On December 29, 2012 Lee-Ann Shannon drowned in the bathtub at her home. Her husband, Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon was charged on January 09, 2013 with her murder.
Hart man charged with open murder for allegedly drowning wife in tub
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/hart_man_charged_with_open_mur.html
HART, MI – A 34-year-old Hart man has been charged with open murder for allegedly drowning his wife in a bathtub.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said the incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
Timothy Shannon has been charged with open murder for the death of his wife of six years, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning. After Oceana County detectives interviewed the suspect yesterday evening, he was then lodged for homicide,” according to a press release from the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
Timothy Shannon has been arraigned in Oceana County’s 78th District Court. Bond was denied and he remains lodged in the Oceana County Jail.
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/hart_man_charged_with_open_mur.html
Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said the incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
Timothy Shannon has been charged with open murder for the death of his wife of six years, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning. After Oceana County detectives interviewed the suspect yesterday evening, he was then lodged for homicide,” according to a press release from the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
Timothy Shannon has been arraigned in Oceana County’s 78th District Court. Bond was denied and he remains lodged in the Oceana County Jail.
Councilman charged with drowning wife
'This was a crime of passion'
Wood TV
January 09, 2013
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/man-drowned-wife-in-bathtub
HART, Mich. (WOOD) - A city councilman in Hart has been charged with drowning his wife in the bathtub of their Oceana County residence.
Now, police say a councilman Tim Shannon's extramarital romantic relationship with another woman may have been one precursor to what they are calling a homicide.
Tim Shannon called police to his home at 214 Courtland Street in Hart around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2012. Authorities found Lee-Ann Shannon dead in the bathtub.
"The story that they were given was that this was an accidental drowning in the bathtub of the residence," Lt. Craig Mast of the Oceana County Sheriff's Department told 24 Hour News 8.
Police were skeptical.
"Thirty-four-year-olds in pretty good physical condition don't usually drown in their own bathtub," said Lt. Mast. "That's a pretty extraordinary story."
Both the public and those close to the Shannons began giving investigators tips, the county prosecutor told 24 Hour News 8. That is when the investigation took a turn toward murder. Soon, a suspect was developed: Tim Shannon.
"We took over the investigation because there's a city council member involved in it. Hart police wasn't interested in having a conflict of interest," said Mast.
Oceana County sheriff's detectives interviewed Shannon Tuesday night. At that point, they said, his story changed. Police and the prosecutor stopped short of confirming he confessed.
"After that statement he was placed under arrest," Lt. Mast said.
Tim Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday on an open murder charge. Bond was denied.
Lt. Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday they are hearing that Shannon has since hired an attorney.
The Shannons had been married for six years and had two children. But Tim Shannon had hired an attorney to handle a divorce, Mast confirmed 24 Hour News 8 Thursday.
And, Mast said, Shannon had been having an affair with a woman in her 30s who had been renting a room in the Shannons' home. Mast said that woman appeared to have "had a critical role in their pending divorce."
The woman has since moved away, but had previously been interviewed regarding the death. Authorities are not currently working to find her.
"Things may change because this goofy story has been unraveling quickly," Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday over the phone.
Tim Shannon never denied having a relationship with the woman, Mast confirmed to 24 Hour News 8, and thought the accidental drowning stopry could cover up a "perfect murder."
"This was a crime of passion. You know, it certainly appears to be a crime of passion," Mast said Wednesday. "It seems like the marriage may have been deteriorating. And tempers got the best of them and made some decisions that one party is going to live to regret and the other didn't."
'This was a crime of passion'
Wood TV
January 09, 2013
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/man-drowned-wife-in-bathtub
Now, police say a councilman Tim Shannon's extramarital romantic relationship with another woman may have been one precursor to what they are calling a homicide.
Tim Shannon called police to his home at 214 Courtland Street in Hart around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2012. Authorities found Lee-Ann Shannon dead in the bathtub.
"The story that they were given was that this was an accidental drowning in the bathtub of the residence," Lt. Craig Mast of the Oceana County Sheriff's Department told 24 Hour News 8.
Police were skeptical.
"Thirty-four-year-olds in pretty good physical condition don't usually drown in their own bathtub," said Lt. Mast. "That's a pretty extraordinary story."
Both the public and those close to the Shannons began giving investigators tips, the county prosecutor told 24 Hour News 8. That is when the investigation took a turn toward murder. Soon, a suspect was developed: Tim Shannon.
"We took over the investigation because there's a city council member involved in it. Hart police wasn't interested in having a conflict of interest," said Mast.
Oceana County sheriff's detectives interviewed Shannon Tuesday night. At that point, they said, his story changed. Police and the prosecutor stopped short of confirming he confessed.
"After that statement he was placed under arrest," Lt. Mast said.
Tim Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday on an open murder charge. Bond was denied.
Lt. Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday they are hearing that Shannon has since hired an attorney.
The Shannons had been married for six years and had two children. But Tim Shannon had hired an attorney to handle a divorce, Mast confirmed 24 Hour News 8 Thursday.
And, Mast said, Shannon had been having an affair with a woman in her 30s who had been renting a room in the Shannons' home. Mast said that woman appeared to have "had a critical role in their pending divorce."
The woman has since moved away, but had previously been interviewed regarding the death. Authorities are not currently working to find her.
"Things may change because this goofy story has been unraveling quickly," Mast told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday over the phone.
Tim Shannon never denied having a relationship with the woman, Mast confirmed to 24 Hour News 8, and thought the accidental drowning stopry could cover up a "perfect murder."
"This was a crime of passion. You know, it certainly appears to be a crime of passion," Mast said Wednesday. "It seems like the marriage may have been deteriorating. And tempers got the best of them and made some decisions that one party is going to live to regret and the other didn't."
Hart woman allegedly drowned by husband in bathtub described as 'great, great parent'
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/hart_woman_who_police_say_was.html
HART, MI – Lee-Ann Shannon was a loving mother to her two young children and devoted her time to Hart Public Schools’ Head Start program, an official said.
Those who knew her were “shocked” to learn Wednesday that her husband of six years, Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, 34, has been charged with open murder in connection with her Dec. 29 death.
Authorities say Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in a bathtub inside their Courtland Street home in Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Jodi Munoz, director of Early Childhood Programs for Hart Public Schools, said her staff is “just devastated” at the news. Lee-Ann Shannon worked there with Munoz for more than a year.
“It’s pretty shocking. We’re having a hard time dealing with it,” Munoz said. “She was very involved in paying it forward. She was very involved in her kids’ education. We will miss her. She was a great, great parent and involved with her children. She was all about her kids.”
The couple has a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old, Munoz said.
Authorities said Timothy Shannon is a member of the Hart City Council. A woman at Hart City Hall declined to confirm that he is a member of the council.
A call to City Manager Stan Rickard wasn't immediately returned Wednesday and other city officials declined to comment.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon’s grandmother, declined to give a statement about his arrest.
“I have no thoughts on that,” she said.
She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Chaffin.
Munoz said Lee-Ann Shannon was very hands-on with her children.
“She attended every playgroup that we had on Fridays. She was very involved with her children. She was on our parent committee and represented our program in the Muskegon area,” Munoz said.
Meanwhile, Munoz said the staff is trying hard to provide the Shannon children with some normalcy in the meantime.
“The children were in class today, which is good,” Munoz said. “We are hoping they will continue to attend here. We are trying to keep the children’s lives as normal as possible. We will miss her.”
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/hart_woman_who_police_say_was.html
Those who knew her were “shocked” to learn Wednesday that her husband of six years, Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, 34, has been charged with open murder in connection with her Dec. 29 death.
Authorities say Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in a bathtub inside their Courtland Street home in Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Jodi Munoz, director of Early Childhood Programs for Hart Public Schools, said her staff is “just devastated” at the news. Lee-Ann Shannon worked there with Munoz for more than a year.
“It’s pretty shocking. We’re having a hard time dealing with it,” Munoz said. “She was very involved in paying it forward. She was very involved in her kids’ education. We will miss her. She was a great, great parent and involved with her children. She was all about her kids.”
The couple has a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old, Munoz said.
Authorities said Timothy Shannon is a member of the Hart City Council. A woman at Hart City Hall declined to confirm that he is a member of the council.
A call to City Manager Stan Rickard wasn't immediately returned Wednesday and other city officials declined to comment.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon’s grandmother, declined to give a statement about his arrest.
“I have no thoughts on that,” she said.
Lee-Ann Shannon is survived by her mother, Irene Chaffin of Shelby, and brother, Tom Chaffin, in Texas. She was a graduate of Spring Arbor College and had a bachelor’s degree in early education. According to her obituary, she attended First Baptist Church of Hart.
She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Chaffin.
Munoz said Lee-Ann Shannon was very hands-on with her children.
“She attended every playgroup that we had on Fridays. She was very involved with her children. She was on our parent committee and represented our program in the Muskegon area,” Munoz said.
Meanwhile, Munoz said the staff is trying hard to provide the Shannon children with some normalcy in the meantime.
“The children were in class today, which is good,” Munoz said. “We are hoping they will continue to attend here. We are trying to keep the children’s lives as normal as possible. We will miss her.”
Detective: Police certain that Hart City Council member drowned wife in bathtub
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/authorities_are_still_investig.html
HART, MI -- Initially reported as an accidental drowning, investigators are quite certain that Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon is responsible for killing his wife by drowning her in the couple's bathtub on Dec. 29.
Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, was found dead in a bathtub in her home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in Hart.
Authorities said the incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning on the day of Shannon’s murder.
As the investigation unfolded, Oceana County Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty said police became quite certain that Lee-Ann Shannon’s husband of six years, Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, 34, had allegedly drowned her in a bathtub.
“Adults don’t drown in bathtubs,” Hasty said.
He would not comment on whether Timothy Shannon admitted to killing his wife. He has been charged with open murder in connection with his wife’s Dec. 29 death.
Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said the Hart Police Department called in the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the death once it began looking like a homicide, because the suspect is a Hart City Council member.
“I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks,” Bizon said. “They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”
The couple have a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old. Hasty confirmed that the two children are under the care of their grandparents.
