New claims emerge in murder case of Lake County woman accused of burying husband in yard

Attorney says woman’s daughter, 7 at the time, confessed to shooting her father

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The attorney for a Lake County woman accused of killing her husband and burying his remains in her backyard told News 6 that his client’s daughter, who was 7 at the time of his disappearance, confessed to the crime.

Laurie Shaver, 37, was charged with second-degree murder in the 2015 death of her husband Michael Shaver.

According to Laurie Shaver’s attorney, Jeffrey Wiggs, the girl got a hold of a gun when she was 7 years old and shot her father to protect her mother, who was being abused by him.

Wiggs said Laurie Shaver’s ex-boyfriend was also at home and fired a second shot, striking Michael Shaver.

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In a motion filed May 8, defense attorneys asked the judge to reconsider an evaluation of the girl, who confessed to having committed the murder in 205, when Michael Shaver was last seen alive. He said the girl relayed specifically how and when her father was killed.

“My client had come to me in this case and relayed clearly and with supporting evidence that she was not guilty of this crime,” Wiggs said in an interview with News 6. “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.”

Wiggs went on to say the state didn’t “have too much concern” and instead was worried about “law enforcement’s pressure.”

“We believe that’s going to raise an appellate issue as interfering with exculpatory evidence in the case and that the court should not exclude that,” the attorney said. “The minor child does not want to see her mom go to jail for a crime that her mother did not do.”

In 2018, authorities uncovered Michael Shaver’s remains found buried under a concrete slab on his wife’s Clermont property.

Laurie Shaver was arrested in 2020 on a warrant at her home in Okahumpka. She faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of her husband and accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.

According to an arrest affidavit, Laurie Shaver told Michael Shaver’s friends he had quit his job and left his family after he was last seen on Nov. 7, 2015. Those friends and co-workers found the story odd and did not think Michael Shaver would leave his children, according to the arrest affidavit.

After his disappearance, co-workers, family and friends continued to receive text messages from Michael’s number telling them to “leave me alone” or “don’t bother me.” Detectives believe these, along with Facebook messages, were sent by Laurie Shaver and could be traced back to her home IP address.

Over the years, however, her stories changed, according to detectives. She told some people he moved to Georgia, others he was in New York and even California, records show. Her friends were told Michael Shaver was stalking her. She told her new boyfriend’s mother he was a pilot and traveling and told her supervisor at work he was in jail for nonpayment of child support, records show.

Authorities have not said how Michael Shaver died and his manner of death was redacted from the arrest affidavit, though Laurie Shaver’s lawyer said his team “know how the crime was committed.”

Despite online records showing a hearing scheduled for Monday morning, no hearing took place.


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About the Authors:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.

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