TAMPA, Fla. — Just over a week ago, a friend of a missing Florida lottery winner approached an acquaintance with a chilling request, according to detectives: Dig up the body of the dead man in her backyard.
That woman, Dorice "DeeDee" Moore, was charged Tuesday with trying to conceal the slaying of the man who disappeared after winning millions. The dead man, Abraham Shakespeare, was last seen in April — more than two years after he took a lump-sum payment of $17 million on a $30 million jackpot.
Moore has denied hurting Shakespeare, but police say she tried to find someone she could pay to take the rap for the 43-year-old's killing and someone to move his body. At the same time, she was also taking "steps to make it appear that the victim was still alive," investigators said in an affidavit released after her arrest. She's charged as an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
So far, no one else has been charged. But that could change, officials said Tuesday evening.
"I won't say we have identified all of the players involved," said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. "We're going to find out everyone that was involved. We're going to seek justice."
Moore's arrest is another twist in the monthslong, bizarre case.
Detectives said Shakespeare was killed on April 6 or 7, 2009, at a home in a rural town east of Tampa. He was buried, officials said, at the home next door, which according to property records was purchased by Moore and listed in the name of her boyfriend.
Investigators said in the affidavit released Tuesday that Moore recently asked an unnamed witness if he knew anyone who was awaiting sentencing to prison and would be willing to take the rap for killing Shakespeare in exchange for $50,000.
She also told an unnamed witness — it's not clear whether it was the same person — to dig up the body and move it to another location, according to the affidavit. Authorities said she showed the person where the body was buried on Jan. 25 and provided a pickup truck to transport it, along with bleach and plastic sheeting. Police began digging up her backyard the next day.
Shakespeare was last seen in April, and officials in Polk County — where he lived and was reported missing — have long thought he was slain. Investigators had announced earlier Tuesday that an autopsy showed the Lakeland resident died of "homicidal violence" but would not give specifics.
In January, Polk officials named Moore, 37, a "person of interest" in Shakespeare's disappearance. She befriended him after he claimed the winning ticket in 2006.
Moore said she wanted to write a book about Shakespeare, but officials said she actually scammed him out of money. 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.
In the affidavit, detectives 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.
In an interview Monday with The Tampa Tribune, Moore said she anticipated being arrested. Shakespeare's body was found Thursday buried 5 feet deep under a 30-by-30-foot concrete slab behind the home Moore owns with her boyfriend. Moore told the paper that she ordered it poured for use as a boat and camper skirt.
However, Moore said she never hurt Shakespeare.
"I would never take another human's life. No amount of money in the world is worth that," she said.
Moore's attorney, John Liguori, said he's not surprised his client was arrested, considering recent developments in the investigation. But Liguori said the killer could still be on the loose.
"DeeDee may be a valuable witness against anyone responsible for the actual murder of Abraham Shakespeare," Liguori said.
It's too early to speculate about the possibility of a plea bargain, Liguori said. He acknowledged that more serious charges could be filed later against his client.
Family members say Shakespeare, a truck driver's assistant, was constantly hounded for a piece of his winnings.
Last week, Shakespeare's brother told The Associated Press that Shakespeare often wished he had never bought the winning ticket.
"'I'd have been better off broke.' He said that to me all the time," Robert Brown said.
Thanks to Jazi76 for the tip.
There's a special place in hell for people like her.
Why would anyone take the blame for a murder in exchange for $50,000? You cant spend it if you are in prison,Duhh! Criminals are stupid!
Thats why we have such smart detectives,why do people think they can outsmart them.Thank you Florida police department you should all get an award for a job well done....I've said it for many years they are not paid enough for what they do for us.Without them where would we be.
It's GODS job to forgive dee dee moore. It's Floridas job to arrange the meeting.
I am glad that she's behind bars. How stupid can you be! To ask someone to dig up the body and take the wrap for the murder? I am glad that person reported her!
I sure wouldnt want to be in the same cell with her.
poor bloke, i feel sorry for him and his family. :( I like the fact theyre going after the money to. at least his estate will have a chance of prospering from his unfortunate " win "?
Sorry Scott311, unfortunately if a person is serving a life sentence $50,000 on your account in prison could buy you a lot of canteen. I work for the prison system and someone could put the money on a persons books and they wouldn't have to worry about buying anything at the store if they were going into prison with nothing.
And again, I agree with you both, but in a case like this she will probably get about 12 years with a plea bargain, but lets follow this case to see what happens, it will be interesting to find out how it ends.
