LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Laurie Shaver, the woman accused of killing her husband and burying him under a concrete slab, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Friday evening.
Attorneys made closing arguments on Friday in the trial of Laurie Shaver. It comes after a day of explosive testimony from Shaver and Shaver’s daughter, who said she actually pulled the trigger.
Shaver was arrested in 2020, more than two years after her former husband — Michael Shaver, who hadn’t been seen since November 2015 — was reported missing. Preceding her arrest via a warrant on charges including second-degree murder, investigators searching Shaver’s property along Sandy Pines Road discovered human remains buried underneath a concrete slab which were later identified as Michael’s.
Shaver testified for some two hours Thursday, saying her husband was often physically abusive, and she didn’t stick up for herself.
[TIMELINE: Where things stand in the case of Laurie Shaver, accused of killing and burying husband]
“I literally reached for an Oreo one time and was thrown off the couch,” Shaver said.
Laurie Shaver said she tried several times to get away from her husband, including traveling to New York with her daughter Isabelle to get away from Michael Shaver and prepare to file for divorce while he was on a business trip.
Shaver says that after one violent encounter Isabelle, who was seven at the time, tried to protect her.
Shaver: “The next thing I see is — I can’t even say it — I see her, I more or less heard it, then I think I seen her.”
Attorney: “Now when you say her, who are you referring to?”
Shaver: “Isabelle.”
Attorney: “What’s Isabelle do?”
Shaver: “She fired a gunshot.”
Attorney: “Now after Isabelle fires this gunshot, could you see where it lodged in Michael?”
Shaver: “I could not.”
Attorney: “Where are you after Isabelle fires the gun?”
Shaver: “Still on the ground.”
Earlier in the day, Isabelle told the court that she had shot Michael Shaver.
Laurie and Michael were allegedly dating other people when he went missing. One of the men Laurie had been seeing took the stand on Thursday.
Jeremy Townsend described his relationship with her as, “friends with benefits and no strings attached.”
He denied having anything to do with the murder. He was asked several direct questions about the murder while on the stand.
Prosecution: “Any point where you were involved with an altercation with Michael Shaver?”
Townsend: “No.”
Prosecution: “At any point did you shoot or injure Michael Shaver?”
Townsend: “No.”
Prosecution: “At any point were you involved with the disposing of the body of Michael Shaver?
Townsend: “No.”
Prosecution: “After the affair was exposed, what happened with your affair with Laurie?”
Townsend: “I cut it off.”
An autopsy showed Michael Shaver was only shot once.
A detective also testified on Thursday about Shaver’s social media posts that referred to the concrete slab and firepit she was putting in her backyard, where the body was found.
In one of the posts, he read aloud, “Newest project, built this firepit today, cut a portion of the fence for access, and I just need to pour in concrete and put in a new gate.”
During day three of the trial on Wednesday, Laurie Shaver’s new husband, Travis Filmer, spoke of what he knew about Laurie’s relationship with Michael and was asked why Michael’s disappearance didn’t raise more questions for him.
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