Abraham Lee Shakespeare 43, Missing May-June '09 Lakeland, FL(BODY FOUND)

[Gizzie]

I was surprised to read that he was identified using fingerprints after almost one year. I'm hoping that there's a good chance in determining c.o.d., and these P.O.S. get what's coming to them! 

It makes me so mad that people came out of the woodwork after he won, and I wonder if they're now remorseful for not even attempting to pay him back. Probably not. 

[klaasend]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-woman-linked-lotto-millionaire-covered20100202,0,4170933.story

Report: Woman linked to Abraham Shakespeare admits covering up death, denies pulling trigger

9:35 AM EST, February 2, 2010
Quantcast

A woman considered a person of interest in the death of Lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare of Lakeland told a newspaper she was not the one who "pulled the trigger" though she acknowledges covering up his death. His body was found under a slab Thursday.

A woman considered a person of interest in the death of Lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare of Polk County told a newspaper she covered up his death but was not the one who "pulled the trigger."

Shakespeare's body was found last week under a concrete slab at a house in Plant City in Hillsborough County.

"God knows I did not pull that trigger and the court system will prove that," Dorice "DeeDee" Moore told the Lakeland Ledger. "I'm guilty of covering up his death. I will go to jail and I will prove my innocence."

Moore told the newspaper that she has told investigators who pulled the trigger, though she didn't tell the newspaper. She said his death came after a robbery.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into his disappearance in November after a relative said Shakespeare had not been seen since April.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is taking the lead now because that's where the body was found.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Moore was a "person of interest,'' though she has not been charged.

[klaasend]

http://www.wftv.com/news/22411863/detail.html

Lottery Winner Died Of "Homicidal Violence"

Posted: 1:12 pm EST February 2, 2010Updated: 2:00 pm EST February 2, 2010

Comment On This Story ››
TAMPA, Fla. -- A 43-year-old man who had won millions in a lottery jackpot before he went missing nine months ago died of "homicidal violence," Florida authorities said Tuesday.

Further information on how Abraham Shakespeare died would not be released, Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said in a news release. The body of the former truck driver's assistant who won $30 million in the lottery in 2006 was found Thursday, buried behind a home beneath a concrete slab.

Shakespeare, of Lakeland, was last seen in April of 2009 and officials in Polk County -- where he lived and was reported missing -- have long thought he was slain.

No arrests have been made in the case.

In January, Polk officials named a "person of interest" in Shakespeare's disappearance: Dorice "DeeDee" Moore, who befriended the lottery winner after he claimed the winning ticket and took a $17 million lump sum payment.

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 an interview Monday with the Tampa Tribune, Moore said she anticipates being arrested because she and her boyfriend own the home where Shakespeare's body was found.

Moore told the paper that she ordered the concrete slab poured on the property 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.

Family members say Shakespeare was barely literate, and people constantly hounded him for a piece of his lottery winnings.

He told his family and friends that he wished he had never won.

[Nut44x4]

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.

'Person of Interest' in Shakespeare Slaying Detained
Moore Lawyer Doesn't Know Why or Where She Is

LAKELAND | Dorice “DeeDee” Moore, the woman called the person of interest in the death of Lakeland Lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare, is being detained by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office tonight and her lawyer says he doesn't know why.

Bartow lawyer John Liguori said the last time he talked to Moore was at 5 p.m. and her whereabouts can't be accounted for now.

“I'm very concerned the way this went down,” he said. “She was stopped and no one has addressed where she is being held.”

Liguori said he has called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office dispatch and told officials Moore is not to be questioned without her lawyer present.

“It's just another piece to a tragic puzzle,” Liguori said. “It will all shake out at sometime.”

Shakespeare died of “homicidal violence,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said earlier today, but the agency wouldn't release how he was killed.

“To protect the integrity of this investigation there will be no other information released at this time,'' said Debbie Carter, HCSO spokeswoman. Mark Cox, spokesman with the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office, would not comment about when someone will be arrested in this case.

“We are continuing our investigation,” Cox said. “We're working with all law enforcement as we go forward. We are working diligently on this case day and night.”

