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His office kept the case open, and had some persons of interest, although he did not identify them. But it can be extended by three years under certain circumstances. In 1994, the couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in front of their friends and family in Florida and started a life together in its capital state Tallahassee. After subsequent investigations, he was presumed to have drowned in Lake Seminole, a large reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida; investigators later came to suspect he had been the victim of foul play, possibly at another location. He acted independently of her. Cadaver dogs were brought to the area and sniffed it out, but found nothing. Want to get an all access pass to the latest tallahassee.com news, analysis, commentary, photos and video?Become a digital subscriber to support our investigative journalism. They remain estranged. "It's a burden lifted," she said. Her ex-husband and Mike Williams' best friend, Brian Winchester, was also charged, although he was already in prison at the time. She ran advertisements in local newspapers, and put up billboards seeking information. Instead of building a house, the parents saved their money so both boys, who helped by working nights at supermarkets, could attend North Florida Christian High School. He also married Denise and had a daughter. In 2019, Anslee Williams got $877,000 in assets, increasing her net worth. Denise married husband Lincoln Townley in 2013 and was previously married to actor Tim Healy between from 1988 until 2012. [28], Prosecutors also played a taped phone conversation in which Kathy Thomas, who was working with police at the time, had told Denise she knew the truth about the crime. After allof her assets were voluntarily given to Mike Williams' sole heir, the purpose of the charge was fulfilled. [17], Starting on New Year's Day in 2012, Cheryl began writing one letter a day to Governor Rick Scott, asking him to either have another agency besides FDLE investigate or appoint a special prosecutor to do so. [23], On October 18, the team of search dogs and officers finally found Mike Williams's remains in the piles of dirt stacked on plywood sheets. No body was found, however. Wendy Williams attended the Daniel's Leather Fashion Show. 1973). Had it not been for an intuitive mom who suspected foul play after her son's disappearance in 2000, people would still be convinced that Mike Williams actually drowned and got eaten by alligators. 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 story behind this killing is bit convoluted. "These waders, we don't know where they came from," Austin said. She is the eldest child in a family that includes four children. Williams-Winchester has been serving her time at the Florida Womens Reception Center, located in Ocala, Marion County, Fla. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Contact News Director Jennifer Portman at jportman@tallahassee.com. [9] In 2016, Winchester was arrested on charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly kidnapped Denise, the missing man's widow, who was now divorcing him;[10] he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the day before the FDLE announced that Williams's body had been found. Brian had cracked and told them the truth, but, it was in exchange for complete immunity. [17], Despite the failure of a third investigation to discern the fate of her son, Cheryl Williams persisted. The second-born child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, Denise is known for her eccentric clothing and free-spirited, rebellious nature, earning her a reputation as . She faces two to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy. Efforts continued until the search was called off in early February. Denise Williams said her purpose is to serve incarcerated women and help them lead successful lives. The following year his father died. However, their relationship didnt go as well as they had expected and they separated in 2012. "[3], However, the new investigation was made extremely difficult by the deficiencies of the original search, when criminal activity had not been considered. Williams was 5feet 10inches (1.78m) and 170 pounds (77kg). Perry, the FFWCC officer who had been heavily involved in the original search, added at the time that if he or any other person investigating had known that there was a large life insurance policy on Williams, and who the beneficiary was, that search might have been handled differently. At the age of 15, he began duck hunting as a hobby, and also came to know fellow student Denise Merrell. Anslee Williams, Mike Williams' only daughter, was accessible to the media and gave interviews about her father's murder case. