Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Michael King, scheduling the 54-year-old convicted murderer for execution on March 17 at Florida State Prison for the brutal 2008 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 21-year-old mother Denise Amber Lee.

The Crime That Shocked Florida

On January 17, 2008, King, a plumber, abducted Lee from her home in Charlotte County. The young mother of two was the daughter of a sheriff’s sergeant. King first transported Lee to his residence, where he sexually assaulted her. He then placed her in his vehicle’s backseat while driving to his cousin’s house to obtain a flashlight, shovel, and gas can.

During the drive, Lee managed to access King’s cell phone and contact 911. The recording captured her desperate pleas, begging to be saved so she could return to her husband and children. Despite multiple 911 calls from witnesses, including one woman who followed King’s vehicle and provided detailed location information, no officers were dispatched to assist Lee.

Failed Emergency Response Leads to Reform

King ultimately drove Lee to a remote location where he shot her in the face and buried her body. The case exposed critical flaws in Florida’s emergency dispatch system. In 2010, the Florida Legislature passed the Denise Amber Lee Act, requiring the Department of Health to establish certification standards for 911 dispatchers.

The legislation mandated minimum 208-hour training programs for emergency dispatchers and required certification that applicants were not addicted to controlled substances. Previously, dispatch centers operated under their own training standards, with some operators handling emergency calls within days of being hired.

Justice After Years of Appeals

King was convicted of kidnapping, sexual battery, and first-degree murder in 2009. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed his convictions and death sentence in 2012, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied his petition for review. King’s subsequent appeals in state and federal courts have been unsuccessful. Lee’s oldest son, Noah, now grown, expressed gratitude that his family would not endure decades of waiting for justice. This marks the fourth death warrant DeSantis has signed in 2026, following Florida’s record-breaking 19 executions in 2025.