US Woman Murdered Husband, Buried Body Under Fire Pit, And Impersonated Him On Social Media

A woman from Florida, United States, Laurie Leigh Shaver, was convicted on Friday for the 2015 murder of her husband, Michael Douglas Shaver, who was 36 years old. The jury pronounced Shaver guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm after four hours of deliberation, but she was acquitted for accessory charges.

Trial began on September 9, and there was an indication that Michael's body was buried underneath the concrete fire pit at their house in Clermont, Lake County. He had been missing since November 2015, and his friend had alerted the authorities in February 2018 citing his disappearance. Michael was a monorail technician at Disney World.

When Lake County deputies first responded to the Shaver home, Laurie was claiming Michael had abandoned his family, but Laurie became evasive when police asked her to grant them permission to search the property with dogs. A later search, equipped with cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar, led to the discovery of Michael's body, wrapped in a tarp and buried under the fire pit.

Police confirmed that Laurie Shaver was posing as her husband on social media so that she wouldn't be noticed as the murderer.

"We understand the profound impact this case has had on Michael Shaver's family and friends. We hope this verdict brings some measure of closure for them. Crimes like this leave a deep and lasting impact on our society," said fifth-judicial-circuit state attorney Bill Gladson.

"I would like to commend Sheriff Peyton Grinnell and Lieutenant Tamara Dale of the Lake County Sheriff's Office in Florida, along with Assistant State Attorneys Nick Camuccio and Rich Buxman for their diligent work throughout the investigation of this case. Their efforts have been instrumental in obtaining justice for Michael," said the state attorney Bill Gladson.