LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — Attorneys for a Florida woman accused of fatally shooting her husband claim a teenager has confessed to the killing.
Laurie Shaver is accused of murdering 36-year-old Michael Shaver in Nov. 2015. His remains were found buried beneath a firepit in the couple’s backyard in Feb. 2018, according to an affidavit.
This undated photo provided by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office shows Michael Shaver. (Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
In a motion for reconsideration filed May 8, Laurie’s defense attorneys claim a now-14-year-old girl confessed to killing Michael when she was 7 years old. The motion also claims the girl has repeatedly expressed “her desire to testify,” but prosecutors and the court have tried to keep the evidence out.
In the motion, the defense accuses the court of siding with prosecutors and being “an activist” for the minor by expressing concern “with the possible penalty facing the minor child.” The defense states, “At all times the minor has been appraised of the rights she would be waiving, and the possible penalties she would be facing” and she still wants to testify. The motion does not state how the minor is connected to the defendant and Michael.
Laurie was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and accessory after the fact in Sept. 2020. She has since been out on bond awaiting trial.
The investigation began in Feb. 2018, when a friend of Michael’s requested a welfare check, telling police they hadn’t had contact since the end of 2015. An affidavit says officers first responded to the home on Feb. 16, and Laurie was cooperative until questioned about the firepit in the backyard. At that point, she asked the officers to leave her property.
Investigators say between 2015 and 2018, Laurie allegedly posed as her husband on social media, sold off his belongings and quickly remarried.
Michael’s remains were discovered beneath the firepit on March 9, 2018. Investigators say the remains were wrapped in a tarp, fitted sheet and ratchet straps. An affidavit states Michael had a gunshot wound to the back of his skull.
READ THE MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION HERE.