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/authorities_are_still_investig.html
HART, MI -- Initially reported as an accidental drowning, investigators are quite certain that Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon is responsible for killing his wife by drowning her in the couple's bathtub on Dec. 29.
Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, was found dead in a bathtub in her home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in Hart.
As the investigation unfolded, Oceana County Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty said police became quite certain that Lee-Ann Shannon’s husband of six years, Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, 34, had allegedly drowned her in a bathtub.
“Adults don’t drown in bathtubs,” Hasty said.
He would not comment on whether Timothy Shannon admitted to killing his wife. He has been charged with open murder in connection with his wife’s Dec. 29 death.
Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said the Hart Police Department called in the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the death once it began looking like a homicide, because the suspect is a Hart City Council member.
“I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks,” Bizon said. “They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”
The couple have a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old. Hasty confirmed that the two children are under the care of their grandparents.
Shocking news for Hart: City council member charged with drowning wife in bathtub
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/shocking_news_for_hart_city_co.html
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 09, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/shocking_news_for_hart_city_co.html
HART, MI – Residents of this small Oceana County town are shocked at the news that Hart City Council member Timothy Nathaniel Shannon has been charged with drowning his wife in the couple’s bathtub.
Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said the incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said the incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
The Hart Police Department initially investigated the death but soon called in the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon is a Hart City Council member, Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning. After Oceana County detectives interviewed the suspect (Tuesday) evening, he was then lodged for homicide,” according to a press release from the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
As the investigation unfolded, Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty said, police became certain the case was a homicide.
“Adults don’t drown in bathtubs,” Hasty said.
He would not comment on whether Shannon admitted to killing his wife. Bizon, the prosecutor, also would not comment on specifics of the investigation.
Bizon praised police for their work on the case.
“I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks,” Bizon said. “They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”
The couple have a son and daughter, 3 and 4 years old. Hasty said the children are under the care of their grandparents.
Lee-Ann Shannon was a loving mother to her children and devoted her time to Hart Public Schools’ Head Start program, an official said.
Those who knew her were shocked to learn Wednesday that her husband has been charged in her death.
Jodi Munoz, director of Early Childhood Programs for Hart Public Schools, said her staff is “just devastated” at the news. Lee-Ann Shannon worked there with Munoz for more than a year.
“It’s pretty shocking. We’re having a hard time dealing with it,” Munoz said. “She was very involved in paying it forward. She was very involved in her kids’ education. We will miss her. She was a great, great parent and involved with her children. She was all about her kids.”
City Manager Stan Rickard didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday, and other city officials declined to comment.
Shannon has been on the city council since 2011. He was elected unopposed May 3 of that year, receiving 85 votes.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon’s grandmother, declined to give a statement about his arrest.
“I have no thoughts on that,” she said.
Lee-Ann Shannon is survived by her mother, Irene Chaffin of Shelby, and brother, Tom Chaffin, in Texas. She was a graduate of Spring Arbor College and had a bachelor’s degree in early education. According to her obituary, she attended First Baptist Church of Hart.
She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Chaffin.
Munoz said Lee-Ann Shannon was very hands-on with her children.
“She attended every playgroup that we had on Fridays. She was very involved with her children. She was on our parent committee and represented our program in the Muskegon area,” Munoz said.
Meanwhile, Munoz said the staff is trying hard to provide the Shannon children with some normalcy in the meantime.
“The children were in class today, which is good,” Munoz said. “We are hoping they will continue to attend here. We are trying to keep the children’s lives as normal as possible. We will miss her.”
Murder suspect arraigned in Hart
Oceana's Herald-Journal
January 09, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47642
Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon, 34, of Hart, was arraigned Wednesday on one count of open murder in connection with the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann Shannon, 34, of Hart.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Craig Mast said sheriff’s deputies and Hart City Police were dispatched to the scene at 214 S. Courtland St., Hart about midday Dec. 29 for a dead on arrival complaint where Lee-Ann Shannon was found dead in the bathtub. Mast said Timothy Shannon attempted to report the incident as an accidental drowning, but following interviews police believe the Timothy Shannon intentionally drowned Lee-Ann and tried to make it look like an accident. Timothy Shannon was arrested late Tuesday afternoon and is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning. After Oceana County detectives interviewed the suspect (Tuesday) evening, he was then lodged for homicide,” according to a press release from the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
As the investigation unfolded, Sheriff's Det. Shane Hasty said, police became certain the case was a homicide.
“Adults don’t drown in bathtubs,” Hasty said.
He would not comment on whether Shannon admitted to killing his wife. Bizon, the prosecutor, also would not comment on specifics of the investigation.
Bizon praised police for their work on the case.
“I’m really grateful for the work of the Hart city police force and the Oceana County sheriff’s department for not letting this sift through the cracks,” Bizon said. “They did a wonderful job of investigating this. I just give them a lot of credit for doing a very professional job.”
Lee-Ann Shannon was a loving mother to her children and devoted her time to Hart Public Schools’ Head Start program, an official said.
Those who knew her were shocked to learn Wednesday that her husband has been charged in her death.
Jodi Munoz, director of Early Childhood Programs for Hart Public Schools, said her staff is “just devastated” at the news. Lee-Ann Shannon worked there with Munoz for more than a year.
“It’s pretty shocking. We’re having a hard time dealing with it,” Munoz said. “She was very involved in paying it forward. She was very involved in her kids’ education. We will miss her. She was a great, great parent and involved with her children. She was all about her kids.”
City Manager Stan Rickard didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday, and other city officials declined to comment.
Shannon has been on the city council since 2011. He was elected unopposed May 3 of that year, receiving 85 votes.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon’s grandmother, declined to give a statement about his arrest.
“I have no thoughts on that,” she said.
Lee-Ann Shannon is survived by her mother, Irene Chaffin of Shelby, and brother, Tom Chaffin, in Texas. She was a graduate of Spring Arbor College and had a bachelor’s degree in early education. According to her obituary, she attended First Baptist Church of Hart.
She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Chaffin.
Munoz said Lee-Ann Shannon was very hands-on with her children.
“She attended every playgroup that we had on Fridays. She was very involved with her children. She was on our parent committee and represented our program in the Muskegon area,” Munoz said.
Meanwhile, Munoz said the staff is trying hard to provide the Shannon children with some normalcy in the meantime.
“The children were in class today, which is good,” Munoz said. “We are hoping they will continue to attend here. We are trying to keep the children’s lives as normal as possible. We will miss her.”
Murder suspect arraigned in Hart
Oceana's Herald-Journal
January 09, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47642
Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon, 34, of Hart, was arraigned Wednesday on one count of open murder in connection with the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann Shannon, 34, of Hart.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Craig Mast said sheriff’s deputies and Hart City Police were dispatched to the scene at 214 S. Courtland St., Hart about midday Dec. 29 for a dead on arrival complaint where Lee-Ann Shannon was found dead in the bathtub. Mast said Timothy Shannon attempted to report the incident as an accidental drowning, but following interviews police believe the Timothy Shannon intentionally drowned Lee-Ann and tried to make it look like an accident. Timothy Shannon was arrested late Tuesday afternoon and is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
City Council Member Charged In Wife’s Drowning
CBS, Detroit
January 10, 2013
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/10/city-council-member-charged-in-wifes-drowning/
CBS, Detroit
January 10, 2013
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/10/city-council-member-charged-in-wifes-drowning/
HART, Mich. (WWJ/AP) – A city council member in a small Michigan community has been charged with open murder in the bathtub drowning of his wife that was initially reported to authorities as an accident.
Authorities say 34-year-old Timothy Shannon, of Hart, was arraigned Wednesday in the death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He was ordered held without bond and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 14.
Shannon, who has served on city council since 2011, told police the morning of Dec. 29 that his wife had accidentally drowned at their home in the small community of Hart, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Family members of Lee-Ann Shannon, however, raised questions about the death with investigators.
Shannon was detained following a Tuesday interview with investigators.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning,” Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said.
Police in Hart handled the case along with the sheriff’s department. Specifics about the circumstances surround the death weren’t immediately released.
The Shannons have no known history of domestic violence, but family members allegedly told police there were marital problems. They were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
Authorities say 34-year-old Timothy Shannon, of Hart, was arraigned Wednesday in the death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He was ordered held without bond and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 14.
Shannon, who has served on city council since 2011, told police the morning of Dec. 29 that his wife had accidentally drowned at their home in the small community of Hart, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Family members of Lee-Ann Shannon, however, raised questions about the death with investigators.
Shannon was detained following a Tuesday interview with investigators.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning,” Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said.
Police in Hart handled the case along with the sheriff’s department. Specifics about the circumstances surround the death weren’t immediately released.
The Shannons have no known history of domestic violence, but family members allegedly told police there were marital problems. They were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
City councilman charged with drowning wife in bathtub in Hart
WZZM
Jan 10, 2013
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/238192/2/City-councilman-charged-with-drowning-wife-in-bathtub-in-Hart
Police: Hart city councilman accused of drowning wife had affair with female tenant living in their home
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 10, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/police_hart_city_councilman_ac.html
An open investigation led by Oceana County Sheriff’s Office officials is revealing the marriage between Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon and his pretty, wavy-haired wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, both 34, was indeed crumbling in recent months.
Timothy Shannon has been charged with open murder for allegedly drowning his wife of six years -- and the mother of their two young toddlers -- in the couple’s bathtub on Dec. 29.
Timothy Shannon was allegedly having an affair with a woman renting a room inside the Shannons' home prior to his wife's drowning death, police said.
"Anger turned to a crime of passion," said Sheriff's Lt. Craig Mast.
The investigation is revealing that much of the turmoil between the Shannons was caused by “a third party,” Mast said.
Mast confirmed Thursday that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman in her 30s who had been renting a room from the Shannons in the months prior to the Dec. 29 incident.
The woman was considered a “boarder,” staying at the Shannons' neat, two-story Courtland Street home for quite some time before things between the Shannons got messy, Mast said.
The home is nestled in a quiet Hart neighborhood.
“It appears this young lady had a critical role in their pending divorce,” Mast said.
The other woman, who Mast declined to name because she isn’t considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death, has been interviewed and has since left the Oceana County area.