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Denise Williams has been resentenced to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy conviction in her husbands death. Four pieces of Tallahassee real estate are included in the assets, including her parents home on Centennial Oaks Circle. [11], Denise's attorney declined to comment at that time, saying he had not had time to review the case. She added that she is alone among her family in holding out hope that her son is still alive. All Rights Reserved. And fortunately, it looks like the tragedy surrounding her family isn't slowing her down. If she's locked up forever, you can't say you're happy. SOLE CARDOZO WIKI, BIOGRAPHY, AGE, FAMILY, CAREER, FACTS & MORE. A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denise's behest, she was found guilty of all charges. On the morning of December 16, 2000, Williams seemingly disappeared during a duck hunt. A FLORIDA woman found guilty of plotting her husband's murder with her then-lover decades ago has been re-sentenced. However, they declined to release any details of how he had been killed, who might be a suspect or person of interest, or where the body had been found, saying they were withholding that information since only the perpetrators would be expected to know it. "We have suspicions, but what we need is evidence. She didnt want to be known as a divorcee or share custody of their daughter, so she got Brian to help her in getting rid of her husband for once and for all. After Williams's boat was found abandoned on the lake, the initial theory was that he had fallen out of it after a collision. [6] It was eventually concluded that his body had been eaten by alligators. If I had not done what I did for 17 years, Mikes disappearance never would have been solved. Some investigators felt aspects of the case were not consistent with the alligator theory. [3], Searchers focused on the 10 acres (4.0ha) of the lake surrounding the cove where Williams's truck was parked. Both agreed to get rid of their spouses so that they could be together and collect the insurance money. Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. According to Dateline in 2018, Anslee Williams is still residing in Florida because her family is from the state. [13] On the water, he never put his waders on until he had reached the point where he planned to get out and start hunting, following a common safety procedure in order to avoid the type of accident from which he was later believed to have died. To this day, she is behind bars, and, as in Florida life means life, she will spend the rest of her days there. '"[16], It was suggested that perhaps Williams's body had become entangled in the beds of dense hydrilla beneath the lake surface, and then found by the alligators later, with turtles and catfish finishing what they had left behind. Our Privacy Policy Creator includes several compliance verification tools to help you effectively protect your customers privacy. I hear him screaming for help.. Derrick Wester, an investigator with the Jackson County sheriff's office, agreed that they were "trying to make up for" not having considered the possibility that things might not have been what they seemed in 2000. Holly Leopardi , partner of Scott Williams, lights a candle for Scott's mother Denise Williams during a vigil for him on June 16, 2020 in. At the time of the trial investigators said Denise's motives were to get out of the marriage and collect nearly $2million from life insurance. [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. Cheryl Williams' emotional statement at Denise Williams' sentencing. "All I know is I can't stop looking for him until I find him." Just before Mother's Day in 1999, Denise gave birth to the couple's daughter. "[16], The waders, discovered almost six months after Williams's disappearance, further undermined the alligator theory. Brian Winchester confesses to killing Mike Williams. Denise Williams has revealed how she rebuilt her life after her two sons were brutally murdered by her ex-partner Credit: BBC Two / Victoria Derbyshire. All the subsequent investigations of the case have resulted from her efforts. "Nothing in investigative or search and rescue efforts has produced any definitive evidence of a boating accident or a fatality as of this date," read the final report, issued in late February 2001. I will honor Mikes memory by fulfilling my purpose.. Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian. I will honor Mikes memory by fulfilling my purpose.. They found his 1994 Ford Bronco near a remote boat launch in Jackson County, on the Florida side. [3], The court decision allowed Denise Williams to immediately proceed with claims on her husband's life insurance policies, from which she received $1.5 million. Way said his client would appeal the conviction. NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE. Her arrest Tuesday coincided with their daughter's birthday. After it ended, and after her son was declared legally dead (proceedings she said in 2008 she would have contested had she been aware of them[15]), she was still not convinced that he had drowned in the lake, but her attempts to bring about a further investigation were unsuccessful. The confessed killer of a Florida man contends. On Denise's behalf, Way entered a plea of not guilty. The corporation, on the other hand, reduced its accusations in exchange for Denises property being passed down to Anslee under certain circumstances. Assistant State Attorney Jon Fuchs had no comment on the total dollar figure, though Cheryl Williams said it was about $1.4 million. He distinguished himself as "the hardest-working man I ever saw", according to the company's owner. Her fate, in which she could have been. [27], On the day Mike disappeared, Winchester said, he had enticed him to Lake Seminole. She continued to do what she could to publicize the case, taking out ads in the Tallahassee Democrat. Her mother was a nurse and her father, a security professional. [27], After discreetly rekindling the relationship, the two began to consider killing Mike so they could marry, as Denise's family frowned on divorce for religious reasons. 