Moore told The Ledger late Monday night that she has told investigators what happened to the Lakeland lottery winner.

Moore, 37, denied that she “pulled the trigger.”

“God knows I did not pull that trigger and the court system will prove that,” she said. “I'm guilty of covering up his death. I will go to jail and I will prove my innocence.”

page 2 & 3 at link

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100201/NEWS/100209970/1410?Title=-Person-of-Interest-in-Shakespeare-Slaying-Detained

[texasmom]

I just noticed that there's a segment about this case coming up on ABC's Nightline.

[texasmom]

From Nut44x4's link:

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100201/NEWS/100209970/1410?Title=-Person-of-Interest-in-Shakespeare-Slaying-Detained

DeeDee Moore Arrested in Shakespeare Slaying
Hillsborough County Sheriff Says More Arrests to Come


DeeDee Moore

By Merissa Green
The Ledger

Published: Monday, February 1, 2010 at 11:31 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.


TAMPA | Dorice “DeeDee” Moore has been arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, charged with being an accessory after the fact regarding a first degree murder in the death of Lakeland Lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare.

 


Abraham Shakespeare
Shakespeare died of “homicidal violence,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said earlier today, but did not release how he was killed. Ledger sources have confirmed he was shot.

Hillsorough Sheriff David Gee said tonight that in April 2009, Moore had used the services of an unnamed person with a back hoe to cover up Shakespeare's body at a home at 5802 State Road 60 E., Plant City. His body was found Thursday underneath a concrete slab there.

Gee said officers are now at the house with a search warrant.

Other details from Gee include allegations that Moore used cell phones to text messages to Shakespeare's family and friends pretending to be him and that she offered $50,000 to an unnamed person to claim responsibility for the murder.

Gee said Moore has made references to a 38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and made arrangements to dig up Shakespeare's body.

Moore told The Ledger late Monday night that she has told investigators what happened to the Lakeland lottery winner.

Moore, 37, denied that she “pulled the trigger.”

“God knows I did not pull that trigger and the court system will prove that,” she said. “I'm guilty of covering up his death. I will go to jail and I will prove my innocence.”

The 43-year-old Shakespeare won a $17 million lump sum Lotto payout in November 2006. His body was found Thursday underneath a concrete slab at a

Plant City house located at 5802 State Road 60 E.

Moore said she has told investigators who killed Shakespeare.

The investigation into the disappearance of Shakespeare began in November when a cousin, Cedric Edom, reported him missing to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Shakespeare was last seen in April.

The investigation was turned over to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after his body was found. Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee said the remains were found more than 5 feet beneath the ground in a 30-by-30-foot area where homicide investigators had been told to look for the body.

He was identified by fingerprints.

Shakespeare's family told The Ledger that rumors began circulating last summer that Shakespeare was dead, that he was battling AIDS or that the FBI was looking for him.

Moore told The Ledger in November that she helped Shakespeare disappear and filmed him on video saying he wanted to get away from people pestering him for money and child support problems.

Moore said she befriended Shakespeare in December 2008. She acquired his house at 9340 Redhawk Bend Drive through a quitclaim deed on Jan. 9, 2009, according to Polk County Property Appraiser records. The house was held in the name of Moore's company, American Medical Professionals Inc.

However, court documents show that American Medical Professionals, PEO, LLC transferred the property to Eva Williams of Lakeland on Jan. 13 through a quitclaim deed.

The Plant City property where Shakespeare's body was buried is owned by Shar Krasniqi, according to Hillsborough property records.

Sheriff Judd has identified Krasniqi, 26, as Moore's boyfriend. Lawyer Howard Stitzel operates his firm at the house. Stitzel previously told The Ledger that he last talked to Shakespeare in October. He said he had been told last summer that Shakespeare was having health problems and was out of the country.

[ Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or 863-401-6968. ]

[texasmom]

I just noticed that there's a segment about this case coming up on ABC's Nightline.

In the last minute of the show.  Very brief summary, and short video of Dee Dee Moore  . 

