21 January 2024 , 14:07
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A man who was described as "extremely generous" after winning $30million (£23.6M) in the Florida lottery was tragically murdered just three after taking a huge payout.
Abraham Shakespeare, 43, won the massive prize in 2006 and chose to take a $17million payout. By 2008, the lottery winner, from Lakeland, had spent most of his fortune.
Around that time, he was befriended by Dorice "DeeDee" Moore who convinced him she would write a book about his life story - but that never happened. Officials said the woman, who ended up becoming something of a financial advisor to Shakespeare, was just interested in his money.
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Dorice 'DeeDee' Moore befriended Shakespeare and became a sort of financial advisor to him (Channel 4)Records show Moore's company, American Medical Professionals, bought Shakespeare's home for $655,000 (£515,500) in January 2009. The following month, she helped him open a company - giving herself the ability to sign for money, including a $1million (£787,150) withdrawal, according to detectives.
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She told police Shakespeare gave her the cash as a gift, which she used to buy a Hummer, a Corvette and a truck, as well as using it to fund a holiday. Shakespeare was last seen in April 2009 - and while he was missing, his family hoped he had jetted off somewhere with his winnings to relax on a beach.
However, on January 25, 2010, Shakespeare was found shot to death, buried under concrete in the back garden of a home previously bought by Moore. After the discovery, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd branded Moore a "con artist".
The sheriff remarked: "DeeDee Moore has cheated Abraham Shakespeare out of his money, and possibly his life." In an interview a month later, Moore denied any wrongdoing, blaming drug dealers for Shakespeare's death.
Yet, when investigators spoke to her husband, they received contrasting details. Her husband shared that the night Shakespeare was killed, Moore asked him to dig and then cover a hole in their back garden. He claimed he had no idea there was a body, with authorities asserting he didn't partake in the murder.
He chose a $17million payout after winning $30million (No credit)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Returning to Moore, her narrative began to crumble. She was subsequently accused of murder by prosecutors. In 2012, Moore was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury, that sentenced her to life behind bars without parole at Lowell Correctional Institution, Florida.
Though implicated in Shakespeare's death, Moore proposed lottery winners' identities be concealed for at least half a year upon their win. To CBS News she said: "It puts a target on them."
Robert Brown, the deceased's sibling, disclosed in an interview tolling sentiments expressed by Shakespeare about his lotto win. "'I'd have been better off broke.' He said that to me all the time," Brown confessed to the St Augustine Record in 2010.
Samuel Jones, a friend of Shakespeare's since they were 12, shared: "He really didn't understand it at all. It was moving so fast. It changed his life in a bad way."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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