LAKE COUNTY, FLA. – Where is Michael Shaver? Is he OK? Why is he texting and sending strange messages – if at all? These are the kinds of questions friends and family members were asking before his body was discovered in his back yard and his wife, Laurie, charged with murder.
His youngest sister, Christine Quarte, said she texted and messaged Michael “as long as there was social media,’ but in late January 2016 she received a shocking reply: “Everyone needs to leave me alone, just like they did my entire life.”
Relations with his family admittedly were strained, his father, Douglas Shaver testified. He testified that he was estranged from his son for a time.
But it became clear, said Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman, that Shaver was carrying on “a façade,” pretending to be Michael since November 2015 when he was last seen by a coworker.
Michael’s niece, Desiree Snyder, became emotional when she testified about sending him a Facebook message. “Who are you?” was the reply. “I don’t have a family anymore. I have no clue who are, now stop messaging me.”
“Laurie would not have recognized Desiree’s maiden name, however, Michael obviously would,” the probable cause affidavit stated.
The defense strategy has become clear, with attorney Jeffrey Wiggs repeatedly asking the witnesses if they had ever been to the Shaver’s rural home in Clermont, witnessed any violent attacks, and questioning the strength of their relationship with the Epcot ride mechanic.
From the beginning he has attacked the state’s case, a common defense strategy, telling jurors the case is about what authorities don’t know, or don’t want to know. That includes Laurie’s claim that the couple’s 7-year-old daughter, Isabelle, shot Michael to protect her mother.
Wiggs has added a new wrinkle: A then-boyfriend who was unexpectedly at the house, took the gun and finished Michael off.
Jurors Tuesday also heard the testimony of Dr. Kyle Shaw who performed the autopsy. At one point, he unwrapped Shaver’s leg bone that had been sent off to the University of Florida to be examined by forensic experts there.
The cause of death he said, was “a gunshot to the back of the head.”
