20/20 on ABC: What happened to Michael Shaver?

20/20 ABC has again come up with a murder case involving betrayal and deceit, highlighting the consequences of a toxic relationship. This case dates back to 2015, when Michael and Laurie Shaver were a seemingly happy couple.

While Michael Shaver was a technician, his wife worked at an insurance company. The two lived together for decades and even raised two children. However, Michael Shaver suddenly stopped showing up for work as a mechanic at a theme park, sparking concerns among his co-workers.

When they reached out to his wife Laurie for answers, she claimed that she saw her husband last time when he drove off in a black SUV, making it look like Shaver was abandoning his family. Since Laurie Shaver didn't provide detailed answers, and Shaver's family and friends received strategic texts from him, his disappearance remained solved for almost two years.

The 20/20 ABC episodes explain that those messages indicated isolation, as if Michael Shaver never wants to see his family ever again. So, were the texts really from Michael? Or was it someone else impersonating him?

Continue reading to learn more about the case featured in ABC's 20/20 and where Michael Shaver's dead body was found.

ABC's 20/20 dives into the murder of a married man, Michael Shaver

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The Shaver couple, who looked normal from the outside, faced notable problems behind the closed doors. As mentioned above, ABC's 20/20 explores how Laurie Shaver, a seemingly happy woman and a mother of two, killed her husband.

What's even more chilling about this case on 20/20 is that Laurie married her second husband near the place where she buried Michale Shaver's dead body. Yes, you read it right. It was indeed Laurie who eliminated her husband in 2015.

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Investigation made Laurie Shaver a prime suspect in Michael Shaver's murder

Laurie Shaver became Laurie Filmer (Image via YouTube @COURT TV)

Two years passed, and there was no information about Michael Shaver's whereabouts. However, when Laurie's affair with a married man, Jereme Townsend, came to light, law enforcement got involved in the case.

One of Shaver's closest friends was highly concerned about his friend and urged for an extensive search. When investigators visited Laurie's house, they noticed a suspicious depression in the cement slab near a fire pit.

This helped them issue a search warrant, and when they excavated the area with the help of cadaver dogs, the investigators discovered Michael Shaver’s skeletal remains wrapped in a sheet. Later, it was revealed that he died of a gunshot at the back of his head.

As shared by 20/20, a key moment occurred when Shaver's 15-year-old daughter, Isabelle, took the witness stand during her mother's trial. The teenager claimed to have witnessed a violent confrontation between her parents, followed by Laurie shooting Miachel using a gun.

Since she was having an affair with Townsend at that time, Isabelle also claimed that the man took the gun from her mother and got involved in the crime. Per ABC News, prosecutors Nick Camuccio and Rich Buxman believed Laurie Shaver was the only person responsible for the murder.

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What happened to Laurie Shaver? ABC's 20/20 reveals the aftermath

There was enough evidence to prove that Laurie Shaver killed her husband, Michael Shaver, despite her claims that he was abusive and their marriage was marked by infidelity and betrayal. Not only this, she even claimed that Shaver was having an affair with Vanessa Townsend, which led to the ultimate end of their love.

Laurie Shaver failed to prove her claims, and on September 13, 2024, she was found guilty of second-degree murder and given a life sentence. The 20/20 episode offers exclusive interviews with several key figures like Michael Shaver's siblings and best friend, who talked about his untimely death. It also features the killer's second husband, Travis Filmer, who shares his perspective on the murder.