TAVARES, Fla. (Court TV) — Florida woman Laurie Shaver appeared in a Lake County courtroom on Friday as attorneys debated motions that offered a preview of key issues in her upcoming murder trial for her husband’s death, including her daughter’s alleged confession to killing her father.
Laurie Shaver leaves court following a motions hearing on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Court TV)
Shaver is accused of shooting and killing her husband, Michael Shaver, in November 2015, burying him in the backyard of their Clermont, Florida, home and then impersonating him in texts and Facebook messages to create the impression he was still alive. His body was found in March 2018 three feet below ground under a concrete slab and firepit that Laurie installed in the backyard in 2016, according to a law enforcement affidavit.
Shaver’s defense claims her daughter, who was eight years old at the time, pulled the trigger and killed her father during a violent episode to protect her mother.
The Shavers were living together but dating other people when Michael went missing. Laurie’s defense wants to present evidence that Michael allegedly subjected Laurie to years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Laurie’s defense claims in court documents that their two children witnessed much of the physical abuse, including an alleged incident on the day Michael was last seen alive that led their daughter to kill her father.