Photos, evidence released in case of murdered Florida lottery winner

Nov 25, 2010, 8:24 am (18 comments)

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TAMPA, Fla. — Gruesome photos of the mummified body of a slain Florida lottery winner are among mountains of evidence released this week by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's office.

More than 20 discs containing photos, videos and other documents were released in the case against Dorice "DeeDee" Moore, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Abraham Shakespeare of Lakeland.

Moore was indicted by a grand jury in March after Shakespeare's body was discovered last January. The remains were found buried under a five-foot deep concrete slab behind a home in Plant City, a rural town east of Tampa.

Detectives said the 43-year-old Shakespeare was killed in sometime April 6 or 7, 2009. Authorities said the man was buried on a property that had been bought by Moore and listed in the name of her boyfriend, according to county records.

Many of the records released by Hillsborough County prosecutors this week revolve around that home and the concrete grave. In one videotaped interview, Moore's ex-husband describes how she asked him to dig a hole on her property with a backhoe in April of 2009 so she could hide chunks of concrete from a building inspector.

"She called me one afternoon, wanted me to come dig that hole, she told me she was going to put the concrete and stuff in it," said James Moore. "I left, she called me back later asked me to come and fill it and that's what I did."

Moore said he knew nothing about Shakespeare's murder or details of his ex-wife's relationship with Shakespeare.

"I've never met the man," he said. "I've never seen the man I never put no body in a hole."

Crime scene photos show details of the properties — everything from close-ups of Shakespeare's desiccated body to seemingly insignificant shots of brown towels.

Moore had befriended Shakespeare after he claimed the $30 million winning ticket in 2006 and took a $17 million lump sum payment. Before winning the lottery, he was a truck driver's assistant who lived with his mother.

She said she wanted to write a book about Shakespeare, but officials said she actually scammed him out of money and homes. Property records show she bought a $1 million home from Shakespeare for $655,000 and she acknowledged moving $2 million of his money into her bank account.

Investigators said Moore wrote a letter to Shakespeare's mother, claiming to be him — even though the lottery winner was barely literate. Detectives also said Moore had an unnamed witness make a cell phone call to Shakespeare's mother, pretending to be him. They also said Moore told many lies about Shakespeare, including that he was ill and that he fled the country.

In an interview with The Tampa Tribune, Moore said she anticipated being arrested — but that she never hurt Shakespeare.

"I would never take another human's life. No amount of money in the world is worth that," she said.

Prosecutors have declined to seek the death penalty against Moore, who is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail.

Shakespeare had suspicions

In the weeks leading up to his death, Shakespeare knew something wasn't right with the way Moore was handling his money.

That's according to Judith "Judy" Haggins, a longtime friend of Shakespeare who had power of attorney over his affairs.  Taped conversations of Haggins are among the recordings released Tuesday.

Haggins was his assigned power of attorney at Shakespeare's request on April 3, 2009. The Polk County Sheriff's Office has a record of Shakespeare's signature in front of a notary public, according to audio recordings from the Hillsborough state attorney.

Through her lawyer, Larry Hardaway, Haggins has declined to comment.

In one of the recordings released by prosecutors, Moore told another inmate at the Orient Road Jail that she was upset that Shakespeare had given Haggins power of attorney.

Angelina Marshall, who shared a cell with Moore, took notes of her conversation with Moore and shared it with a Hillsborough sheriff's detective June 10.

Marshall said in the recording that Moore told her she had been given power of attorney for Shakespeare in January 2009 "when she obtained houses, car and money but she got a little upset when she found out that he gave a lady named Judy power of attorney of his money."

According to friends and reports released about the investigation, Haggins knew Shakespeare for 15 years and assisted him with collecting debts he was owed. After Shakespeare's disappearance in April 2009, Haggins began working for Moore, collecting on Shakespeare's debts and providing transportation for his mother, Elizabeth Walker.

Haggins can be seen in photos and heard in audios released by prosecutors. She told prosecutors what Moore had said about how Shakespeare died, and during a meeting with Gregory Todd Smith, who was an informant on the case, she talked about how Moore interfered with Shakespeare's finances.

"When Abraham got ready to go to the bank one day to see about his money, (Moore) immediately called me on the phone," Haggins said in the recording of her conversation with Smith. "You've got to stall him, Judy. He can't go to the bank."

Haggins had received money from Shakespeare's account to pay her for her services, she told Smith, according to the recording, "It was a little bit of money for me. (Moore) felt like Abraham should pay me to take his mama."

During the conversation with Smith, Haggins also said, "Abraham used to come to me and say, 'Now you know that white woman got my money, she can do anything to me.' I said, 'Abraham, you can go get your money.'?"

As the investigation heated up with Moore at the center, Haggins wanted to distance herself from Moore. "I'm trying to get me some money out of her now because the simple fact, they are coming to get Dee," Haggins said in the recording.

Haggins also told Smith that Moore tried to get her to lie to investigators.

