A Massachusetts woman appeared in court on Tuesday, accused of faking her own cancer death in order to avoid having to face a judge for drunk driving and shoplifting charges.

Shannon Wilson shook her head in Plymouth District Court as prosecutors laid out the indictment against her.

“This is a defendant who was willing to fake her own death,” Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane said.

Wilson is charged with one count each of furnishing false identifying information, obstruction of justice, forgery, uttering of a public record, and failure to appear after release on bail.

Woman accused of faking own death

Prosecutors said the 45-year-old woman orchestrated the scheme to evade cases from 2022-2023. The first came in 2022 when she was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence.

“And this is when she first raises that she has terminal brain cancer,” Zane said, adding that Wilson told a Hingham judge at the time that she was dying.

They argue that she did the same thing during an arraignment for a shoplifting charge in Plymouth.

Then, prosecutors said Wilson stopped appearing in court. Defense attorneys reported that Wilson was in hospice care as her condition deteriorated.

“And ultimately, the counsel representing the defendant gives the court a screen grab or a print out of a text message that he received from that number he’s been communicating with that he believes is the defendant’s family of a death certificate from Rhode Island saying that she had passed away,” Zane said, saying the claim that Wilson died happened in May 2023.

Investigators looked at the grainy copy of the death certificate. The doctor whose signature was used, the hospice center listed, and the funeral home all had no record of Wilson’s death. Prosecutors determined the document was a fake.

Shannon Wilson charged in Massachusetts

In August 2023, the person who previously posted Wilson’s $400 bail recovered the money after being informed she was dead. Several weeks later, prosecutors say Wilson showed up at the person’s house and allegedly admitted she had faked her death.

Wilson allegedly also duped her ex-fiancé, who she lived with in a Plymouth home.

“He indicated a week or so after the Hingham matter was dismissed, he actually thought that she was dead,” Zane said.

Wilson’s defense attorney argued that she was not the architect of the plan.

“She’s not the one who made these phone calls. She’s not the one who prepared the document that Mr. Zane referred to and she’s not the individual who submitted that to the court,” defense attorney Josh Werner said. Werner did not say who he believes sent in the fake death certificate. 

Wilson pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bail.

PORTSMOUTH, NH — Downtown will again turn its focus to families next month when Pro Portsmouth presents Children’s Day on Sunday.

The annual event, planned across downtown Portsmouth, with a block party and live performances on Pleasant Street, will be held from noon to 4 p.m.

Families will be able to use an activity map and legend to follow the alphabet through downtown. Along the way, children can take part in crafts, games, and interactive activities hosted in shops and restaurants.

Entertainment scheduled for the Pleasant Street block party includes Bryson Lang, Juggler Extraordinaire!, Musical Fun with Friend Andrea, and Movin’ & Groovin’ with musician, TJ Wheeler. The announcement describes Children’s Day as a “kid-friendly” event for Seacoast families.

The Children’s Day map will be available at the event and can also be downloaded or printed from the Pro Portsmouth website. Information about street closures and parking is also posted online as families make plans for the downtown event.

Support for Children’s Day comes from 2026 Program Partners, Mass General Brigham/Wentworth Douglass Hospital, Lonza, and Ocean Properties, along with event sponsors Treehouse Toys, G.Willikers, ad cetera, Blue Dolphin, and the Kiwanis Club of the Seacoast. The org also thanked the city of Portsmouth, City Manager Karen Conard, and city departments for supporting the event.

Pro Portsmouth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization serving the Seacoast area. According to the group’s description, its mission is to promote the arts, culture, history and community of the area through events including Children’s Day, the Market Square Day Festival & 10K Road Race, Summer in the Street and First Night Portsmouth.

Children’s Day information, including the event map, street closure details, and parking information, is available through Pro Portsmouth online ahead of the May 3 event.

When a new leader takes the reins, they will always look for easy wins to win the team over. Maybe they make changes to the coffee machine, upgrading your caffeine intake. They might take a few meetings off your plate or give you more facetime with leadership. There are simple wins that help people get on your side and feel good about the company’s direction.

New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta is trying to do the same thing, but it’s different for a hockey leader. He can’t upgrade the coffee maker for million-dollar athletes. He has to upgrade the facilities. And oftentimes, that’s beyond his control. 

What he can do is get the players and the fanbase to trust him by making moves that build excitement. The most obvious move to make that happen is to agree to a new contract with Nico Hischier. The Devils’ captain is up for an extension, but he’s not eligible to do that until July 1st. 

Mehta has a chance to make something happen even before that. 

He can sign Mikhail Yegorov to an entry-level contract. The Devils’ 2024 second-round pick has been one of their top prospects for two seasons. He was incredible, lifting Boston University to the Frozen Four and NCAA Championship Game in 2025. Last season, BU lost too much in front of Yegorov, and the replacements, which include the Devils’ second-round pick Conrad Fondrk, didn’t play well enough to make up for lost talent.

Signing Mikhail Yegorov would be a huge win for the New Jersey Devils and would build good will for Sunny Mehta

Despite his numbers dropping across the board, anyone who actually watched Yegorov play would know he’s destined for the NHL. The excitement for him shouldn’t waver because of an average season on a mediocre team. Jay Pandolfo’s squad will likely be better next season, which might make this move harder than expected.

Yegorov played a season and a half of college hockey. Most goalies grow during these years, and then they need about two years of AHL play before they are NHL-ready. That’s probably why Tom Fitzgerald re-signed Jacob Markstrom. The idea was to lay the groundwork for Yegorov to take over. Then, Jake Allen could be his backup. 

If Mehta can get Yegorov to sign now, it would be a big win for the Devils. And it would be an even bigger win for the Mehta regime.