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. According to a representative of the manufacturer, if the engine had been running when Williams allegedly fell out of the boat, as investigators had theorized, it should have stayed on, with the boat running in circles until its fuel was exhausted. [4], After Denise Williams was arrested, the FDLE disclosed that they had received information on where the body was in early October 2017. She testified about her time in prison, including starting GED prep courses and participating in seminars for incarcerated women. [12], In February 2019, Denise was sentenced to life in prison. This sentencing hearing came after the First District Court of Appeals decided in Nov. 2020 to overturn her murder conviction in the case. Denise and Brian have mostly declined to discuss the case publicly. The truth, though, was that Denise had been cheating on Mike with his best friend, Brian Winchester, since 1997. Offers may be subject to change without notice. In 2005, she went ahead and married Brian. A 2016 kidnapping . It was noted that Denise Williams's court petition to have her husband declared legally dead mentioned only the Kansas City Life Insurance Company policies Winchester had sold him, omitting policies through other companies that Michael Williams had obtained through other sources. This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 02:55. 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. While limiting your liability, all while adhering to the most notable state and federal privacy laws and 3rd party initiatives, including. Also Read:Regina Krieger Murder: Where Are Gilberto Rodriguez and Cody Thompson Now? After investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) were called, a search began, but soon had to be called off after a storm blew in. After she had written over 200 letters without even an acknowledgment that they had been received, she began inquiring personally as to why. [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. 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. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She testified in court, pleading for leniency for her mother, Denise, and insisting that her stepfather, Brian, and not Denise, was the mastermind behind her father's murder in December 2000. [34], Near the end of that year, the Investigation Discovery cable channel series Disappeared devoted an episode to the case. Update, February 7, 2019: Denise Williams was sentenced to life in prison for her husband's murder. The plan was to make it look like an accidental drowning, but when Williams resurfaced and tried to get out of the water, Winchester shot him in the head and buried his body. Regina Krieger Murder: Where Are Gilberto Rodriguez and Cody Thompson Now? 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. Before the judge handed down the sentence, the victim's mother, Cheryl Williams . After retrieving the boat, investigators found Williams's shotgun, still in its case, but no sign of Williams himself. 12K views, 80 likes, 87 loves, 652 comments, 27 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from WCTV.tv: LIVE: Denise Williams' sentencing hearing continues. Anslee Williams, the only daughter of the late Mike Williams, was open to media and gave interviews on her father's murder case. But Denise's friends said she took great care. Deniece Williams was born "June Deniece Chandler" on June 3rd, 1951 in Gary Indiana. And fortunately, it looks like the tragedy surrounding her family isn't slowing her down. After one such re-airing in 2015, she expressed the hope that "one day instead of a question, there will be an answer".[7]. Court adjourned. "[18] FDLE officials said in 2011 that Cox had not found anything requiring further investigation. When the boat was recovered, its engine was off, yet the gas tank was full. Despite her promise to him not to tell police about the incident, she drove straight to them afterwards. She arranged for a memorial service for Mike to be held the day after the search ended. Instead of going where he wanted her to, she pulled into a CVS drugstore parking lot, close to the door. While she was talking on her phone to her sister, she saw someone climb over the back seat of her car. Anslees family has been ripped apart since her mother and stepfather were sentenced to life in prison for killing Mike in 2000. Nevertheless, a week later, a Leon County judge granted Denise Williams's petition to have Mike declared legally dead on the basis of those recovered items and an assumption that alligators and other water life had consumed the body in its entirety. "[3], Doubts that Williams had drowned became much more serious when investigators learned that, in fact, alligators do not generally feed during the winter months due to the colder temperatures. He also confessed that he and Williams-Winchester were having an affair since high school. "I get criticized a lot for not admitting that Mike's dead," she told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2007. "Then after a couple, three days and after the weeks went on, those first things looked even more out of place. 