Mother of three was killed on the verge of earning nursing degree, family says

Update:

The Boston Police Department confirmed Thursday that Shantel Gillespie was found dead in an apartment at 390 Harrison Ave. in the South End. The department is updating Gillespie’s death as a potential homicide. 

“While we are still awaiting a cause and manner of death determination from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we have reason to believe that Ms. Gillespie’s death is a homicide,” the department said in a statement.

Investigators do not believe that her killing was a random act. Residents of the building and members of the public are not in immediate danger, officials said. The BPD Homicide Unit is continuing to investigate, and any information about Gillespie’s death can be directed to 617-343-4470.

Initial story:

The family of a woman who was found dead in a South End apartment building last week identified her as a mother who was murdered in an act of domestic violence. 

Shantel Gillespie was found dead on Dec. 12, just two days after finishing her nursing degree, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up by her sister, Shanakay Gillespie. Shantel had three children, all under the age of six. 

The Boston Police Department reported the death, but has not publicly identified the victim. Officers responded to 390 Harrison Ave. just before 7 p.m. on Dec. 12 “to check on the well being of an individual,” according to the department. That address is the location of The Harris, a luxury apartment building near the SoWa Open Market in the South End. Police found a dead person inside the building, and are investigating the incident as a homicide. 

BPD spokespeople did not return a request for information Wednesday. 

Shanakay Gillespie described her sister as a “beautiful soul and was loved by all” on the GoFundMe page. More than $25,000 had been donated to that fundraiser as of Wednesday morning through more than 350 different individual donations. That money will be used to transport Shantel’s body back to Jamaica, to provide for her children, and to find “justice for her murder.”

Shantel grew up in Mandeville, Jamaica, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2014. She spent the last five years working as a clinical assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

“My sister had 1 goal in life: to make a better life for herself so her children would grow up wanting of nothing,” Shanakay wrote. “Over all the years she worked tirelessly to have a successful future while battling to break the cycle of domestic violence.”

Shantel had recently completed her coursework at Labouré College of Healthcare in Milton and was set to earn her nursing degree this month, according to the GoFundMe. 

“The Labouré community is devastated by the loss of Shantel Gillespie. Shantel completed the nursing degree program last week and was preparing for her Pinning Ceremony in January,” the school said in a social media post Wednesday.

There is no word from BPD on whether any persons of interest have been identified or if anyone has been arrested in connection with Shantel’s death. Anyone with information is urged to call the BPD Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463). 

“We cried tears of joy together celebrating a victory well deserved,” Shanakay wrote about her sister’s success at Labouré. “Today we cry together but tears of sorrow at such a tragedy. She never received her degree, she never walked the stage, she never got to tell her children goodbye. She worked so hard for a future that was ripped away too soon.”

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