Authorities aren’t actively trying to locate her as they have already interviewed her regarding her relationship with Timothy Shannon, Mast said.
Timothy Shannon hasn’t denied the affair with the woman, Mast said, and thought he could set up the “perfect murder” by reporting her death as an accidental drowning on Dec. 29.
"It's complicated, but simple too," Mast said. "Their lives got really involved."
RELATED: Shocking news for Hart: City council member charged drowning wife in bathtub
The autopsy report shows Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death is drowning. She had some alcohol in her system at the time of death, which Mast said Timothy Shannon attempted to use as a way to prove she may have drowned herself.
However, Mast said there isn’t any reason to believe she had enough alcohol in her system that would have caused her to drown in the tub that night.
Mast didn’t know off-hand what her blood alcohol level was at the time of death, but noted that she “certainly didn’t drink herself to death” or become so intoxicated that she could have drown in the tub accidentally.
In the meantime, Mast said the sheriff’s office police report is still being accumulated and evidence, such as computers from the Shannon home and cellphones, are being reviewed by investigators.
Mast said authorities were aware that the other woman was living in the Shannon home and speculated there may be trouble brewing as they were called to the residence in May 2012 on a “domestic assault” between Timothy Shannon and the woman living there.
Police were called to the home after the woman and Timothy Shannon had some sort of confrontation outside the home, Mast said.
Mast said Lee-Ann Shannon wasn’t there at the time. The other woman was arrested for assault and battery for allegedly hitting Timothy Shannon with her purse.
Mast said it isn’t clear how long the woman lived there or when she moved out of the home.
The details of that relationship are still being pieced together, he said.
Timothy Shannon has been arraigned, being held without bond at the Oceana County Jail. He has retained attorney Doug Springstead to represent him in the case, Mast said.
A memorial service for Lee-Ann Shannon, an early childhood education assistant, was held on Jan. 4. She’s been described as a loving, doting mother to the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old children – a boy and a girl.
Those children are currently being cared for by family members, Mast said.
WZZM
Jan 10, 2013
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/238192/2/City-councilman-charged-with-drowning-wife-in-bathtub-in-Hart
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 10, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/police_hart_city_councilman_ac.html
OCEANA COUNTY, MI – It turns out things at the Shannon household in the city of Hart, where a woman was allegedly killed, were much more complicated than anyone knew, police said.
An open investigation led by Oceana County Sheriff’s Office officials is revealing the marriage between Hart City Councilman Timothy Shannon and his pretty, wavy-haired wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, both 34, was indeed crumbling in recent months.
Timothy Shannon has been charged with open murder for allegedly drowning his wife of six years -- and the mother of their two young toddlers -- in the couple’s bathtub on Dec. 29.
Timothy Shannon was allegedly having an affair with a woman renting a room inside the Shannons' home prior to his wife's drowning death, police said.
"Anger turned to a crime of passion," said Sheriff's Lt. Craig Mast.
The investigation is revealing that much of the turmoil between the Shannons was caused by “a third party,” Mast said.
Mast confirmed Thursday that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman in her 30s who had been renting a room from the Shannons in the months prior to the Dec. 29 incident.
The woman was considered a “boarder,” staying at the Shannons' neat, two-story Courtland Street home for quite some time before things between the Shannons got messy, Mast said.
The home is nestled in a quiet Hart neighborhood.
“It appears this young lady had a critical role in their pending divorce,” Mast said.
Mast said investigators just recently learned that Timothy Shannon had retained an attorney to handle a possible divorce from his wife.
The other woman, who Mast declined to name because she isn’t considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death, has been interviewed and has since left the Oceana County area.
Authorities aren’t actively trying to locate her as they have already interviewed her regarding her relationship with Timothy Shannon, Mast said.
Timothy Shannon hasn’t denied the affair with the woman, Mast said, and thought he could set up the “perfect murder” by reporting her death as an accidental drowning on Dec. 29.
"It's complicated, but simple too," Mast said. "Their lives got really involved."
RELATED: Shocking news for Hart: City council member charged drowning wife in bathtub
The autopsy report shows Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death is drowning. She had some alcohol in her system at the time of death, which Mast said Timothy Shannon attempted to use as a way to prove she may have drowned herself.
However, Mast said there isn’t any reason to believe she had enough alcohol in her system that would have caused her to drown in the tub that night.
Mast didn’t know off-hand what her blood alcohol level was at the time of death, but noted that she “certainly didn’t drink herself to death” or become so intoxicated that she could have drown in the tub accidentally.
In the meantime, Mast said the sheriff’s office police report is still being accumulated and evidence, such as computers from the Shannon home and cellphones, are being reviewed by investigators.
Mast said authorities were aware that the other woman was living in the Shannon home and speculated there may be trouble brewing as they were called to the residence in May 2012 on a “domestic assault” between Timothy Shannon and the woman living there.
Police were called to the home after the woman and Timothy Shannon had some sort of confrontation outside the home, Mast said.
Mast said Lee-Ann Shannon wasn’t there at the time. The other woman was arrested for assault and battery for allegedly hitting Timothy Shannon with her purse.
Mast said it isn’t clear how long the woman lived there or when she moved out of the home.
The details of that relationship are still being pieced together, he said.
Timothy Shannon has been arraigned, being held without bond at the Oceana County Jail. He has retained attorney Doug Springstead to represent him in the case, Mast said.
A memorial service for Lee-Ann Shannon, an early childhood education assistant, was held on Jan. 4. She’s been described as a loving, doting mother to the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old children – a boy and a girl.
Those children are currently being cared for by family members, Mast said.
Hart city council member charged in wife's drowning
Detroit Free Press
January 10, 2013
http://www.freep.com/article/20130110/NEWS06/130110027/Hart-city-council-member-charged-in-wife-s-drowning
HART — A city council member in a small west Michigan community has been charged with open murder in the bathtub drowning of his wife that he initially reported to authorities as an accident.
Timothy Shannon, 34, of Hart was arraigned Wednesday in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon, the Ludington Daily News and the Muskegon Chronicle reported. He was ordered held without bond and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 14.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday with attorney Doug Springstead, who is representing Shannon.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon's grandmother, said she "had no thoughts" to share about his arrest.
Detroit Free Press
January 10, 2013
http://www.freep.com/article/20130110/NEWS06/130110027/Hart-city-council-member-charged-in-wife-s-drowning
HART — A city council member in a small west Michigan community has been charged with open murder in the bathtub drowning of his wife that he initially reported to authorities as an accident.
Timothy Shannon, 34, of Hart was arraigned Wednesday in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon, the Ludington Daily News and the Muskegon Chronicle reported. He was ordered held without bond and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 14.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday with attorney Doug Springstead, who is representing Shannon.
Martha Ann Piegols of Hart, who identified herself as Timothy Shannon's grandmother, said she "had no thoughts" to share about his arrest.
Shannon, who has served on the city council since 2011, told police the morning of Dec. 29 that his wife had accidentally drowned at their home in the Oceana County community, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Family members of Lee-Ann Shannon, however, raised questions about the death with investigators.
Shannon was detained following a Tuesday interview with investigators.
"It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning," Oceana County sheriff's Lt. Craig Mast said.
Shannon was detained following a Tuesday interview with investigators.
"It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning," Oceana County sheriff's Lt. Craig Mast said.
Shannon had recently retained an attorney to handle a possible divorce from his wife, Mast said. Investigators also believe he had an affair with a woman in her 30s who used to rent a room at the Shannons' home, Mast said.
The woman has been interviewed in the case but is not considered a suspect, Mast said.
Police in Hart handled the case along with the sheriff's department.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4. Lee-Ann Shannon was a graduate of Spring Arbor College, earning her bachelor's degree in early education. She volunteered at Hart Public Schools' Early Childhood Center.
The woman has been interviewed in the case but is not considered a suspect, Mast said.
Police in Hart handled the case along with the sheriff's department.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4. Lee-Ann Shannon was a graduate of Spring Arbor College, earning her bachelor's degree in early education. She volunteered at Hart Public Schools' Early Childhood Center.
Investigators: City councilman made wife's drowning look like accident
Up North Live
Jan 10, 2013
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=846293
HART (AP) -- A city council member in a Hart, in Oceana County, has been charged with open murder in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Timothy Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday in the death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He was ordered held without bond and a preliminary hearing is Jan. 14.
The Oceana County sheriff's department says Thursday it didn't know whether he had a lawyer.
The department says the death was initially reported Dec. 29 as an accidental drowning at the couple's home in the Oceana County community, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Investigators believe Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in the tub and attempted to report it as an accident.
Timothy Shannon was held after a Tuesday interview with investigators.
The Shannons were married for 6 years and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
Up North Live
Jan 10, 2013
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=846293
Timothy Shannon, 34, was arraigned Wednesday in the death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He was ordered held without bond and a preliminary hearing is Jan. 14.
The Oceana County sheriff's department says Thursday it didn't know whether he had a lawyer.
The department says the death was initially reported Dec. 29 as an accidental drowning at the couple's home in the Oceana County community, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Investigators believe Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in the tub and attempted to report it as an accident.
Timothy Shannon was held after a Tuesday interview with investigators.
The Shannons were married for 6 years and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
Hart City Councilor Tim Shannon Makes a Resolution...To Use City Water to Cut Back on Expenditures and Liabilities
The Ludington Torch
January 12, 2013
http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/hart-city-councilor
You may have already heard this story, it was reported by WOOD just before 1 PM on Wednesday and picked up by WZZM and the Muskegon Chronicle later that day. A Hart City Councilor is alleged to have drowned his wife in the bathtub of their home, pending a divorce and a mistress in waiting.
The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) finally posted the story the next day, that in itself being odd since their media holdings include the Oceana Herald Journal based right in the center of Hart.
The Ludington Torch
January 12, 2013
http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/hart-city-councilor
The City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) finally posted the story the next day, that in itself being odd since their media holdings include the Oceana Herald Journal based right in the center of Hart.
They did get an interview with the Mayor: Hart Mayor Ron LaPorte said he was shocked by the arrest, as is everyone he’s talked to.
“To all of us, it’s not the Tim Shannon we know,” LaPorte said. “It’s totally out of character for him. Nobody would expect that.”
