Laurie Shaver, Woman Accused of Killing, Burying Husband, Testifies at Murder Trial: ‘I Loved Michael’

Laurie Shaver, the Florida woman accused of killing her husband and burying his body under a fireplace and a concrete slab in 2015, testified in her own defense Thursday.

Shaver is accused of killing her husband, Michael Shaver, in 2015 and then hiding his body for years under a concrete slab in the backyard of her Clermont home. She is on trial for second-degree murder and accessory after the fact.

Laurie Shaver testified for nearly two hours Thursday.

“I loved Michael,” she said.

Lawyer: “Did it work?”

“No, but we tried,” Shaver said.

Shaver claimed that early in their relationship, Michael was furious that she had gotten pregnant. And that the two had a fight before he was shot.

Laurie Shaver’s Daughter Claims She Shot and Killed Michael: ‘I Shot Him’

In another surprise at the trial, Shaver’s daughter testified under oath that she – not Laurie – shot her father, Michael, because he allegedly attacked Laurie and threatened to kill her.

“I shot him,” said Shaver’s daughter, who was believed to have been about 7 years old at the time.

“Did you feel when you fired that it had to be done or he would have killed your mother?” Shaver’s attorney asked.

“Yes, yes,” she said.

“Are you firm on this point?” the lawyer asked.

“I’m firm on that,” she said.

According to the probable cause statement, Michael’s skeletal remains were found in March 2018, buried three feet beneath a fireplace and a concrete slab. Authorities determined Michael had been shot in the back of the head, the report said.

Prosecutors and authorities said that after Michael’s death, Laurie pretended to be Michael for months, communicating with friends, family, his boss and co-workers through text messages and Facebook posts.

Shaver reportedly told friends that Michael had left the family and moved to Georgia and other states, which the family and the arrest report said was unlike him.

The investigation began in February 2018 after a friend contacted authorities to request a welfare check on Michael after not seeing him since 2015.