Three men burglarized the home of Jack Whittaker, winner of the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, as an acquaintance of Whittaker's lay dead inside.
Jackpot winner’s home burglarized — while dead body lay inside
WINFIELD, W.VA. - Three men burglarized the home of Jack Whittaker, winner of the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, as an acquaintance of Whittaker's lay dead inside, police said Tuesday.
Whittaker was not home at the time, and Chief Deputy John Dailey said the death of Jesse Joe Tribble, 18, was not related to the burglary, and was not a homicide.
"There were no remarkable signs that there was a struggle," said Chief Deputy John Dailey . "Drugs are a possibility."
Authorities found the body of Tribble, a friend of Whittaker’s granddaughter Brandi, at the millionaire businessman’s home around noon on Friday. One of the suspects, J.C. Shaver of Winfield, reported the death to police, according to a police report.
J.C. Shaver, 20; James Travis Willis, 25; and Jeffrey Dustin Campbell, 20, were charged with larceny and other offenses after being captured on a security camera that Whittaker recently had installed, authorities said.
Dailey said one of the three suspects had permission to be in Whittaker's home. "We don't know who let them in, but they didn't break in."
The theft took place Thursday night or Friday morning. Dailey would not say how the three knew about Tribble's death.
Police have recovered $15,000 worth of items taken from the home, according to Daily. He did not give a total for everything stolen.
Whittaker won the largest single jackpot in the nation's history when he hit a $314.9 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas Day 2002. He chose to accept a lump sum of about $113 million after taxes.
Since then, Whittaker's vehicle, business, and home have been broken into repeatedly. Last year, a strip club manager and his girlfriend were charged with drugging Whittaker and stealing a briefcase containing more than $500,000 in cash and cashier's checks. The money was recovered.