LaPorte said he saw Tim at a committee meeting Monday night and the normally quiet man was a little more vocal than he had been at other meetings.
“This guy was straight-laced, down-to-earth, a by-the-book type of person,” LaPorte said. “That’s why it’s so shocking to us all.” COLDNews article
Mayor LaPorte forgot to mention that Councilor Shannon would never think of doing anything as significant as murder without a quorum of councilors present.
Court hearing set for Hart City Council member charged with murdering wife in bathtub
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 14, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/court_hearing_set_for_hart_cit.html
That hearing will take place in Oceana County's 78th District Court in Hart.
A preliminary examination is a courtroom hearing at which a district judge hears witness testimony and views evidence about a felony case, then decides if the case is strong enough to send to trial.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Office investigators allege the couple were having marital problems and that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman renting a room in the Shannons' home. That woman is not considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death.
Hart councilman charged with murder
Oceana's Herald Journal
Jan 16, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47722
HART — Infidelity and marital strife are the latest allegations to come out against Hart City Councilman Tim Shannon, who is accused of drowning his wife, Lee-Ann, Dec. 29 in the bathtub of the couple’s home on Courtland Street in the City of Hart.
Timothy Shannon, 34, was arrested by the Oceana County Sheriff’s Department following an interview with detectives Jan. 8. He was arraigned on one count of open murder Jan. 9 and is being held in the Oceana County Jail without bond. An autopsy showed Lee-Ann Shannon died from drowning, Hart City Police Chief Dan Leimback said.
The incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning, but following interviews with Lee-Ann Shannon’s family members things didn’t add up, said Leimback, who asked the sheriff’s department to assist in the investigation. Leimback and sheriff’s department Lt. Craig Mast both said there was no known history of domestic issues between the Shannons, but Lee-Ann Shannon’s family members indicated there had been marital problems.
Attorneys with council ties see no conflicts
Herald-Journal Writer
1-16-2013
Both Oceana County Prosecutor Joe Bizon and Tim Shannon’s defense attorney Doug Springstead agree that they don’t have a conflict of interest as the murder charge against Shannon moves forward.
Bizon’s wife, Sara, serves as city council member, and Springstead is the city attorney.
“I don’t see any conflict. If I did, I would get out,” Springstead said.
Bizon said if there was a conflict of interest, he not only would be required to recuse himself, but his entire office would have to recuse and a special prosecutor brought in to prosecute the case.
MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle plan live coverage of Hart city councilman's murder hearing
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 21, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/mlive_and_the_muskegon_chronic_1.html
HART, MI – MLive and The Muskegon Chronicle plan to offer live coverage of Tuesday’s courtroom hearing for Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, the Hart City Council member charged with murder for allegedly drowning his wife in their bathtub.
Shannon’s preliminary examination in Oceana County 78th District Court is scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 22. That’s a hearing at which a district judge hears evidence and decides if a felony case is strong enough to send to trial in circuit court.
MLive and the Chronicle will cover the hearing it as it happens.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Office investigators allege the couple were having marital problems and that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman renting a room in the Shannons' home. That woman is not considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death.
Hart councilman facing trial for wife's murder
WZZM 13 NEWS
Jan 22, 2013
http://www.wzzm13.com/video/2112659669001/0/Hart-councilman-facing-trial-for-wifes-murder
HART, Mich. (WZZM) -- City councilman Timothy Shannon will stand trial for the December murder of his wife, a judge ordered late Tuesday, after testimony that Shannon had admitted to holding his wife underwater, and that his girlfriend spent the night in the home immediately after the wife had died.
The hearing was to determine if there was enough evidence for a trial against Shannon, 34, who was arrested following the December 29 drowning of his wife, Lee Ann, 34. Shannon is facing an open murder charge.
The woman's death was initially reported as an accidental drowning.
Tuesday's testimony began with the Hart Police officer who first answered the call of a drowning at the Shannons' home on Courtland
Hearing for city council member in wife's drowning
WOOD TV NEWS
Jan 22, 2013
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/michigan/ap_michigan/Hearing-for-city-council-member-in-wifes-drowning_13251055
HART, Mich. (AP) — A hearing has begun on whether a city council member in a small western Michigan community should stand trial in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
He told police his wife accidentally drowned and he tried to revive her.
A police officer and an emergency medical technician testified Tuesday during the first day of a preliminary examination in Oceana County District Court. He judge will decide if there's enough evidence to send the case to trial.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
Police: Hart city councilman said he held wife underwater in bathtub until she died
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 22, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/police_hart_city_councilman_sa.html
HART, MI – Hart City Councilman Timothy Nathaniel Shannon told police he held his wife underwater in their bathtub until she died, after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her, two detectives testified Tuesday.
That -- and testimony by a woman the prosecutor called Shannon’s “mistress” -- highlighted a probable-cause hearing for Shannon in Oceana County 78th District Court.
At the end of the hearing, called a preliminary examination, District Judge H. Kevin Drake ruled that the case against Shannon was strong enough to take to trial. Drake ordered Shannon bound over to 27th Circuit Court for trial and continued to deny bond.
Shannon, 34, of Hart is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
But Detective Shane Hasty of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office testified that he learned otherwise when he interviewed Tim Shannon. Hasty began investigating the death Jan. 7 after the Hart Police Department referred the case to the sheriff’s office because of Shannon’s position as an elected city official.
“Eventually he admitted to holding her under the water until he realized she was dead,” Hasty testified.
Hasty said Shannon told detectives that he had approached his wife while she was in the bathtub the morning of Dec. 29, allegedly after she had drunk a large amount of wine and grain alcohol.
“She became upset he was asking for a divorce,” Hasty testified that Shannon told police.
“He stated that she began striking him. She was able to pull him on top of her when she was in the tub. When he was able to refocus he realized that he was holding her down,” Hasty testified Shannon said, holding his arms crossed in front of him.
“He likened it to (the motion) of a teeter-totter,” Hasty said. “Most of his weight was over the edge of the tub. His feet would have been in the air.”
He testified Shannon said he bumped his head during the struggle.
Hasty said “he then sat back and realized what had occurred. He then changed his clothes,” putting his wet clothes in the washer, and drained the bathtub. Shannon told police he then waited around the house “for some time” before calling 911 to report the supposedly accidental drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Detective Mark Schneider, who was part of the same interview, testified similarly.
“At one point I believe he said it was three minutes” that he held his wife underwater, Schneider testified.
That alleged scene came around mid-morning of the day Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave home at her husband’s insistence, to be replaced by Tim Shannon’s lover, who actually did move in that day, according to other testimony.
Jamie Hathaway, whom Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph J. Bizon referred to as Tim Shannon’s “mistress,” testified for the prosecution.
Hathaway said she had lived in the Shannons’ home from October 2011 to May 2012 after being invited in by Lee-Ann Shannon, to help Hathaway deal with unstated “issues” she was having while a college student. Hathaway said she had met and befriended Tim Shannon in the summer of 2011.
Hathaway said she and Tim Shannon began a sexual relationship in April 2012. She moved from their home at Lee-Ann Shannon’s insistence about a month later, she testified.
She said her “close friendship” with Tim Shannon continued, including occasional sexual relations, up to the time he was arrested Jan. 8.
Late last year, she testified, she and Tim Shannon planned for her to return to live with him at the Shannons’ home. She said he was preparing to divorce his wife and that Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave the home Dec. 29 at his insistence, allegedly because of what he called her alcoholism.
Hathaway said she showed up at the house the morning of Dec. 29 to pick up the Shannons’ young daughter, so the little girl wouldn’t be there when Lee-Ann Shannon was moving out in case there was an ugly scene.
“I can’t be sure” she was alive when Hathaway left with the Shannons’ daughter, she testified. “I heard her snoring (in the downstairs bathroom) when I first walked in. I didn’t hear her snoring when I walked out. … I never saw her.”
Hathaway said she did move in later that day, living with Shannon until a few days later when he asked her to leave “because he needed time to heal.”
Hart Police Officer Juan Salazar testified that he responded Dec. 29 around 11:30 a.m. to Tim Shannon’s report of his wife’s supposedly accidental drowning. He said Shannon called her death accidental and Salazar had no reason to suspect foul play.
He said Shannon answered the door holding a cup of coffee and seemed unemotional.
Janice Schiller, an investigator for the Oceana County medical examiner, testified that she responded shortly afterward and saw no obvious signs of foul play. She said the cause of death appeared to be drowning.
Bizon, the prosecutor, argued for Shannon to be bound over for trial.
“The admission of the defendant is that he pushed her under the water … on the day he’s moving his mistress into the home and moving his wife out,” Bizon said.
“There is evidence he had this planned out,” Bizon argued, including having his daughter “removed from the home by the mistress prior to this occuring.”
Public defender Douglas Springstead argued against sending the case to trial. He noted that autopsy results aren’t back yet, leaving, he argued, Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death unknown from any evidence outside Tim Shannon’s alleged admissions to police. That would be a violation of the “corpus delecti” rule that requires there to be evidence that a crime was committed before a defendant’s confession can be considered.
“What we haven’t heard today is, what was the cause of death?” Springstead asked.
Drake disagreed, calling drowning the “probable cause” of death. The judge found probable cause that a homicide had been committed and that Shannon had committed it.
A charge of open murder could lead either to acquittal or to conviction of first- or second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Gallery: Murder suspect Timothy Nathaniel Shannon appears in court
MLIVE
January 22, 2013
http://photos.mlive.com/4474/gallery/murder_suspect_timothy_nathaniel_shannon_appears_in_court_on_january_22_2013/index.html
Description: Former Hart City Council member Timothy Nathaniel Shannon appeared in Oceana County's 78th District Court in Hart for his preliminary exam on January 22, 2013. Shannon has been charged with drowning his wife of six years, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, in the couple’s bathtub in Hart on December 29, 2012.
Detectives testify Shannon admits to drowning wife
Oceana's Herald-Journal
Jan 23, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47772
HART — Timothy Shannon told two Oceana County detectives, they testified Tuesday, he held his wife, Lee-Ann, under water until she was dead Dec. 29 in the bathtub in their Hart home.