That was it.

[texasmom]

Rest in peace, Abraham Shakespeare.              And now I hope there will be justice for him.   

Amen...poor guy.   

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wesh.com/news/22412790/detail.html
'Person Of Interest' In Shakespeare Case Arrested
Late Lottery Winner's Cause Of Death Ruled Homicidal Violence
POSTED: 2:39 pm EST February 2, 2010
UPDATED: 7:09 am EST February 3, 2010
PLANT CITY, Fla. --
Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore, a suspect in the disappearance of missing lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, was arrested and charged in the case, officials said.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee in a news conference said Moore was a person of interest in the case and acted like a financial adviser to Shakespeare. Gee said Moore was arrested and charged with accessory after murder.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office on Tuesday listed Shakespeare's cause of death as homicidal violence. It did not release any other details.

Dee Moore interview   http://www.wesh.com/video/22415183/index.html
Shakespeare, a 43-year-old Lakeland resident, won $30 million in the Florida Lottery in 2006. He has been missing since April, but his disappearance was not reported for several months.
Moore spoke outside the home she bought from Shakespeare. She spoke about Shakespeare's lottery winnings and the negative effect she believes they had on his life.

"The money was like a curse to him, and it's become a curse to me," Moore said.

Moore said she first approached Moore because she was writing a book about money.

Moore said Shakespeare hired her to help him with his lottery winnings.

"Abraham had a life of drama," she said. "He had a very hard life of drama because of the money."

Shakespeare's body was found buried beneath a slab of concrete behind an eastern Hillsborough County home Friday.

Moore admitted she knew more information than she could tell reporters but did say she knew Shakespeare was shot in the head.

"Everybody has that one tragedy and they feel bad and don't know what decision to make when they are scared," Moore said. "Let the courts be the judge of that. Let them do their job and they will bring justice to the right person."
Although Moore was listed as a person of interest in the disappearance, she denied any involvement in his killing, saying that she did not help to cover it up. Investigators said Moore took steps to make it look like Shakespeare was still alive, including using his phone.

Moore claims that he had gone through nearly his entire lottery millions by the time she met him.

Dee Dee Moore, a person of interest in the disappearance of lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, gets emotional when speaking to reporters.

[Nut44x4]

Her bond should have been 30 million 

Moore held on $1 million bail in case of dead lottery winner

Dorice "DeeDee" Moore, was charged Tuesday with trying to conceal the slaying of the man who disappeared after winning millions. Today, a Hillsborough County judge ordered her held on $1 million bail. 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://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/03/moore-held-1-million-bond-case-dead-lottery-winner/news-breaking/

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wftv.com/news/22488958/detail.html
Funeral Services Held For Slain Lottery Winner

Posted: 11:04 pm EST February 6, 2010Updated: 4:10 am EST February 7, 2010
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Family and friends said their good-byes Saturday to Abraham Shakespeare, a murdered lottery winner from Polk County. Shakespeare's funeral services were held at the New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lakeland.

Deputies found his remains found buried under a concrete slab last week at a home in Plant City. The home belongs to the boyfriend of a woman who befriended Shakespeare in 2007.

That woman, Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore, is in the Hillsborough County jail and is charged with accessory after the fact in first degree murder of Shakespeare. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee says the investigation is far from over and that she could face additional charges.

Moore's bond has been set at $1 million dollars.

Shakespeare won $30 million playing the Florida Lottery in 2006 and took home a lump sum of $17 million. He was last seen in April. Investigators say he was murdered, but his cause of death hasn't been released.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wftv.com/news/22507722/detail.html
Informant Led Police To Lotto Winner's Body

Posted: 7:47 am EST February 9, 2010Updated: 1:15 pm EST February 9, 2010

Comment On This Story ››
POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- A confidential informant is talking about how a Polk County woman tried to hide the murder of a lottery winner. The man says he is the one who led investigators Abraham Shakespeare's body.