Haggins talked to Smith about her doubts about what Moore was doing and said several times to Smith that Moore was "a liar."

"Dee forgot she need to be on my team. I'm ... the one she told all this ... too. Once these people start putting all this stuff together, they'll build a case against her. I said why ... does Abraham got me as power of attorney and he don't talk to me. That don't look right."

Friends and family of Shakespeare said they can't understand why Haggins didn't speak up sooner when she became suspicious of Moore.

Shakespeare's mother said she hasn't seen or heard from Haggins since she was told by Polk County sheriff's detectives to not communicate with her again. Even so, Walker said she is "very disappointed" with Haggins and has questions for her.

Shakespeare won a $17 million lump-sum payment from the Florida Lottery in 2006, and investigators have accused Moore of draining him of millions after they met in 2008.

An arrest affidavit says Moore arranged to meet Shakespeare in October 2008 "ostensibly to write a book about his life story" and soon became his primary financial adviser. She eventually took control of his assets including his $1 million home on Redhawk Bend Drive.

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AP, Fox 13, The Ledger, Lottery Post Staff

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

She's pure EVIL.

TnTicketlosers's avatarTnTicketlosers

She is one of Satins wifes...I hope they put her away for life,in a dug out hole in the ground with a small hole to see day light,crawling with worms.

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

What a sad story and ending for Abraham.

Dee Dee will pay a very heavy price for this and rightly so.

You have to wonder how she lives with herself after committing such a despicable and inhuman crime on an innocent human being.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Twitch am sure it takes a very special kind of gift and or level of numbness

jimmy4164

I've always said I would elect the cash option if I ever won big, but cases like these are causing me to rethink my position.  Maybe we should be lobbying for a change in the prize structures of lotteries to produce more winners of smaller amounts.  It might even be wise to eliminate the cash options altogether and require everyone to legally designate, up front, what happens to their, say, "$2000 a Week for Life" payments when they die.  And how about a provision that beneficiaries only receive 1/2 of the principal's annuity payments.  This way, "friends" and relatives would have an incentive to keep their cash cow alive! Smiley

I know this would end all the "fun" of buying multi million dollar villas and other extravagances, but wouldn it also be fun to be alive, and have a lot more people winning and enjoying the smaller prizes?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

--Jimmy4164

PERDUE

Both Dee-Dee Moore and Judith Haggins deserve the death penalty. Dee-Dee may have been the master mind but she had a sh*t load of help to pull this scheme off.

According to friends and reports released about the investigation, Haggins knew Shakespeare for 15 years and assisted him with collecting debts he was owed. After Shakespeare's disappearance in April 2009, Haggins began working for Moore, collecting on Shakespeare's debts and providing transportation for his mother, Elizabeth Walker.

"When Abraham got ready to go to the bank one day to see about his money, (Moore) immediately called me on the phone," Haggins said in the recording of her conversation with Smith. "You've got to stall him, Judy. He can't go to the bank."

Haggins had received money from Shakespeare's account to pay her for her services, she told Smith, according to the recording, "It was a little bit of money for me. (Moore) felt like Abraham should pay me to take his mama."

Haggins talked to Smith about her doubts about what Moore was doing and said several times to Smith that Moore was "a liar."

"Dee forgot she need to be on my team. I'm ... the one she told all this ... too. Once these people start putting all this stuff together, they'll build a case against her. I said why ... does Abraham got me as power of attorney and he don't talk to me. That don't look right."

As the investigation heated up with Moore at the center, Haggins wanted to distance herself from Moore. "I'm trying to get me some money out of her now because the simple fact, they are coming to get Dee," Haggins said in the recording.

 

Judith Haggins is just as guilty as Dee-Dee Moore. Judith's role in this situation is just as crooked as Dee-Dee's.

Why did she go work For Dee-Dee AFTER Shakespeare's disappearance? Of all the places and people to work for, why Dee-Dee Moore?

Why did Haggins help Dee-Dee stall him from going to the bank?

Haggins was robbing the coffers just like Dee-Dee.

Timeline:

October 2008 Moore meets Shakespeare and becomes primary financial adviser.

January 2009 Moore gets power of attorney and begins to milk the cash cow.

April 3, 2009 Haggins a longtime friend of Shakespeare, is given power of attorney at Shakespeare's request and assisted him with collecting debts he was owed.

April 6 or 7, 2009 Detectives said Shakespeare was killed.

April 2009 Dee-Dee's ex-husband digs hole with a backhoe,"to bury concrete and stuff". The ex-husband then returns and fills the hole with a backhoe.

April 2009 Shakespeare disappear never to be seen alive again.

April 2009 Haggins began working for Moore, collecting debts and providing transportation for Shakespeare's mother, Elizabeth Walker.

 

Question: Where was Haggins when Moore was writing false letters to the family and having false calls made to the family?

Answer: Haggins was right there with Moore milking that cash cow for all it was worth.

Notice not one time during the whole fiasco did Haggins bother to talk to Shakespeare's mother or express her concerns with the family, police, or an attorney. No they were in it to win it no matter what the cost.

