A Florida woman who is accused of murdering her husband and burying his body under their backyard firepit has now claimed that their daughter carried out the killing when she was just seven years old.
Laurie Shaver, 40, is charged with murdering her husband Michael Shaver at their home in Claremont in November 2015 with a gunshot to the back of his head.
Michael’s body not discovered until 2018, when officers were called to conduct a wellness check on the missing Disney World employee, and the case has suffered numerous delays on the way to trial, due in part to the pandemic.
In a court filing last week, Laurie’s defense team made the stunning claim that a girl, now aged 14, had admitted to killing Michael when she was just seven years old, and is prepared to make a full confession.
The motion also alleges the girl has repeatedly expressed ‘her desire to testify,’ but clamed that prosecutors and the court have tried to prevent her from giving evidence in the case.
Laurie Shaver, 40, is charged with murdering her husband Michael Shaver at their home in Claremont, Florida in November 2015 with a gunshot to the back of his head
Though the filing does not name the minor girl or state her relation to Laurie and Michael, defense attorney Jeffrey Wiggs identified her as the couple’s daughter, claiming the girl shot her father to protect her mother from his abuse.
Wiggs also told WKMG-TV that Laurie’s ex-boyfriend was at home at the time of the killing and fired a second shot, striking Michael.
‘The minor child does not want to see her mom go to jail for a crime that her mother did not do,’ Wiggs told the CBS affiliate station.
‘We went to the state. We know who committed the crime. We know how the crime was committed. We were basically just pushed out the door,’ the attorney claimed.
It’s unclear what charges the child might face if she makes a full confession to the fatal shooting.
In the US, there is no federally mandated minimum age of court jurisdiction, and many states do not have a minimum age of criminal culpability, including Florida.
Florida did recently pass a law prohibiting the arrest or criminal charging of children under age seven, except in cases of forcible felony, a category that includes murder and manslaughter.
Michael worked as a mechanic on Disney’s monorail, and was last seen alive on November 7, 2015.
Court records revealed the couple had a domestic dispute in 2014, when Laurie is thought to have struck Michael with a gun. However, he was the one arrested, after police believed he first pulled the weapon.
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Michael worked as a mechanic on Disney World’s monorail, and was last seen alive on November 7, 2015
Investigators made a grim discovery in March 2018, when Michael’s remains were found buried near a firepit on the five-acre property where he lived with Laurie
According to an affidavit in the case, Laurie told Michael Shaver’s friends he had quit his job and left his family following his 2015 disappearance.
Those friends and co-workers found the story odd, and continued to receive text messages from Michael’s number telling them ‘leave me alone’ or ‘don’t bother me,’ according to the affidavit.
Detectives said these messages, along with others sent on Facebook, could be traced back to Laurie’s home IP address, and investigators believe she was impersonating him online.
Neighbor Curt Ruhl told Click Orlando he used to see Michael working in the yard before he ‘suddenly disappeared’. Another man moved in with Laurie shortly after that, the neighbor said.
Although the couple never divorced, other neighbors told WFTV Laurie had remarried in a ceremony near to where Michael’s body was later discovered.
Over the years, police say Laurie’s stories shifted constantly, and that at times she variously claimed that Michael had moved to another state, that he was in jail for non-payment of child support, and even that he was a pilot and traveled constantly for work.
Laurie was arrested in September 2020, and has been free on a $52,000 bond awaiting trial since late 2020
Police first became involved in February 2018, when a friend contacted police, who made a wellbeing check on Laurie’s home in Claremont.
Officers noticed fresh concrete near a fire pit on the five-acre property, and asked permission to bring a cadaver dog.
At that point, police say the mother-of-two became uncooperative, so the officers returned with a warrant in March 2018, and recovered human remains and some clothing.
Investigators said the remains were wrapped in a tarp, fitted sheet and secured with ratchet straps.
Laurie was arrested in September 2020, and has been free on a $52,000 bond awaiting trial since late 2020.
She is charged with second-degree homicide and accessory after the fact to second-degree homicide, both as domestic felonies.
