Additional Coverage:
- 2019 Powerball Winner Who Won $273M Five Months After His Wife Divorced Him is Going Viral Again (parade.com)
The Powerball jackpot is soaring to a staggering $700 million after no ticket matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing. Saturday’s drawing offers a cash option of approximately $316.3 million. This year has already seen four Powerball jackpots claimed, including a $328.5 million prize in Oregon, a $527 million win in California, a $167.3 million jackpot in Kentucky, and a $204.5 million California win in May.
Amid the excitement, a story from 2019 has resurfaced, reminding us that lottery wins can be strangely ironic. Mike Weirsky won a $273 million Mega Millions jackpot just five months after finalizing his divorce from Eileen Murray.
During their 15-year marriage, Murray was the primary earner while Weirsky struggled to maintain steady employment. After the divorce, Murray was even court-ordered to pay Weirsky alimony for five years.
Neither Murray nor the judge could have foreseen Weirsky’s sudden windfall. In a 2019 interview, Murray expressed her frustration at the irony, stating the alimony payments were now “pocket change” for her ex-husband.
She emphasized she wasn’t seeking a share of his winnings, saying, “I hope he does very good things with it… I’m happy for him.” She even noted the coincidental location of Weirsky’s winning ticket purchase – the same convenience store where he proposed.
Weirsky, however, offered a less sentimental perspective, stating he simply wanted Murray out of his life. This story serves as a reminder that a single lottery ticket can change everything, sometimes in unexpected and ironic ways.