Man Who Abducted, Killed FL Mother Of Two Executed

STARKE, FL — A Florida man who abducted, raped and murdered a young North Port wife and mother of two nearly 20 years ago was executed Tuesday evening for his crimes.

Michael Lee King, 54, was convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery and kidnapping in the January 2008 killing of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee.

He received a three-drug lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart starting around 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke.

King, who awoke at 3:50 a.m. on Tuesday, met with one visitor and a spiritual advisor. His final meal included pizza, ice cream and soda.

His attorneys, who claim he was denied due process by withholding key records, previously requested a stay of execution, which was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, according to The Palm Beach Post.

King, who was 36 at the time he killed Lee, abducted her after spotting her outside her home with her two young sons. He left her children, who were then a toddler and an infant, at the home alone.

He took Lee to his house, where he bound and raped her. Later that same day, he forced her into the backseat of his car and drove to his cousin’s home, where he borrowed a flashlight, shovel and gas can.

Lee called out for help while parked at King’s cousin’s home. She also managed to access his cell phone while tied up in his car and called 911. In a 911 recording, she can be heard begging for her life.

At least three others, including King’s cousin, called 911 for help, which never arrived, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

King drove Lee to a remote area in North Port, shot her in the face and buried her.

Shortly after killing her, he was pulled over by a state trooper because his car, a 1994 green Chevrolet Camaro, matched the description of another 911 call, reports said. A woman who heard screams coming from his car while stopped at a traffic light thought King had abducted a child and called 911.

Lee’s hair and belongings were found at King’s home and in his car during the investigation into her death.

Though multiple witnesses contacted 911 about her abduction, communication errors prevented a timely response by law enforcement, reports said.

Months after her death, the Florida Legislature passed the Denise Amber Lee Act, establishing better training for 911 operators.

Her husband, Nathan Lee, also established the Denise Amber Lee Foundation to promote better training for operators.

King’s execution is set to be Florida’s fourth this year. The state executed three other men so far in 2025, including Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, on Feb. 10; Melvin Trotter, 65, on Feb. 24; and Billy Leon Kearse on March 3, reports said.

Two other Florida executions are scheduled for this year.

James Duckett, 68, a former police officer convicted of the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, is set to die on March 31.

Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, who killed a neighbor who found him burglarizing her home, is scheduled for execution on April 21.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.

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