Hillsborough woman convicted in Florida Lottery winner killing wants new trial

A Hillsborough woman convicted in the high-profile killing of a Florida Lottery winner in 2009 is seeking a new trial.

A jury found Dorice “DeeDee” Moore guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Abraham Shakespeare, 43, in 2012 and she was sentenced to life in prison.

Shakespeare, who worked on and off as a sanitation worker, won $30 million in 2006, choosing to take a $17 million payout. By 2008, the Lakeland man had spent most of his fortune.

Moore befriended Shakespeare that year, and offered to write a book about his life story. But that never happened. A banker testified during Moore’s trial that she and Shakespeare deposited a $1.1 million check in an account from which she gave herself sole authority to write checks.

Later, Moore fatally shot Shakespeare, moved into his million-dollar home and acquired his remaining assets. She buried his body under a concrete slab in the backyard of her Plant City home. Authorities found his body months later and Moore was arrested.

During her trial, Moore accused five different people of killing Shakespeare, including drug dealers she referred to as “Ronald” and “Fearless,” an undercover cop, one of Shakespeare’s friends and her own son, who was 14 at the time.

In a hearing Wednesday, Moore made the case that she should receive a new trial because her attorney failed to present two key pieces of evidence that she believes point to different suspects: DNA taken from the crime scene and the testimony of Shakespeare’s ex-girlfriend.

During much of Wednesday’s hearing, the judge and attorneys had to redirect Moore as she rambled, including after her attorney called her to the stand to testify. Prosecutors called just one witness, Moore’s previous defense attorney, Christopher Boldt.

“Ms. Moore was a management challenge,” Boldt said.

“She was prone to non sequiturs,” he added.

Florida appeals courts upheld Moore’s convictions in 2015 and 2019. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michelle Sisco will review the hearing and evidence submitted by Moore’s defense team and prosecutors to determine whether Moore, 50, should get a new trial.