We all wish that we could win the "BIG ONE", but like Mr. Shakespeare had told his brother "I often wished that I had never bought the winning ticket". My wife often thinks that it would be good to have "THAT WINNING TICKET", but after listening to so many winners it really changes your life, and mostly bad, because a lot of times family and friends are never satisfied with the amount you give them and I know with my wife wouldn't want to share with anyone, LOL. You would have a lot of dilemmas that you will have to go through especially dealing with people at work who will be coming at you for handouts. I know for me that it would be hard and some people would disagree, and say, I would like that opportunity, but take the time to listen to some of the horror storys like this one, he didn't have to die, but somebody got greedy and wanted to use the fact that he wasn't literate as a way to separate Mr. Shakespeare from his money. Tell me what you think about that?
I really hope they throw the book at her and whoever else was involved.
In my opinion, the majority of people who win the lottery, and say that they wish they never bought the winning ticket, are the same ones who think that they can go back to their old neighborhood or behave in a manner in which they believe money will buy them out.
For instance, after Shakespeare won the lottery, and purchased his house, he still went back to the old hang out spot. Now as everyone knows, that is not always a wise choice, especially if the old hang out is located in a deprived area. He wanted to prove to his friends and family members that he is still the same person, in which I believe he was, but he also failed to realize "Money changes the people around you". He also stated that he wanted to help the poor, in which that did not come into fruition. Setting up a charitable account or donating to not-for-profit organizations is a start, but giving $1 million dollars to a man named "Big Man", is where he went about it the wrong way. Once you give to someone, and everyone else around you knows this, that is where the trouble begins.
As far as dealing with people at work, depending on your line of work, you would either have to change jobs or retire, and do something that you always dreamed of. Brad Duke is a lottery winner, that took time-off from work to get away from the hagglers and returned to his old job once the attention calmed down. Co-workers who ask for hand-outs, are people with no morals, and that is who you should distance yourself from. Remember, there is no such things are true friends in the workplace. Some of them will stab you in the back to get a promotion.
"If you don't make a plan to win the lottery, then you already made a plan to fail". It's true, even though we hate to admit it. Lottery winners need to get themselves a financial team, try to find ways to stay grounded, stop giving hand-outs that will need benefit the recipient (medical/educational), and limit drinking and do not use drugs (tons of previous lottery winners made this bad move). If you feel that you have to prove to your friends that you are the same person, then you need new friends. A true friend will not let money get in-between a friendship, and usually, it does not take a lottery win to know this.
file this under whaaa whaaaa whaaaa
Read this on yahoo also, poor guy. may he Rest in peace
Just goes to show you...be carefull who you befriend. People that try to become your "best" friend after you win a lottery jackpot are looking out for THEIR best intrests NOT yours! Be cautious of the 'New Friends" that will try and come into your life. Surround yourself with people you KNOW and TRUST! Just like anything else having a plan in case you win the lottery is a good idea. I personally would not tell anyone but close family and maybe one friend. I also would absolutely NOT go publiic unless I absolutely had to. I might let my good fortune slip to LP after some time had past....
I cannot believe this story is hardly even being covered in the national media. Instead, they're covering the most ridiculous subjects imaginable. This story should be all over the news. If Dorice "DeeDee" Moore is involved, I think she should be charged with murder 1. If found guilty, I think she should be given the death penalty.
I still would like to win a large jackpot. I already know who my friends are, and I have never been popular ... so I would be very aware of people who would normally ignore me !!!!!
I have had many years to think of what I would do if I did win, and I know that security would be the first priority ! It is not rocket science !
It makes me sad that so many people think that they have the "right" to take from others.
As little that I have right now, I actually had someone that I know tell me that he had the "right" to come to my house and take what he needed !!!!!
Anyone else notice that PowerBall has risen since the 31st
IMO Shakespeare did everything wrong during and after collecting his winnings:
One issue which was not Shakespeare's fault was that a police officer sold Moore his private information such as license plate # and probably his address. However, this is related to #1 above. If Moore didn't know Shakespeare's name, she could not have purchased his private info. Once an alleged con-artist knows your name, they can obtain any further info they need by buying it.
Shakespeare was a simple day laborer. He didn't understand or know how to deal with a large lotto win. This is why he failed. His story, while famous, is not the rule. It is more the exception. Most lotto winners are not murdered. Most lotto winners live happy, (more) productive lives.
They need to lock her up and throw away the key.
"The media and the lottery officials have everything to gain by identifying you and you have everything to lose."
My thoughts EXACTLY!!! That's why they aren't changing the laws...they just DON'T CARE, as long as they get what they want!!!
