Mega Millions: Record Mega Millions lottery jackpot claimed by retired truck driver
Retired truck driver J.R. Triplett is on Easy Street: He stepped forward Thursday to claim a $239 million lottery prize, the second-biggest undivided jackpot in U.S. history.
Twirling a toothpick in his mouth and holding his wife's hand, Triplett said the prize was "no big thing to me" and gave assurances he would spend it wisely. His wife, Peggy, vowed to "shop till I drop."
Triplett, a regular lottery player, said the ticket was one of five he bought at a convenience store not far from his Winchester home - the Red Apple Country Store in Stephens City, about 80 miles west of Washington, D.C.
He said he had never been in the store before, but went in on the afternoon of the drawing and bought five tickets.
"If I'd just spent $1 that day, I would have won it. I wasted $4. It was on the top line," he said.
J.R. Triplett said that he knew when he heard the numbers being read on television that he had gotten close but it wasn't until he saw them in print that he knew he had the winning ticket. He gave his wife the news.
"I said, 'sweetheart, we got that number.' She sort of broke down, got on her knees and said a little prayer," he said. "It didn't excite me too much and to be honest, to this day it doesn't excite me too much."
The couple said they believe their faith played a role in the win.
"Thank you God. It's truly a gift from you," Peggy Triplett said.
Asked how he was going to spend the money, J.R. Triplett said one of the first purchases was going to be a headstone for a poor childhood friend who died 25 years ago.
Triplett said he waited more than a month before claiming his winnings so he could talk to a lawyer and "get everything straight."
The Tripletts, who declined to give their ages, have two children and two grandchildren.
At a news conference with his wife, Triplett said that he had no big plans for the jackpot but that he wants to put his money in real estate, "because they don't make no more dirt, you know."
Triplett said he has already bought a headstone for a friend's grave and plans to donate to two churches. But he and his wife of 35 years plan to have some fun with the money, too.
"Sweetheart and I might get lost for a couple of days," he said.
The odds of winning were 1 in more than 135 million.
The Tripletts took their winnings in a pre-tax lump sum of $141.5 million, instead of $239 million in 26 annual installments.
The biggest single-ticket jackpot in U.S. history is $314.9 million, won by Jack Whittaker of Scott Depot, W.Va., in a Powerball drawing on Christmas 2002. Three winners shared a $331 million jackpot in 2000.
In the case of the Mega Millions jackpot, the nearly six-week delay in claiming the prize led to speculation that the ticket had been lost or discarded.
Associated Press
Retired truck driver J.R. Triplett is on Easy Street: He stepped forward Thursday to claim a $239 million lottery prize, the second-biggest undivided jackpot in U.S. history.