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. His attorney told the court that he was suicidal that day, due to not only the divorce but also his mother's recent terminal cancer diagnosis and the decision by his teenage son from his first marriage to move in with his mother, and argued for the 10-year mandatory minimum. Just days before Christmas, Michelle Williams is left mourning the loss of her father, Dennis Williams. Meanwhile, Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Williams-Winchester at gunpoint in 2016. After four days of testimony, the jury took eight hours to convict Denise of all the charges. According to Distractify, the grown-up Anslee competed in Miss Florida USA, seeking to win the title of Miss USA. Denise Williams is appealing her conviction and life-prison sentence. The lake is a large reservoir approximately 50mi (80km) west-northwest of Tallahassee located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida, where three other streams merge to form the Apalachicola River. A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denises behest,she was found guilty of all charges. After Jackson County sheriff's investigator, Wester, asked the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to look for it, agents visited Denise and Brian Winchester, now married, in their house (the same one she had lived in with Michael), to interview them. She said: "I am a fighter, not a victim. Following a court petition by Denise, Mike was declared legally dead. [29], Five months later, Mike and Denise's daughter Anslee was awarded all assets of her late father's estate and insurance monies due to Denise, after her mother signed them over to her to avoid prosecution on three counts of insurance fraud. Williams has been married three times and has four sons. She was outraged. [3], A possible new lead emerged in October 2007, when Michael Williams's older brother found a photograph and the serial number of a .22-caliber Ruger pistol that had once belonged to their father. "They botched it." Williams'. [2], In 1999, Williams's only child, a daughter, was born. Denise Williams was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for her role in the murder of her husband and Cheryl Willliams' son, Mike Williams. Mike Williams disappeared in December 2000 while on a duck hunting trip on Lake Seminole with his friend Brian Winchester. [23], On May 8, 2018, Denise Williams was arrested at Florida State University as she left work to celebrate her daughter's 19th birthday, minutes after a grand jury had indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact. The couple went on to live in the same house where Denise and Mike had lived prior. Out on the water, he had gotten Mike to put the waders on, then pushed him out of the boat, thinking he would be unable to resurface and thus would drown. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. In December 2017, Brian was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Denises kidnapping, but the whole incident led to the focus to be on their relationship and their potential connection to Mikes sudden disappearance and death. [7], In 2011, the case made it into two other media formats. Winchester is serving a20 year prison term. Mike and Denises daughter also spoke in court and asked for leniency for her mother, insisting it was Brian and not Denise who plotted the December 2000 fatal shooting. "There was nothing there that we had from the scene that suggested foul play at all." Denise suggested staging a boating accident on the Gulf of Mexico where they could throw both Mike and Kathy Thomas overboard, but Winchester did not want to kill his children's mother. Photo of Williams circulated since his disappearance, Arrest and subsequent trial of Denise Williams, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, "First-degree conviction overturned 11/2020", "Court records: Fears over Mike Williams case drove 2016 kidnapping by Brian Winchester", "FDLE special agent: Mike Williams 'was murdered', "Portman: Mike Williams' disappearance continues to perplex", "Mother of missing man sends 240 letters to Scott and not a single reply", "Mystery on Lake Seminole: Mike Williams", "Man with ties to cold case in jail on unrelated charges", "Nice guy, hard worker, avid hunter, devoted dad", "Where is Mike Williams? Investigators assured the Williams family that his body would surface, like other drowning victims, within three to seven days, or perhaps slightly longer due to the cold front that had moved in after the first night's storm. He assured her he did not want to kill her. At that time, the case was still considered open. But things took a horrifying turn - nine . What happened to Mike Williams and Denise Williams-Winchester's daughter? "[16], And even if an alligator had "defied all known gator behavior," and eaten Williams's body, as another investigator, Ronnie Austin, then with the state's attorney's office, put it, it would likely have left something behind. Mikes best friend and an insurance agent was Brian. pic.twitter.com/90OBDmwlw2, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) February 6, 2019. On November 13, 2020, True Crime Network featured the case in season 1, episode 11, of Meet, Marry, Murder.