FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former South Florida political candidate appeared in front of a judge on Monday.
Accused of killing her uncle, former Surfside Commission candidate Shannon Gallagher, 56, went before a judge while working to get her criminal charges dropped.
She’s accused of homicide in the death of 74-year-old Thomas Burke, who was found shot in the head in Fort Lauderdale back in March 2022.
Court documents show the victim signed a last will and testament just days before he died, leaving everything to Gallagher, who was his caretaker at the time.
Gallagher maintains her uncle’s death was by suicide.
Gallagher is a California licensed attorney, though not a criminal defense attorney, and is a well-known resident of Surfside.
She argued that Fort Lauderdale police investigators did not preserve the most important evidence in the case, which is home surveillance video showing her terminally-ill uncle’s final hours.
It’s unclear when the judge will rule on her request.
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