The story of the "Lottery Killer" is usually focused on the money. We talk about the $17 million that Abraham Shakespeare won, the concrete slab in the backyard, and the chilling manipulation Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore used to dismantle a man's life. But there’s a side to this story that rarely makes the headlines anymore. It’s about the kid caught in the middle.
RJ Moore was just a teenager when his mother became one of the most notorious names in Florida true crime history. Honestly, it's hard to imagine the weight that puts on a person. While the world watched the trial of a woman a judge described as "cold, calculating, and cruel," a 14-year-old boy was watching his entire world collapse in real-time.
The Son Dorice Dee Dee Moore Tried to Blame
When things started getting heated during the investigation into Abraham Shakespeare’s disappearance, Dee Dee Moore didn’t just deflect toward drug dealers or mysterious lawyers. She did something most parents find unthinkable. She actually tried to point the finger at her own son.
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During the frantic period before her arrest, Moore told police various versions of what happened to Shakespeare. In one of those versions, she claimed her 14-year-old son, RJ, was the one who shot the lottery winner in self-defense. Think about that for a second. She was willing to let her child take the fall for a capital murder charge to keep herself out of a orange jumpsuit.
It didn't work. The police saw right through it. They knew the timeline didn't fit, and the forensic evidence—specifically the body buried under a concrete slab at a property Moore controlled—pointed directly at her. But the damage to that mother-son relationship was already done.
Growing Up in the Shadow of a Life Sentence
RJ was born in 1995, back when Moore was married to James Moore. By the time the trial wrapped up in 2012, his mother was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Basically, RJ spent his transition into adulthood with a mother behind bars at the Lowell Correctional Institution. He wasn't just dealing with a parent in prison; he was dealing with the stigma of being the son of a woman who was globally mocked and vilified. In a 2011 interview with The Ledger, RJ spoke about how difficult it was to walk through school while people whispered. He mentioned that he "just wanted it all to be over."
You’ve gotta feel for him. He was described by those who knew him then as a quiet kid who stayed out of trouble, which is a stark contrast to the chaotic, scam-filled life his mother led. While Dee Dee was busy buying Hummers and Corvettes with Shakespeare's money, RJ was just trying to survive high school without being harassed by the media.
Where is RJ Moore Now?
Most people wonder if he still talks to her. It’s complicated. Over the years, Dee Dee Moore has been incredibly vocal from prison. She’s appeared on shows like Killer Post and American Greed, and she’s constantly filing for new trials—most recently in 2023. She often mentions her family, claiming her silence during the trial was an attempt to "protect" them.
But RJ has largely chosen the path of anonymity. Smart move.
There are no public social media accounts where he’s flaunting his connection to the case. He’s not out here writing "my mother the killer" memoirs. From what can be gathered through public records and family associates, he has attempted to build a life far away from the Lakeland and Plant City drama. He’s in his late 20s now, likely working a regular job and trying to be more than just a footnote in a Wikipedia article about a murder.
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The Impact of the "Lottery Curse" on the Family
The ripple effect of Dee Dee Moore’s actions didn't just end with Abraham Shakespeare’s death. It fractured her own family. Her husband, James, eventually distanced himself. The financial assets she "seized" were clawed back or vanished into legal fees.
What’s often missed is that RJ lost his mother twice. First, to the greed that drove her to target Shakespeare, and second, to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Experts in criminal psychology often look at the children of high-profile "manipulators" like Moore. Dr. Stanton Samenow, a noted expert in the field, often discusses how children of "narcissistic offenders" have to undergo a process of "de-identification." They have to prove to themselves, and the world, that they aren't their parents. RJ seems to be doing exactly that by staying out of the spotlight.
What We Can Learn From This
Looking at the case of the Dorice Dee Dee Moore son, there are some pretty heavy takeaways for anyone following true crime or family law.
- The "Protective" Narrative is Often Fake: When Moore claimed she didn't testify to "protect her family," the judge and prosecutors saw it as another manipulation tactic. It’s a common trope for defendants to use family as a shield even when they’ve already put those family members in harm's way.
- Legacy is Not Destiny: RJ Moore is a living example that you don't have to follow the path of a parent, even one as dominant and destructive as Dee Dee.
- The Media’s Short Memory: The public devours the crime but rarely checks in on the secondary victims—the kids who have to live with the surname.
If you’re looking to understand the full scope of this case, don't just look at the court transcripts. Look at the local reporting from the Tampa Bay Times or The Ledger from 2010 to 2012. It provides a much more human perspective on how a small community was rocked and how a young man was left to pick up the pieces while his mother was led away in chains.
The best thing anyone can do for someone in RJ's position is to let them stay in the shadows. He didn't ask for the "Dee Dee Moore" brand. He's just a guy who happens to have a very famous, very imprisoned mother.
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To get a clearer picture of the legal hurdles the family faced, you should review the 2012 sentencing documents from the Hillsborough County Circuit Court. These records detail not just the crime, but the testimony regarding Moore’s personal life and her failed attempts to use her son as an alibi. It’s a sobering reminder that in the world of high-stakes crime, the closest relatives are often the first to be sacrificed.