Judge grants bond for woman accused of murdering husband, burying him in yard

TAVARES, Fla. - A judge has granted bond for the Lake County mother accused of killing her husband and burying his body in their back yard, then placing a fire pit over it. 

Laurie Shaver, 37, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Michael Shaver. 

“Who shot the deceased in this case?” Laurie Shaver’s defense attorney asked the lead detective in the investigation.  “I believe Laurie did,” the Lake County Sheriffs detective answered.  “Do you have the gun that shot Mr. Shaver?” Laurie’s attorney asked.  “I believe we do,” the detective said.

There were lots of questions and several witnesses testified during the bond hearing for Shaver.  Deputies said she killed her husband in November 2015, burying his body under a concrete slab in the back yard where they lived with their two young children as she moved on with another man. Shaver testified that, if released, she would be willing to wear a GPS monitoring device and that she’d be living with Travis Filmer, the father of her youngest two children. 

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Travis Fulmer testified that he and Shaver had been dating for more than a year, living in the home she bought with her husband when investigators dug up his body in the backyard.   

“At that point, what was your understanding of her marital status?” the prosecutor asked. “That she was divorced,” Filmer replied.  The detective testified that there were no court records showing either had filed for divorce.  The state did its best to try to keep Shaver behind bars.   

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“When her ex-husband's body is found on the property, it’s your testimony that you had no discussions whatsoever about how the body ended up there,” the prosecutor asked.  “No sir, not with her. I specifically stated we don't need to talk about it. It's none of my business,” Filmer said. 

A mental health counselor from the Lake County Jail testified that she did not believe Shaver was a danger to herself or her four children.  Ultimately, the judge ruled that Shaver has the right to bond.   

“The standard bond schedule for the Fifth Circuit is $50,000 for the charge of murder in second-degree. I think that is appropriate,” Judge Richard Singletary said. 

He also ruled that Shaver would be fitted with an ankle monitoring device, could not have any contact with her husband’s family, and cannot leave Lake County.