Verna McCalin, Shaketa Jones: Case Of Baby Snatcher And Armed Robber Featured On TV One’s ‘For My Man’

The case of Verna McClain and Shaketa Jones will be the focus of a new episode of TV One‘s For My Man. For My Man is a crime TV show that exposes cases of women who have committed the most heinous crimes for a man in their life.

The case of Verna McClain is especially disturbing. The Texas nurse gunned down a woman in broad daylight in 2012. Her goal was to steal the woman’s three-day old baby so that she could live a happy life with her boyfriend. The Daily Mail reported in 2013 that Verna McClain pleaded guilty in order to avoid the death penalty for the murder of 28-year-old Kayla Golden-Schuchardt. When Schuchardt went to the women’s clinic that fateful day, she had no idea it would be her last. Believing she could pull it off, authorities say that Verna McClain was desperate to set up a family with a new baby and her boyfriend. The infant, who was later found unharmed, was given back to his biological father. According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Verna Deann McClain is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole.

The Shaketa Jones, Jessie Cooper case broke wide open in May of 2010, after police responded to a robbery at a gas station and convenience store located at 8070 Atlantic Blvd. in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s where they encountered Jessie Cooper, a man who was trying to flee the scene, where he had just held the manager at gunpoint. Instead of halting, Jessie Cooper threatened law enforcement officials and aimed a gun at them, causing the officers to shoot him. He died of gunshot wounds.

The investigation revealed Jessie Cooper and his girlfriend, Shaketa Jones, had planned the armed robbery. Shaketa Jones is credited as being the mastermind behind the hold up. Police say, it was his girlfriend who helped him place the getaway car, and she also acted as lookout, keeping Jessie Cooper abreast of everything that was happening right up until he held the manager at gunpoint. The manager, who was holding a bag full of money, was on his way to make a bank deposit. Shaketa had studied his movements before the robbery took place, and somehow knew when he would be making the deposit.

After Jessie Cooper’s death, Shaketa Jones was left “holding the bag.” With him dead, she was the one who took the entire fall. Police even charged her in the death of Jessie Cooper because Florida Law says that a person can be held liable if a death happened while a robbery is being committed.

The charge of second-degree murder in the death of her own lover completely shocked Shaketa Jones. At trial, she tried to say that she was having phone sex on the phone with Jessie, not helping him carry out the robbery. The jury convicted her anyway. Needless to say, the relationship with Jessie didn’t turn out as she had planned. Shaketa met Jessie at church while he was visiting family. She was immediately struck by him, with some describing it as love at first sight. Jessie Cooper had everything she was looking for in a man: money, beautiful skin, nice gold teeth, and shiny gold chains and bracelets. He also had a nice SUV. To her, he was the whole package. And when he told her that he was a big time hip hop and rap music producer, she believed him.

Shaketa had no idea what Jessie’s real life was like, which included a criminal record, heavy use of cocaine, and no stable job. Still he romanced and sexed her like no one had ever done before. They say Shaketa Jones was hooked even before she got to know anything about Jessie Cooper — until he introduced her to his debauched world, leading Shaketa Jones down an unexpected path of destruction. Watch For My Man on Monday nights at 10/9 central on TV One. Read up on Inquisitr’s previous article about another case that was featured on For My Man.

**Note: For research purposes, the name Jessie Cooper is also referred to as Jesse Cooper.

[Image via TV One/Facebook]