A Bluffton man who lay in wait for his ex-girlfriend as she drove her 6-year-old son to school will spend the rest of his life in prison after abruptly halting his jury trial to plead guilty.
On Wednesday, 29-year-old John Patrick Shea admitted to the 2023 murder of 36-year-old Jillian Angner, as well as the attempted murder of her young son, and two weapons charges. Circuit Court Judge S. Bryan Doby sentenced Shea to the maximum penalty for all offenses, including life in prison for murder.
“This was a calculated and deeply disturbing act of violence,” said Hunter Swanson of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Today’s conviction cannot restore Jillian’s life, but it brings some measure of justice to her friends, family and young son. I hope this helps them heal.”
The attack occurred on March 2, 2023. Angner had just left her home outside Bluffton to take her son to school when Shea ambushed her, opening fire on her Jeep Cherokee and striking her multiple times, including once in the neck. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots, and Ring doorbell footage captured a Ford F-150 near the scene. Investigators later learned Shea had persuaded a friend to drive him there under the guise of a drug run.
Angner’s son survived by crawling out of the car and hiding in a marsh. He later provided a forensic interview that confirmed key elements of the case. Angner was placed on life support but never regained consciousness, passing away on August 5, 2023.
Shea nearly got away. Police caught up to Angner’s ex as he was throwing suitcases into his car to make a break for it. Once investigators went through his place they found everything they needed to bring him in: defaced photographs of Angner, a voodoo doll, tarot cards, satanic literature, and a makeshift shrine. Police also discovered a letter from Shea’s mother where she stated how worried she was about his violent behavior and substance abuse. As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, police also found a list that Shea had compiled of all the women he’d dated, going all the way back to 2008 complete with notes on each encounter.
Text messages and actions the night before the attack revealed the ambush was carefully planned. Prosecutors said Shea left his vehicle at a local bar to try to establish an alibi.
Swanson, who leads the Solicitor’s Office Special Victims Unit, had already called seven witnesses during the first day of trial before Shea’s guilty plea cut short further testimony.
