Shivangi Sinha
In November 2009, when Abraham Lee Shakespeare was reported missing from Lakeland, Florida, authorities quickly realized that no one had actually seen him for several months. Although those close to him had continued receiving text messages from his phone, suspicions began to grow. This prompted investigators to closely examine the people in his inner circle, eventually leading them to Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore. She claimed to be his business associate and had developed a close relationship with him following his $30 million lottery win in 2006. As the investigation progressed, police uncovered significant evidence implicating Moore and ultimately arrested her on charges of murder. The case and Moore’s involvement are explored in depth in ABC’s ‘20/20’ episode titled ‘Unlucky Numbers.’
Dorice Moore Was Living in Abraham Shakespeare’s House When He Was Reported Missing
Dorice Donegan “Dee Dee” Moore first crossed paths with Abraham Lee Shakespeare in October 2008. At the time, she had reportedly approached him with the idea of writing a book about his life. He had become somewhat of a local celebrity in Lakeland, Florida, after winning a $30 million lottery. Introducing herself as a financial advisor, Moore also said that she owned a business called American Medical Professionals LLC, based in Plant City, Florida. The two began collaborating, and she was frequently seen by his side. However, on November 9, 2009, when Shakespeare’s cousin Cedric Edom reported him missing, authorities turned their attention to his close associates, and Moore was among them.
As the investigation deepened, authorities discovered that no one had seen Abraham in person since April 2009. Instead, he had only been communicating through text messages, which was suspicious because he rarely did so. It also came to light that his $1 million home in North Lakeland, Florida, had been transferred to the company owned by Moore back in January 2009, and she had since moved into the property. When questioned by police, she claimed that Abraham had asked her to handle the transfer as he was allegedly fed up with people constantly approaching him for money. According to her, he had chosen to disappear voluntarily and was simply trying to live in peace, assuring that he would return when ready.
An online forum, which had also begun to investigate Abraham’s disappearance, quickly became suspicious of Moore. The members of the forum dug into her background and discovered that she was born on July 25, 1972, in Tampa, Florida. She had married James Moore in 1992, and the couple had a son together. Further research revealed that in 2001, Moore had been convicted of insurance fraud and falsely reporting a crime. She had filed a fraudulent claim for $60,000, claiming her car had been stolen and that she had been abducted and assaulted. She was convicted and sentenced to one year of probation for the crime. In addition to her criminal past, in 2002, she filed for bankruptcy. The online group shared their findings with the police.
Dorice Moore Always Maintained That Abraham Was Hiding Willingly
On December 4, 2009, Dorice Moore gave an interview to a local newspaper and insisted that Abraham Shakespeare had left voluntarily to escape the pressure of constant money requests. However, during the interview, certain parts of her story appeared inconsistent or incomplete, raising red flags for the reporter. As a result, media reports began surfacing that named the financial advisor as a possible suspect. Around the same time, an account under Moore’s name began engaging in heated arguments with members of the popular online forum Websleuths, which had been closely following the case. Shortly afterward, the forum’s moderator received an email from Moore, claiming that the account was not hers and requesting it be removed.
However, upon checking, the moderator alleged that both the email and the forum posts had originated from the same IP address—one registered to Abraham’s home, where Moore was currently residing. On December 27, 2009, Moore took Abraham’s mother, Elizabeth Walker, to a local diner. During their outing, the former handed her the phone and claimed that Abraham was on the line. Although the person on the other end said he was Abraham, Elizabeth immediately sensed that the voice didn’t sound like her son’s. Suspicious, she reported the incident to the authorities. The police traced the call and discovered it had come from Greg Smith, a friend of Abraham’s. When questioned, Smith revealed that Moore had asked him to pretend to be Abraham over the phone, but he was told that it was to reassure Walker.
The police enlisted Smith’s help in the investigation. He agreed to cooperate and was equipped with a wire. Throughout January 2010, he remained in close contact with Moore, subtly bringing up Abraham’s whereabouts and trying to gather information. During her interactions, she initially claimed that Abraham had become involved in drug trafficking and had gone into hiding to avoid trouble. However, as Smith continued to press her for more details, he offered a deceptive proposition and said he knew someone who was already serving a prison sentence. He said that for a price, that person would be willing to take the blame for Abraham’s disappearance.
Dorice Moore Led an Undercover Officer to Abraham’s Remains
An undercover detective was brought in to pose as the incarcerated man willing to confess. The officer told Dorice Moore that he needed proof before accepting any money or agreeing to the plan. On January 25, 2010, she led him to her property in Plant City, Florida. There, she pointed to a buried concrete slab and claimed that Abraham Shakespeare’s body was buried beneath it. She also handed over a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver and stated it was the weapon used in the murder. On January 27, 2010, investigators uncovered human remains buried in the backyard of Moore’s property. Just two days later, on January 29, the remains were positively identified as belonging to Abraham. Alongside the body, authorities also discovered pieces of clothing that matched what Abraham was last seen wearing in a video Moore had recorded on April 6, 2009.
Further forensic evidence strengthened the case against Moore. Traces of human blood were found on a carpet inside the home, and investigators concluded that Abraham had likely been murdered on the very day that the video was made. Phone records added more weight to their findings—after April 6, Abraham’s phone, which continued sending messages to friends, family, and his partner, Sentorria Butler, was always located near Moore’s phone. James Moore told police that on the night of April 6, 2009, Moore had asked him to dig a hole in the backyard and, later, to fill it in. He claimed he didn’t see what went into it due to the darkness. Law enforcement arrested Moore on February 2, 2010. Initially charged with being an accessory after the fact, her charges were later upgraded. On February 19, 2010, she was formally charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Abraham.
Dorice Moore is Serving a Life Sentence Today
Dorice Moore’s bond was set at $1 million following her arrest, and in March 2010, she pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. However, her trial didn’t commence until late 2012. On December 10 of that year, a jury found her guilty, and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition, she received a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for using a firearm during the commission of a violent felony. Though she penned an apology note to Abraham Shakespeare’s friends and family expressing sorrow for their loss, she continued to insist on her innocence and maintained that she was not the one who had taken his life.
Over the years, she has filed several appeals in an attempt to overturn her conviction. The most recent, filed in 2023, requested a new trial but has yielded no results thus far. As of 2025, Moore is 53 years old and incarcerated at the Lowell Correctional Institution Annex in Ocala, Florida. In January 2025, she publicly voiced support for a proposed bill aimed at protecting the identities of lottery winners, arguing that making such information public puts people at risk and paints a target on their backs.
Read More: Abraham Shakespeare’s Ex-Partners and Kids: What Happened to Them?
