Update - Abraham Shakespeare Is Found Dead

A tragic end to a story that some might call a tale of rags to sudden riches.

Abraham Shakespeare won a cool $30 million dollar jackpot back in 2007. A friend accused him of stealing the winning lottery ticket, but the matter was settled in court when a judge ruled that Shakespeare could keep his millions.

Shakespeare had a criminal record that consists of several arrests and prison time for burglary, battery and failure to pay child support but winning the lottery offered him the opportunity to turn his life around. As a matter of fact his life was already beginning to change even before he bought the winning ticket when he joined a church and was baptized.

With his winnings, he bought a Nissan Altima, a Rolex from a pawn shop, a $1 million home in a gated community and talked about starting a foundation for the poor. He insisted the money wouldn’t change him. It seemed that although the money might not have changed him but it changed the people around him as many came around with their hands out for a piece of the jackpot. Shakespeare's brother, Robert Brown, said Friday that Shakespeare often wished he had never bought the winning ticket.

Not long after he bought the million-dollar home in early 2007, he was approached by a woman named Dee Dee Moore, said family and officials. She was interested in writing a book about Shakespeare’s life. She became something of a financial adviser to Shakespeare. Keep in mind Dee Dee NEVER graduated high school.

Moore had a checkered past herself which includes a year of probation after she was charged with falsely reporting that she was carjacked and raped in 2001. Officials said she concocted the scheme so her insurance company would reimburse her for the SUV, which she claimed had been stolen.

According to authorities Moore “has offered at least one person a several hundred thousand dollar house if they would make false sightings of Abraham.” Moore also put all of Shakespeare’s assets in her name and has used the missing millionaire’s cell phone to call and send text messages to his family and friends.

Acting on a tip, investigators began digging around on a property located near Plant City, Florida. According to county records, the house is owned by Shar Krasniqi who has been noted as Moore’s boyfriend.

Using heavy equipment, investigators broke up a large concrete slab and for two days they dug up dirt and sifted through it. Much of the digging was done by hand.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's detectives used fingerprints to identify Shakespeare's body, which they found buried 5 feet deep and covered by a 30-by-30 concrete slab in the backyard of a two-story ranch house.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday, this missing person’s case turned into a homicide investigation. A body was found buried in the concrete slab and while a positive identification hasn’t been made, it’s presumed to be that of the missing lottery winner and authorities say it’s been there for some time now.

Sadly, it appears Abraham' naivety and willingness to trust ultimately led to his death. Everyone wants to believe that winning the lottery will be the answer to all of their problems. Sadly it changed Abraham's life in a bad way.