FL - Abraham Shakespeare, 42, lottery winner, Polk County, 7 April 2009 #5

[Susan1]

Don't know if it was posted or not but interview with Abraham's mother:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...?Title=Lotto-Winner-s-Body-Remains-Identified

 

[dreamweaver]

Don't know if it was posted or not but interview with Abraham's mother:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...?Title=Lotto-Winner-s-Body-Remains-Identified

snipped from above link:

Shakespeare's funeral will be held Feb. 6 at Bethel A.M.E. in Lakeland. Services will begin at 1 p.m.

 

[Kat]

snipped from above link:

Shakespeare's funeral will be held Feb. 6 at Bethel A.M.E. in Lakeland. Services will begin at 1 p.m.

Rest in Peace Shakespeare, prayers for your family and friends. I'm sorry.

 

[amytlake]

Thank you Susan1!

Now I'm really anxious to see what comes out of the attorney dropping DM as a client. I hope someday we hear an explaination/reason.

Could it be possible that he is the source of the "tip" that led LE to Abraham's body? Maybe she told him, and he told someone to "tell LE".
Once the body was found, he may connected to the "tip" and therefore can't represent her.

Maybe he *found* something while representing her that made him think Abraham was buried there and he felt *morally* obligated to have someone look.. If there was no body, no harm foul, but if there was, he knew he would have to drop her as a client.

I'm guessing this lawyer has a soul, unlike DM.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

amytlake, that's an interesting thought.

I hope you're right and this lawyer has a conscience and a good soul. This case seems to have so many people weaved in, it's hard to know the good from the bad, IMO.

RIP Abraham, prayerfully LE will get to the bottom of your investigation and make the world a little safer for everyone. Prayers with the family of Abraham.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

Don't know if it was posted or not but interview with Abraham's mother:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...?Title=Lotto-Winner-s-Body-Remains-Identified

The article breaks my heart. E. Walker sounds like such a lovely woman and she was trusting but also smart. She encouraged Abraham to get educated so as not to be taken advantage of. I wish she'd never had to know DM.

The article also identifies "Big Man", I think it was in one of the earlier articles where it said no one knew his real name (AS may have loaned him money, IIRC?) I wonder if DM was providing LE with AS's financial information and was throwing names out there to deflect any suspicion away from herself? I'm praying that all the people AS helped along the way will come forward and help with the case as much as they can. Abraham deserves justice. JMO.

 

[tigergal71]

Don't you guys know how to read my mind and interpret what I mean to say as opposed to what I posted?

LOL
Sorry Tricia, I'm relatively new to this site, so haven't mastered reading your mind yet :crazy:

 

[cholzsch]

Taken from the following link: http://policelink.monster.com/train...y-client-privilege-in-criminal-investigations
"The Crime-Fraud Exception: Clark v. United States, 289 U.S. 1, 15 (1933)
The most important exception to the Attorney-Client Privilege as related to criminal investigations is the Crime-Fraud Exception which holds that attorneys are required to disclose confidential client information and/or communications to the court when necessary. Specifically, disclosure is required as a means preventing the client from abusing the attorney-client relationship by using as a means to facilitate criminal activity."

In regards to the questions about Stitzel being allowed to remove files from the property, I was about to reply that those files should be considered "work product" and should be exempt from the search warrant and/or discovery. Then I read the above post and hope LE at least went through the file labels and disallowed anything to be removed as it pertains to this case or any of the people surrounding this case.

 

[Iminuru]

Though I knew that so much of what we researched here, pointed to the facts, as they are... I find it so very difficult to accept that Abraham was done this way... that he is no longer with us... that his family and friends, and all of us here, have to go through this pain... and that his children will grow up without him... that beautiful baby boy and his mother... I love that picture... that his Mama will somehow find Peace within her faith and the comfort of many friends, despite the loss of her wonderful son...

I do know, that we have been deeply touched, though with extreme pain... we've been touched by an Angel... Abraham Lee Shakespeare! From a beautiful man... now a beautiful Angel.

I apologize for my having not been here too much lately, as I had said... I had a surgery thing to take care of. It was far more complicated than I had expected... but that's ok... my gratitude for love, life, laughter, and even all realms of pain... now exceeds anything I've ever known in all my years.

Thank you Websleuth partners... Thank You Tricia, and your staff!!!!!!!!

With Love,
~I aM I aNd yoU aRe yoU~


wanttohelp, where are ya? Find comfort in knowing that we helped, and that we love you! I'll be back!

 

[tigergal71]

I think that she is a sociopath. and I think that she might run, but I don't think that she will kill herself. She has no fear from what it seems and feels as though she will be able to outsmart everybody. Also, from what we have seen she is perfectly comfortable playing the victim. The sad part is, she will probably be just fine behind bars, she'll just fill her emptiness by manipulating those around her, but for far lesser stakes.

