KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A Kaufman County grand jury formally indicted Shannon Lynn Wiley, 52 of Mabank of murder on Friday, nearly a year since the tragedy unfolded that left his 27 year-old son dead.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — A Kaufman County grand jury formally indicted Shannon Lynn Wiley, 52 of Mabank of murder on Friday, nearly a year since the tragedy unfolded that left his 27 year-old son dead.
After a lengthy and "spotty" investigation by Mabank Police Department and internal delays at the Kaufman County District Attorney's office the case was finally presented to the grand jury Friday morning.
After approximately thirty minutes of deliberation according to sources close to the case, the grand jury delivered an indictment for murder.
Wiley will now stand trial for the April 28, 2021 murder of his son, Jannssen Wiley.
As inForney.com previously reported, Jannssen Wiley called 911 at approximately 2:01 a.m. and reported his father had shot him.
The young man reportedly succumbed to a gunshot wound to the chest, despite the best efforts of medical personnel already on scene prior to the arrival of police according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
According to the search warrant return obtained by inForney.com, Mabank Police and the Texas Rangers removed 12 firearms, including ammunition and spent casing and shells, multiple cellphones and forensic and DNA evidence from the scene.
Wiley was originally booked on Wednesday, April 28 and was arraigned the following day and given a $2.5 million bond.
With his defense attorney present at a bond reduction hearing held at the Kaufman County Sheriff’s detention center, Wiley’s bond was reduced to $750,000 a few days later by a local judge after the reported testimony of the Texas Ranger investigating the case.
According to witnesses, the Texas Ranger who had not completed the investigation, and was conveniently on hand, told the judge that he had reason to believe the elder Mr. Wiley "could" have been acting in self defense.
Then again on May 5, in a second bond reduction hearing before Judge Bobby Rich, the judge amended the order, and the District Attorney's office agreed to it, reducing the bond to $500,000.
Wiley bonded out a few hours later after the final bond reduction. Wiley was also ordered bond restrictions that includes GPS tracking, prohibited from leaving the state and prohibitive from being in the possession of a firearm.
None of those conditions slowed Wiley down from expanding his pool business since his arrest.
Since bonding out of jail last May, Wiley has been working on his business venture, Cedar Creek Pools. The company took up shop on Hwy 175 in Kemp earlier this year less than a half mile to Lighthouse Landing home he still inhabits and where is son was killed.
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"At Cedar Creek Pools, our designers work with you directly to figure out exactly how we can build you the perfect outdoor living space for your lifestyle," according to the company's website.
Friday afternoon, speaking on anonymity to inForney.com, a Cedar Creek Pools employee tells us that Wiley seemed unphased by the news of the indictment.
"He acts like he doesn't even care," the employee says, "you definitely wouldn't know that he was facing a murder trial."
The lack of empathy or remorse is what sting's Jannssen's family and widow the most, though they are "all relieved" according to a member of the family at the news of the grand jury indictment.
"The wheels of justice have been slow and while we have lost trust in some of the actors and law enforcement during this investigation; we are relieved that the grand jury could see what type of person Shannon Wiley really was," Jennifer Bailey-Geren tells inForney.com exclusively.
"We look forward to the facts coming out at trial and we pray for justice for Jannssen," Bailey-Geren says.
Wiley's trial date has not been set as of press time.