Powerball winner blew £21m and died broke after living in poo-covered shed
David Lee Edwards won a share of the Powerball jackpot in 2001 and spent his fortune on a lavish lifestyle including mansions, jets and supercars – but within five years he was penniless
David Lee Edwards lost it all (Image: Supplied )
You might assume that scooping $27million (£21m) on Powerball would secure you financially for life – but this certainly wasn’t the reality for David Lee Edwards. He was out of work when he claimed the enormous jackpot in 2001 and discussed how he planned to handle the windfall.
David, an ex-offender from Ashland, Kentucky, explained: “You know, a lot of people, they’re out of work. Doesn’t have hardly anything. And so I didn’t want to accept this money by saying I’m going to get mansions and I’m going to get cars, I’m going to do this and that. I would like to accept it with humility.”
Yet, merely five years afterwards, he found himself broke, and below we examine where everything went disastrously wrong – and how he ended up residing in a shed smeared with human excrement.
Following his victory in the Powerball draw, which is the world’s largest lottery which arrived in the UK last month, Edwards wed his partner, Shawna Maddux, in Malibu, California.
The newlyweds utilised their wealth to party lavishly and it wasn’t long before they began making some outrageous purchases – including a sprawling home, a private aircraft and an array of luxury motors. He blew £67,000 on a Dodge Viper and £160,000 on a Lamborghini Diablo.
He was a convicted felon from Ashland, Kentucky(Image: Palm Beach Garden Police)
They also squandered £1.5m on an exclusive tennis and golf resort in Palm Beach, Florida, alongside a neighbouring estate. Millions were also squandered on a limousine enterprise, thoroughbred horses and a fibre optics installation firm that cost him £3.3m.
Within just 12 months of his lottery triumph, he had frittered away almost £9m.
Astonishingly, the couple depleted their fortune at breakneck speed. Contemporary reports revealed that Edwards, who battled substance abuse issues, ended up residing in a storage unit alongside his wife in California.
Disturbingly, the makeshift dwelling was reportedly contaminated with human excrement.
Edwards, who had served a third of his existence behind bars for armed robbery, began experiencing deteriorating health. After Shawna departed and wed another man, she welcomed him into her fresh household and ultimately secured him a place in a hospice facility where he drew his last breath aged 58.
David Lee Edwards with his wife Shawna Maddux(Image: David Lee Edwards)
During his final years, Edwards owed debts to various individuals, and was frequently spotted purchasing lottery tickets at his neighbourhood shop, desperately hoping for another windfall opportunity.
His substance dependency tragically began following a motor accident, with chronic back pain leading him to OxyContin. This resulted in arrests for possessing illegal substances including crack cocaine, and he contracted hepatitis through contaminated syringes.
Following his passing, he left behind daughter Tiffani, who subsequently spoke to Mail Online, condemning his former spouse.
She stated: “Shawna just started acting crazy. It was drugs that’s all.
“People kept telling my dad he should get rid of her but he never could. He tried to get her into rehab and she went a few times.
“He told me, near the end, that his one regret was not getting rid of Shawna and looking after himself but they were hooked on each other. And then they were just hooked on drugs.”
Edwards with his daughter Tiffani in 2010(Image: David Lee Edwards)
She also disclosed that her father had vowed to put aside $1million for her, yet she was left empty-handed following his passing.
In a Facebook post, Tiffani, who found herself employed as a clerk at a theme park, declared: “There is NO MONEY anywhere! ! ! !”.
She explained they held a modest service for her father, which she didn’t want to become a “circus like his life was”.
Tiffani continued: “He was a good man. I know he made wrong choices but he was a good man. Would he still be alive if he hadn’t won? Yes, I think he would.”
