Shauna Tiaffay, a 46-year-old Las Vegas strip cocktail waitress and mother-of-one, was battered to death with a hammer inside her suburban condominium in 2012. In the early morning hours of September 29, when her eight-year-old daughter was at her grandmother’s, she was savagely beaten by a guy waiting for her arrival. Tiaffay’s estranged and respected fireman husband George, as well as a homeless guy and ex-con called Noel Stevens, whom he allegedly recruited to perpetrate the murder, were finally convicted in the case. A trail of evidence, including blood-splattered pants, phone records, and a tip, led detectives to the offenders.
Under a Full Moon, an upcoming episode of Oxygen’s Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, will examine Shauna Tiaffay’s case on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. ET. According to the episode synopsis:
“When investigators apprehend the assassin of a Las Vegas cocktail waitress and mother, it becomes evident that the inquiry has really just started.”
This post will dive into a few significant aspects of the murder case in more depth.
Five short facts concerning the death of Las Vegas cocktail server Shauna Tiaffay
1) In the weeks before her murder, Shauna Tiaffay’s home was broken into.
Shauna Tiaffay, 46, a cocktail waitress at the iconic Palms Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas strip, was living in a separate apartment in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas in 2012 when her marriage to fireman husband George Tiaffay grew strained. Madison, their eight-year-old daughter, was shared by the two. However, in early September, someone came into her apartment and snatched her wedding ring, shocking her from the inside.
2) George, Shauna’s estranged husband, found her brutally battered corpse and the murder scene in her apartment.
Shauna Tiaffay was assaulted after returning home from work in the early morning hours of September 29, 2012. According to reports, a guy was already waiting inside her house when she arrived. He then struck her with a hammer and didn’t stop until she was dead. The assault occurred a few weeks after the break-in.
Madison, who had spent the night at her grandmother’s, was picked up by George the next morning and driven to Shauna’s. He then found her dead and the gruesome murder scene and called 911. According to the Mirror, George Tiaffay allegedly remarked in a 911 call that morning,
“I believe I should report a break-in and a murder.”
3) A reliable tip led detectives to an odd homeless guy, who confessed to the crime.
The murderer was previously assumed to be Shauna’s estranged husband, George Tiaffay. He did, however, present a credible alibi, stating that he was working a 24-hour shift at the fire station prior to bringing up their daughter. Following that, authorities got a vital tip from a guy who indicated that his buddy Noel Stevens, an ex-con living outside the city in a tent, had confessed to murdering a lady with a hammer.
When officials apprehended him, they searched the area around his tent and found a pair of trousers splattered with Shauna’s blood. They also discovered a barcode sticker that matched one of a hammer, which was assumed to be the murder weapon. At the police station, Noel ultimately acknowledged murdering Shauna.
4) Using phone records, authorities were able to connect Noel Stevens and George Tiaffay.
Authorities examined Noel’s phone and discovered a contact named George. When asked who it was, he said, “That’s my fireman buddy.” George Tiaffay had befriended Noel Stevens, it was later discovered. Phone records indicated that the two guys were in frequent contact in the days before Shauna’s death.
George allegedly convinced Noel to murder his estranged wife, Shauna Tiaffay, by offering him money in return. Finally, detectives uncovered CCTV evidence of the two suspects shopping for the murder weapon, a hammer, together.
5) George Tiaffay, Shauna Tiaffay’s estranged husband, was prosecuted and convicted of her murder.
Noel Stevens, the alleged hitman in Shauna’s murder case, pled guilty in 2013 in order to escape the death sentence and even agreed to testify against George Tiaffay, who insisted on his innocence. George even got into a vehicle accident while trying to run before being apprehended. Authorities said that the event was a suicide attempt.
After Noel delivered comprehensive evidence about everything that happened leading up to Shauna Tiaffay’s terrible murder, a jury convicted George guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 2015. The father of one was condemned to life in jail with no chance of release. Meanwhile, the hitman received a jail term ranging from 42 years to life.
