Sean Foley shot Jimmy Shelton, his girlfriend's alleged sex offender

On August 28, 2018, Army veteran Sean Patrick Foley called 911 to report that he had “shot” Jimmy L. Shelton.

“I pulled the trigger seven or eight times,” Foley said in the recorded call received from Kill or be killedBroadcast on Saturdays at 9/8 p.m Oxygen.

Officers arrived at Shelton's home in Maryville, Tennessee, and handcuffed Foley, 24, and his girlfriend, Miranda Goddard, 25. Police found Goddard's mother and sister trying to revive the 44-year-old victim.

Authorities determined Shelton “was dead upon arrival,” Dale Gourley said. a retired captain from the Blount County Sheriff's Office, “[Foley’s] The claim was that Miranda was being attacked and he was defending her.”

Shelton was unarmed, but Foley claimed he lunged at him before firing his gun. Goddard's statements, which corroborated Foley's account, were captured on police dashcam tape. “Sean was trying to protect me,” she said.

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Sean Foley claims self-defense

Police learned that Foley and Goddard had lived together in another city before moving in with Shelton and his fiancée Dawn McGinnis, Goddard's mother, to save money. McGinnis and Shelton were together for 17 years.

According to Foley, he dreamed of becoming an engineer and had spent nine months in the military before being discharged due to injuries Kill or be killed.

On the night of the shooting, Shelton, Foley and Goddard were drinking together on the porch of Shelton's house. Foley left to go inside and play video games.

Foley had learned from Goddard that Shelton had abused her in the past. He eavesdropped on the two of them in the house and recorded their conversation.

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Foley told police he heard Goddard telling Shelton she needed money for a car. Shelton said he could do something about it. Foley monitored them for nearly 23 minutes.

During this time, Foley said, Shelton began harassing Goddard. Armed with his gun, Foley went back outside and told Shelton, “I'll drop you” if he ever touched her again.

An argument broke out between the two men. Foley shot Shelton several times and claimed he acted in self-defense, Gourley said.

Foley was arrested for first-degree murder. “Sean claimed he wasn't prepared to kill Jimmy,” said Aaron Kimsey, Foley's attorney. “He had to kill him or he would die.”

Jimmy Shelton's story of alleged abuse

Prosecutors learned more about the dynamics of the household where the shooting occurred. Goddard had recently gotten out of an abusive relationship.

“Sean stormed in like a knight in shining armor,” her mother said, adding that he was “controlling.” She explained that Shelton was a “mentor” to Foley and “took him under his wing.”

Marissa McGinnis, Goddard's sister, said she had concerns about Foley. “There was something about him that I didn’t like,” she said Kill or be killed.

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Dawn admitted that Goddard made allegations of abuse against Shelton, which led to an investigation. Goddard recanted because she “didn’t want her family to be torn apart,” her mother said.

Goddard's mother said she hoped Shelton “would change.” She said, “I asked all the time.” I asked him and I asked her. I was always told that nothing was going on.”

But Goddard told Foley the abuse continued. “She said it was in her mid to late teens,” Foley said in the police recording.

Miranda Goddard stops communicating Sean Foley

Foley told police that during the confrontation, Shelton lunged at him and grabbed his gun. However, according to legal analyst Lis Wiehl, the coroner found no evidence such as powder burns to support this.

A week after the fatal shooting, Foley learned that Goddard was pregnant. With his bail set at $1 million, Foley was still in prison when his trial began August 20, 2019, a little less than a year after the incident.

During the year-long wait for the trial to begin, communication between Foley and Goddard went from frequent to non-existent. Since Goddard was key to Foley's defense, her silence was a warning sign to the defense team.

Prosecutors knew Shelton's character would be a major hurdle. His previous allegations of sexual abuse meant that “he would be hated,” Wiehl said.

“They pointed out that Sean was lying in wait … and did nothing for more than 22 minutes,” Wiehl said. “They said this was not a self-defense case. It was about a man who was angry that this older man was touching his girlfriend.”

Even if Shelton had lunged at Foley, the legal analyst added, “he had the right to protect himself” from a man pointing a gun at him.

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The defense team emphasized that Foley did not shoot Shelton from inside the house. He only shot when he had to protect his life. “This has negated the premeditation of this case,” Kimsey said. “It was self-defense.”

Both sides used ballistic evidence. Prosecutors pointed out that Shelton was shot multiple times. The defenders made it clear that some of the wounds were from close range.

That evidence supported the defendant's claim that Shelton attacked Foley “because he was trying to kill him,” said defense attorney Jaclyn Hardin.

Miranda Goddard changes her story

On the second day of the trial, Goddard took the stand. She had given birth to Foley's daughter weeks earlier. On the witness stand she did the complete opposite of what she had previously said.

When asked if she needed Foley's protection and if she was being harassed, she replied no. “At this point the defense is sweating in its boots,” said journalist Lisa Fischer Kill or be killed.

The defense team tried to introduce dashcam footage from the night of the shooting in which Goddard said: “Sean did nothing. He was trying to protect me. He knows what Jimmy did to me.”

The evidence was deemed inadmissible to show to the jury, but lawyers were able to show Goddard the footage and ask her what she had previously said. The strategy weakened Goddard's testimony to the prosecution.

Foley chose to testify on his own behalf. Defense attorneys took the opportunity to showcase his military service and other good qualities.

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According to Wiehl, prosecutors emphasized that he “came out with guns blazing” and killed an unarmed man. They pointed to the recorded conversation Foley overheard between Shelton and Goddard and noted that he heard Shelton say, “Let me pay for an hour,” and she replied, “I can arrange that.” Trust me. For me it’s about money.”

While prosecutors said the conversation between Shelton and Goddard was “consensual,” Foley put a stop to that by declaring on the stand that she was drunk, Kimsey said, noting, “If you're drunk, you can't.” agree.”

Prosecutors' closing statements indicated that Goddard wanted to have a private conversation with Shelton “to trade sex for a car,” Wiehl said, adding that Foley became angry as he listened to them. “Vigilante justice is not legal.”

Kimsey told Kill or be killed“It was self-defense from the start.”

The Sean Foley case leads to a trial and a settlement

On August 22, 2019, the jury found Foley not guilty of first-degree murder. In the second-degree murder case, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The judge declared the proceedings invalid.

Foley and his defense team accepted a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to five and a half years in prison and released in 2022.

Learn more about the case and where Foley is today, covered in the episode “Vigilante Violence.” Kill or be killedBroadcast on Saturdays at 9/8 p.m oxygen.