SOUTH PARIS — An 87-year-old Norway woman who was expected to plead guilty Friday to abuse of a corpse and several financial crimes had her case moved to trial after she pleaded not guilty to one charge.
Vernelle Jackson is charged with abuse of a corpse, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking and one count of theft by deception.
As Judge Susan Oram read the charges, Jackson pleaded guilty to the abuse charge and the two theft by unauthorized taking charges.
However, asked how she would plead to theft by deception, Jackson said, “Not guilty on that one.”
“I think that concludes our proceedings this afternoon,” Oram said.
Jackson had been expected to plead guilty to all four charges.
The charges stem from the 2019 discovery of human remains in the backyard of Jackson’s mobile home at 239 Harrison Road. Investigators identified the remains as Mae Shelton, a friend for whom Jackson had been a caretaker, and determined they had been buried in a shallow grave about 18 months before.
Jackson was charged with taking over $10,000 in Shelton’s Supplemental Security Income from the same timeframe, and over $10,000 from the Virginia Retirement System from December 2017 through October 2019. The third theft charge was for taking over $10,000 in Shelton’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from January 2012 through May 2021.
The two women’s friendship stretched back decades, beginning with a meeting at church when both were living in the South. When Jackson later moved to Maine, Shelton offered Jackson a place to stay. Years later, Jackson returned the favor by taking Shelton in at her Norway home.
In interviews with the Portland Press Herald and WMTW, Jackson said she and Shelton shared company fishing, taking trips around the state and sharing meals.
In those interviews, Jackson said she had no regrets about burying her best friend. She described it as an expression of love and respect to fulfill her friend’s dying wishes.
Oram offered Jackson’s attorney Daniel Dubé an opportunity to speak with his client about the apparent change of heart, but warned that matters would not be settled Friday.
“I’ve learned from experience that it’s not a good idea to go back and forth on the same day,” Oram said.
Outside the courtroom Dube emphasized his client remains presumed innocent.
“We did not carry forward with the plea,” Dubé said. “It will be scheduled for a docket call. I’m not sure when the next docket call is, but that would be to schedule a trial.”
Asked if the not guilty plea was a mistake, Dubé said, “We simply decided not to go forward with it today.”
Jackson’s next court appearance has not been set.