Gregory Todd Smith says "DeeDee" Moore asked him if he knew anyone who could take a murder charge for her in exchange for $50,000. Smith says Moore even took him and another man to the area where Shakespeare's body was buried.

"It was actually a point of relief that it's done. You know, it's over. We see what's going on, we don't have to guestimate anymore," said Smith, informant.

Investigators say Gregory Smith was never a person of interest.

Moore is charged as an accomplice in Shakespeare's murder, but detectives have not said who they think actually killed him.

[trimmonthelake]

Video at link...  http://www.wftv.com/news/22507722/detail.html

[Nut44x4]

Moore Charged With Killing Abraham Shakespeare 

2/19/10
Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee announced Friday night that detectives have added first-degree murder charges to Dorice ëDeeDee' Moore in connection with the homicide of Lakeland lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare.

'There is no credible evidence linking anyone other than DeeDee Moore to the homicide of Abraham Shakespeare,' according to a 22-page criminal affidavit report released Friday night. 'Ms. Moore had a financial motive to kill Abraham Shakespeare and to conceal the truth concerning his murder and disappearance.'

The report detailed how Moore took control over assets and debts owed to Shakespeare. The report also mentioned Judy Haggins, who had power of attorney for Shakespeare and had the authority to close accounts.

Haggins told investigators that a month before Shakespeare disappeared, he approached her about what Moore was doing with his money.

Haggins also said Moore told her not to let Shakespeare go to the bank because some of the money was not there.

In January, Moore admitted to detectives that she did not pay any money for his home or the purchase of his assets.

Hillsborough officials would not comment on the upgrading of charges and would not give any further details.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100219/NEWS/100219702/1338

[Nut44x4]

2/19/10
TAMPA, FL -- Investigators have now charged Dee Dee Moore with 1st degree murder in the case of murdered lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare.  She will make her first court appearance on these charges this morning.

She previously only been charged as an accessory to the crime. This come as sources say Moore's Lakeland attorney, John Liguori, dropped her as a client today.

According to Moore's arrest affidavit, she has given multiple accounts on how Shakespeare was killed.

In one account she said that unknown "drug dealers" had come with Shakespeare to her Plant City office, to get $200,000 of the lottery winner's money.

She claimed one those drug dealers had killed Moore with her gun, which happened to be unsecured in her open gun safe, the report states.

She later identified one of them as "Ronald", who detectives say was a fictitious person Moore made up.  In the same interview she also blamed her 14-year-old son for shooting Shakespeare.

On January 29th, the day after the body was found, Moore contacted the Sheriff's Office and blamed more people for Shakespeare's death, including his cousin Cedric Edom, her attorney David Stitzel, "Ronald", and again her son RJ.

In one instance she claimed she shot Shakespeare in self-defense. In every story, Moore consistently told detectives two shots were fired at him, and she was always present when he was killed.

Two bullets were recovered from Shakespeare's body, the report states.

Detectives say there was no credible evidence linking anyone other that Moore to Shakespeare's death.

The affidavit also says her ex-husband James Moore said she asked him what type of equipment could be used to clear a plot of land, and paid him to pick up backhoe that she bought at an auction.

James Moore said he dug a home at the home where Shakespeare's body was later found, and then was called by his ex-wife several hours later to fill the hole.

He never saw the body, the report says.

Detectives say Moore paid Gregory Smith to find someone to take the blame for the murder in exchange for $50,000. Smith, who was acting as a police informant, says Moore took him to the home in Plant City and told him that Shakespeare was buried there. 

She told Smith he had been killed in her office, and provided him with .38 caliber handgun used to shoot him.

In a previous interview with ABC Action News, she admitted to having a role in the location where Shakespeare's body was found but denied killing him.

Moore, who approached Shakespeare about writing a book about his life, became a defacto financial adviser to the lottery winner.

Property records show her company, American Medical Professionals, bought his home for $655,000 in January 2009. In February, she helped him open a company and gave herself the ability to sign for money, Polk County detectives said, including a $1 million withdrawal.

Moore told detectives Shakespeare gave her the cash as a gift. She bought a Hummer, a Corvette and a truck, and went on vacation.

