BROCKTON, Mass. — A Plymouth woman has been indicted on multiple charges after she allegedly used a fake identity and falsified a death certificate to block court proceedings, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced.
44-year-old Shannon E. Wilson is facing one count each of the following charges:
- Furnishing False Identifying Information
- Obstruction of Justice
- Forgery
- Uttering of a Public Record
- Failure to Appear After Release on Bail
Wilson had been facing criminal charges in August 2022 for a traffic stop. When in court, the defense counsel had informed the court that Wilson had terminal cancer and that she only had a short time to live. Wilson was then let go after an acquaintance posted her $400 bail and was released on conditions.
In the following months, however, Wilson did not appear to comply with her conditions of release, prompting the Commonwealth seek bail revocation. That’s when Wilson claimed that she had been in the hospital, which led the court not to seek revocation, but to inform Wilson that her illness did not excuse her failure to communicate/comply with her conditions of bail.
Then, on September 12, 2022, Wilson again appeared in court on unrelated charges and again told the court that she suffered from terminal cancer.
In January 2023, the defense counsel showed the court a letter, allegedly from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, indicating that Wilson did have a terminal illness and was now in hospice care. The court dismissed the case. It was later determined that Wilson was never a patient at Dana-Farber
Later that year, in May, the defense council reported that they had recieved messages informing them that Wilson had passed away and a screenshot of a death certificate; Despite no official certificate being filed, the court waived all fees and the case.
A document listed terminal brain cancer as the cause of death, named a Rhode Island physician as certifier, and identified a Boston funeral home. A later investigation revealed that no such information existed.
In August 2023, the individual who had posted Wilson’s $400 bail had recieved the money back after being informed that Wilson passed away. Several weeks later, the individual was unexpectedly visited by Wilson, who came clean and admitted to faking her death.
It was revealed that in July 2023, Massachusetts State Police pulled Wilson over in Wareham for erratic driving. Wilson identified herself under a fake name, claimed to be visiting from Ireland, denied her true identity, and again asserted she was terminally ill. State police found items with her real name. Wilson was then taken into custody.
Wilson is currently being held and will be arraigned at a later date.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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