Jane Marie Shine accused her daughter’s caretaker and fiancé, 35-year-old Eric James, of gun threats before she shot him Saturday morning in their Newton home, according to court document.

The 52-year-old Shine made the accusations in a request for bond reduction Monday morning. She claims that James was using methamphetamine and recently had become increasingly violent against her daughter, Danielle Marie Shine, who is a quadriplegic and depends on James as caretaker. Shine also wrote in the court document that an unnamed friend of Danielle Shine saw James put a 9mm handgun to his fiancée’s head. Shine’s bond still sits at $100,000 as of this morning.

The shooting occurred at approximately 9:14 a.m. Saturday. Newton police responded to a call at 511 E. 26th St. S., where investigators alleged that Shine entered James’ bedroom and shot him multiple times while he slept. According to interviews and evidence at the scene, police determined James was able to exit his bedroom and walk into the living room where Shine “shot him an additional time(s).”

James suffered multiple wounds from the shooting and was airlifted to Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. He has since been released from the hospital.

A Jasper County District Court judge also granted a no-contact order against Shine this morning, prohibiting the defendant from seeing or attempting to contact her daughter, James and her three grandchildren if and when she is released from the Jasper County Jail.

A probation parole officer from the Iowa Department of Corrections’ Fifth Judicial District stated in a court document Shine does not qualify for pretrial release. Shine has applied for a public defender to represent her in the case. She has no recorded criminal history in Iowa.

Shine faces charges of attempted murder (a class B felony) and willful injury (a class C felony) as a result of the shooting. If convicted of both changes, Shine could serve up to 35 years in prison.

Shine lives in Newton and works for the USDA’s Jasper County Farm Service Agency office.

The Newton Daily News has requested a copy of the 911 call made and recorded directly after the shooting. County Attorney Mike Jacobsen said Monday that his office is currently reviewing the phone call to determine if it will be entered into case evidence.



Mike Mendenhall can be contacted at (641) 792-3121 ext. 422 or via email at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com.