On Denise's behalf, Way entered a plea of not guilty. The following year his father died. After five 16-hour days of digging 9-foot-deep (2.7m) holes in the mud at that corner of the lake, all the while holding back the lake waters by dams and pumps amid the constant presence of eels and water moccasins, the FDLE was ready to hire a private contractor to finish the job. "They botched it." [7], In 2011, the case made it into two other media formats. Denise distanced herself from Mike's family, cutting off communication between them and her daughter, according to those close to the Williamses. So, months later she petitioned in court to have her husband be declared legally dead and collected the $1.75 million from the three separate life insurance policies that were in Mikes name. After years of pressure from Williams's mother, Cheryl, the case was reopened in 2004 by the FDLE. The judge ruled Williams will have credit for the time she has served so far. As for Williams' mom, Cheryl, she's understandably heartbroken that she will never get her son back, but it's all because of her efforts that the truth finally came to light. He got Mikes body into his car, pushed the boat back into the lake, and drove 60 miles to Carr Lake to bury him in the mud. [14] Before graduation, he was hired by Ketcham Appraisal Group as a property appraiser. It turned out that the governor's office had forwarded them, unopened, to FDLE's headquarters, where they were placed in the case file. Since Mike's death could no longer be passed off as a boating accident, Winchester buried the body where it was later found, then cleaned out his truck and went to a family Christmas party, where he learned that a search was underway. She did not speak to the media about how she reacted to the news. Carrie Cox, the psychic and profiler who had identified a possible burial site at which no body was found, published Alligator Alibi, a lengthy book with documents from the investigation, Cheryl Williams's notes, and her own commentary. However, Winchester didn't follow through with killing his ex-wife, Kathy. Denise Williams stands trial in Leon County, Florida for the December 16, 2000 murder of her husband, who went by Mike. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years. Her mother was a nurse and her father, a security professional. Years ago, because of her insistence that Mike's disappearance be investigated, Denise cut ties between Cheryl and Anslee. "We don't know what the smoking gun is, but we hope someone will find it," she said. In May 2018, Denise Williams was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and accessory. Not knowing that just two years later, he'd be the one to crack. [11], Denise's attorney declined to comment at that time, saying he had not had time to review the case. "Mike would have wanted her to have this," said Cheryl Williams, Mike's mom and Anslee's grandmother. According to a friend who hunted with him frequently, including one week before his disappearance, Williams took safety very seriously, keeping his guns at work, away from his daughter, among other precautions. Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. A day after his sentence was announced, the law members found Mikes body. Williams's Bronco and the boat had been returned to his family and friends, the footsteps of the many volunteers and searchers all over the lakeshore had made it impossible to collect any evidence from that area, and the items later recovered from the lake had not been retained. I think something is there. [15], However, Brian Jones, an expert in insurance law at Florida State University, told the Democrat that any fraud case would have to rest on more than just those facts already known to have aroused investigative interest. Her attorney argued before the Florida First District Court of Appeals that there was no evidence she was involved in the commission of the murder. Denise Williams resentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy in husbands death. [3], If Williams had drowned after accidentally falling out of his boat, his body would be the only one of 80 known deaths in the lake never to have been found. The case broke open in 2016 when Denise Williams' then husbandBrian Winchesterwas arrested for kidnapping her. The indictment states that Denise Williams and Brian Winchester, her husband's best friend, plotted for nearly nine months to kill the 31-year-old. Denise and Mike Williams with their daughter Anslee. The victim went missing that day after going out on a duck hunting trip to Lake Seminole, but his body didn't turn up. The immunity deal followed a plea and sentencing agreement with prosecutors after Winchester kidnapped Denise in the final days of their marriage because he was afraid she would pin the murder on him alone. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18 He said he. Mike Williams's death, prosecutors say, was the product of a poisonous love triangle involving two sets of high school sweethearts that spiraled from infidelity to murder. "Something sounds fishy on that deal," the representative said when the situation was described to him. The truth, though, was that Denise had been cheating on Mike with his best friend, Brian Winchester, since 1997. Secretly recorded phone conversations in which Denise Williams was confronted about her first husband's . In 2001, she said, they were planning to go on a cruise in Hawaii that spring; later in the year he expected to travel to Jamaica for work as well. Denise Huxtable Kendall is a fictional character who appears on the American sitcom The Cosby Show (1984-1992), portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet.Denise also stars in the first