The amazing part to me is how bad she is at the con, like when reading her "son's" posts, the language got more elementary and the spelling regressed the more this "person" posted. trying to act as though all the previous posts came from a child. It was so obvious, yet if this was her, she has been running scams for years. Not all that successfully, but she doesn't seem to get any real punishment either. This case better change that...should she end up being responsible.

I think that her ex-husband has a role in this given her responses to any mention of him. For the most part, she has said everybody else is to blame (well except for the sheriff) for everything but got very defensive when his name was brought up, always stating how much of a straight shooter he is. I am curious about this, although don't know how to interpret it, just feel as though it is important. So I guess my question to all you guys is at this point, what role do you think the POI had in the murder? Were they the mastermind, or was there somebody else connected to them pulling the shots?

I know that all this has been discussed, but would love to know what people are thinking now that the most important question about this case has been answered. I apologize for rambling, but this person in question just dumbfounds me, is there any explanation for their actions other than just pure evil?

Well, let me just say, I knew her ex husband personally. This was approx 20 years ago though. We hung out with the same group of people, and spent time together as friends. Good friends. I haven't really talked to him in years, other than just a brief catch up email awhile back when i found him again (I had no clue any of this was going on) . Back when we were all friends, he was one of the sweetest guys you ever wanted to be around. He was fun, and just a good ole country boy. He comes from a good family. To my knowledge, he's still the same. Works hard for what he has and is a good upstanding citizen. I hope and pray he had nothing to do with the whole thing. If I had to speculate, I'd say absolutely not.
This is why I became so interested in this case. Cause it hit pretty close to home, not only in my city, but because of him.
I know their divorce was final last summer....but I think they'd been separated for a couple/few years. Not sure on that.

 

[tigergal71]

Great questions!

If you were an attorney and someone (client) gave you too much info (as DM did here and we're not attorneys) would you drop the client because you feel they're guilty? Would that be a "moral reason" to drop a client? DM talked a lot here. If she talked that much here, would/could she have said a lot more in his office?

Regarding "ethics", if this attorney worked with anyone associated with the case (for example, if he worked alongside HDS or even with AS when he got in trouble) would that be an "ethical reason" to drop DM as a client?

I'm curious to know his reasons for dropping DM. I do wonder if it's possible that he may have been a part of something that will eventually tie into this case or cases that may arise from it.

At first when I read that he dropped her as a client, I felt a little apprehensive about him. Now, I'm not sure I feel that way because I don't know a lot about being a criminal lawyer and wonder what types of things can get in the way of presenting a successful defense?

JMO and just my own questions, too.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS!!!!
And the points you mention certainly seem plausible. I wonder if it will ever come out the reasons why? My guess is probably not.

 

[tigergal71]

If convicted of defrauding Abraham and/or murdering him would the suspects turned convicted have to repay all the money? (I know that this rarely happens, but is that how it is supposed to happen in cases like these?)

I think a civil suit would have to be filed to gain any money back??? Not sure. I am certainly not up on the legal processes when it comes to something such as this!

 

[cholzsch]

As far as why an arrest has not been made yet:

"There will be an arrest but the worst thing we can do is rush the arrest and lose the case," he said. "We don't want to arrest a single person; we want to arrest all the people in this and it just takes time."

Clipped from http://www.theledger.com/article/20100129/NEWS/1295049/1410?Title=Lotto-Winner-s-Body-Remains-Identified&tc=ar

 

[Boyz_Mum]

Wanted to give you a quick welcome tigergal71. Welcome to Websleuths!

I am hoping that DM's ex husband isn't involved in any of this. Even DM said he was a good guy, if I recall correctly. My opinion of DM is not very high, so I can't help but wonder if her ex is just one more person who fell victim to her 'charms'.

Justice for Abraham!

 

[tigergal71]

Wanted to give you a quick welcome tigergal71. Welcome to Websleuths!

I am hoping that DM's ex husband isn't involved in any of this. Even DM said he was a good guy, if I recall correctly. My opinion of DM is not very high, so I can't help but wonder if her ex is just one more person who fell victim to her 'charms'.

Justice for Abraham!

Thanks so much for the welcome!! It's been a crazy few days reading everything and learning all the awesome information you guys have pulled together on this case. I trust that LE will do their jobs well, and that the perps in this case will be CAUGHT.
And I do believe you hit it on the head with what you said....He fell for her 'charms'. But, 20 years can change a person drastically. I just cannot imagine that the girl he married was that messed up in the head. I am hoping that came much later, and with no involvement of his.

 

[blue mermaid]

I sent the following to an attorney when I was sleuthing another case... the questions are geared more toward a third person having knowledge of a crime being committed instead of a perp seeking counsel, but the answers touch on both scenarios. A third person having knowledge probably applies in this case too though.

