Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore

People

• Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore — defendant; American woman.
• Abraham Lee Shakespeare — victim; American casual laborer and lottery winner (April 23, 1966 – 2009).
• Michael Ford — co-worker of Shakespeare; sued Shakespeare about the winning tickets.
• Shar Krasniqi — Moore’s boyfriend; owned the property where Shakespeare’s body was found buried under a concrete slab.
• James Moore — Moore’s ex-husband; interviewed by detectives.
• Gregory Smith — one of Shakespeare’s friends; borrowed money from Shakespeare and cooperated with law enforcement.
• Officer Mike Smith — undercover officer from the Lake Wales, Florida police department.
• Cedric Edom — Shakespeare’s cousin; delivered a card with $100 and a cross enclosed to Elizabeth Walker.
• Elizabeth Walker — Shakespeare’s mother.
• Judge Emmett Battles — judge who instructed the jury and sentenced Moore.
• Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner — prosecutor; made statements in closing arguments.
• Byron Hileman — Moore’s attorney.
• Yolanda Soto — crime lab analyst.
• David Gee — Hillsborough County Sheriff.
• Grady Judd — Polk County Sheriff.
• Michael Laurato — attorney for Michael Ford in the civil suit.
• Arnold Levine — another attorney who represented Michael Ford in the civil suit.
• Jim Valenti — appellate attorney for Shakespeare.
• Larry Hardaway — through whom Judith “Judy” Haggins declined to comment.
• Judith “Judy” Haggins — Shakespeare’s longtime friend; had power of attorney over his affairs.
• Angelina Marshall — shared a cell with Moore; took notes of Moore’s conversation.
• Comfort Inn — location referenced in testimony about a letter prosecutors said Moore forged.
• Thomas Wallace and David Clark — detectives referenced in the arrest affidavit and interviews.

Timeline

• November 15, 2006 — Florida Lotto winning ticket worth $30 million was sold at a Town Star convenience store in Frostproof, Florida, and Abraham Shakespeare and Michael Ford bought drinks and cigarettes there; Ford bought two Lottery tickets at Shakespeare’s request.
• 2006 — Shakespeare received a $17 million lump-sum cash payment of lottery winnings before taxes instead of 30 annual payments.
• November 9, 2009 — Shakespeare’s family reported him missing, stating they had not seen him since April.
• December 27, 2009 — Elizabeth Walker, Shakespeare’s mother, received a phone call from someone pretending to be Shakespeare while she ate out with Dee Dee Moore.
• December 28, 2009 — Gregory Smith was paid by Dee Dee Moore to make calls to Shakespeare’s mother pretending to be her son; Smith decided to cooperate with law enforcement.
• January 21, 2010 — Officer Mike Smith (undercover) was introduced to Dee Dee Moore by Gregory Smith; Moore agreed to pay Mike Smith $50,000 if he told law enforcement he was responsible for Shakespeare’s death.
• January 25, 2010 — Dee Dee Moore met with Gregory Smith and showed him the concrete slab where Shakespeare was buried; she provided a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver to Gregory Smith.
• January 27, 2010 — Police searching for missing lottery winner found a body at Plant City house a day after digging at the site.
• January 29, 2010 — A body found at the backyard of a Plant City property was identified as that of missing Shakespeare.
• February 2, 2010 — Police took DeeDee Moore into custody; she was charged with accessory after the fact.
• February 3, 2010 — Judge set bond at $1 million for Dorice “DeeDee” Moore.
• February 19, 2010 — Dee Dee Moore was charged with first degree murder.
• March 15, 2010 — DeeDee Moore pleaded not guilty to murder in a Hillsborough County, Florida court.
• December 10, 2012 — DeeDee Moore was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole with an additional minimum sentence of 25 years for possessing a gun in the course of a violent felony.

Background

Abraham Lee Shakespeare was an American casual laborer who won a $30 million lottery jackpot, receiving $17 million in 2006. Shakespeare dropped out of school after seventh grade and was illiterate. He was jailed after being convicted of a string of burglaries and later worked various labor pool jobs.

Shakespeare and Michael Ford were headed toward Miami when they stopped briefly at a Town Star convenience store in Frostproof, Florida, on November 15, 2006, to buy drinks and cigarettes. Ford got out of the truck and asked Shakespeare if he wanted a soda. Shakespeare asked Ford to buy him two Lottery tickets; Shakespeare said he paid Ford $2 for the tickets out of the $5 he had on him that day. Michael Ford later demanded a share of the jackpot of no less than $1 million and sued Shakespeare, alleging Shakespeare stole the two tickets from his wallet. Shakespeare chose a one-time, lump sum cash payment of $17 million, before taxes, instead of 30 annual payments totaling $30 million. He moved out of his working-class neighborhood in Lakeland, Florida into a gated community.

