LOWELL, Mass. (Court TV) — A Massachusetts man appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday after his arrest on charges he killed a woman and buried her beneath a garage floor.
Shawn Sullivan appears at his arraignment on March 17, 2026. (BOSTON FOX 25)
Shawn Sullivan did not speak during the brief hearing in Lowell District Court, where his attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Sullivan is charged with murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and improper disposal of human remains.
Prosecutors said at the hearing that Sullivan was arrested after he told a friend that she shot and accidentally killed a friend named Jill. Sullivan allegedly told the friend that he buried the victim’s body under his garage after living with it in the house for a couple of days. Describing what happened, Sullivan allegedly said that he was falling asleep while holding the gun when he jerked, causing the gun to go off and sending the bullet into the victim’s chest.
In court, prosecutors said that the body recovered from the garage was positively identified as Jill Kloppenburg, who had been reported missing in February 2025 by friends.
Sullivan’s defense attorney argued in court that evidence suggests the case should be charged as involuntary manslaughter rather than murder. “This was a tragic accident, followed by inexcusable panic,” he said in court. Sullivan’s attorney suggested that the fact that his client allegedly confessed to a friend should serve as a mitigator and evidence that he was “trying to get the weight of a tragic mistake off his shoulders.”
Sullivan was ordered to be held without bond. He is due to return to court on April 17 for a probable cause hearing.