I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of hypothetical questions... I'm going to use you and I in the scenarios only because I think it will be easier to communicate the questions.

1- Let's say I believe "Bob" committed a crime. I think that Bob thinks I may tell on him. Because I fear what Bob may do to me, I go to you because you're an attorney. I make a formal statement telling you what I know/believe, and for "insurance", I make sure Bob knows I have done so. As my attorney, do you have any legal obligation to tell authorities what I told you?

2- Same scenario, but this time I have helped Bob commit or cover up a crime. Maybe I didn't want to, but Bob had something on me and held it over my head. Because I'm scared, I go to you and tell all. Same question... as my attorney, do you have any legal obligation to tell authorities what I told you?


The attorney-client privilege is a wonderful, but dangerous, thing. I wrote my senior "thesis" (law review) article on the sanctity of the privilege and its far-reaching implications.

In the most basic sense, the privilege would prevent me from telling anyone (law enforcement, grand jury, etc.) anything that the client has told me unless it pertains to a crime in progress or a future crime. In other words, if you told me that Bob killed a lady, and we typed up a statement to that effect, the document and our discussions go to my grave with me unless you specify for it to be released at some point in the future. If you told me that Bob buried a lady alive, and she is in a hole somewhere, I can go to the police with that since it's a kidnapping (or something) "in progress" and not completed. But that's discretionary, which some people despise. If I didn't tell, I would not be in any trouble (morally, yes, but legally no). I think that answers (1) and (2) above.

If the crime has been committed and is "over," then there is no obligation to tell - and if I did tell, I could be sued and would lose my law license, without question.

 

[blue mermaid]

Thanks Tricia for posting the email from DMoore. I hope you are able to share others.

Hi tigergal71! I've only been here about a month, but it seems like so much longer... so much has been uncovered in the past few weeks.

 

[blue mermaid]

Wanted to give you a quick welcome tigergal71. Welcome to Websleuths!

I am hoping that DM's ex husband isn't involved in any of this. Even DM said he was a good guy, if I recall correctly. My opinion of DM is not very high, so I can't help but wonder if her ex is just one more person who fell victim to her 'charms'.

Justice for Abraham!

Potwin said he knew about her criminal activity, iirc.

I still have a bit of a problem understanding the entire Potwin/Geiger/Spencer connection. I wish Potwin would come back and enlighten us.

 

[blue mermaid]

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/...lottery+winner's+former+girlfriend+speaks+out

snipped:
While investigators delve into the death of lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, his former girlfriend says she can recall conversations she had with the person of interest in the case.

Butler says greedy people wanted that money at all costs and that the woman named as a person of interest in Shakespeare's death always seemed to have an excuse for his disappearance.

Detectives have not yet named a suspect in the death of Abraham Shakespeare, but do have a person of interest identified.

According to sources who know the person of interest, the individual knew Shakespeare's body was buried in the backyard, but they have proclaimed innocence.

ETA: There's a video at the link. Butler says Abraham liked to watch crime shows on tv and said "The killer always gets caught."

 

[JLMcKenna83]

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/...lottery+winner's+former+girlfriend+speaks+out

snipped:
While investigators delve into the death of lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, his former girlfriend says she can recall conversations she had with the person of interest in the case.

Butler says greedy people wanted that money at all costs and that the woman named as a person of interest in Shakespeare's death always seemed to have an excuse for his disappearance.

Detectives have not yet named a suspect in the death of Abraham Shakespeare, but do have a person of interest identified.

According to sources who know the person of interest, the individual knew Shakespeare's body was buried in the backyard, but they have proclaimed innocence.

ETA: There's a video at the link. Butler says Abraham liked to watch crime shows on tv and said "The killer always gets caught."

So the POI knew that Abraham was there huh? tsk tsk tsk...
And for people to know that the POI knows that... even worse...
Could these "sources" that knew that the POI (pfft) knew where Abraham was be held accountable for their knowledge in any way?

(basically I'm asking if the people who knew that DeeDee knew that Abraham was there could be prosecuted in anyway for not sharing that information..)

BTW.. I read the ledger article with the pictures of his mother and as heartbroken as I am for Abraham, I feel just as bad if not worse for his mother. I can't believe someone could be so cold and callous as to do the things that DeeDee did to that poor woman...

And I found Big Man's identity...

Linnette Williams, who said she is as close as a sister to Shakespeare, was with him when he claimed his winnings in Tallahassee. Williams said she regrets now that family members weren't more suspicious about Shakespeare's disappearance and should have reported him missing sooner.

Her father, Bobbie "Big Man" Roberson, was suspicious that something was wrong when he didn't hear from Shakespeare, Williams said, since Shakespeare spoke to Roberson almost every day.

Lotto Winners Body Remains Identified