Tim’s mistress, Jamie Hathaway, testified that was the day she told Tim she wanted Lee-Ann out of the house so she could move in, and told the court she did move in the same day Lee-Ann had died.
78th District Court Judge Kevin Drake bound Timothy over to 27th Circuit Court after hearing the evidence in Tim’s preliminary examination on an open murder charge.
Tim, 34, was led back to the Oceana County Jail, where he remains held without bond. The incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning, and Tim was not arrested until Jan. 8 following an interview with Oceana County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
Hart Police officer Juan Salazar told the court Tuesday Tim had a cup of coffee in his hand when he arrived on the scene Dec. 29. Salazar said that and Tim’s lack of emotion and calm demeanor seemed strange.
In a preliminary examination, the judge looks for probable cause to determine a crime has been committed, and the defendant committed the crime. Drake said there is a victim in this case, Lee-Ann Shannon, and that she was “probably” drowned by the defendant, as Oceana Prosecuting Attorney Joe Bizon was aiming to show. It’s not until trial stage the prosecution must present evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” for a conviction.
City council member faces trial in wife's drowning
WWMT
January 23, 2013
http://www.wwmt.com/shared/newsroom/top-stories/stories/wwmt_city-council-member-faces-trial-wifes-drowning-7284.shtml
HART, Mich. (AP) - A city council member in a small western Michigan community will stand trial in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
He told police his wife accidentally drowned and he tried to revive her.
A judge on Tuesday determined that enough evidence was presented during a preliminary examination in Oceana County District Court to warrant a trial.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
City Council Member Faces Trial In Wife’s Drowning
CBS, Detroit
January 26, 2013
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/26/city-council-member-faces-trial-in-wifes-drowning/
HART, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - A city council member in a small Michigan community will stand trial in the bathtub drowning of his wife that was initially reported to authorities as an accident.
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon after a judge on Tuesday determined that enough evidence was presented in Oceana County District Court to warrant a trial.
Shannon, who has served on city council since 2011, told police the morning of Dec. 29 that his wife had accidentally drowned at their home in the small community of Hart, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Family members of Lee-Ann Shannon, however, raised questions about the death with investigators.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning,” Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said.
According to court testimony, Shannon eventually told police that he approached his wife while she was in the bathtub, allegedly after she had consumed a large amount of alcohol, The Muskegon Chronicle reported. Shannon said his wife “became upset he was asking for a divorce” and tried to pull him into the tub.
“Eventually [Shannon] admitted to holding her under the water until he realized she was dead,” a detective testified in court. Another detective testified that Shannon told them he held his wife under water for at least three minutes.
Police say on the day of her death, Shannon’s wife was expected to move out of the family home so his mistress could move in. The mistress allegedly moved out of the home a few days later, however, when Shannon asked her to leave “because he needed time to heal,” police said.
The Shannons have no known history of domestic violence, but family members allegedly told police there were marital problems. They were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
9-1-1 call vs. testimony
Oceana's Herald-Journal
January 31, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47825
HART — Timothy Shannon called in his wife’s death to 911 at 11:28 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 29.
He admitted to Oceana County Sheriff’s Office detectives he held his wife, Lee-Ann, under water until she was dead, then changed his clothes that had gotten wet in the bathtub, washed them, then called 911.
But Tim originally told the Mason-Oceana 911 dispatcher his wife “passed out drunk in the bathtub and I think she drowned.” He stuck with that story when EMS, Hart Police and an Oceana County medical examiner investigator arrived at his Courtland Street home in Hart on the day of Lee-Ann’s death.
Tim’s girlfriend, Jamie Lee Hathaway, testified Tuesday in 78th District Court she had given him an ultimatum, demanding his wife be out of the house by Dec. 29 so she could move in. She also said during Tim’s preliminary examination she did move in that day, Dec. 29, after Lee-Ann died.
When questioned Jan. 8, Tim’s story changed, detectives testified Tuesday.
He told them he had approached Lee-Ann while she was in the bathtub about getting a divorce and having her move out and the two fought. He ended up holding her down in the tub water then refocusing, letting her go, and seeing her float up, dead.
He was then arrested and has been held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
Tim’s defense attorney is Doug Springstead, who argued Tuesday the autopsy report is not yet completed and doesn’t yet show a cause of death.
Judge Kevin Drake said there was enough evidence to bind Tim over to 27th Circuit Court on the open murder charge, where he will either make a plea deal or go to trial.
What follows is a transcript of Tim Shannon’s 11:28 a.m.
Dec. 29 call to Mason-Oceana 911, which Shoreline Media received following a request using the Freedom of Information Act.
911: “911”
Tim Shannon: “OK, um, this is Tim Shannon. Um, my wife passed out drunk in the bathtub and I think she drowned.”
911: “OK, is she breathing?”
TS: “No.”
911: “OK, what’s your address?”
TS: “214 South Courtland, Hart.”
911: “How old was your wife?”
TS: “Ah, 34, 33.”
911: When did this happen?”
TS: “I just found her… like now.”
911: “Which… when’s the last time you’ve seen her… I mean…”
TS: “She was still breathing at 9:10 (a.m.)… yeah.”
911: “OK. What’s her name?”
TS: “Lee-Ann. L-E-E-hyphen A-N-N.”
911: “And she was intoxicated at 9 a.m.?”
TS: “Yeah.”
911: “OK, 214 South Courtland. Any apartment there?”
TS: “Nope, the ah, the driveway’s on, um, Church.”
911: “Do you want to attempt CPR, or do you think it’s…”
TS: “Um, her heart’s stopped. She’s…”
911: “What… how warm or cold is she?”
TS: “Um, cold.”
911: “Cold. What’s the water temperature?”
TS: “… I drained it.”
911: “You drained it?”
TS: “It’s the first thing I did. It was lukewarm.”
911: “OK, we’ll get everybody over there for you, OK?”
TS: “OK.”
911: “OK. All right. Goodbye.”
Shannon resigns city council seat
Herald-Journal
January 31, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47826
HART — Hart City Councilman Tim Shannon has resigned his council seat.
The hand-written resignation letter was sent to Hart City Manager Stan Rickard by Springstead Law Offices Jan. 23.
The letter reads, “I, Timothy Shannon, resign from the Hart City Council and any boards and committees I’ve been assigned to January, 15, 2013.”
Council has 30 days to make an appointment to fill the unexpired term. If it does not, the city clerk will be required to schedule a special election. The city council and the mayor did not have the authority to remove or suspend Shannon in the wake of his arrest on an open murder charge in the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann.
Hart city councilman Tim Shannon's murder trial scheduled in wife's bathtub drowning
The Muskegon Chronicle
February 14, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/02/hart_city_councilman_tim_shann.html
HART, MI – The murder trial of Hart City Council member Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, who is charged with the bathtub drowning of his wife, has been set for June 19 through 21.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
Autopsy results released on Thursday, Feb. 14, have confirmed that Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death was drowning, Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph J. Bizon said Thursday. That was an issue at Shannon’s preliminary examination Jan. 22 in Oceana County 78th District Court, when Shannon’s court-appointed attorney argued that the absence of an official cause of death made the murder charge premature.
Shannon’s trial will be before Oceana County 27th Circuit Judge Terrence R. Thomas.
At Shannon’s preliminary examination Jan. 22, two police detectives testified that Shannon told them he held his wife underwater in their bathtub until she died, after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her.
Shannon allegedly told detectives that he had approached his wife while she was in the bathtub the morning of Dec. 29, allegedly after she had drunk a large amount of wine and grain alcohol. She was upset because Tim Shannon was asking for a divorce, he allegedly told police.
Jamie Hathaway, whom Bizon called Tim Shannon’s “mistress,” testified at that hearing that she was moving into the Shannons’ home on Dec. 29.
Hathaway said Tim Shannon was preparing to divorce his wife and that Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave the home that day at his insistence, allegedly because of what he called her alcoholism.
The death was reported initially as an accidental drowning at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
When the case turned into a homicide investigation, the Hart Police Department turned it over to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon was a city council member.
Ex-Hart city official Timothy Shannon pleads no contest to wife's bathtub murder
MLive
June 03, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/06/ex-hart_city_official_timothy.html
HART, MI -- Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, former Hart City Council member, has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the bathtub drowning of his wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon.
Shannon, 34, was scheduled for sentencing at 10 a.m. July 15. Oceana County 27th Circuit Judge Terrence R. Thomas took the plea Monday, June 3, and will sentence Shannon.
Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said he will ask for a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, which he said is near the high end of state sentencing guidelines. Thomas can set a maximum sentence of anything up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but results in conviction, and judges treat it as a guilty plea at sentencing.
The original charge of open murder was dismissed. Open murder includes the possibility of conviction of first-degree or second-degree murder or manslaughter. Shannon's plea headed off a trial that had been scheduled for July 17. A conviction of first-degree premeditated murder would have guaranteed a sentence of life without chance of parole.
Bizon said he and the Oceana County Sheriff's Office detectives who investigated the case believe second-degree murder is what they could have proved at trial. He said Lee-Ann Shannon's family agreed to the offer.
"We're hoping to allow the victim's family to have a sense of closure and hopefully find some peace from this," Bizon said.
Tim Shannon's attorney, Douglas Springstead, could not immediately be reached for comment after the plea.
Lee-Ann Shannon, who was 34, died Dec. 29 in a bathtub in the couple's home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.The death was reported initially as an accidental drowning.
When the case turned into a homicide investigation, the Hart Police Department turned it over to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon was a city council member. He later resigned his seat on the council.
At Shannon's preliminary hearing Jan. 22, two police detectives testified that Shannon told them he held his wife underwater until she died, after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her.
Shannon has been lodged at the Oceana County Jail since shortly after his arrest in January. He was denied bond.
Former city council member pleads no contest to wife's bathtub drowning
UP North Live
June 04, 2013
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=905704
OCEANA CO. -- A former city council member in Oceana County has pleaded no contest in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Timothy Shannon, of Hart, enter the plea Monday in Oceana County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He faced open murder.
A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing.
The 34-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced July 15. Prosecutors have asked for 20 years in prison.
Defense attorney Doug Springstead sought the plea so Shannon could avoid speaking about the crime. He faces a civil lawsuit.