If her behind would have been in any other state, she would have already been charged with first degree murder! I am appalled but not surprised that the state of Florida has only arrested her for after the fact accessory. In Florida, they still hold "white women" in high regard. How many lies and how many palms must she grease with his money so she can get her behind out of this perdicament she created by being one greedy, low lifed b^&ch!!!
Well written and wisdom for the ages. All prospective lottery players and winners, take heed. Amen!
Well said Jazi, Well said.
so that is the moral of winning lotto. it doesnt change you, it changes everyone around you.
I also want to know how could she be charged as an accessory after the fact if they don't have the person who killed him!!! She could very well be the one who killed him...I guess we have to wait for all of the information to come out..if it ever does..
OK The woman that murdered Shakespeare was on the TV! UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Guilty!
Exactly.
Sidebar- Offtopic- Indirect comment
To those that think being anonymous is peachy, let me ask you this: THe Jackpot gets hit and is announced. You will NEVER KNOW if anyone ACTUALLY did hit it or if the lottery is rigged. Seriously are you that gulliable to just take the lottery at its word?
"Ohh yeah umm...two tickets won but ummm we cant say who or ummm how it was claimed, we can only say that ahh the ticket was presented...Yeah thats my story and I'm sticking to it "
The media reports bias information leaning the reader from the get go to side with the writers view point. Its even done here.
The Guy did absolutely what is recommended- he DIDNT change his friends and HE DIdnt go willynilly. He remained the same guy. Sometimes it is indeed the greed of others that creates the situation. No financial advisor is gonna stop a death .
As to the article- My prayers to the family. His Mom especially deserves condolences...
I'd have been better off broke.' = i been better off not winning at all
its a crying shame so many big time lotto winners say this,but their lessons to be learned!
their no doubt in my mind lotto winners get treated by different moral codes then must people would like to admit
people who "earn" money worked for it,
when that feeling of they didn't work for their money , aka "earned" the money they have
, family and freinds in ever general direction thinks its Okay to ask for money AND GET IT
i liken it to robbing a bank and making out super rich
, and a friend who didn't rob the bank, says can i have some money form you
, AND THEY expect to get what they ask for, cease your friends
and if you say no, they get upset, give them to little, and they are ungateful
must damage to a lotto winner is form family, friends, people close to you, as must of all crimes are now a days by people you KNOW
to be anonymous form must of a big family is good thing
if you must be kind and spoil your family and friends,whoever
at lest give them money by anonymous means
and if you got the balls,
tell them to their face, i give you x amount, but i NEVER ever want to hear any future requests of money, and you be gateful with whatever amount i give you, AGREED?
if they say Deal, then hand it over,
at lest you got them by their words!
so saying no to any future request would be EASY for you,
if they have any morals of obeying agreements they enter into, they leave you alone also!
win/win
would prevent so much idiotic trouble,
somehow people think they have RIGHT to your money, its madness!
want proof, take a look at lottery changed my life on tlc shows
if they ever get back to doing reruns of it :(
its these folks who think cease they know you,
they have a right to feel like you should give them your lotto money!
people really do treat lotto winners by diff moral codes,
its not wrong to ask for money form them, like it is everyone else, double standards!
in my mind if i won the lotto, i earned it, i cease i played!
if anyone ever asks me for money
i be like go WIN your own lotto jackpot, thats like telling them to go "earn" their own money! OH
if someone in my family, won, i be like, trust me, keep it to your self
as much damage control as can be done, should be done
take this story form lotto change my life
a mom with many kids won the lotto, all the kids are musty adults now
their was one son thro , that said Mom keep the money to your self, dont give it away, look atfer your self
now thats a kid that loves their mom!
she give a ton of it away to all the family she had
, and the kids who got all the FREE MONEY, wanted MORE, and MORE, you buy them things and, they expected more!
i would not give a penny to people like them"ungateful types"
am the type of person thats like ruthless with people when it comes to money
i go nuts over a penny getting lost!
am a accounting depertments worst nitemare in the flesh
if i ever had kids, and they thro a fit about how cheap i am when i got them GIFTS
, i be like you UNGATEFUL little beep and smack them up side the head,
saying: see if i get you any thing else , thats where being ungateful gets you, NONETHING
then again do whatever you WANT with your lotto money
but beware even if you want to GIVE away your money, their ungateful people out their!
and the only thing trying to please ungateful people get you is a lot of good grief
hell i even have backup plans, if my extended family found out!
i be like, you want money?, sure i got jobs that need to be done, the pay decent, LOL
hire them as personal assistants and stuff, if they want your money, they can earn it!
highly over paid for the jobs they do, but at lest your making them value the money you give them a lot more
people prize money they feel they "earned form their time and labor, A LOT MORE then money as a free
gift
like kids with their parents money to spend, kiss it good bye in a blink of a eye
thats why SOME lotto winners go broke besides the friends robbing you blind
they treat it just like kids with free money their parents given them
kiss it goodbye! hello toys!
i plan to start businesses if i ever won really big jackpots,
always wanted to grow fruit for a living and make a killing doing it, people view fruit farmers with respect on how they made money
you grow apples for a living, smart
, they leave you alone with your money if you invested it!
