8:30 p.m. Update:
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A jury has found Laurie Shave guilty of 2nd degree murder in the death of her husband Michael Shaver.
The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before returning with a guilty verdict.
Sentencing will be held Nov. 25 at 9 a.m.
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The six people serving as jurors in the Laurie Shaver trial are expected to begin their deliberations midday Friday, as they decide the fate of the woman under scrutiny for more than half a decade.
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Shaver first entered the spotlight in 2018 when her husband’s body was unearthed under a concrete slab in their Clermont backyard, three years after anyone other than Shaver had spoken directly to him.
Shaver maintained her innocence, saying that her then-seven-year-old daughter shot Michael Shaver while he was beating her and threatening to kill her. At times, especially during the trial, she has also alleged that her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy Townsend, quickly walked over and shot Michael a second time to finish him off.
She has also accused Townsend of taking care of Michael’s body while she was dropping her children off at school. She has also denied pretending to be Michael to his friends and family, who continued to receive text and Facebook messages over the years from his phone and accounts.
Read: Clermont woman accused of killing husband takes the stand in murder trial
Townsend, Shaver and her daughter all took the stand Thursday. Townsend testified for the prosecution and denied ever meeting Michael, much less being around for his death.
“I did not know who Mike was,” Townsend declared. He later rejected defense attorney Jeffrey Wiggs’ assertions he was being untruthful about his interactions with the family.
Shaver and her daughter countered Townsend and the prosecution’s version of events. Despite all evidence pointing to Michael’s death happening around November 7, 2015, the Shavers said he was shot in May 2016, when he randomly appeared at the house one morning after being kicked out for half a year.
Laurie testified that Michael grabbed her and pinned her down, angry that she was involved in another relationship. She said he began beating her and placed her head and neck under his foot.
Read: All eyes on Shaver’s conduct in drama-filled third trial day
Her daughter, who turns 16 on Sunday, described Laurie as her “best friend” and corroborated her version of events.
“I went to my mom’s room [after seeing the violence],” the daughter said. “I went into her night table... I grabbed her gun... I went back out and I went to the door… and I shot him.”
The daughter said her parents’ relationship was rocky, with arguments daily and violence several times per month. She said Laurie was always the parent and Michael did not have a significant relationship with his two children.
Read: Sparks fly during tense exchange in trial of Clermont woman accused of killing her husband
“I should’ve learned my lesson then but I didn’t,” Laurie said, speaking of the eight times she said she tried to leave her husband or thought about it.
Laurie Shaver’s testimony was decided at the last minute, after her daughter took the stand. Her attorney said Shaver made the decision to risk the cross examination wanting to leave the trial without any regrets.
It’s unclear if her daughter’s testimony influenced Laurie’s decision. During the daughter’s cross-examination, jurors appeared to avoid looking at the teenager as she struggled to explain some of the details of her recollection of the events, including why she placed the shooting in May instead of November.
Read: ‘She had a gun:’ attempt to cast Shaver husband as violent abuser backfires in court
Laurie equally struggled when asked to account for her husband’s whereabouts during that six-month gap as prosecutors pressed her for details about how he collected his mail and handled his finances. She said she took his mail to the post office and generally didn’t have any communication with him, so she wasn’t aware of the details of his life.
She had a better account of the location of the concrete slab. She said she wasn’t aware her husband’s body was underneath it, and she chose the location because the area had already been cleared and leveled. She attributed a smell neighbors noticed emanating from her property between November and the spring to dogs attacking her piglets.
Laurie faces a second-degree murder charge if the jury finds her guilty, plus a separate accessory charge for the cover-up of his death.
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