Husband Won $99,800 In The Lottery, Wife Kills Him To Take The Money For Herself | HO!!

For years, Curtis Lane believed he was doing everything right. He worked long hours, drove thousands of miles every week, and clung to the idea that persistence—not shortcuts—was the way out of financial strain. When a single lottery ticket finally delivered what felt like a miracle, Curtis thought his life was about to reset.

Instead, that $99,800 prize became the reason he never made it home.

A marriage under pressure

Curtis Lane, 33, worked as an intercity bus driver for Indian Trails, logging routes between Detroit, Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, and Chicago. His schedule kept him away from home four to five days a week, often sleeping in company-arranged motels. He lived with his wife, Trina Lane, in a rented duplex on Nottingham Road on Detroit’s east side.

Married since 2011, the couple had no children and no financial cushion. Credit cards were maxed out. Utility bills were overdue. Car payments had been missed. Curtis often voiced frustration that despite working constantly, nothing ever seemed to improve.

Trina, 32, worked as a front desk supervisor at Voleta, a women’s fashion boutique inside Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn. Her job offered flexibility—and privacy. According to investigators, that privacy became the cover for a secret relationship that would later prove deadly.

The affair Curtis never knew about

Earlier in 2018, Trina began an affair with Daryl Kraton, a 36-year-old security officer assigned to the mall. Coworkers later described Kraton as friendly but financially reckless, frequently borrowing money and complaining about debt.

What started as casual conversation escalated quickly into late-night messages and overnight stays. Trina told Curtis she was covering late shifts. In reality, she was spending multiple nights each week at Kraton’s apartment.

Text messages later recovered by police revealed conversations about “starting over” and “cutting ties.” Curtis, focused on keeping the household afloat, never saw it coming.

The ticket that changed everything

On August 10, 2018, while on a scheduled route with a stopover in Saginaw, Curtis stopped at a Speedway gas station on Dixie Highway and bought four Powerball tickets—something he had done almost weekly for years.

That night, in his motel room, he checked the numbers.

One ticket matched five numbers, missing only the Powerball. The prize: $99,800.

At 9:37 p.m., Curtis called Trina. Phone records later showed the call lasted several minutes. Trina’s reaction, according to Curtis, was overwhelming excitement. She insisted their problems were over and urged him to come home early.

For Curtis, the money represented stability. For Trina, investigators would later argue, it represented escape.

A rushed decision at the lottery office

On August 12, the couple traveled together to the Michigan Lottery claim center in Lansing. Curtis was offered two options: structured payments or a lump sum.

Trina pushed hard for the lump sum, warning him not to trust delays or banks. Curtis agreed.

Within 48 hours, the winnings were issued and deposited. Curtis immediately began paying down debt. Two credit cards totaling more than $14,000 were cleared. The car loan was paid off.

Then he withdrew roughly $40,000 in cash and placed it in a small metal lockbox at home.

To his sister, Shelanda Lane, Curtis sounded relieved for the first time in years. He talked about buying a modest house and cutting back on travel.

To Trina, those plans created a problem.

A plan takes shape

In messages later recovered from electronic devices, Trina told Kraton that Curtis would never willingly give her control of the money. She framed the situation as a one-time opportunity to start a new life.

Investigators say the plan that emerged was chillingly calculated: incapacitate Curtis, dispose of his body, and claim he abandoned her with the cash.

To prepare, Trina obtained sedatives—Zolpidem tablets—through a coworker, claiming she suffered from insomnia. Digital searches showed she researched dosages weeks before the crime.

The night Curtis never woke up

On the evening of August 26, 2018, Curtis was home, not scheduled to travel. He and Trina watched television. Trina poured him a glass of whiskey and mixed in crushed sedatives.

By 11:30 p.m., Curtis was unconscious.

Shortly after midnight, Kraton arrived in his dark Ford F-150, parking on a side street. Curtis was bound at the wrists and ankles with zip ties, wrapped in a bedsheet, and carried out of the duplex.

Surveillance footage later showed a figure consistent with Kraton’s build loading a heavy bundle into the truck.

Cell phone data placed both Trina and Kraton driving north on I-75.

At approximately 3:00 a.m., they stopped on Stanley Road Bridge over Holloway Reservoir in Genesee County.

Curtis—sedated, restrained, and still alive—was pushed into the water.

A lie told to family and police

By morning, Trina returned home, showered, and packed a suitcase. Two days later, she called Shelanda Lane, claiming Curtis had left without explanation, possibly with another woman—and taken the money.

Shelanda didn’t believe it.

Curtis had just spoken about buying a home. He would never disappear without a word.

On August 29, Shelanda requested a welfare check from the Detroit Police Department. Officers found the duplex eerily intact: Curtis’s uniform folded, his jacket hanging, a half-packed suitcase on the bed.

A missing-person report was filed.

Evidence begins to surface

Detectives contacted the Michigan Lottery and confirmed the payout. Bank records showed Curtis and Trina together withdrawing large sums of cash. Attempts to reach Trina failed. Her phone was off. The duplex had been vacated.

Then another report came in: more than $7,000 missing from the boutique where Trina worked. Security footage showed her entering after hours with a large tote bag.

At the same time, Kraton stopped reporting for work.

Both were named persons of interest.

The body in the reservoir

Days later, fishermen spotted a body floating near Holloway Reservoir. Dental records confirmed it was Curtis Lane.

The autopsy revealed contusions from restraints and sedatives in his system. The cause of death was drowning.

It was ruled a homicide.

License plate readers tracked Kraton’s truck crossing into Ohio. On September 1, U.S. Marshals found Trina and Kraton hiding in a budget motel near Dayton with cash, documents, and the original lottery certificate.

Trial and punishment

Text messages, forensic evidence, and financial records painted a clear picture of premeditation.

A Wayne County jury convicted both defendants on all counts.

Trina Lane was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Daryl Kraton received 40 years, eligible for parole after 30.

At Curtis’s funeral, Shelanda held a copy of the lottery confirmation.

“He finally believed things were about to get better,” she said. “That belief is what killed him.”

When a miracle becomes a motive

Curtis Lane’s story is remembered not as a tale of bad luck, but as a warning. A modest lottery win—never even six figures—was enough to expose greed, betrayal, and a willingness to kill.

For Curtis, the money symbolized hope.

For his wife, it became permission.

And in the end, the prize that was supposed to change his life became the reason it was taken away.