The department says the death was initially reported Dec. 29 as an accidental drowning at the couple's home in the Oceana County community, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Investigators believe Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in the tub and attempted to report it as an accident.
He was a Hart City Council member at the time of her death. The couple has two children.
“To all of us, it’s not the Tim Shannon we know,” LaPorte said. “It’s totally out of character for him. Nobody would expect that.”
LaPorte said he saw Tim at a committee meeting Monday night and the normally quiet man was a little more vocal than he had been at other meetings.
“This guy was straight-laced, down-to-earth, a by-the-book type of person,” LaPorte said. “That’s why it’s so shocking to us all.” COLDNews article
Mayor LaPorte forgot to mention that Councilor Shannon would never think of doing anything as significant as murder without a quorum of councilors present.
Court hearing set for Hart City Council member charged with murdering wife in bathtub
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 14, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/court_hearing_set_for_hart_cit.html
HART, MI – The preliminary examination for Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, the Hart City Council member accused of drowning his wife in their bathtub, has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 22.
That hearing will take place in Oceana County's 78th District Court in Hart.
A preliminary examination is a courtroom hearing at which a district judge hears witness testimony and views evidence about a felony case, then decides if the case is strong enough to send to trial.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Office investigators allege the couple were having marital problems and that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman renting a room in the Shannons' home. That woman is not considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death.
Hart councilman charged with murder
Oceana's Herald Journal
Jan 16, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47722
HART — Infidelity and marital strife are the latest allegations to come out against Hart City Councilman Tim Shannon, who is accused of drowning his wife, Lee-Ann, Dec. 29 in the bathtub of the couple’s home on Courtland Street in the City of Hart.
Timothy Shannon, 34, was arrested by the Oceana County Sheriff’s Department following an interview with detectives Jan. 8. He was arraigned on one count of open murder Jan. 9 and is being held in the Oceana County Jail without bond. An autopsy showed Lee-Ann Shannon died from drowning, Hart City Police Chief Dan Leimback said.
The incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning, but following interviews with Lee-Ann Shannon’s family members things didn’t add up, said Leimback, who asked the sheriff’s department to assist in the investigation. Leimback and sheriff’s department Lt. Craig Mast both said there was no known history of domestic issues between the Shannons, but Lee-Ann Shannon’s family members indicated there had been marital problems.
Attorneys with council ties see no conflicts
Herald-Journal Writer
1-16-2013
Both Oceana County Prosecutor Joe Bizon and Tim Shannon’s defense attorney Doug Springstead agree that they don’t have a conflict of interest as the murder charge against Shannon moves forward.
Bizon’s wife, Sara, serves as city council member, and Springstead is the city attorney.
“I don’t see any conflict. If I did, I would get out,” Springstead said.
Bizon said if there was a conflict of interest, he not only would be required to recuse himself, but his entire office would have to recuse and a special prosecutor brought in to prosecute the case.
Springstead said as the city attorney, he represents the city as a whole, the city manager and possibly the mayor, but not the individual council members. His office was appointed by the 78th District Court to represent Shannon in the murder case.
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 21, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/mlive_and_the_muskegon_chronic_1.html
Shannon’s preliminary examination in Oceana County 78th District Court is scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 22. That’s a hearing at which a district judge hears evidence and decides if a felony case is strong enough to send to trial in circuit court.
MLive and the Chronicle will cover the hearing it as it happens.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, his wife of six years. He is being held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 29 at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. Police said the autopsy report lists her cause of death as drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Office investigators allege the couple were having marital problems and that Timothy Shannon was having an affair with a woman renting a room in the Shannons' home. That woman is not considered a suspect in Lee-Ann Shannon’s death.
Hart councilman facing trial for wife's murder
WZZM 13 NEWS
Jan 22, 2013
http://www.wzzm13.com/video/2112659669001/0/Hart-councilman-facing-trial-for-wifes-murder
The hearing was to determine if there was enough evidence for a trial against Shannon, 34, who was arrested following the December 29 drowning of his wife, Lee Ann, 34. Shannon is facing an open murder charge.
The woman's death was initially reported as an accidental drowning.
Tuesday's testimony began with the Hart Police officer who first answered the call of a drowning at the Shannons' home on Courtland
Street. The officer told the judge Shannon met him at the door with no visible emotion, holding a coffee cup, then led him inside.
According to the officer, Shannon said he had found his wife underwater in their bathtub, and had tried to revive her before calling police. Shannon also told the officer he had drained water out of the bathtub before emergency crews arrived.
But two Oceana County Sheriff's Department detectives testified Tuesday that Shannon later admitted under questioning he had held his wife underwater in the bathtub in self defense. Shannon told the investigators his wife had drunk a lot of wine, and that she had struck him, causing him to hit his head and fall into the tub on top of her. Shannon reportedly told detectives his wife held him there in a bear hug, and that he held her under water for about three minutes before realizing what he had done.
One of the witnesses was Jamie Hathaway, who said she was Timothy Shannon's girlfriend. She testified she had met the Hart councilman at his job at a local market, and that they developed a friendship that later became romantic. Lee Ann invited Hathaway to move into the Shannon home in October 2011, where she stayed until April 2012. Hathaway said her romantic relationship with Timothy Shannon began that April, and continued until his arrest.
Hathaway told the court she had spent the night in the Shannon home on December 29, not long after Lee Ann Shannon had died there. The witness testified that she and Shannon had been planning for her to move in on that date, and that she had been transferring her belongings from Muskegon to a shed behind the Shannons' home. According to Hathaway, Shannon had told her Lee Ann would be moving out on December 29. In preparation, Hathaway said she spent the days leading up to the 29th staying in a room at the Comfort Inn in Hart.
Shannon is being held in the Oceana County jail without bond. No date has been set for his case in Circuit Court.
But two Oceana County Sheriff's Department detectives testified Tuesday that Shannon later admitted under questioning he had held his wife underwater in the bathtub in self defense. Shannon told the investigators his wife had drunk a lot of wine, and that she had struck him, causing him to hit his head and fall into the tub on top of her. Shannon reportedly told detectives his wife held him there in a bear hug, and that he held her under water for about three minutes before realizing what he had done.
Hathaway told the court she had spent the night in the Shannon home on December 29, not long after Lee Ann Shannon had died there. The witness testified that she and Shannon had been planning for her to move in on that date, and that she had been transferring her belongings from Muskegon to a shed behind the Shannons' home. According to Hathaway, Shannon had told her Lee Ann would be moving out on December 29. In preparation, Hathaway said she spent the days leading up to the 29th staying in a room at the Comfort Inn in Hart.
Shannon is being held in the Oceana County jail without bond. No date has been set for his case in Circuit Court.
WOOD TV NEWS
Jan 22, 2013
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/michigan/ap_michigan/Hearing-for-city-council-member-in-wifes-drowning_13251055
HART, Mich. (AP) — A hearing has begun on whether a city council member in a small western Michigan community should stand trial in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
He told police his wife accidentally drowned and he tried to revive her.
A police officer and an emergency medical technician testified Tuesday during the first day of a preliminary examination in Oceana County District Court. He judge will decide if there's enough evidence to send the case to trial.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
Police: Hart city councilman said he held wife underwater in bathtub until she died
The Muskegon Chronicle
January 22, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/01/police_hart_city_councilman_sa.html
That -- and testimony by a woman the prosecutor called Shannon’s “mistress” -- highlighted a probable-cause hearing for Shannon in Oceana County 78th District Court.
At the end of the hearing, called a preliminary examination, District Judge H. Kevin Drake ruled that the case against Shannon was strong enough to take to trial. Drake ordered Shannon bound over to 27th Circuit Court for trial and continued to deny bond.
Shannon, 34, of Hart is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
The incident was reported initially as an accidental drowning at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
But Detective Shane Hasty of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office testified that he learned otherwise when he interviewed Tim Shannon. Hasty began investigating the death Jan. 7 after the Hart Police Department referred the case to the sheriff’s office because of Shannon’s position as an elected city official.
“Eventually he admitted to holding her under the water until he realized she was dead,” Hasty testified.
Hasty said Shannon told detectives that he had approached his wife while she was in the bathtub the morning of Dec. 29, allegedly after she had drunk a large amount of wine and grain alcohol.
“She became upset he was asking for a divorce,” Hasty testified that Shannon told police.
“He stated that she began striking him. She was able to pull him on top of her when she was in the tub. When he was able to refocus he realized that he was holding her down,” Hasty testified Shannon said, holding his arms crossed in front of him.
“He likened it to (the motion) of a teeter-totter,” Hasty said. “Most of his weight was over the edge of the tub. His feet would have been in the air.”
He testified Shannon said he bumped his head during the struggle.
Hasty said “he then sat back and realized what had occurred. He then changed his clothes,” putting his wet clothes in the washer, and drained the bathtub. Shannon told police he then waited around the house “for some time” before calling 911 to report the supposedly accidental drowning.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Detective Mark Schneider, who was part of the same interview, testified similarly.
“At one point I believe he said it was three minutes” that he held his wife underwater, Schneider testified.
That alleged scene came around mid-morning of the day Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave home at her husband’s insistence, to be replaced by Tim Shannon’s lover, who actually did move in that day, according to other testimony.
Jamie Hathaway, whom Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph J. Bizon referred to as Tim Shannon’s “mistress,” testified for the prosecution.
Hathaway said she had lived in the Shannons’ home from October 2011 to May 2012 after being invited in by Lee-Ann Shannon, to help Hathaway deal with unstated “issues” she was having while a college student. Hathaway said she had met and befriended Tim Shannon in the summer of 2011.
Hathaway said she and Tim Shannon began a sexual relationship in April 2012. She moved from their home at Lee-Ann Shannon’s insistence about a month later, she testified.
She said her “close friendship” with Tim Shannon continued, including occasional sexual relations, up to the time he was arrested Jan. 8.
Late last year, she testified, she and Tim Shannon planned for her to return to live with him at the Shannons’ home. She said he was preparing to divorce his wife and that Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave the home Dec. 29 at his insistence, allegedly because of what he called her alcoholism.
