Life Sentence For MA Man Convicted Of Killing Estranged Wife

MARSHFIELD, MA — A man from Rockland who prosecutors say shot and stabbed his estranged wife repeatedly before ditching her body on the side of the highway in Marshfield will spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said.

Allen Warner, 51, was found guilty on one count of kidnapping, possession of a loaded firearm, possession of ammunition, motor vehicle theft, and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, after a week-long trial in Plymouth Superior Court, Cruz said.

On Sept. 24, 2018, around 6 p.m., police received a call reporting suspicious activity near School Street in Marshfield, off of Route 3A. A second call came into Marshfield police claiming to see some kind of carjacking or domestic dispute before a man, later identified as Warner, took off into the woods.

A third call came in from Shana Warner, claiming her ex-husband Allen entered her car and hurt her. In the background of the call, multiple screams could be heard. When police found the car on Route 3A, they found no one in the vehicle but Shana was found on the ground a few feet away. She was pronounced dead less than an hour later at South Shore Hospital.

Police immediately launched a countywide manhunt and ordered residents to shelter in place.

According to police, one witness said he saw Allen approach Shana's car before hearing a gunshot. The witness said he continued to follow the car, which was being driven erratically.

Another witness said she heard a women yell, "help, help help." She said she saw Shana walk away from Allen's car before she was struck and dragged a short distance.

Shana's body had wounds, lacerations, bruises, abrasions, and several cuts. The medical examiner who performed an autopsy on her body found an exit wound from a bullet, an entrance wound with small fragments of a bullet, and multiple stab wounds.

The next day, police responded to a report of a hit and run in the drive-through of a Whitman Dunkin', to find Warner had stolen a flatbed pickup truck and took off. Warner was soon identified and arrested, Cruz said.

In court, Shana's children said their mother had filed for divorce earlier in the year, but she was worried Allen would kill himself, adding in an incident where they saw Allen grab Shana by the neck three years ago.

The death is a continuation of what was a pattern of violence towards Shana from her estranged husband. Her current boyfriend that when she would drive to Abington to visit her mother, she would drive around Rockland to avoid Allen.

Allen's mother told police that she had a strained relationship with her son and that he beat her up 15 years ago in an unreported incident.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: Massachusetts provides this list of national, statewide and local resources for victims of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Anyone who is in immediate danger or knows someone who is is urged to call 911.

Reporting from Mike Carraggi and Daniel Libon was used in this story.