, if they feel its just sitting in a bank account and you have no life goals, and dont"need it for your self"
good god do they come out of the wood work to rob you blind with their requests!
thats how it appears to me anyway!
to me thats what this story highlights,
i dont know about you all
but stories like this make me think what if i won and how would i avoid such troubles
if you dont plan ahead , you plan for disaster,
i speak form Experience on that!
ummm not hardly. the only reason detectives and police are half as good at there job is because of the good citizens out there who give them leads in a case. for example if the persons who were approached would have never went to the police and said "hey this lady wants a body removed from her property" we wouldn be having this discussion now. and the florida police department would still be sitting around scratching there heads trying to find this guy.
ok and if u dont believe that, check out the tv show "the first 48" 90% of all those cases (excluding ones where the dumb criminals leave forensic evidence behind) are solved because some one knows who killed the person and comes forward and provides them with a lead. bottom line is that if it werent for the good ppl out there that comes forward in a case with vital information detectives/police would not be anywhere as good as u and everyone else think they are.
That is true. Remember the guy a few months ago, that killed a police officer, and a family member contacted the cops. I just hope there are more people out here in this world with morals.
@joshuacloak - some people feel that even if you earned the more, if you make more than them, then they deserve it. Believe me, I have seen this firsthand. It is best to just keep financial information about yourself a secret, if that is at all impossible. And if a lottery has been won, tell them you give 95% of it away to charity. That will irk them
.
I wonder what the cause of death was.
Cause of death was due to gunshot wound, allegedly.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/suspect-murder-lottery-winner-abraham-shakespeare-incriminates-interviews/story?id=9744309&page=1
Who writes these headlines? I certainly wouldn't use the word "friend".
I don't normally post just to agree with what's already been said, but you're spot on. Yeah, sometimes people are killed by somebody who was a friend, but from what I've read it sounds like this person was never a friend in the first place. It sounds like somebody who saw an oportunity by pretending to be a friend.
"I wonder what the cause of death was."
It sounds to me like the real cause was poor judgment.
That woman, Dorice (DeeDee) Moore, was charged Tuesday with trying to conceal the slaying of the man who disappeared after winning millions. On Wednesday, a Hillsborough County judge ordered her held on $1 million bond. The dead man, Abraham Shakespeare, was last seen in April - more than two years after he took a lump-sum payment of $17 million on a $30 million jackpot.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gkCtDG6R13FvTKjRlNvvcu9vKlWA
I totally agree with you Kobra..It is the good people with great morals that help to solve crimes..Im just wondering why it took them so long to arrest her? I feel theres no way to keep your winnings completely quiet..SOMEONE is gonna tell someone..Its sad that a person whom have worked most or all their life and finally get a break where they can finally rest and do all the things most of long to do, have their life suddenly taken away is heartbreaking...Now i understand "curse of the lottery"...SO SAD
This is a really sad story. Shakespeare trusted someone who he shouldn't have. She ran a big time con on him, and from local reports, some of his friends say she killed him because he had finally figured out what she was up to.
The world is full or really bad and rotten people like Dee Moore. She saw Shakespeare on tv and figured him for a real sap. She then worked her scam on the guy, got greedy, and killed him.
When I see this kind of thing happen you have to feel sorry for the guy who won the lottery. You also have to wonder why he didn't have a real advisor or at least a lawyer. But as someone noted here, not everyone trusts those kind of people. He made a bad call here, one which cost him his life.
Sad as this is, however, I am more angry with the lottery itself. Why they are allowed to require winners to go public, to have no choice, is something that needs to be looked at closely. Each state makes their own lottery rules and admin practices (with the effect of law-we have to follow them). While some enlightened states allow blind trusts or to remain private, most do not. Most require you to claim in public. States like Virginia require you to take part in PR campaigns.
Because of the instant exposure, winners lives are turned upside down. Some seem to want the attention. But, I'd bet most winners would prefer not to have it. If they had a choice, most, I'm sure, would remain anonyomous. Or form a trust.