[35]. [15] He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. It took its name, Stump Field, from the many remaining stumps that protruded above and below the water level,[3] requiring careful handling of any powerboat in the area. Under the terms of the agreement, Anslee Williams, 20, is prohibited from using any of the money or assets she received to help pay her mothers' legal fees or other costs associated with the murder case or any ongoing appeals. [20], In December 2017, Winchester was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the kidnapping, with credit for 502 days time served, to be followed by 15 years' probation. Denise Williams will now serve 30 years, after previously being sentenced to life in prison on one murder charge plus 30 years for conspiracy to commit murder. Mother hopes for break in 16-year-old cold case", "Insurance investigators take new look at Mike Williams' disappearance", "Mike Williams mystery gets national exposure", "Eight years later, still no trace of missing hunter Mike Williams", "Devastated Florida mother suspects wife, not alligators, is behind son's 2000 disappearance", "Brian Winchester sentenced to 20 years in prison", "Read the grand jury's indictment of Denise Williams", "Lawyer: Mike Williams was killed by Brian Winchester; Denise Williams is innocent", "Judge has ordered Denise Williams be held without bond and has set a trial date for September 24", "Denise Williams trial: Brian Winchester testifies affair 'snowballed' into plot to kill", "Secret recordings of Denise Williams reveal conversation about husband's murder", "Denise Williams insurance fraud case dropped, daughter gets all assets", "Denise Williams appeals murder conviction and life sentence", "Murder conviction for Denise Williams reversed by appeals court, conspiracy charge affirmed", Episode 11 Denise Williams Fri, Nov 13, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Mike_Williams&oldid=1138116187, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, First-degree murder conviction overturned; remaining charges upheld (2020). "Mike would have wanted her to have this," said Cheryl Williams, Mike's mom and Anslee's grandmother. All of these assets belonged to her mother, who was being investigated by the insurance company for fraud. [3], The initial search investigation was handled by the FFWCC. [12], The state's star witness was Brian Winchester, who testified at length about how he and Denise had never really ended their high school relationship, even after they both married others. "[8], In 2012, Denise and Brian Winchester separated, reportedly due to his sex addiction; she filed for divorce in 2015. Anslee Williams, Mike Williams only daughter, was accessible to the media and gave interviews about her fathers murder case. On the anniversary of Williams's disappearance that year, the Winchesters made one of their few public statements on the case: "For seven years we have prayed and hoped to find out with certainty what happened to Mike," Brian said in an email to the Democrat, and "Nobody wants Mike found more than we do." Her defense argued that the tape should not have been admitted as evidence since Winchester was not charged with anything despite his admission; the prosecution said it simply asked him to tell the truth about what happened. "[28] Assistant state attorney Jon Fuchs said this evasiveness, as well as Denise's dispassionate response when Winchester told her how he had killed Mike, demonstrated how cold-bloodedly she helped plan the crime that happened on her behalf. A chromosomal disorder "has caused a lot of developmental delays for her," explains Richards . [10], After she left, Brian pulled up to her and apologized for his actions. He helped police recover Brian's body, and testified against his former lover Denise, who had for years escaped justice as a grieving widow. 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. If she breaks the conditions of the agreement, the state could order her to pay $150,000 in damages. Prosecutors countered that Winchester's actions that day indicated he planned a murder-suicide that was only averted by Denise's quick thinking, and asked the court for the 45-year maximum. Mike Williams'body was discovered in 2017 after Winchester told investigators in detail how he and Denise, who'd been having a years' long affair,planned to get rid of him, make it look like an accident and collect on his life insurance policies. It revealed that prosecutors believed Denise allegedly began conspiring with Winchester in March 2000, nine months before her first husband disappeared. 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. Williams defense attorney, Phil Padavano, said the court considered her murder conviction in previously imposing the 30-year maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge. The case broke open in 2016 when Denise Williams' then husbandBrian Winchesterwas arrested for kidnapping her. 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. "If you will make Denise serve every minute of her 30 year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder then and only then will I believe justice has been done for my son," Brian's mother Cheryl Williams said in court during the re-sentencing. [3], Investigators suspicions' were further raised by the waders' conditionundamaged, without any tooth marks, and lacking any of the residues that would be expected to accumulate on an object submerged in the lake for as long as the waders had supposedly been. Carrie Cox, a self-described psychic[17] and certified forensic psychological profiler from Kentucky reviewing the case had identified a possible location of Williams's body. Denise was arrested for the murder of Jerry Michael Williams in May 2018 and was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact. Suzanne Santo and Husband Nic Pizzolatto Got Married At A Beautiful Wedding At The Backyard, Kritika Khurana (That Boho Girl) Height, Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography & More, Diipa Khosla: Age, Height, Education, Biography, Boyfriend, Family and more. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years. All rights reserved. Each time she brought it up, Denise attempted to change the subject,[12] but at one point asked "What do you know? 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.