Haggins and Moore were willing to kill to get and keep this money, and that's what they did.

Just because Haggins was a friend to Shakespeare for 15 years does not mean she was a good friend or that she actually gave a fat rats azz about him as a person. If she had, she would have made sure that Shakespear's money was in the hands of a real financial advisor not a financial no nothing like herself and Dee-Dee Moore.

Question: Who pulled the trigger and actually shot Shakespeare?

Question: Who helped Dee-Dee put all of the "concrete and stuff" into the hole?

Bottom Line:  FRY BOTH OF THESE LYING COWS!! FIRE UP THE GRILL BOYS WERE GONNA HAVE A BAR-BEE-Q COURTESY OF MOORE AND HAGGINS

time*treat's avatartime*treat

"Prosecutors have declined to seek the death penalty against Moore"

Now, why is that?

MADDOG10's avatarMADDOG10

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Nov 25, 2010

She's pure EVIL.

If she and her cohorts are found guilty, they deserve the same as they've done to Abraham...!

If I lived in Florida, I'd be livid about the D.A. not seeking the death penalty.

I wouldn't  want to support her and the rest of these parasites while they relax in prison....!

luckyshoes's avatarluckyshoes

Quote: Originally posted by jimmy4164 on Nov 25, 2010

I've always said I would elect the cash option if I ever won big, but cases like these are causing me to rethink my position.  Maybe we should be lobbying for a change in the prize structures of lotteries to produce more winners of smaller amounts.  It might even be wise to eliminate the cash options altogether and require everyone to legally designate, up front, what happens to their, say, "$2000 a Week for Life" payments when they die.  And how about a provision that beneficiaries only receive 1/2 of the principal's annuity payments.  This way, "friends" and relatives would have an incentive to keep their cash cow alive! Smiley

I know this would end all the "fun" of buying multi million dollar villas and other extravagances, but wouldn it also be fun to be alive, and have a lot more people winning and enjoying the smaller prizes?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

--Jimmy4164

Excellent Idea

Todd's avatarTodd

Quote: Originally posted by jimmy4164 on Nov 25, 2010

I've always said I would elect the cash option if I ever won big, but cases like these are causing me to rethink my position.  Maybe we should be lobbying for a change in the prize structures of lotteries to produce more winners of smaller amounts.  It might even be wise to eliminate the cash options altogether and require everyone to legally designate, up front, what happens to their, say, "$2000 a Week for Life" payments when they die.  And how about a provision that beneficiaries only receive 1/2 of the principal's annuity payments.  This way, "friends" and relatives would have an incentive to keep their cash cow alive! Smiley

I know this would end all the "fun" of buying multi million dollar villas and other extravagances, but wouldn it also be fun to be alive, and have a lot more people winning and enjoying the smaller prizes?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

--Jimmy4164

That would be great -- right up to the point when you realize that only a fraction of the people would continue buying lottery tickets, because the prizes were too small.  Then the lottery prizes would shrink further.

In the "real world", the only way to have a lottery is to offer big prizes.

Besides, people don't daydream about winning $5,000.  It would be a nice little prize, to be sure, but it's not the stuff dreams are made of.

Williewill

Thats why it is not wise to reveal that you won the lottery.....everyone that knows you or somone like a dee dee moore might be aiming at you...he must have been a giving person because i would have told her to get lost from the jump!!!

PERDUE

Quote: Originally posted by Williewill on Nov 26, 2010

Thats why it is not wise to reveal that you won the lottery.....everyone that knows you or somone like a dee dee moore might be aiming at you...he must have been a giving person because i would have told her to get lost from the jump!!!

Thats why it is not wise to reveal that you won the lottery.....everyone that knows you or somone like a dee dee moore might be aiming at you...he must have been a giving person because i would have told her to get lost from the jump!!!

 

I believe he was a very giving person who had a large target painted on him once he won.

Keep in mind right after he won, a co-worker tried to sue him by accusing Shakespeare of stealing from his wallet. (go figure on that one)

Then he became a baby daddy after the win.

Then he was giving away money by the tons.

Then enter death in the form of Moore and Haggins.

If you look at the timeline you will see that this man was marked for death the moment these women entered the scene.

If the investigators do a deep background check on Haggins, I would not be surprised to learn that Moore and Haggins knew each other before Shakespeare came along.

I really hope this trial is on court tv. This is a case that we really need to see.

rukiafae's avatarrukiafae

This story has just broken my heart from the start. The poor man never had a chance in you know where with those vultures eyeing him.

This is also why, should I ever win, we will be moving the day before we claim the ticket. It wont be the house we end up in, but it will get us out of our very small hick town when they make the announcement.

barbos's avatarbarbos

   Anonymous is the only way to claim. It must be available in all lottery states. For those who love more prizes with smaller amounts Scratchers are available at all retailer stores. And if the guy has an option to stay anonymous but still gives out his name - Mother Nature laws prevail and natural selection applies.

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