Lottery money was spent on a Nissan Altima and a Rolex watch from a pawnshop, and later purchases included a $1 million home and additional property. Friends stated that after winning the lottery, Shakespeare grew frustrated with constant appeals for money from hangers-on and strangers. He told his brother, "I'd have been better off broke," and told a childhood friend, "I thought all these people were my friends, but then I realized all they want is just money."

One of the people who sought money was Dorice Donegan "Dee-Dee" Moore, who launched a business with Shakespeare, Abraham Shakespeare LLC, giving herself control of the firm’s funds. Moore subsequently withdrew $1 million and bought herself a Hummer, a Chevrolet Corvette, and a truck before going on vacation. Moore later claimed the money was a gift from Shakespeare.

The offence

Between April 6, 2009 and April 7, 2009, Abraham Shakespeare was murdered within a residence at 5732 Highway 60 East in Plant City. Hillsborough County detectives said Shakespeare died April 6 or 7 in the single-story ranch home in Plant City. The Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee stated Shakespeare was murdered at a single story ranch-style house located at 5732 Highway 60 East in Plant City on April 6 or 7, 2009.

He was shot and detectives said he was shot twice in the chest. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the manner of death for Abraham Shakespeare was homicidal violence.

Moore arranged for an undisclosed witness to use a backhoe to dig a hole to bury construction debris behind a residence. A subsequent plan involved digging and then having the witness return to fill the hole. The remains were later recovered approximately six feet beneath the surface in the location where a metal bar was left by Dorice Moore. The remains were identified to be that of Abraham Shakespeare by way of fingerprints.

Investigation

Before police found Shakespeare’s dead body, Moore claimed Shakespeare decided to leave town and went to Texas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Florida, or was sick in a hospital. Moore told police multiple versions of what happened to Shakespeare and claimed she acted in self-defense. Moore also alleged drug dealers killed him, and alleged a lawyer did him in and then blamed her 14-year-old son.

Soon after Shakespeare disappeared, Moore continued using his cell phone and sending text messages to friends and relatives as though she were Shakespeare. The text messages were considered suspicious because Shakespeare was illiterate. When people texted Shakespeare’s phone back with questions that could not be answered by Moore, no response was given.

Moore also attempted to find someone to take the blame for Shakespeare’s death for $50,000 and offered to pay someone to dig up and move Shakespeare’s body to another location.

Property records showed Moore’s company bought Shakespeare’s house. Moore told investigators she paid Shakespeare $655,000 for his home and bought $185,000 for loans that were actually worth much more, and people owed him; there was no evidence showing she paid Shakespeare anything. Moore offered the mother of a son of Shakespeare a $200,000 home if she would lie to detectives about having seen him recently. Moore also paid a relative of Shakespeare $5,000 to give his mother a birthday card implying it was from him.

Detectives said that through the investigation of Moore, it was learned that she had once staged a scene to fraudulently keep a Lincoln Navigator in jeopardy of being repossessed, after falling behind on payments. Investigators said she had someone store the car in a garage and then pretended she was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and carjacked, and that investigators claimed she taped her wrists and threw herself from someone else’s car to make a scene; she took a rape exam and later pleaded no contest to insurance fraud and falsely reporting a crime, receiving probation.

Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee stated Moore tried to dodge suspicion by using Shakespeare’s phone to send family members text messages saying he was OK and also writing letters pretending to be him. Investigators said Moore wrote a letter to Shakespeare’s mother claiming to be Shakespeare and claiming to be alright and used the victim’s cell phone and sent text messages to Shakespeare’s friends and family.

A recorded conversation was played in court in which Moore admitted she was afraid of being arrested while discussing the possible size of her bond with an informant.

Crime lab analyst Yolanda Soto said:

"Because the bullets lack the identifying characteristics that must be present when attempting to make an identification, I could not identify them as having been fired from the same firearm," she said.

An informant told Moore Moore told her that the gun was the weapon used to shoot Shakespeare, but she said a drug dealer killed him. One of Shakespeare’s friends testified that Moore told a similar story about a drug dealer who demanded money but Shakespeare wouldn’t turn over the cash, saying:

"She said, 'I really need to tell you, Abraham is dead,'"

The prosecution introduced that a gun was the weapon used in the murder, but defense contested identification.

Arrest

Police took Moore into custody on February 2, 2010, in connection with the murder of Shakespeare, and a judge set a $1 million bond. Moore was initially charged with being an accessory after the fact in first-degree murder.

On February 19, 2010, Dorice Donegan Moore was arrested on a charge of first degree murder.

Trial

During trial-related events, prosecutors said Moore befriended Shakespeare in late 2008 by claiming she was writing a book about how people were taking advantage of him, and that later she became his financial adviser. Prosecutors said Moore controlled every asset he had left, including a home, the debt owed to him, and a $1.5 million annuity.

Moore showed little emotion as the verdict was read, and Judge Emmett Battles called her "the most manipulative person" he had ever seen and described her as "cold, calculating and cruel." Moore’s attorney said:

"I can sleep good at night because I know I had done the very best job,"

and:

"I feel sad for the victim. I feel sad for their families. I feel sad for the defendant because these types of cases are no-win situations."

Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner argued in closing:

"She got every bit of his money," said Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner in closing arguments. "He found out about it and threatened to kill her. She killed him first."

Defense counsel argued there were other potential suspects whom prosecutors refused to consider, and said:

"There were a lot of people who owed Mr. Shakespeare a lot of money. One guy owed him a million dollars,"

During trial, Judge Emmett Battles instructed the jury that it could convict Moore of a lesser charge.

Moore denied the murder and said she took over Shakespeare’s assets so he could get away from people pestering him for money. She also said:

'The money was like a curse to him. And now it's become a curse to me,' Moore told reporters in 2010. 'God knows I would never take another human being's life.'

At one point, prosecutors and defense attorneys described that Moore did not want to take the stand to protect her family.

Jurors deliberated for more than three hours before finding Moore guilty.

During courtroom security incidents, jurors received a security escort after claiming Shakespeare’s family and a witness made them feel uncomfortable. Judge Emmett Battles addressed cautions and warnings including warnings for Moore making facial expressions at jurors.

Sentencing

On December 10, 2012, Dee Dee Moore was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Abraham Shakespeare. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional minimum sentence of 25 years for possessing a gun in the course of a violent felony.

Judge Emmett Battles called Moore "cold, calculating and cruel" when sentencing her.

Moore had 30 days to appeal.

Outcome

• Moore was found guilty of first-degree murder and received a mandatory life sentence without parole plus an additional mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for possessing a gun in the commission of a felony.

Other details

Victim and missing status

Shakespeare’s family reported him missing on November 9, 2009, stating they had not seen him since April of that year. Family and friends had hoped he had taken his money and was living on a beach in the Caribbean Sea. A tip led investigators to the backyard of Moore’s boyfriend Shar Krasniqi, where Shakespeare’s body was found buried in five feet of dirt under a newly constructed concrete slab.

Shakespeare was 43 at the time of death. Detectives said Shakespeare died on April 6 or 7 in the Plant City home.

Moore’s related claims during the investigation

Moore claimed Shakespeare went to Texas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Florida, or was sick in a hospital. She also said drug dealers killed him; that a lawyer did him in and blamed her 14-year-old son; and she said she killed Shakespeare in self-defense.

Moore admitted in an arrest-affidavit narrative that she took steps to make it appear the victim was still alive, including use of the victim’s cell phone, text messages, and a letter.

Property, business, and finances

The Florida Lotto winning ticket was sold at a Town Star convenience store in Frostproof, Florida. Moore launched Abraham Shakespeare LLC with control of firm funds, withdrew $1 million, and purchased assets including a Hummer and Chevrolet Corvette. Later, property records showed Moore’s company bought Shakespeare’s home.

Affidavit details

On February 2, 2010 at approximately 5:00 p.m., Hillsborough deputies arrested Dorice Moore in eastern Hillsborough County on State Road 39.

The affidavit described that between April 6, 2009 and April 7, 2009 at an unknown hour, Abraham Shakespeare was murdered within the residence at 5732 Highway 60 East in Plant City. It said Moore arranged for an undisclosed witness to dig and later fill a hole behind a residence at 5802 Highway 60 East in Plant City. It said the witness later identified the location where the body was recovered.

The affidavit stated that in December 2009, Moore wrote a letter to the victim’s mother claiming to be the victim and to be alright. It also stated Moore used the victim’s cell phone and sent text messages to friends and family. On December 27, 2009, Moore had an undisclosed witness make a cell phone call to the victim’s mother pretending to be the victim, telling the mother that he was alright.

The affidavit stated that between December 28, 2009 and January 21, 2010, Moore approached an undisclosed witness inquiring if he knew anyone awaiting sentencing in prison who would be willing to admit to killing Abraham Shakespeare in exchange for $50,000. It said Moore told the witness the plan would require digging up the body and moving it to another location.

On January 25, 2010, Moore met with an undisclosed witness and provided a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver, telling the witness this was the weapon that had killed Abraham Shakespeare. The affidavit stated Moore took the undisclosed witness to 5802 Highway 60 East in Plant City and showed him a concrete slab behind the residence, pointed to the buried location, placed a piece of steel bar on the slab, and agreed the body would be removed that night at 8:00 p.m.

It said Moore told the undisclosed witness she was leaving a white Ford F150 pick-up truck with an enclosed trailer to transport the body, and showed the contents of the trailer, which consisted of a galvanized metal trough, bleach, gloves and plastic sheeting. The affidavit stated that on January 25, 2010, Moore admitted purchasing bags of lime to be place over the victim’s body when buried.

On January 28, 2010, members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains approximately six feet beneath the surface in the location where the metal bar was left by Dorice Moore. It stated the remains were identified as Abraham Shakespeare by fingerprints.