CARROLLTON, Texas – A Texas man was charged with murder after allegedly staging his 62-year-old client James “Jim” Seegan’s death to look like a suicide, according to the Carrollton Police Department.
Keith T. Ashley, 48, was taken into federal custody near his home in Allen on Nov. 13 on related wire fraud charges.
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On Feb. 19, 2020, Seegan’s wife found Seegan dead inside their Carrollton home with a gunshot wound to his head. She also found a typed note next to his body, indicating her husband had committed suicide. The last sentence of the typed note, which was absent of a signature or any handwriting, read, “My last friend Keith Ashley will help you,” CBS-DFW reported.
Through the course of a nine-month investigation, detectives said they uncovered evidence that Ashley plotted to incapacitate Seegan before murdering him in an attempt to gain control of his finances. Detectives also found evidence of a possible “Ponzi” scheme Ashley had allegedly orchestrated.
Investigators said Ashley, Seegan’s friend and financial advisor, would visit Seegan’s home periodically.
While investigating Seegan’s death, detectives discovered a “Nest” video doorbell and footage showing Ashley arriving at Seegan’s home the day he died. Detectives determined Ashley was the last person to enter the home before Seegan’s wife returned that evening and discovered her husband’s body, CBS-DFW reported.
Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to call the Carrollton Police Department at (972) 466-9133 or submit a tip at CrimeTips@CityofCarrollton.com.