Billie Harrell. $31 Million Dollar Winner Commits Suicide!

Billie Harrell of Humble, Texas won 31 million dollars in the June 1997 Texas Lotto!
20 months later he lay dead from a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the chest!

What makes this story unique here at 'They Won The Lottery' is that I personally knew Billie and worked with him at the Humble, Texas 'Home Depot' store. Like all good stereotypes he was a very nice and hard working fellow, and everyone would say that if they couldn't win the lottery at least it was Billie. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

According to news stories Billie was in pretty dire financial times trying to support his wife and three teenage children. Until he landed that 31 million dollar prize.

"I wasn't going to give up," said Harrell, then 47. "Everyone kept telling me it would get better. I didn't realize it would get this much better."

After the first of 25 annual checks for $1.24 million was given to him Billie donated large sums of money to his church, bought a ranch, and a half-dozen homes for various family members.

Seems Billie was a bit too nice and an easy touch and his excess giving put a strain on his marriage. It is said that he spent so much that he was forced to trade away a large part of his future checks for a one time lump sum payment. Over $6 million in future payments for $2.35 in cash.

His wife was talking to a divorce attorney, and it seems Billie had found a young girlfriend at the pharmacy where he filled prescriptions for high blood pressure, depression, and acid reflux. Billie's weight dropped from 220 pounds to 170. Not much of a vision of lottery millionaire bliss.

And on May 22, 1999, 20 months after hitting lottery pay dirt, Harrell locked himself inside an upstairs bedroom of his fashionable Kingwood, Texas home and stood at the point of no return. Investigators say he stripped away his clothes, pressed a shotgun barrel against his chest and fired.

Shortly before his death, Harrell confided to a financial adviser: "Winning the lottery is the worst thing that ever happened to me."

Rest In Peace, Billie.

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