Skakespeare's sudden exposure made him an instant target. Friends said he was constantly harrassed for money. That exposure let Moore to hunt him down, even bribing a cop to get info on him. Had he not been required to go public, she wouldn't have even known he had won. Now, because of that attention, he's dead.
We really need to force, demand, change. Instead of assuming lottery rules are writen in stone, we must take charge here and demand our elected reps change the laws and allow winners a choice. Forget about who won, or what kind of person they are. Even if they are educated, bright people. It doesn't matter. All winners need to have a choice. Let them live in peace. Or, if they want, let them go on tv, wave that big check around and then go home and deal with what the attention brings. This is not about Shakespeare. It's about choice. Maybe if he had one, he'd still be around.
Lotteries say they must make winners public to prove that there are, indeed, real people winning. They also claim that the people have a right to know where the money is going. And, if that line of logic fails, they fall back on the good old time tested 'state open records laws'. What they don't say is that none of their reasons are even trus. People trust the lottery, and they know real people win it. For proof, just look up Mr. Shakespeare. And those pesky public record laws. Well, everyone one of them, in each state that has them, have exceptions. Exceptions for many different things. It would be no problem for them to allow exceptions for lottery winners. Winners would be known to lottery officials, but not the public, so they can make required checks for outstanding debts owed to the state (taxes, tickets, back child support, etc). Simple as that.
I think the real problem with Lottery departments is the fact that they a loaded with marketing and PR bureaucrats. They have jobs based soley on promoting the lottery in their states. Believe it or not, most state lottery department employees are in marketing or PR (over 75%). Some of them might lose their jobs if the laws were changed to favor winners remaining private citizens. I don't know about you, but I think that stinks. And it needs to be changed.
I'm already bugging my state rep and state senator about having the law changed in my home state. I've even sent letters to my Congressman asking if, maybe, the federal government might want to hold hearings on the subject. And maybe begin to consider changing the lotteries anti-trust status. I hope a lot of you are mad as well. And, I hope you'll start to fight back and demand that the law be changed.
That's the only way change will happen. This isn't magic. The laws can be changed.
Maybe it's too late for Mr. Shakespeare. But, his fate can be avoided.
Unfortunately, the law can't keep you from having less than stellar friends.
Certain people will be prey no matter what you do to prevent it. Sad but true.
That's certainly true. Mr. Shakespeare is an example.
So was David Edwards. And many others.
Lottery's are quick to point out how 'smart people' have no problems once they win. They like to make ad hominen (sp) arguments like that.
I think we lose track of the point when we go to cases, and people weigh in with the 'I could of done it better' POV. That seems to reflect what those state boards are all saying.
Jack Whittaker was interviewed in 2007. He noted that he had made a mistake by 'going public so soon' after his win, and that he would have done it different and claimed with a trust if could do it again. Besides his mistakes early on, and an out of control drinking problem, Jack's life goes on. Even today, he says people stop him and ask for money. And people still come to his house and ask for money. And he still gets mail from people asking for money. People show up at his business and ask for money. And at church. He talked about how the money ruined all of his friendships, and totally messed up his life. He's managed to get his personal life in order, and continues running all of his business operations. Yet, he said if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't have been 'so public'.
I think a good example of just how complete the process is was an article in a Milwaukee paper in 2007. The reporter checked the public records of lottery winners and contacted all of them. None of the winners wanted any publicity, most wouldn't even respond. The few who did said winning had changed their lives, and that after time they were just starting to get back to normal. It pointed out that the winners covered the whole spectrum of economic classes, age groups, races, sex and amounts. One thing they all said (to the reporter) was that they would have not gone public if they had had a choice. Those folks are all under the radar, none made any news stories like Whittaker, Shakespeare or Edwards. Just regular people who won and then went about their business. But, because of the publicity, their lives were turned upside down.
I know most of us would handle winning different. I imagine those who won probably figured the same thing. One thing they all had in common though, was the added burden of the publicity before they could get their lives in order. Most, I'm sure, would agree that the best thing is to have a choice in the matter.
Maybe down the road lotteries will offer some kind of basic counseling for winners, just enough to get them in touch with someone who can let them know what can be done once they win. Kind of point them in the right direction. I'm sure that would help. Maybe they need to rethink how they do things.
Let's hope they can change.
I don't think I would ever go back to work, but I would find it hard to do a real life version of "unfriending." This is just a sad reality of the lottery, but it's a risk we all take. I wonder if it's happened before in this capacity...