Hathaway said she showed up at the house the morning of Dec. 29 to pick up the Shannons’ young daughter, so the little girl wouldn’t be there when Lee-Ann Shannon was moving out in case there was an ugly scene.
“I can’t be sure” she was alive when Hathaway left with the Shannons’ daughter, she testified. “I heard her snoring (in the downstairs bathroom) when I first walked in. I didn’t hear her snoring when I walked out. … I never saw her.”
Hathaway said she did move in later that day, living with Shannon until a few days later when he asked her to leave “because he needed time to heal.”
Hart Police Officer Juan Salazar testified that he responded Dec. 29 around 11:30 a.m. to Tim Shannon’s report of his wife’s supposedly accidental drowning. He said Shannon called her death accidental and Salazar had no reason to suspect foul play.
He said Shannon answered the door holding a cup of coffee and seemed unemotional.
Janice Schiller, an investigator for the Oceana County medical examiner, testified that she responded shortly afterward and saw no obvious signs of foul play. She said the cause of death appeared to be drowning.
Bizon, the prosecutor, argued for Shannon to be bound over for trial.
“The admission of the defendant is that he pushed her under the water … on the day he’s moving his mistress into the home and moving his wife out,” Bizon said.
“There is evidence he had this planned out,” Bizon argued, including having his daughter “removed from the home by the mistress prior to this occuring.”
Public defender Douglas Springstead argued against sending the case to trial. He noted that autopsy results aren’t back yet, leaving, he argued, Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death unknown from any evidence outside Tim Shannon’s alleged admissions to police. That would be a violation of the “corpus delecti” rule that requires there to be evidence that a crime was committed before a defendant’s confession can be considered.
“What we haven’t heard today is, what was the cause of death?” Springstead asked.
Drake disagreed, calling drowning the “probable cause” of death. The judge found probable cause that a homicide had been committed and that Shannon had committed it.
A charge of open murder could lead either to acquittal or to conviction of first- or second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Gallery: Murder suspect Timothy Nathaniel Shannon appears in court
MLIVE
January 22, 2013
http://photos.mlive.com/4474/gallery/murder_suspect_timothy_nathaniel_shannon_appears_in_court_on_january_22_2013/index.html
Description: Former Hart City Council member Timothy Nathaniel Shannon appeared in Oceana County's 78th District Court in Hart for his preliminary exam on January 22, 2013. Shannon has been charged with drowning his wife of six years, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34, in the couple’s bathtub in Hart on December 29, 2012.
Detectives testify Shannon admits to drowning wife
Oceana's Herald-Journal
Jan 23, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47772
HART — Timothy Shannon told two Oceana County detectives, they testified Tuesday, he held his wife, Lee-Ann, under water until she was dead Dec. 29 in the bathtub in their Hart home.
Tim’s mistress, Jamie Hathaway, testified that was the day she told Tim she wanted Lee-Ann out of the house so she could move in, and told the court she did move in the same day Lee-Ann had died.
78th District Court Judge Kevin Drake bound Timothy over to 27th Circuit Court after hearing the evidence in Tim’s preliminary examination on an open murder charge.
Tim, 34, was led back to the Oceana County Jail, where he remains held without bond. The incident was initially reported as an accidental drowning, and Tim was not arrested until Jan. 8 following an interview with Oceana County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
Hart Police officer Juan Salazar told the court Tuesday Tim had a cup of coffee in his hand when he arrived on the scene Dec. 29. Salazar said that and Tim’s lack of emotion and calm demeanor seemed strange.
In a preliminary examination, the judge looks for probable cause to determine a crime has been committed, and the defendant committed the crime. Drake said there is a victim in this case, Lee-Ann Shannon, and that she was “probably” drowned by the defendant, as Oceana Prosecuting Attorney Joe Bizon was aiming to show. It’s not until trial stage the prosecution must present evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” for a conviction.
City council member faces trial in wife's drowning
WWMT
January 23, 2013
http://www.wwmt.com/shared/newsroom/top-stories/stories/wwmt_city-council-member-faces-trial-wifes-drowning-7284.shtml
HART, Mich. (AP) - A city council member in a small western Michigan community will stand trial in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
He told police his wife accidentally drowned and he tried to revive her.
A judge on Tuesday determined that enough evidence was presented during a preliminary examination in Oceana County District Court to warrant a trial.
The Shannons were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
City Council Member Faces Trial In Wife’s Drowning
CBS, Detroit
January 26, 2013
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/26/city-council-member-faces-trial-in-wifes-drowning/
Thirty-four-year-old Hart City Council member Timothy Shannon faces an open count of murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon after a judge on Tuesday determined that enough evidence was presented in Oceana County District Court to warrant a trial.
Shannon, who has served on city council since 2011, told police the morning of Dec. 29 that his wife had accidentally drowned at their home in the small community of Hart, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Family members of Lee-Ann Shannon, however, raised questions about the death with investigators.
“It is believed the suspect drowned the victim in the tub and attempted to report it as an accidental drowning,” Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast said.
According to court testimony, Shannon eventually told police that he approached his wife while she was in the bathtub, allegedly after she had consumed a large amount of alcohol, The Muskegon Chronicle reported. Shannon said his wife “became upset he was asking for a divorce” and tried to pull him into the tub.
“Eventually [Shannon] admitted to holding her under the water until he realized she was dead,” a detective testified in court. Another detective testified that Shannon told them he held his wife under water for at least three minutes.
Police say on the day of her death, Shannon’s wife was expected to move out of the family home so his mistress could move in. The mistress allegedly moved out of the home a few days later, however, when Shannon asked her to leave “because he needed time to heal,” police said.
The Shannons have no known history of domestic violence, but family members allegedly told police there were marital problems. They were married in 2006 and have two children, ages 3 and 4.
9-1-1 call vs. testimony
Oceana's Herald-Journal
January 31, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47825
HART — Timothy Shannon called in his wife’s death to 911 at 11:28 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 29.
He admitted to Oceana County Sheriff’s Office detectives he held his wife, Lee-Ann, under water until she was dead, then changed his clothes that had gotten wet in the bathtub, washed them, then called 911.
But Tim originally told the Mason-Oceana 911 dispatcher his wife “passed out drunk in the bathtub and I think she drowned.” He stuck with that story when EMS, Hart Police and an Oceana County medical examiner investigator arrived at his Courtland Street home in Hart on the day of Lee-Ann’s death.
Tim’s girlfriend, Jamie Lee Hathaway, testified Tuesday in 78th District Court she had given him an ultimatum, demanding his wife be out of the house by Dec. 29 so she could move in. She also said during Tim’s preliminary examination she did move in that day, Dec. 29, after Lee-Ann died.
When questioned Jan. 8, Tim’s story changed, detectives testified Tuesday.
He told them he had approached Lee-Ann while she was in the bathtub about getting a divorce and having her move out and the two fought. He ended up holding her down in the tub water then refocusing, letting her go, and seeing her float up, dead.
He was then arrested and has been held without bond in the Oceana County Jail.
Tim’s defense attorney is Doug Springstead, who argued Tuesday the autopsy report is not yet completed and doesn’t yet show a cause of death.
Judge Kevin Drake said there was enough evidence to bind Tim over to 27th Circuit Court on the open murder charge, where he will either make a plea deal or go to trial.
What follows is a transcript of Tim Shannon’s 11:28 a.m.
Dec. 29 call to Mason-Oceana 911, which Shoreline Media received following a request using the Freedom of Information Act.
911: “911”
Tim Shannon: “OK, um, this is Tim Shannon. Um, my wife passed out drunk in the bathtub and I think she drowned.”
911: “OK, is she breathing?”
TS: “No.”
911: “OK, what’s your address?”
TS: “214 South Courtland, Hart.”
911: “How old was your wife?”
TS: “Ah, 34, 33.”
911: When did this happen?”
TS: “I just found her… like now.”
911: “Which… when’s the last time you’ve seen her… I mean…”
TS: “She was still breathing at 9:10 (a.m.)… yeah.”
911: “OK. What’s her name?”
TS: “Lee-Ann. L-E-E-hyphen A-N-N.”
911: “And she was intoxicated at 9 a.m.?”
TS: “Yeah.”
911: “OK, 214 South Courtland. Any apartment there?”
TS: “Nope, the ah, the driveway’s on, um, Church.”
911: “Do you want to attempt CPR, or do you think it’s…”
TS: “Um, her heart’s stopped. She’s…”
911: “What… how warm or cold is she?”
TS: “Um, cold.”
911: “Cold. What’s the water temperature?”
TS: “… I drained it.”
911: “You drained it?”
TS: “It’s the first thing I did. It was lukewarm.”
911: “OK, we’ll get everybody over there for you, OK?”
TS: “OK.”
911: “OK. All right. Goodbye.”
Shannon resigns city council seat
Herald-Journal
January 31, 2013
http://www.oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=47826
HART — Hart City Councilman Tim Shannon has resigned his council seat.
The hand-written resignation letter was sent to Hart City Manager Stan Rickard by Springstead Law Offices Jan. 23.
The letter reads, “I, Timothy Shannon, resign from the Hart City Council and any boards and committees I’ve been assigned to January, 15, 2013.”
Council has 30 days to make an appointment to fill the unexpired term. If it does not, the city clerk will be required to schedule a special election. The city council and the mayor did not have the authority to remove or suspend Shannon in the wake of his arrest on an open murder charge in the Dec. 29 death of his wife, Lee-Ann.
Hart city councilman Tim Shannon's murder trial scheduled in wife's bathtub drowning
The Muskegon Chronicle
February 14, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/02/hart_city_councilman_tim_shann.html
HART, MI – The murder trial of Hart City Council member Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, who is charged with the bathtub drowning of his wife, has been set for June 19 through 21.
Shannon, 34, is charged with open murder in the Dec. 29 death of Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon, 34.
Autopsy results released on Thursday, Feb. 14, have confirmed that Lee-Ann Shannon’s cause of death was drowning, Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph J. Bizon said Thursday. That was an issue at Shannon’s preliminary examination Jan. 22 in Oceana County 78th District Court, when Shannon’s court-appointed attorney argued that the absence of an official cause of death made the murder charge premature.
