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Woman Faked Death to Evade Court Cases
23 Jan
Summary
- Woman allegedly faked terminal cancer to avoid court.
- Prosecutors accused her of fabricating death certificate.
- She admitted to faking her death after refunding bail money.
Shannon E. Wilson, 44, is accused of a complex scheme involving fabricated terminal brain cancer and a fake death to obstruct justice in Massachusetts courts during 2022 and 2023. Prosecutors allege Wilson, through herself and her defense counsel, claimed she was terminally ill, in hospice, and had passed away. This included presenting a fraudulent death certificate.
Wilson faced multiple charges pending in Plymouth County courts. The indictments accuse her of knowingly making false representations about her health and death at critical judicial stages. Courts reportedly relied on these claims for decisions, including dismissing a case in Plymouth District Court in January 2023 based on a purportedly fraudulent letter from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Investigations revealed Wilson was not a patient at the institute. After initially being released on $400 bail in August 2022, she failed to comply with release conditions. In May 2023, a fraudulent death certificate listing terminal brain cancer as the cause of death was presented to the court. However, no death certificate was registered in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
In August 2023, after her bail money was refunded based on the false report of her death, Wilson reappeared and admitted to fabricating her demise. Previously, in July 2023, she had been stopped for erratic driving in Wareham, where she provided an assumed name and claimed to be from Ireland, again stating she was terminally ill, but was apprehended with items bearing her real name. Wilson is currently in custody.
