Rest In Peace Shawn Katrina Mason
On March 19, 2003 Shawn Katrina Mason was murdered in her Manassas, VA condominium. Shawn had been attempting to move on with her life despite the violent relationship she had with her son’s father. Just days after her murder, Shawn was due in family court to finalize a custody agreement with Lucifer for their young son. Shawn never made it to court. Instead, the prime suspect in her murder (Lucifer himself) got custody of their son by default, and began to receive social security death benefits as a result of her murder. At the time of her death, Shawn’s son was only three and a half years old. For the past ten years, her murder has gone unsolved and is now what is considered a cold case.
While many of you know that Shawn’s murder is somewhat connected to my son’s death, what you might not know is how the murder of a woman I have never met has impacted my life. I never had the chance to meet Shawn, but I do believe that our lives have become somewhat intertwined. For the first several months that I lived with Luc, he had me thinking that Shawn had left her son by choice. I imagined that maybe she was a deadbeat mom or possibly had some sort of illness that rendered her hospitalized. It was the topic nobody in the house ever seemed to want to talk about.
Suspicion:
A few months before Prince was born, I began snooping around Luc’s house. I had a feeling that something wasn’t right when Luc’s story about Shawn went from “she left” to “there was an accident” to “she lived in a bad neighborhood.” In one of my searches, I found her baby journal tucked away in one of Luc’s closets. In this journal, she wrote about how excited she was to have her son, and all about her hopes and dreams for him. Almost hauntingly, I felt as if I was reading something that I would have written about my own son.
Over the next few months, despite how I felt about Luc and my growning anxiety about the future of our relationship, I worried about Shawn’s son. What had happened to this woman and why didn’t anyone want to talk about it? The night I left Luc, I had to make a decision to save Prince, but I knew that in saving Prince I would be leaving Shawn’s son behind. I felt terrible about this, but I knew that I had no rights to the child as he wasn’t biologically mine.
As I walked out the door that night, clinging to Prince tightly in my arms, Luc’s eyes went cold as he said, “If you leave I will kill you just like I killed Shawn and I will end up with Prince anyway.”
Chilling Discovery:
As the weeks skipped by after I left Luc, I eventually learned what really happened to Shawn. It wasn’t an accident at all – someone went to her house intending to kill her. In fact, about six months before Shawn died, Luc had his name changed to his son’s name (making his son a Jr…or maybe making his son a Sr.?) and subsequently claimed that Shawn’s life insurance policy (that had been in her son’s name) was for himself. For the past ten years, Luc has been actively trying to get his hands on Shawn’s life insurance policy which luckily the state was smart enough to block from him.
Not a day goes by when I don’t realize that it could have been me instead of Shawn. In fact, I believed it would have been me instead of Prince. I would have wanted it to be me instead of Prince. I never imagined that Prince could have been Luc’s next financial target. Since the day I left Luc in July 2011 and began fighting for my son’s life and my own, I have felt as though history would repeat itself in some way. Since Shawn, two others associated/related to Luc have died violently and Luc has standed to gain financially from both. If we are to believe that Luc killed all three of these people (Shawn, Alma Collins (Luc’s mother), and Prince), that qualifies him as a serial killer. All three motives would have been the same – life insurance proceeds.
The Future:
I have said this before, but I believe that Shawn had a hand in my son’s legacy – like maybe she sent Prince to protect her son and to protect others. I believe Shawn is an angel just like Prince. Shawn knew that it was likely police would never charge Luc for her murder, and that Luc would continue to terrorize and possibly even kill others. If I had died at the hands of Luc, and my son had been left behind, I would have sent an angel as well.
It’s been ten years since Shawn was murdered, and Luc is finally in prison where he belongs. It is troubling that it took this long, and it took something this bad happening, before he was locked up. When Prince was still alive, not a day passed when I didn’t pray police would catch Shawn’s killer and I would receive a call that he was finally in prison. I knew that if Shawn’s killer were behind bars, we would finally be safe. That prayer was never answered. Instead, I received the call I feared the most – that someone else had been killed and this time it was my little boy. Police told me not to worry, because they would get him this time. These words brought little to no comfort, because I didn’t want my son to be their this time. I wanted the police to protect us before my son got hurt, instead of promise justice after he was already gone.
All of Luc’s victims remain on edge awaiting the conviction. I understand the risk I took coming forward and fighting this monster. I was chosen to be Prince’s Mama for a reason, however, and I believe its because its not in my nature to just let this one go. I will hold fast until the bitter end. If my son had to be the one to bring Luc down, then he better stay down this time…right beside big Bubba where he belongs.
Rest in peace Shawn Katrina Mason.
How this man was never investigated and discovered long ago blows my mind. While a part of me wishes the worst wold happen to him, I want more to have him proven guilty to the nurders of everyone he has killed. It makes a person wonder how many others have died at his hands. when a man can kill his own baby he has to have had experience in killing others.
Marica, I have never met anyone who cares less about human life than Luc. While I am not aware of any others, Luc changed his name when he moved from NY to DC and I am wondering what he was running from there. When the trial begins and his mug shot is spread all over national television….maybe more victims will come out of the woodwork. I don’t think he just started to be a terrorist in his late 20s. It started long before that.
There’s no way possible this started in his late 20s. I’d bet anything it started when he was a child. Whether from just lacking any humanity or maybe growing up badly (I have no idea) or both, behavior like Luc’s doesn’t just spring out of no where. I pray daily for justice for Prince – and for all of Luc’s other victims. And some small measure of peace – or at least closure – for their friends and family.