season of its spin-off sitcom, A Different World (1987). She did not speak or offer any argument on her behalf. Brian, on the other hand, disobeyed the plan, and the two only managed to kill Mike. She said later that he claimed this was necessary since she was not taking his calls and was blocking his text messages. His coworkers said he was as devoted to her as he was to his work. [15], By the eighth anniversary of Williams's disappearance, however, the DIF had closed the case. He found it convenient that the indictment came after Winchester had been imprisoned for several months. She died from exsanguination, or massive blood loss, due to multiple stab wounds, according to a preliminary autopsy; she also had numerous defensive injuries on her hands, palms, and forearms. But because of Cheryl Williams' efforts to reopen the investigation, over 17 years later, the remains of Williams' body were found and authorities actually confirmed that he was murdered. They formed a connection, a relationship, and fell in love hard and fast. He said later he never was and was merely trying to comfort her; FDLE said his involvement was limited to asking his superiors if the agency could help with the search; it did not see a need to formally investigate his role. [11], The three-page indictment was released two days later. Her efforts had severely strained her relationship with her former daughter-in-law.[6]. If she violates terms of the agreement, the state could force her to turn over $150,000 in damages. It has since been suggested that the search might have been continued had Denise Williams indicated an interest in such. But if Michael Williams was to be proven dead and the beneficiary were to have shown to have been involved, or if he was still alive (as his mother and many residents of Jackson County believed possible),[3] then an insurance company would strongly consider pursuing a case. "Our job was extremely difficult, and we were simply unable to develop enough evidence to proceed with the investigation," Schlein said. [24], Ethan Way, Denise's lawyer, said his client was innocent of all the charges. Mike Williams mother delivered a heartbreaking testimony. The storm the night after he was reported missing had westerly winds that should have blown the abandoned, unmoored boat across the lake to the Georgia side. [2], In 1999, Williams's only child, a daughter, was born. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. "[8], In 2012, Denise and Brian Winchester separated, reportedly due to his sex addiction; she filed for divorce in 2015. Later that year, Williams told his mother, whom he had been consoling, that he would have liked to have $50,000 to take the next year off. The chilling disappearance and murder of Jerry Michael Williams, or Mike as he preferred to go by, has been covered by CBSs 48 Hours. And with it, we have gotten to know a lot more information about the parties that were involved and how they got away with being criminals for almost two decades. (Featured Image Credit: Alicia Devine / Tallahassee Democrat via AP), #DeniseWilliams Judge formally sentences Williams to life in prison for the murder of her husband. Contact News Director Jennifer Portman at jportman@tallahassee.com. Denise Williams will have to serve out a full 30-year sentence for her role in conspiring to kill her husband Mike Williams more than two decades ago. Copyright 2023 Distractify. SOLE CARDOZO WIKI, BIOGRAPHY, AGE, FAMILY, CAREER, FACTS & MORE. Anslees life was flipped upside down when her father, Mike, vanished without a trace, and an inquiry revealed her mother guilty of her fathers death nearly seventeen years later. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Denise Williams is seen above in court at her resentencing, Denise and her then-lover Brian Winchester were both accused of working together to kill her husband Mike Williams, Denise Williams will now serve 30 years, after previously been sentenced to life in prison, Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian, Mike and Denises daughter, who was 18 months when the murder happened, spoke in court and asked for leniency for her mother, Florida woman Denise Williams who plotted her husbands murder with her lover decades ago is re-sentenced, Michael K. Williams' grieving nephew rejects uncle's death was a drug overdose and vows autopsy 'will happen', BMW driver, 24, knocked boy into the air as his sister watched in terror after running through red light, Trump says boxing match against Biden would be his 'easiest fight' & thinks president would go down 'very, very quickly', Aussie health chief sparks new world order conspiracy frenzy by using sinister phrase about draconian Covid lockdown, Perv stabbed woman with syringe filled with his SEMEN in horrifying supermarket attack, Terrifying T-Rex 'cousin' 26 feet long with 'shark teeth' was TOP of food chain 90million years ago. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. Listen to Brian Winchesters account of what happened the day that he killed Mike Williams. Normally, under Florida law, the statute of limitations on that crime is five years, meaning it would have expired in 2005. During the hearing Thursday, Denise Williams sister, daughter and friend testified asking for the minimum sentence of 21 months. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - An appellate panel dismissed first-degree murder charges against Denise Williams on Wednesday, overturning her sentence of life in prison. [22], No mention was made of the Williams case at Brian Winchester's sentencing, although State Attorney Jack Campbell told the media that he hoped the case against Winchester would help authorities solve that disappearance.