Three months later, her boyfriend Shar Krasniqi bought the home in Plant City that Shakespeare's body was found behind.

She initially claimed that she helped him disappear to get away from people who were constantly asking him for money.

Polk detectives said Moore tried to make it appear that he was alive for several months, at one point using his phone to text his relatives and friends.

Detectives say Moore also paid one of Shakespeare's relatives $5,000 to deliver a birthday card with cash to Shakespeare's mother, suggesting it was from her son.

Shakespeare was reported missing by his mother last year.

snippets from
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story/DeeDee-Moore-due-in-court-Saturday-morning/iGJ2Zxavtkux7lA1za0HSg.cspx

[Nut44x4]

 

DeeDee Moore Denied Bond in Murder Charge

Hillsborough County Judge James Dominguez denied bond for first-degree murder suspect Dorice "DeeDee" Moore early this morning. Moore smiled as the judge made his ruling.

Moore has been charged in the the homicide of Lakeland lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare.

'There is no credible evidence linking anyone other than DeeDee Moore to the homicide of Abraham Shakespeare,' according to a 22-page criminal affidavit report released Friday night. 'Ms. Moore had a financial motive to kill Abraham Shakespeare and to conceal the truth concerning his murder and disappearance.'

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100219/NEWS/100219702/1410?Title=DeeDee-Moore-Denied-Bond-in-Murder-Charge

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wesh.com/news/22636523/detail.html
Investigators: Bullets Match Moore's Gun
Dee Dee Moore Charged With First-Degree Murder

POSTED: 4:46 pm EST February 22, 2010
UPDATED: 5:42 pm EST February 22, 2010
PLANT CITY, Fla. --
Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore appeared before a Hillsborough County judge Saturday morning and was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.

Investigators believe they have substantial evidence against Moore in connection with the homicide of a Florida Lottery winner.

Hillsborough County detectives said two bullets found in Abraham Shakespeare's body were fired from Moore's gun.

Investigators said Moore offered bribes to people to say they had seen Shakespeare alive or even pretend to be him over the phone well after his death.
Moore shot and uploaded a video to YouTube that investigators said depicts Shakespeare's frustration with people who ask him for money.

In the video, Moore can be heard suggesting far-off places Shakespeare might go to get away.

Investigators claim to have video of Moore buying items to conceal Shakespeare's killing.

According to detectives, Moore was controlling all of Shakespeare's lottery winnings he had not already lost or given away.

Shakespeare's body was found on Jan. 29 buried beneath a slab of concrete behind a home Moore owns with her boyfriend. Court records said Shakespeare was likely killed on April 6 or 7.

According to an arrest report, Moore provided several accounts as to how Shakespeare was killed. She admitted to being present in each account.
Detectives said Moore also paid someone$50,000 to take the blame for Abraham's death. The report said Moore had financial motive to kill Shakespeare and conceal the truth concerning his death and disappearance.

Moore had previously been charged as an accessory to Shakespeare's murder.

Moore, who is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail, had previously said she did not kill Shakespeare. No one else has been charged in connection with the death.

Shakespeare initially told Shakespeare she wanted to write a book about his life. There is no evidence that Moore has been a writer in the past.

Video at link.

[labubske]

This is such a sad story.  It is sad that his disappearance wasn't questioned sooner and that the family took the word of this manipulative scum as the gospel.  I don't mean that in a judging way...I just wish that they would have questioned things sooner.  I have lived here in Lakeland for nearly thirteen years...Our Sheriff Grady Judd doesn't play around.  He didn't just push this case aside...saying well, he was being bothered by everyone for money and the family is saying that they get calls...so let's check into but let's not make it a priority!  He acted on this and followed through.  A deputy was fired because he gave DeeDee information...I knew from the first time that I saw the news of Mr. Shakespeare missing, that something wasn't right...her story just didn't sit well.  Plus, she reminds me of the Borderline Personality Disorder patients that I work with...It is sad that he lost his life.  I hope that this will reach the ears of others--be very cautious who you allow in your life--and always check things out when they don't feel right!  Don't be afraid to question things...even if you are benefiting from it.