Thanks for writing about my cousin Shawn..we All knew he murdered her but apparently the cops didn’t have enough evidence to convict him on it…i hope he is charged with all 3 murders because he is a KILLER. I believe that he will get his this time around. He is EVIL and one of Satan’s Angels for sure!!
You are sooo right Marica, i say the same thing, he has done this a lot of times before. When he tried to get his son’s life insurance that should have beeen a Red flag for Everyone!! I really think ppl just didn’t do their job!!
Tee777, I brought this up to the court about the life insurance. Judge Algeo knew that Luc lived off of life insurance proceeds and that he was the suspect in a murder. He didn’t care. Safety doesn’t outweigh parental rights in this country.
Since there is no statue of limitation on murder, there still may be a chance he will eventually have to answer to his mother’s death as well as Shawn’s. Trust in the Lord that there is a plan, he’s going to go down and hard. He will suffer the wrath of God Almighty, it’s already started.
Auntie, there is no statute of limitation; however, with his mother…in order to turn that case around the police will have to admit that they made some serious mistakes and caused a murderer to go free for four years and move on to murdering a toddler. I really don’t think that they will do the right thing in that case. If they do, however, my hat goes off to them for admitting wrongdoing and moving toward doing the right thing. My experience with the Prince William County VA Police department is such that they don’t like to investigate things that they believe might be hard to prove and they surely don’t like to admit mistakes. Time will tell on that one. As for Shawn, I believe there is enough evidence…it will just take the courage to prosecute.
I hope big bubba is very happy just as I hope Luc isn’t. I pray Luc suffers in prison for many, many years, with big bubba, and then burns in hell for all eternity. Rest in Eternal peace Shawn, Prince and all other victims of Luc. As always Hera, I am in awe of your strength, courage, dignity and faith. I pray you get justice for Prince and all the other victims get justice too.
I’m sure that his mother did not write that suicide letter he claims she wrote, I pray that he didn’t force her to write it. I hope when they investigate this time the death of his mother that they find a loop hole where Luc wasn’t as smart as he thinks he is. Surely they can prove without doubt who wrote that letter. Yes I truly believe that his FREE RIDES are over!! I can’t wait until the trial starts, I want to see his face when they tell the world how he murdered his son for Insurance money!! He’s going to feel lower than an Ant in that courtroom facing everyone at one time and I can’t wait!!
Tee777, I cannot wait to see him gray haired and looking like Bubba has had his way with him. He deserves to be the victim of a big ugly man who loves his child and hates baby killers.
Poor Shawn. I can’t imagine a worse thing in life than knowing your beloved child is being left in the hands of a monster. I pray she died quickly and knew nothing. Was she shot? I can’t remember if you said how she died.
How is her precious son? Who is caring for him?
Christine, yes she was shot. Apparently she struggled but I am not 100 percent sure of that….that is only what I have heard. Her son is now in CPS custody and living with his mother’s family. I can’t speak to how he is doing, but I can say he is with people who care about him a lot.
Thank God for that. I can’t imagine what that boy has been through. I will pray for healing for him because surely he’s been scarred by living with a psychopath all of these years. Lord, please heal this boy’s heart and mind and give him hope and peace for the future. Amen.
Shawn was shot in the head at close range. He found her like he found his mother and like he found his son in the throngs of death. He sure finds a lot of dead people, he’s got to go down on all three. I think it’s time Shawn’s mother pays Ebert a visit.
The person who killed Shawn plotted that one…..interesting that it was the same motive for all three deaths that he “found” huh?
What kind of man could kill his own mother? The mother of his child? His own child? Pure evil. There’s really no other explanation. Evil.
Cappuccino Queen,
This post has me in chills! I pray he is convicted for every crime he has committed, and I commend you for being so strong ! Do you have any petitions started? You should start a petition (or two! ) at change.org or a similar reputable site. I know you are strong and will not be silenced!
There has been a petition started at change.org to get Judge Algeo removed from court. That being said, shortly after my son was murdered, Judge Algeo decided to ask the courts to take him out of Family Court. I hope they never send him back. I wish he would just resign.
Oh good! I would like to sign & share that petition if you could post the link!
https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/judge-michael-j-algeo-montgomery-county-md-call-for-resignation
Sounds like he fed you the same line he fed me when I first met Shawn’s child. I said that it seems as if his mother is not involved in his life, why is that? He simply responded “she has no interest”, as if she was still alive.
“If you leave I will kill you just like I killed Shawn and I will end up with Prince anyway.”
That chilled me to my bones.
I just found this site, Shawn was my best friend, we met through work in 2001. I loved bunny like a god son and Shawn like a sister. Her death is something I still deal with daily. The pain of knowing in my heart that this beast took her away from us all will never leave but knowing he is behind bars helps. I am so so very sorry and hurt for the loss of your son, he reminds me so much of bunny when he was little. It’s breaks my heart to hear of how Shawn was spoken about in reference to her son which she adored and lived for. My prayers and thoughts are with you and if there is anything though we don’t know each other that I could do to help please feel free to contact me. Luc as you referred to him as well hopefully burn in hell. My prayers also go out to bunny which is what I will always call him because that is what Shawn called him, his grandmother and grandfather and uncle’s and a host of other family members for healing and strength. May God be with us all
Thanks for commenting Lori. I am glad you found my site. I am sorry for your loss, and I am sorry I never had the chance to know Shawn. I know that she must have been an incredible woman.
Worked with Shawn and Lori also all those years ago. Shawn was a wonderful gentle person. Glad to hear that SOB is where he belongs.