Murder of Denise Amber Lee

Overview

Denise Amber Lee (née Goff), a 21-year-old mother of a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old, was abducted from her home in North Port, Florida, on January 17, 2008. She was raped and murdered by 36-year-old Michael Lee King, a neighbor she did not know, who buried her body in a shallow grave. Her body was found two days later, on January 19, 2008.

The Abduction and 9-1-1 Failures

King, an unemployed plumber facing foreclosure, abducted Lee from her home around 2 p.m. while her husband Nathan was at work and their two children were left alone. Nathan discovered his wife missing and the windows closed—despite her telling him earlier that day she had opened them—prompting the first 9-1-1 call around 3:29 p.m. King took Lee to his home, where prosecutors described a "rape room" containing duct tape and other evidence, and later to his cousin Harold Muxlow's home, where he borrowed a shovel, gas can, and flashlight.

While King was briefly away from the vehicle, Lee took his cell phone and called 9-1-1 herself at 6:14 p.m., pleading for her life and saying "please" 17 times while pretending to still be speaking with King so as not to alert him. She was unable to give her exact location, and police could not trace the prepaid cell phone. This call later became central evidence at trial.

Separately, at 6:30 p.m., motorist Jane Kowalski called 9-1-1 after witnessing what she believed was a possible child abduction involving a Camaro at a traffic light, including screaming and a hand striking the passenger window. Because her call was placed just over the county line, it was routed to Charlotte County's 911 center and was mishandled—not properly forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. King was arrested at 9:15 p.m., roughly six hours after Lee was first reported missing.

Trial and Conviction

The trial, State of Florida vs. Michael L. King, began August 24, 2009, in Sarasota County, presided over by Judge Deno Economou. Prosecutor Lon Arend presented DNA and forensic evidence, including hair and personal items recovered from King's Camaro, his home, and the grave site, along with clothing, duct tape, a shell casing, the shovel, and King's cell phone. Eyewitnesses including Jane Kowalski and King's cousin testified. The defense, led by Public Defender Carolyn Schlemmer, argued evidence tampering and contamination and suggested another person was responsible, an approach the judge disapproved of; the defense called no witnesses.

On August 28, 2009, after just over two hours of deliberation, the jury convicted King of kidnapping with intent to commit a felony, sexual battery, and first-degree murder. On September 4, 2009, the jury recommended a death sentence by a 12–0 vote.

Execution and Legacy

King was executed by lethal injection on March 17, 2026, after Governor Ron DeSantis scheduled the execution on February 13, 2026. The case prompted Florida's unanimous passage of the Denise Amber Lee Act on April 24, 2008, providing for voluntary 9-1-1 operator training, and the June 2008 founding of the Denise Amber Lee Foundation, which promotes standardized 9-1-1 training. Lee's husband and father have continued to lobby for nationwide mandatory training and certification for 9-1-1 dispatchers.