Massachusetts man sentenced to prison for 2020 beating death of his girlfriend

SALEM, Mass. — A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to prison for the 2020 beating death of his girlfriend, Tina Amore of Salem.

John Shairs, 55, of Salem and formerly of Beverly, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison in Essex County Superior Court in Salem on Wednesday, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in a statement. Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman handed down his sentencing.

A jury in October found Shairs guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the Dec. 20, 2020 beating death of the 49-year-old Amore, a Salem mother of two and his then-girlfriend.

Trial witnesses testified to a pattern of violent incidents involving Shairs, Tucker said. Evidence presented during the trial showed that Amore died of blunt force trauma to the head.

“It is our sincere hope that this conviction brings some peace to the family and friends of Tina Amore,” Tucker earlier said following the jury’s verdict in October.

Amore, a graduate of Beverly High School who attended Johnson & Wales University, worked as a legal secretary at State Street in Boston before starting her family, according to her obituary.

“Tina was always happiest around family and friends, she loved taking care of others,” her obituary states. “She would cook in abundance and call everyone to come pickup packed packages she made for them. It would not be strange to come home and find Tina had tidied up, done your laundry.”

“She was always generous and kind with her abilities that she thought would make someone feel good,” her obituary states.

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