The Shocking Timeline: 7 Chilling Facts About The Lori And Michael Shaver Murder Case

The tragic and bizarre case of Michael Shaver's disappearance and murder, orchestrated by his wife, Laurie Leigh Shaver, has finally reached its devastating conclusion, with the latest updates confirming a life sentence. The story, which spanned nearly a decade from the victim's disappearance to the final verdict, captivated true crime audiences with its shocking details, including a body buried beneath a fire pit in the family's own backyard in Clermont, Florida. As of today, December 11, 2025, the focus remains on the severe consequences faced by Laurie Shaver and the long-awaited justice for Michael Shaver.

This article dives deep into the timeline, the evidence, and the key players in the "Buried in the Backyard Murder Trial," providing the most current and comprehensive analysis of one of Florida's most disturbing domestic violence cases. The fresh details from the recent conviction and sentencing reveal the calculated deception that allowed the crime to remain hidden for years.

Biographical Profile: Michael Douglas Shaver and Laurie Leigh Shaver

The lives of Michael and Laurie Shaver were, on the surface, a typical family unit in Clermont, Florida, until one partner's calculated actions shattered that normalcy forever. The details revealed during the trial paint a picture of a relationship that ended in a tragic act of violence and a multi-year cover-up.

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• Victim: Michael Douglas Shaver
  • Full Name: Michael Douglas Shaver.
  • Date of Birth: January 14, 1982.
  • Age at Disappearance: 33 (he was 36 when his body was found, but last seen at 33).
  • Last Seen: November 2015.
  • Residence: Clermont, Florida.
  • Circumstances of Death: Fatally shot by his wife, Laurie Shaver.
• Perpetrator: Laurie Leigh Shaver (Also known as Lori Shaver)
  • Full Name: Laurie Leigh Shaver.
  • Age at Conviction: 41.
  • Residence: Clermont, Florida.
  • Charges: Second-degree murder with a firearm, domestic violence, and accessory after the fact.
  • Conviction Date: September 14, 2023.
  • Sentence: Life in prison (Sentenced on November 25, 2023).
  • Cover-Up: Told friends Michael quit his job and left the family.

The Disappearance and The Years of Deception

Michael Shaver was last seen alive in November 2015. His sudden and unexplained absence immediately raised red flags among his friends and co-workers, who knew his character and found his wife's explanations suspicious.

Laurie Shaver began telling a carefully constructed lie: that Michael had quit his job and abandoned his family. This narrative was intended to explain his silence and absence, effectively halting any immediate police investigation into a missing person's case.

The deception was so effective that Michael Shaver was not officially reported missing until February 2018—over two years after he was last seen. It took a concerned friend contacting the Lake County Sheriff's Office to finally initiate a formal investigation. The friend's suspicion was rooted in the fact that Michael, a man with a steady job and family, would not simply vanish without a trace.

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Investigators soon focused on Laurie Shaver and the property she shared with Michael. The initial investigation stalled, but a crucial tip eventually led deputies back to the Clermont home. The search warrant executed in 2018 led to the gruesome discovery that confirmed the worst fears of Michael's loved ones.

The Shocking Discovery Under the Fire Pit

The turning point in the case came when investigators began examining the backyard of the Shaver residence. Michael Shaver's remains were found buried beneath a newly constructed fire pit on the property. This discovery immediately transformed the missing person case into a homicide investigation.

The medical examiner confirmed that Michael Shaver had been fatally shot, and the manner of his burial—under a structure designed to be permanent—indicated a premeditated attempt to conceal the crime indefinitely. The sheer audacity of the cover-up, living for years with the victim's body literally steps from the back door, shocked the community and the investigators.

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Following the discovery, Laurie Shaver was arrested in 2020. At the time of her arrest, she had remarried, adding another layer of calculated deception to her actions. The charges leveled against her were second-degree murder, domestic violence, and accessory after the fact.

The "Buried in the Backyard" Murder Trial and Conviction

The trial, officially titled "FL v. Laurie Shaver," became a media sensation, often dubbed the "Buried in the Backyard Murder Trial." The prosecution laid out a compelling case detailing the sequence of events, the cover-up, and the financial motives that often accompany domestic murders.

The trial featured testimony from friends, co-workers, and investigators, painting a picture of Laurie Shaver's increasingly erratic behavior after Michael's disappearance. Crucially, the prosecution presented evidence that Laurie had attempted to shift blame for the murder onto her own young daughter, who was just 7 years old at the time of the crime. This disturbing allegation was a key element in establishing her callousness and manipulative nature.

After hearing the evidence, the jury delivered its verdict on September 14, 2023. Laurie Leigh Shaver was found guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm.

The Final Sentence and Closure for the Shaver Family

The conviction paved the way for the final, definitive stage of the legal process: sentencing. On November 25, 2023, Laurie Shaver returned to court to face the consequences of her actions.

Judge Rada, presiding over the case, sentenced 41-year-old Laurie Leigh Shaver to the maximum penalty. She received a sentence of life in prison for the murder of Michael Douglas Shaver. This sentence ensures that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars, finally bringing a measure of justice and closure to Michael's family and friends who had searched for him for so long.

The life sentence serves as a definitive end to the nearly decade-long saga of deception, violence, and concealment that began in November 2015. The case of Laurie and Michael Shaver remains a chilling example of the lengths a person will go to cover up a heinous crime, only to be undone by the relentless pursuit of justice.

Key Entities and LSI Keywords

The following entities and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords were integral to the investigation and trial, demonstrating the full scope of the case:

• Michael Douglas Shaver
• Laurie Leigh Shaver
• Clermont, Florida
• Lake County Sheriff's Office
• Second-degree murder with a firearm
• FL v. Laurie Shaver
• Buried in the Backyard Murder Trial
• Domestic violence case
• Life in prison sentence
• November 2015 disappearance
• Fire pit discovery
• New husband
• Accessory after the fact
• September 14, 2023 conviction