“Everyone dreams of winning the lottery; however, suddenly coming into a giant sum of money doesn’t necessarily mean smooth sailing. When greedy friends and family members come out of the woodwork, there is no telling how far they will go to get a piece of the money. That was the case of Abraham Shakespeare of Florida, a man who went from the luckiest guy alive to starring in a sinister mystery.
In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won the $30 million lottery jackpot. After taxes, Shakespeare ended up with $17 million. Abraham was instantly rich, and that’s where the trouble started. As soon as Abraham won the enormous jackpot, so-called friends began looking for a piece of the pie. A friend who accompanied Shakespeare to the store to buy the lottery ticket was asking for $1 million. He would later claim that Shakespeare stole the ticket from his wallet. The story was clearly made up, but it was still taken to court. Fortunately, Shakespeare won the case. However, he no longer felt safe in the neighborhood he grew up in, so he moved to a gated community.
Soon, people found out where he was living and continued to harass him for the money. Shakespeare was now alone, far away from home, and infuriated by the constant pressure from friends and family. One of the more nefarious characters that appeared in Abraham’s life around this time was Dee Dee Moore. She was an old flame who sold Abraham on the idea that she wanted to become his financial manager. Together, Abraham and Dee Dee set up Abraham Shakespeare LLC, with Dee Dee taking complete control of all of Abraham’s finances.
Up to this point, Shakespeare was incredibly careful with his money. His only substantial purchases were the million-dollar home he escaped to, a Rolex, and a new car. Dee Dee saw an opportunity in Abraham; he wasn’t paying attention to his money, so he wouldn’t notice if she treated herself to $1 million worth of new cars and a luxurious vacation. For a man who just won the chance of a lifetime, Abraham was strangely quiet, and the police finally figured out why: he had disappeared.
Naturally, the first suspect was Dee Dee Moore. She listed several places he could be, claiming she even helped him get away from the consistent harassment. With no sign of Abraham, Moore began to sink into a financial hole. She had no money to pay off the cars, the home, and other items she bought. She was now in debt and in trouble. Moore even went so far as to fake a rape and kidnapping to claim she was extorted.
Suddenly, there was a tonal shift, and people became wary of Shakespeare’s whereabouts. Family and friends that were previously pressuring Shakespeare for money were shocked and expressed genuine concern about Abraham’s condition. Family and friends received a sudden influx of text messages from Abraham, and they sensed something wasn’t right.
He wouldn’t answer phone calls, but he’d send lengthy text messages full of sophisticated words. His loved ones doubted whether Abraham was sending the messages, and of course, their concerns were valid. It was Dee Dee they were talking to. Often times when she was asked potentially incriminating questions through text, she would leave them on read. She was now ducking away from her troubles and pretending to be Abraham.
Instinctively, Shakespeare’s family grew more concerned as time passed by without a word from the real Abraham. They eventually filed a police inquiry and directed authorities towards Moore’s home. What the police found when they entered Moore’s house was disturbing: buried 9 ft deep in her own backyard was Shakespeare’s body.
Initially, Moore’s story was always changing and shifting blame. She claimed it was drug dealers or an estranged son. However, nothing she said would get her out of this one. Police continued questioning Dee Dee until she finally confessed. She stated that she had killed Abraham in self-defense and alleged that Abraham was abusive. But with her track record, the cops were hardly convinced.
The authorities searched Moore’s home, and unsurprisingly, they discovered all of Shakespeare’s money in cash. Dee Dee had withdrawn all of the funds from the LLC and had been using them indiscriminately. Moore was also caught attempting to pay off numerous individuals to take the fall for the crime. She was allegedly offering up to $200,000 for someone to speak to the authorities and say that they, in fact, murdered Shakespeare.
Dee Dee Moore was not outsmarting anyone. Her facade lay thin, and the police had her pinned down. She was arrested, and a bail of $1 million was set. Predictably, Moore had blown through the money and could not afford bail. Dee Dee Moore was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2012, and she was sentenced to life in prison.
