Derry Township woman accused of faking husband's death to recoup $2,800 down payment for garage

A Derry Township woman is accused by police of forging a death certificate for her husband in an effort to get out of a $14,800 contract for a metal garage to be built at her house, according to court papers.

Lori L. Shawley, 54, was charged this week with felony counts of forgery and attempted theft by deception.

Westmoreland County Detective Ray Dupilka said he was contacted by the coroner’s office last week and provided with a fake death certificate that lists “disease of the digestive system” as the cause of death for Shawley’s husband, according to court papers. The same day, Dupilka reported in a criminal complaint talking to the husband by phone “and he is still very much alive.”

A representative of Viking Steel Structures in North Carolina provided police with a contract Shawley signed July 21 that indicated the down payment would not be refunded if the order was canceled. A 20% down payment of $2,800 was paid by Shawley and on Aug. 25 she requested the deposit be returned to pay for her husband’s funeral expenses after he unexpectedly died, according to court papers.

A company representative requested she provide a copy of the death certificate before any refund could be processed, police said.

The signatures of the coroner and chief deputy were forged on the death certificate, dated Aug. 8, and the coroner’s office had no record of the man’s death, according to court papers. Shawley’s refund claim ultimately was denied, police said.

She did not immediately respond to a message from the Trib. She was expected to surrender to authorities Wednesday. She didn’t have an attorney listed in online court records.