Accused killer: ‘I was going to get paid to whack her stepmom’

 

(Chambersburg) — Two versions of events were given by the two people charged in the death of Greene Township woman Jamie Ruth Daley. One involves a robbery gone wrong. The other includes a deadly plot from Daley’s step-daughter, who wanted insurance money.

State police have identified Daley, 46, as the woman who was found dead Thursday around 11:30 a.m. in front of a home on Mountain Shadow Circle, just off Black Gap Road and about a mile south of Chambersburg Mall. 

Tosha Mae Daley, 26, and Nicholas Vonallen Shinn, 21, are both charged with murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, robbery, theft and conspiracy to commit burglary, robbery and theft, according to court documents. They both live in Greencastle.

Tosha Daley is also charged with criminal solicitation of a murder and murder of the second degree.

Tosha Daley is Jamie Daley’s step-daughter. 

Court records filed at Magisterial District Judge Jody C. Eyer’s office Friday morning show that both of the accused had drastically different stories about the incident.

Shinn and Tosha Daley were taken into custody with two others from a home in the 200 block of Allison Street on Thursday afternoon. 

It was one of the other people questioned but not identified by police who first pointed to Shinn as a suspect, according to court documents.

The person said Shinn arrived at the home around 12:30 to 1 p.m. Thursday, and said in a “joking manner,” that he thought he had killed someone, according to court documents.

Shinn allegedly told the person he thought he had killed Tosha Daley’s step-mother, and the person could see a cut on Shinn’s right hand, along with some smaller scratches. Shinn allegedly told the other person that he attacked Jamie Daley and there was a struggle, adding that he had to “shut her up” and he used a crow bar to “finish her off,” according to court documents.

Shinn also told the person that Tosha Daley had offered him money to kill Jamie Daley.

In a police interview, Shinn immediately began talking about his part in the stabbing, saying “I was going to get paid to whack her stepmom,” according to court documents.

Shinn told police Tosha Daley was going to pay him for the killing, and that she said so several times over a two-week period. Shinn claimed Tosha Daley was going to pay him $30,000.

The account Shinn told police of the incident began in the Greencastle area.  He said they left to get to Fayetteville around 10:30 a.m., according to court documents. Once in the Scotland area, Shinn allegedly asked Tosha Daley where they were going, and she told him they were going to Jamie Daley’s residence.

Tosha Daley allegedly told Shinn she had been arguing with her step-mom recently and  was upset with her, according to court documents. Part of the conflict was over a Jeep SUV that was being re-possessed, Shinn asserted.

Shinn also told police once they were in the area, Tosha Daley provided him with a knife and dropped him off.

The incident itself was not described in detail by Shinn, as he claimed that he “saw red,” according to court documents. He only remembered that she may have been on the phone when he first saw her. Later Shinn said he remembered picking up a chair and stabbing Jamie Daley in the downstairs area of the house. He claimed he did not use any other weapon, and couldn’t remember specifics.

Shinn did acknowledge that there was a cut on his hand that was not there prior to the incident.

After the stabbing, Shinn fled the area and was picked up by Tosha Daley, according to court documents.  The two fled to Greencastle, and Shinn cleaned himself up, placing the clothing he wore during the incident in a garbage bag.

Another witness police spoke to remembered seeing Shinn with the bag, and saw him place it in another vehicle. Police were able to recover the clothes from the second vehicle, according to court documents.

Shinn claimed he did not leave the residence with the knife used in the assault, according to court documents. He did tell police that he went to the home with intent to kill Jamie Daley.

Shinn said he did it because Tosha Daley “didn’t like” Jamie, and also alleged that Tosha “found out” about Jamie’s life insurance policy.

Tosha Daley told a drastically different story to police, according to court documents.

Tosha Daley claimed there was a plan to steal money from her step-mother’s residence, which was agreed upon the night before.

Tosha Daley told police she drove Shinn to the area, and watched him walk toward the residence before leaving the development, according to court documents. Tosha Daley said she called Jamie Daley to warn her about Shinn coming to the residence to steal money, but court records do not clarify whether Tosha Daley actually spoke with her step-mom.

Tosha Daley said when she returned to the area, she picked up Shinn who informed her that he had fought with Jamie, that Jamie tried to run and that he had followed her, hurting Jamie “really bad,” according to court documents. 

Jamie Daley suffered multiple stab wounds by a knife, and also showed signs of blunt force trauma, according to the release.

State police reported responding to a home in the 3700 block of Mountain Shadow Circle around 11:29 a.m. Thursday, where they found Jamie Daley outside.

The initial caller only heard the commotion at the home, while other neighbors saw a man police believe to be Shinn walking around in the area acting suspicious, according to court documents.

Various neighbors reported Shinn’s route, the car that picked him up, and what Shinn was wearing while in the area, to police.

Court records show when Jamie Daley was found by emergency personnel, she was “hunched over” on a neighbor’s front porch, and was unresponsive. Lifesaving measures were taken, but Jamie Daley was declared deceased at the scene.

According to court documents, troopers found blood in Jamie’s garage, on the stairs, in the kitchen and to the rear of the home, headed outside. Blood was also found on her vehicle in the driveway.

Due to the vehicle descriptions provided by neighbors, police tracked the suspect vehicle, a black Jeep SUV, to the Greencastle home where Tosha Daley and Shinn were detained.

In Greencastle, state police monitored Shinn and an unidentified man, at two locations. At one location, police saw Shinn with the trash bag evidence was later recovered from. At the second, the two were loading property including a stereo, stereo speakers and more into the Jeep.

Shinn denied taking anything from Jamie Daley, according to court documents. When police recovered the trash bag used by Shinn to hold his clothes from the incident, they also found a wallet with Jamie Daley’s credit card in it. 

The scene was cleared at 5:11 a.m. Friday. 

Tosha Daley and Shinn are being held at Franklin County Jail, denied bail.

State police thank the public, especially witnesses and neighbors who came forward with information that led to the arrest of suspects in the case. They also thank the Greene Township administrators, local fire departments, EMS, Franklin County Coroner, Franklin County District Attorney and Troop H Major Case team.

This story comes to us through a partnership between WITF and The Chambersburg Public Opinion.