eve shooting, pleaded guilty to 2nd Degree Murder on Tuesday, right before his trial was to start.
The guilty plea was announced via Twitter by Norfolk officials.
The case gained attention due to the love triangle that led to Caroline Hendrix's death on the last day of 2017. Prosecutors believed the Shaw had shot Hendrix by mistake - actually trying to shoot a friend who was with her that evening.
Edwards will be sentenced on the 2nd Degree Murder charge, along with a charge of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, on January 16, 2020.
Hendrix, who was a pre-k teacher at Oceanair Elementary school, was shot in the leg twice. The bullets would travel to her upper body, where they then caused significant damage and led to her death.
The man that was in the car with Hendrix reportedly was involved in a love triangle with Shaw and Teniqu Cushman. As part of the investigation, Cushman was charged with conspiracy. She pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2018.
Cushman's sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 22.
Cushman was 22 years old at the time of the shooting, and Shaw was 70 years old. Hendrix was 50 years old when she was killed.
Prosecutors said in Cushman's trial that She and Shaw had a "friends with benefits" type of relationship. Cushman also had a sexual relationship with Hendrix's friend, but that relationship soured, the prosecutor added.
Cushman texted Shaw that the other man "had to be gone" due to mental abuse from the man, the prosecutor said. Cushman's attorney argued that was not proof she wanted Shaw to shoot the other man, but rather that she wanted their relationship to end.
