Weymouth woman pleads guilty to killing housemate, leaving body in basement

The housemate of a Weymouth woman killed in 2024 was sentenced for manslaughter Monday after reaching an agreement to drop the murder charge she originally faced.

Kelly Shaw, 46, pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter, larceny of a motor vehicle, larceny over $1200, and intimidation, court records show. She was sentenced in Norfolk Superior Court to 15 to 17 years in prison, followed by three years of probation.

Prosecutors said that, on April 1, 2024, Weymouth police found 56-year-old Christine Mello dead in her Lake Street basement and covered in debris. At the time, investigators determined that she may have been dead for “a number of days.”

They later learned that Mello’s mother had died three months before and left her as “the sole beneficiary of her estate,” according to court filings. However, her two cousins were the named executors, and she did not have “direct access” to any estate assets.

Later that month, Shaw moved in as a housemate, records show. Before one of the executors left Jan. 20 on a trip to Florida, he installed a safe under Mello’s desk with cash for her to use while he was away.

On or about Feb. 24 or 25, Shaw invited a friend, John Harper, 47, and another man over to Mello’s house to take drugs while she was away. Sometime that night, the other man, referred to in court documents as “W.B.,” went to sleep in an upstairs bedroom, leaving Shaw and Harper downstairs.

The next morning, Harper told W.B. that “something had happened” between Shaw and Mello. He and Shaw later left Mello’s house, leaving W.B. alone, court records show.

W.B. explored the house and opened a door leading to the basement, where he found a body wearing a blood-stained sweater. He also saw an arm and fingers wrapped in a blanket and a clear bag, according to court records.

Rather than leave immediately, W.B. stayed at the house until Feb. 26, when Shaw discovered that he had taken blank checks from her and asked him to leave, filings show. Harper left the house March 25 when he allegedly woke up to Shaw holding a “knife or meat mallet” above him.

On about March 27, a friend of Shaw’s known in court documents as “J.K.” was released from custody and visited Mello’s home to use drugs. While he was there, Shaw told him that she and Mello had had a fight.

Shaw said that, during the fight, Mello allegedly attempted to attack her with a knife. In retaliation, Shaw fatally struck Mello in the head with a teapot, according to court records.

After leaving Mello’s body on the floor for several days, Shaw wrapped it up and moved it to the basement. As proof of her story, Shaw showed J.K. the body at the bottom of the basement stairs, court records show.

Weymouth police visited Mello’s house several times throughout the month of March for well-being checks, according to filings. Each time, Shaw told them that Mello was away and had been visiting a boyfriend in Pembroke.

Investigators were unable to find Mello and determined that the boyfriend did not exist, court records show. While they had “entered parts of the basement” before April 1, they were unable to see Mello’s body because of the wrappings and debris covering it.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found 17 “sharp and blunt force wounds” on Mello’s body during the autopsy and determined that she had died in late February. Toxicology results also revealed that she had cocaine in her blood, according to court filings.

Additionally, investigators obtained financial records revealing that Shaw and Harper had accessed Mello’s three bank accounts multiple times for purchases and cash withdrawals. Shaw later deposited checks from Mello’s mother’s estate into her own accounts, and Harper sold Mello’s car, court records show. When investigators entered Mello’s home April 1, they found that the safe under her desk was open and her money was missing.

Shaw was indicted June 6, 2024 for the larceny and intimidation charges and Aug. 12, 2024 for killing Mello. The case against Harper, who was also indicted June 6, has not yet gone to trial as of April 2026, records show.

Neil Madden, Shaw’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.