Overview
- Shawn Sullivan, 40, pleaded not guilty in Lowell District Court to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and improper disposal of human remains, and he was ordered held without bail.
- Authorities say a March 10 call to Nashua, New Hampshire police reported that a friend claimed Sullivan said he shot a woman named Jill and buried her under his garage.
- Detectives used ground‑penetrating radar to scan a roughly 5‑by‑3‑foot patched section of the Tyngsborough garage floor, then cut through concrete to recover a plastic bag confirmed to contain human remains.
- Prosecutors are treating the case as a homicide while the medical examiner works to confirm the identity, believed to be missing Lowell woman Jill Kloppenburg, and to determine cause and manner of death.
- Sullivan’s attorney says the shooting was accidental, describing a panicked burial after the incident, as investigators note Kloppenburg knew Sullivan and her phone’s last activity was recorded on Jan. 14, 2025.