Massachusetts woman sentenced after roommate found deceased in home weeks after being reported missing

A 46-year-old Weymouth woman has pled guilty in Norfolk Superior Court concerning the death of 56-year-old Christine Mello in Mello’s Weymouth home on Lake Street.

According to Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, Kelly Shaw, who had been staying with Mello, had previously pleaded not guilty on indictments for Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Larceny of property valued over $1,200, and misleading investigators. She was indicted on murder in the first degree by a Norfolk County Grand Jury in August of 2024.

Court records show that last week, Shaw pled guilty to the lesser charge of Manslaughter and was sentenced to not less than 15 years to not more than 17 years in State Prison with credit of 743 days already served.

Mello was reported missing before being found deceased and was remembered by friends as a nice person with a happy smile.

According to Boston.com, on April 1, 2024, Mello was found dead in the basement, covered in debris. She had been killed in late February during an argument with her housemate, Shaw, who admitted to fatally striking Mello in the head with a teapot after Mello allegedly came at her with a knife. Shaw then left the body on the floor for several days before wrapping it and moving it to the basement. Over the following weeks, Shaw repeatedly lied to police during well-being checks, claiming Mello was visiting a nonexistent boyfriend. Shaw and her associate John Harper exploited the situation by accessing Mello’s bank accounts, withdrawing cash, depositing estate checks, and selling her car. They had also taken money from a safe installed for Mello’s use while an executor was away. An autopsy revealed 17 sharp and blunt force wounds on Mello’s body.

The case against Harper has not yet gone to trial.