Ex-boyfriend charged with killing $5M lottery winner

May 9, 2008, 9:29 am (16 comments)

Insider Buzz The world, or at least a small corner of it, was hers a year ago. Doris Murray, mother of four, had won $5 million in the Georgia Lottery on her 41st birthday.

She posed for a photograph with big ceremonial check at the Amba Food Store in East Dublin, where she had bought her winning lottery ticket. And, according to a press release from the Georgia Lottery Corp., she declared "This is the best birthday ever."

On Monday, Murray was found dead in the same modest block home she had lived in on Barnes Road in the south-central Georgia town since before she hit the jackpot. On Tuesday, police charged her ex-boyfriend, Derrick Lorenzo Stanley, 51, with her murder.

"To be honest with you, we still don't know what happened, because he hasn't given us a statement yet," Sgt. Stan Wright, an investigator with the Laurens County Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday.

A witness said he saw Stanley arguing in the front yard with Murray early Monday afternoon. Somebody called the sheriff. When deputies arrived a few minutes later, Stanley was gone. Murray was found dead inside her home, stabbed multiple times.

Investigators spotted Stanley driving later Monday afternoon and tried to pull him over. The man allegedly sped off. The police gave chase, and he crashed. The suspect remained in an undisclosed hospital Wednesday, Wright said, "but his injuries are not life threatening."

Investigators said Murray never flaunted her new riches. "As far as I know, she didn't even have a new car," Wright said.

The woman didn't take the $5 million in a lump sum. Instead, she opted to collect about $172,000, after taxes, every year for 20 years. Murray told lottery officials she planned to use the money to start a trust fund for her grandchildren, according to a Lottery news release issued at the time of her winning.

Lottery spokeswoman Tandi Reddick said Wednesday that the money will continued to be paid to whoever is in Murray's will. Murray's family could not be reached for comment.

Wright said he believed the argument between Murray and Stanley may have been about a break-up.

"Her family said they had been boyfriend and girlfriend for some time," he said. "Then she told him she wanted to break it off and she wanted to be friends and that was it. From what they told me, he didn't want to accept that."

Georgia Lottery District Manager Wayne Watson presented Doris Murray of East Dublin (center left) with her $5 million winnings in 2007.Georgia Lottery District Manager Wayne Watson presented Doris Murray of East Dublin (center left) with her $5 million winnings in 2007.

AJC

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mken32's avatarmken32

Wow.... Kinda scary sleeping with the enemy, Good thing she plan for the future for her Family taking annuity payments for 20 years she just received her second payment and have 18 more to go.....

JackpotWanna's avatarJackpotWanna

Oh my, very sad story. 

konane's avatarkonane

Condolences to her family.  Blue Angel

emilyg's avataremilyg

Very sad.

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Very sad indeed. No Nod I hope he is punished for this.

ConstantlyB's avatarConstantlyB

u know what.....

...my heart goes out to the family of this woman.Sad

time*treat's avatartime*treat

Quote: Originally posted by ThatScaryChick on May 9, 2008

Very sad indeed. No Nod I hope he is punished for this.

Ponder

For the record, "Let's just be friends" is never a good line...

BevsPicks2

Quote: Originally posted by time*treat on May 10, 2008

Ponder

For the record, "Let's just be friends" is never a good line...

time*treat

I agree with you.  It certainly isn't.  But even if she had said the same thing in a different way..the results would have been the same unfortunately.  Because folks are crazy.

foragoodcause's avatarforagoodcause

I think he was jealous that's why he killed her.Someone told me "if i win the lottery don't tell nobody ,take your money and skip town,because people will come from nowhere and ask you for money".I agree with him,plus there's a lot of jealous people out there.I won $700 from a quick pick game few months ago some people who work with me were jealous,if i win the lotto i won't tell anyone.

ConstantlyB's avatarConstantlyB

Quote: Originally posted by BevsPicks2 on May 10, 2008

time*treat

I agree with you.  It certainly isn't.  But even if she had said the same thing in a different way..the results would have been the same unfortunately.  Because folks are crazy.

to be honest....crazy is half of what killed her.....greed was the other half.

ConstantlyB's avatarConstantlyB

Quote: Originally posted by foragoodcause on May 10, 2008

I think he was jealous that's why he killed her.Someone told me "if i win the lottery don't tell nobody ,take your money and skip town,because people will come from nowhere and ask you for money".I agree with him,plus there's a lot of jealous people out there.I won $700 from a quick pick game few months ago some people who work with me were jealous,if i win the lotto i won't tell anyone.

On a substancial amount of money,if u haven't written it down beforehand.....that's the only way you are going to be able to THINK!

on a more workable sum....I know EXACTLY what to tell them.  Green laugh

Trained2beRich's avatarTrained2beRich

Quote: Originally posted by mken32 on May 9, 2008

Wow.... Kinda scary sleeping with the enemy, Good thing she plan for the future for her Family taking annuity payments for 20 years she just received her second payment and have 18 more to go.....

actually the kids may get nothing because annuitized jackpots are taxed at ther full futre value ....so unless they can come up the money to pay the taxes in full they may end up owing money or in debt. cash value is better.  they will be taxed on the 5 million....at 50% estated tax...its 2.5 million unless she planned some sort of trustb

mylollipop's avatarmylollipop

My, my.  This is just too sad.  And she had four children.  This man is the kind that deserves the death penalty!   Lethal injection is too good.  And all this talk about humane executions.  Were the victims ever murdered humanely!??  Perhaps he should be executerd the way he executed.

I wish she had chosen lump sum.  It appears that she had done some planning. I know nothing about these things and would have definitely hired a financial advisor and lawyer. With the limited knowledge I have, I have always calculated lump sum to be the best option.  Longevity is NOT known, therefore, give it all to me at once.  I see jackpots as their cash value with the lump sum all the time.  Not an annuity---a twenty-one year old can be a motor vehicle accident victim. 

I pray that her children will be taken care of by her annuity.  Prayers to her family too.  Her photo depicts a gentle spirit. 

If the boyfriend is in the photo with her, he just looks like Red DevilFry him in the electric chair!  CREEPY and EVIL.  I hope he did not get a red cent!  It is too late now, but she should have planned to quietly leave him.  "Let's just be friends was an invitation to death."

Sandra Dee's avatarSandra Dee

again, money brings out the very best and worst in all of us - it's sad that she had to break up with him after the fact - making it seem as if she was the one that let the money get to her and changed her - sad all around. no further comments from me on this Sad

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