[Nut44x4]

Moore Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charge
Suspect in Abraham Shakespeare's death also is accused of illegal wiretapping.
Last Modified: Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 8:42 p.m.

TAMPA | A grand jury in Hillsborough County on Thursday indicted Dorice "DeeDee" Moore on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder in the slaying of Lakeland lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare.

Moore, 37, was arrested in early February and was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. She still faces that charge.

During a brief Thursday court hearing, Moore was informed she also has a new charge of illegal wiretapping.

A Plant City Police Department report describes Moore's secretly recording an interview between Polk County investigators and two confidential informants.

The report doesn't indicate what was spoken about between the investigators and the informants during the meeting at a park on Dec. 11.

Moore accompanied the informants to the meeting "as she was their friend and they stated they felt comfortable with her there," the report states.

Moore put her purse on the picnic table "and opened it several times, but no one thought she would record the interview for any reason so the purse was not searched," the report said.

A few weeks later, Moore complained to a different Polk County sheriff's detective that information provided at the Dec. 11 meeting wasn't being followed up.

She gave a copy of the recording to that detective who turned it over to one of the deputies at the Dec. 11 meeting in the park.

Authorities proceeded with a charge of "interception of wire or oral communication," a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Moore remains in the Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County, where she is being held without bail on the murder charge.

Last year, Moore told The Ledger and Polk sheriff's investigators that she had helped Shakespeare disappear so he could avoid people who were constantly asking him for money.

Shakespeare had won a $17 million lump-sum payment from the lottery in 2006.

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 advisor.

Moore is accused of swindling what money Shakespeare had left and killing him, according to the affidavit.

The 43-year-old man's body was found Jan. 28 buried under a concrete slab behind a Plant City house at 5802 State Road 60. He had two .38-caliber bullet wounds to the chest.

The affidavit states Moore told different stories about who killed Shakespeare, including one version in which she said she killed him in self-defense.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100311/NEWS/3115059/1003/NEWS01?Title=Moore-Indicted-on-First-Degree-Murder-Charge

[labubske]

Accused Killer of Lakeland Lottery Winner Pleads Not Guilty
Prosecutors Still Undecided on Seeking Death Penalty Against Dorice "DeeDee" Moore.
 
Dorice "DeeDee" Moore

Ledger staff report

Published: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 9:25 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 9:25 a.m.

TAMPA | Dorice "DeeDee" Moore pleaded not guilty today to charges she killed Lakeland lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare.

Related Links:
Indictment Expected Today in Abraham Shakespeare Case
Moore Indicted on First-Degree Murder Charge in Lotto Winner's Death
Suspect in Lakeland Lottery Winner Killing Says She's Broke
Millionaire's Ignorance Left Him at the Mercy of Others
Lottery Money Entangles Lawyer Howard Stitzel
More Stories

Click to enlarge
Abraham Shakespeare

Moore, 37, was in court this morning for an arraignment on charges in an indictment returned by a Hillsborough County grand jury Thursday. She is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in Shakespeare's slaying.

Prosecutors haven't decided whether to pursue the death penalty against Moore, they indicated today.

Moore also is charged with illegal wiretapping over allegations she secretly recorded an interview between Polk County investigators and two confidential informants on Dec. 11. She remains in the Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County, where she is being held without bail on the murder charge.

Last year, Moore told The Ledger and Polk sheriff's investigators that she had helped Shakespeare disappear so he could avoid people who were constantly asking him for money.

Shakespeare had won a $17 million lump-sum payment from the lottery in 2006.

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 advisor.

Moore is accused of swindling what money Shakespeare had left and killing him, according to the affidavit.

The 43-year-old man's body was found Jan. 28 buried under a concrete slab behind a Plant City house at 5802 State Road 60. He had two .38-caliber bullet wounds to the chest.

The affidavit states Moore told different stories about who killed Shakespeare, including one version in which she said she killed him in self-defense.