NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The man accused of fatally shooting Oceanair Elementary School teacher Caroline Hendrix on New Year’s Eve is now facing a first-degree murder charge.
Edward Shaw, 70, of Utah, had his second-degree murder charge amended during a combined preliminary hearing on Wednesday in Norfolk General District Court, according to Amanda Howie with the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney. Shaw faces another felony charge for use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
Teniqu Cushman, who also faces a felony conspiracy to commit murder charge in relation to Hendrix’s death, had her charge amended to reflect the upgraded charge against Shaw.
Though Shaw now faces the first-degree murder charge, prosecutors have said that Hendrix was not the intended target that night. According to prosecutors, Shaw meant to shoot Hendrix’s friend, who they say was in a love triangle with Shaw and Cushman.
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Shaw was compelled to eliminate his rival at Cushman’s urging, according to prosecutors. Hendrix and her friend were house-sitting on Virginian Drive on New Year’s Eve when she was shot.
During that same incident, Shaw was shot by Hendrix’s friend, police say. That same night, Chesapeake police said they found a man later identified as Shaw inside of a vehicle on Happy Acres Road.
He told police he pulled over on the shoulder of I-64 after being shot near the Deep Creek exit.
However, an investigation conducted by Norfolk police and state troopers determined Shaw was not involved in an alleged road rage shooting on the interstate.
He was charged with the two felonies on January 2. Cushman, of the 1300 block of Waterfront Drive in Virginia Beach, was later arrested on the conspiracy charge.
The two felony charges against Shaw and the charge against Cushman were certified to a Grand Jury on Wednesday. The next Grand Jury is scheduled for May 2, 2018, in Norfolk Circuit Court.
Both Shaw and Cushman remain in custody.