Writer
When it comes to winning the lottery, we all think it's this extravagant event. We won all this money, and our lives will never be the same again. No worries ever again, right?
That is how we picture it, but that is not how it always works out. For a lot of lottery winners, life got worse after they won their big jackpot. It's hard to imagine, but the more and more stories you read, the more and more likely it seems that a win in the lottery could be a bad thing.
However, it's all about how you manage those winnings and keeping your life in order. A lot of people let loose and lose all control. Things quickly unravel, and they end up on this list: the top five biggest lottery jackpot tragedies!
1: Mack Metcalf and Virginia Merida — $34 million jackpot winners
In 2000, Mack Metcalf and Virginia Merida won a $34 million jackpot in Kentucky. They wasted no time collecting their winnings and then started spending that cash on high-end items.
The couple went from worrying about how they would pay for their electric bill, buy groceries, or pay rent to feeling like they could afford to buy anything (and a lot of the time, they actually did buy that thing).
In 2001, the couple divorced, and they each started to live their own separate lives with their newfound wealth. Metcalf purchased a southern Kentucky estate that happened to be modeled after George Washington's Mount Vernon property. He also spent a large portion of his money on several vintage cars.
Meanwhile, Merida purchased a Mercedes-Benz and lived in a mansion near the Ohio River with her cats. While they had a short amount of time enjoying the influx of cash, things started to go bad quickly.
Metcalf's first wife sued him for $31,000 in unpaid child support. A former girlfriend also got $500,000 from Metcalf while he was allegedly drunk. For Merida, her brother started harassing her, and then a former boyfriend died of a drug overdose in her mansion.
In 2003, just three short years after their big lottery win, both Metcalf and Merida died within a short period of time from each other. Metcalf, who was 45 at the time, died from complications related to his alcoholism. Merida, who was 51 at the time, was found dead in her home by her son. Police said she was dead for a few days before her body was found, and they suspected she died from a drug overdose, and they didn't think it was foul play.
Those closest to Metcalf and Merida said their deaths were the result of winning the lottery. The couple had personal issues going on and had no experience managing all that money, so it ended up taking them both out.
2: Billie Bob Harrell Jr. — $31 million jackpot winner
Billie Bob Harrell Jr. was from Harris County, Texas, and worked at Home Depot when he hit a $31 million lottery jackpot in June 1997. He was the lone winner of a Lotto Texas jackpot, and the massive win was life-changing for Harrell before it took a tragic turn.
Life was rough for Harrell and his family before the Lotto Texas win. He was laid off from several jobs and was struggling to support his wife and their three kids. However, he purchased a Quick Pick ticket for Lotto Texas and won the $31 million jackpot in June 1997.
Harrell, a Pentecostal preacher, got his winnings and started using them to change his and his family's lives. He bought a ranch and then gifted new homes to other family members. He was buying new cars, traveling, and giving generously to the church, including 480 turkeys to the poor. If someone asked for a handout, Harrell had a hard time saying no, which is often the case when it comes to lottery winners.
Money issues started to cause a riff in his marriage, and he eventually split with his wife, Barbara Jean. After winning the lottery, he talked with a financial advisor and said winning the lottery was the “worst thing that ever happened” to him.
In 1999, just two years after his big lottery win, Harrell tragically took his own life. The Mirror reported that three notes were found near his body. One of those letters was addressed to his ex-wife, and it read, “I didn't want this. I just wanted you.”
3: Abraham Shakespeare — $30 million jackpot winner
If a defense is ever needed to show why lottery winners should be able to stay anonymous if they choose to be, then it would be the story of Abraham Shakespeare. He went from being a janitor to a multimillionaire in 2006. Then, three short years later, he was found dead.
Shakespeare was 47 when he won a $30 million jackpot in the Florida Lottery. He took the lump sum option, which gave him $17 million. He then proceeded to spend or give away most of that money in the next couple of years.
At the time, Shakespeare talked to the media and said he really wished he had his old life back. He just wanted to be able to walk the streets and not have people come up to him asking for money.
Things only got worse for Shakespeare when he befriended a woman named Doris “Dee Dee” Moore. Police said she kidnapped him and eventually killed him after swindling him out of his remaining money.
Shakespeare was shot twice in the chest sometime in April 2009 by Moore. However, he wasn't reported missing until November 2009. Then, in January 2010, authorities found his body under a 5-foot slab of concrete.
Police said Moore had his cell phone and was texting his friends months after he went missing, pretending to be Shakespeare. Moore was eventually convicted of murdering Shakespeare and is serving a life sentence.
4: William “Bud” Post — $16.2 million jackpot winner
From the mouth of William “Bud” Post, "Everybody dreams of winning money, but nobody realizes the nightmares that come out of the woodwork or the problems."
That is exactly what happened to Post, who won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988. Just one year after his big win, Post found himself $1 million in debt!
As Post said, the people came out of the woodwork for his money once he won the lottery. He had a former girlfriend successfully sue him, and she took a third of his winnings. Then, his own brother was arrested for allegedly trying to hire a hitman to kill him and his sixth wife. You know, with him dead, his inheritance would go to his brother, or so he thought.
It wasn't just people coming after him that got Post into debt. He definitely loved spending that money, too. He was buying houses, boats, and cars, and he even bought a twin-engine plane. Why? Not sure since he wasn't even licensed to fly it.
Post quickly sank into debt, and when a bill collector came to collect money from him, he fired a gun over his head. That landed Post in jail.
After serving his sentence and being released from jail, Post lived a quiet life. He survived on $450 a month and food stamps up until his death in 2006.
5: Alex and Rhoda Toth — $13 million jackpot winner
In a twist, Alex and Rhoda Toth were lottery winners who opted for the annual payments instead of the lump sum payment. Most of the tragic stories involve people who received all of the money at one time, but that was not the case for the Toths. However, their downfall did take longer than others.
Alex and Rhoda Toth had their lives changed when they won the Florida Lottery in 1990. The couple only had $24 to their name when they hit the $13 million jackpot, which they chose to get paid in installments of $666,666 annually until 2010.
The Toths may have spread their payments out over time, but they didn't waste any time spending their winnings. They were buying expensive gifts, flying on private jets across the world, and even meeting celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump.
They took a three-month trip to Las Vegas, where they happened to stay in a $1,000-a-night penthouse suite at the Mirage. In Florida, the couple purchased 10 acres of land.
While gambling got the Toths the big win, gambling also seemed to be the downfall for Alex. He never hired an accountant to deal with his taxes after the win. After winning the big jackpot in 1990, they filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and 2002.
Without an accountant in place to handle taxes, Alex and Rhoda ended up owing the IRS $2.5 million in unpaid taxes. In 2006, they were charged with tax fraud. Rhoda owed the IRS $1.1 million, and Alex owed $1.4 million.
The money was all gone by 2006, as the couple was living in Florida and using an extension cord rigged to their car engine as the only source of electricity powering their home. In 2007, the couple separated after Alex went to a medical facility to be treated for mental problems. He passed away in 2008 from a heart attack at the age of 60. He was broke and living off social security benefits.
Alex passed away before his trial for tax fraud started. Rhoda was convicted of tax fraud in 2008 and sentenced to two years in prison.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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