Shannon’s trial will be before Oceana County 27th Circuit Judge Terrence R. Thomas.
At Shannon’s preliminary examination Jan. 22, two police detectives testified that Shannon told them he held his wife underwater in their bathtub until she died, after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her.
Shannon allegedly told detectives that he had approached his wife while she was in the bathtub the morning of Dec. 29, allegedly after she had drunk a large amount of wine and grain alcohol. She was upset because Tim Shannon was asking for a divorce, he allegedly told police.
Jamie Hathaway, whom Bizon called Tim Shannon’s “mistress,” testified at that hearing that she was moving into the Shannons’ home on Dec. 29.
Hathaway said Tim Shannon was preparing to divorce his wife and that Lee-Ann Shannon was due to leave the home that day at his insistence, allegedly because of what he called her alcoholism.
The death was reported initially as an accidental drowning at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.
When the case turned into a homicide investigation, the Hart Police Department turned it over to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon was a city council member.
Ex-Hart city official Timothy Shannon pleads no contest to wife's bathtub murder
MLive
June 03, 2013
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/06/ex-hart_city_official_timothy.html
HART, MI -- Timothy Nathaniel Shannon, former Hart City Council member, has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the bathtub drowning of his wife, Lee-Ann Elizabeth Shannon.
Shannon, 34, was scheduled for sentencing at 10 a.m. July 15. Oceana County 27th Circuit Judge Terrence R. Thomas took the plea Monday, June 3, and will sentence Shannon.
Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon said he will ask for a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison, which he said is near the high end of state sentencing guidelines. Thomas can set a maximum sentence of anything up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but results in conviction, and judges treat it as a guilty plea at sentencing.
The original charge of open murder was dismissed. Open murder includes the possibility of conviction of first-degree or second-degree murder or manslaughter. Shannon's plea headed off a trial that had been scheduled for July 17. A conviction of first-degree premeditated murder would have guaranteed a sentence of life without chance of parole.
Bizon said he and the Oceana County Sheriff's Office detectives who investigated the case believe second-degree murder is what they could have proved at trial. He said Lee-Ann Shannon's family agreed to the offer.
"We're hoping to allow the victim's family to have a sense of closure and hopefully find some peace from this," Bizon said.
Tim Shannon's attorney, Douglas Springstead, could not immediately be reached for comment after the plea.
Lee-Ann Shannon, who was 34, died Dec. 29 in a bathtub in the couple's home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart.The death was reported initially as an accidental drowning.
When the case turned into a homicide investigation, the Hart Police Department turned it over to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon was a city council member. He later resigned his seat on the council.
At Shannon's preliminary hearing Jan. 22, two police detectives testified that Shannon told them he held his wife underwater until she died, after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her.
Shannon has been lodged at the Oceana County Jail since shortly after his arrest in January. He was denied bond.
Former city council member pleads no contest to wife's bathtub drowning
UP North Live
June 04, 2013
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=905704
OCEANA CO. -- A former city council member in Oceana County has pleaded no contest in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Timothy Shannon, of Hart, enter the plea Monday in Oceana County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon. He faced open murder.
A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing.
The 34-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced July 15. Prosecutors have asked for 20 years in prison.
Defense attorney Doug Springstead sought the plea so Shannon could avoid speaking about the crime. He faces a civil lawsuit.
The department says the death was initially reported Dec. 29 as an accidental drowning at the couple's home in the Oceana County community, about 60 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Investigators believe Timothy Shannon drowned his wife in the tub and attempted to report it as an accident.
He was a Hart City Council member at the time of her death. The couple has two children.
Timothy Shannon sentenced in bathtub murder of his wife, LeeAnn
Ludington Daily News
July 15, 2013
No one knows yet exactly how long Timothy Shannon will serve in prison for the murder of his wife, Lee-Ann, in a bathtub inside the couple's Hart home in December.
Shannon pleaded no contest in June to her death and was sentenced Monday morning in Oceana County's circuit court.
Judge Terrence Thomas issued a sentence of 13.5 to 75 years in prison for the crime, noting it will be up to the Michigan Department of Corrections to decide when Timothy Shannon will re-enter society.
The sentencing guidelines called for a minimum of 12 years.
During the sentencing there were pleas from Lee-Ann's family calling for him to serve the maximum sentence.
Lee-Ann's mother said she hoped Timothy would meet some Christian men in prison and turn his life around.
A letter from Lee-Ann's brother was read, pleading for Timothy to be imprisoned as long as their mother is alive.
At the time of the murder, Timothy was a Hart city councilor.
Man sentenced in wife's bathtub drowning
Ex-Hart councilman killed wife Lee-Ann Shannon
WOOD TV News
Jul 15, 2013
WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (AP) - A former West Michigan city council member has been sentenced to up to 75 years in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Timothy Shannon of Hart pleaded no contest last month in Oceana County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing, which was held Monday.
The Ludington Daily News reports Judge Terrence Thomas issued a sentence of 13 1/2 to 75 years. Thomas says it'll be up to the Corrections Department to decide when Shannon is released from prison.
Shannon told police his wife accidentally drowned, and he tried to revive her.
He was a Hart City Council member at the time of her death
Ex-Hart city councilman sentenced in bathtub murder of wife
MLive
July 15, 2013
HART, MI – Former Hart city councilman Timothy Nathaniel Shannon is headed to prison for at least 13 ½ years and maybe as much as 75 years for the deliberate bathtub drowning of his wife, Lee-Ann Shannon.
Oceana County 27th Circuit Court Judge Terrence R. Thomas imposed that sentence Monday in Hart. Shannon, 34, pleaded no contest June 3 to second-degree unpremeditated murder.
It will be up to the Michigan Department of Corrections parole board whether Shannon serves the minimum, the maximum or something in between.
Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon asked for a minimum sentence of 20 years, which would have been at the top end of state sentencing guidelines. Those guidelines, which govern the minimum sentence, were between 12 and 20 years in the case of Shannon, who has no prior criminal record.
"Mr. Shannon is a man who took the life of the mother of his two children," Bizon said. He said the pre-sentence investigation noted that Shannon was "deceitful throughout this entire process ... He took great steps to cover up his actions," initially telling investigators his wife had died by suicide or accident while drunk. "Much of his own account of this is bogus."
In addition, Bizon said, the pre-sentence investigation showed Shannon has "little or no remorse" for his actions.
Shannon’s attorney, Douglas Springstead, disputed that, and Shannon denied it in court before sentencing. "I cried myself to sleep just about every night in jail," Shannon said.
Bizon said allowing Shannon’s second-degree murder plea, rather than going to trial to try to prove first-degree premeditated murder, was the legally correct decision.
After closely studying the evidence, Bizon said, "we came to the conclusion that there was no evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt premeditation.... It was a crime of passion or opportunity," thus second-degree murder.
The judge said he was imposing a minimum sentence closer to the low end of state guidelines -- while leaving it to the corrections department to decide whether to free Shannon that early or keep him for up to 75 years -- largely because of the high cost to taxpayers of housing a state prison inmate.
Lee-Ann Shannon, who was 34, died Dec. 29 in a bathtub in the couple's home in the 200 block of Courtland Street in the city of Hart. The death was reported initially as an accidental drowning.
When the case turned into a homicide investigation, the Hart Police Department turned it over to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office because Tim Shannon was a city council member. He later resigned his seat on the council.
Lee-Ann Shannon’s drowning came around mid-morning of the day she was due to leave home at her husband’s insistence, to be replaced by Tim Shannon’s young lover, who actually did move in that day, according to testimony at Tim Shannon's preliminary hearing Jan. 22.
According to police testimony at that hearing, Tim Shannon told detectives he pushed his wife under water and held her there for a long time after she angrily pulled him into the tub with her and he lost his balance, hitting his head.
Bizon, in an interview with MLive and the Muskegon Chronicle after the sentencing, said that account wasn’t believable, either. He believes Shannon held his wife, whom toxicology reports showed to be highly intoxicated, under water deliberately as a "crime of opportunity."
The couple’s daughter and son, ages 3 and 4, are in the custody of Tim Shannon's parents.
Lee-Ann’s mother, Irene Chaffin of Shelby, spoke to the judge about her daughter’s relationship with Tim, and his relationship with the much younger Jamie Hathaway. The younger woman had lived in the Shannons’ home earlier for about a year after Lee-Ann invited her in when she was homeless.
"Her and Tim had what I thought was a loving marriage," Chaffin said of her daughter. "(They had) many problems, because Tim was what I thought was a very controlling young man, but they just seemed to love each other so much." She said the two met in school, at Spring Arbor College, and kept in contact for five years before Lee-Ann finally agreed to marry him.
But then, after the Shannons took in Hathaway in 2011, "a relationship developed (between Tim and Hathaway). You can imagine how heartbreaking this was for Lee-Ann," Chaffin said.
Chaffin spoke of how much she misses her daughter, whom she said was highly intelligent, well-traveled, compassionate and a committed Christian.
She said she has forgiven Shannon and hopes he puts his time in prison to good use.
The same is not true for Lee-Ann’s brother, Tom Chaffin of Dallas, Texas, or her cousin, Deborah Lariviere of the San Francisco area.
Lariviere read a statement from Thomas Chaffin and one of her own.
Both expressed anger at Shannon and said they have not forgiven him.
"May Lee-Ann rest in peace and Tim burn in hell," Lariviere said.
Timothy Nathaniel Shannon sentenced for the bathtub drowning of his wife
MLive
MLive
July 15, 2013
Man gets up to 75 years in wife's bathtub drowning
Holland Sentinel
Posted Jul 16, 2013
White Cloud — A former West Michigan city council member has been sentenced to up to 75 years in the bathtub drowning of his wife.
Timothy Shannon of Hart pleaded no contest last month in Oceana County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the Dec. 29 death of 34-year-old Lee-Ann Shannon.
A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing, which was held Monday.
The Ludington Daily News reports Judge Terrence Thomas issued a sentence of 13 1/2 to 75 years. Thomas says it'll be up to the Corrections Department to decide when Shannon is released from prison.
Shannon told police his wife accidentally drowned, and he tried to revive her.
He was a Hart City Council member at the time of her death.
