Shivangi Sinha
In January 2008, 911 dispatchers in North Port, Florida, received a distressing call from Denise Lee, who had managed to seize her abductor’s phone. While pretending to speak with him, she cleverly provided crucial details to help authorities locate her. Several other 911 calls related to the same incident were made that day, but by the time police identified and apprehended Michael King, it was too late. He had shot Denise and buried her remains in a shallow grave. ABC’s ‘20/20: Life on the Line’ reconstructs the timeline of events using the 911 recordings and focuses on the investigation that led to King’s capture.
Michael King’s House Showed Signs of a Recent Violent Incident
Little is known about Michael King’s early years, except that he moved to Florida in 2002 following a divorce. He had been employed as a plumber, but by late 2007, he had lost his job and was living unemployed in his home in North Port, Florida. On the afternoon of the incident, around 2 pm, witnesses saw a dark green 1994 Chevrolet Camaro leaving the residence of Denise Lee, a stay-at-home mother who lived in North Port with her husband, Nathan Lee, and two young sons. When he returned and found her missing, he reported it at 3:29 pm. Given that Denise’s father was a former police sergeant, a swift and extensive search was launched, but it yielded no immediate results.
At 6:14 pm, another 911 call came through from Denise herself. Desperate and terrified, she pleaded with her abductor to let her go, all while cleverly pretending to talk to him so she could share key details about her kidnapping and surroundings. Unfortunately, the call came from a burner phone, preventing authorities from pinpointing her exact location. However, investigators quickly determined that the phone belonged to King. Police rushed to his home after confirming that he drove a vehicle matching the one seen near Denise’s residence. Inside, they discovered what appeared to be a makeshift torture room, including duct tape with long hair strands later confirmed to belong to Denise, but neither she nor King was there.
Many 911 Calls Reported Suspicious and Concerning Activity from Michael King
At 6:23 pm, a young woman named Sabrina Huxlow contacted the police to report a disturbing story her father, Harold Huxlow, had just shared. According to her, Michael King (who was Harold’s cousin) had appeared at her father’s home with a woman bound in his vehicle. She had briefly managed to escape, but King forced her back into the car before speeding away. Sabrina also provided her father’s address, which was located just four miles from Denise’s home. Then, at 6:30 pm, another witness, Jane Kowalski, called 911 to report what she believed was a child’s kidnapping in progress. She described a blue Camaro on the highway, recalled hearing screams, and even saw a hand harshly slap against the window. She also said that she had made eye contact with the driver.
However, by the time Kowalski’s call went through, she had already crossed into Charlotte County, and her report was misrouted. The 911 dispatchers there failed to document the call properly and did not forward it to the relevant authorities. At 6:50 pm, another call came in from a man who wished to remain anonymous. He reported seeing the green Camaro and suggested that someone might be inside against their will, but provided no further details. Investigators later identified the caller as Harold, King’s cousin. When the police interviewed him, he explained that around 6 pm, King had come to his house, claiming his lawnmower was stuck, and asked for a gas can, shovel, and flashlight.
Harold said he fetched the items from his tool shed, but when he returned, he saw a woman struggling to escape from King’s car. She pleaded for help, but was forced back inside. Believing it was a domestic dispute, Harold initially didn’t intervene. However, after checking the supposed lawnmower issue and realizing it was a lie, he grew concerned and called the police. Later that night, at 9:16 pm, a state trooper stopped a green 1995 Camaro with a black front bra, driven by King. He was wet from the waist down, and a muddy shovel was found inside the car. A cell phone with its battery removed was in his pocket, but Denise was missing, leading to his arrest for kidnapping.
Michael King is on Death Row in Florida Today
At the police station, Michael King denied any involvement, claiming that both he and Denise had been abducted by a third person who later took her away. However, after an extensive community-assisted search, Denise’s body was discovered half a mile from where King had been arrested. She had been shot in the head. Although King had no formal criminal record, investigators uncovered past allegations of indecent exposure and sexual assault from former acquaintances. The evidence pointed strongly toward him. He was charged with first-degree murder, and after forensic tests confirmed his DNA on Denise’s remains, he faced additional charges of sexual battery.
King’s trial began on August 24, 2009, during which the prosecution presented substantial evidence, including DNA from the cut duct tape, a shell casing, and Denise’s heart-shaped ring found in King’s car. Phone records and testimonies from Jane Kowalski and Harold Huxlow further strengthened the case. The jury found him guilty of kidnapping with intent to commit a felony, sexual battery, and first-degree murder. In September 2009, he was sentenced to death. Now 54 years old, he remains on death row at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, awaiting the final outcome of his sentence.
Read More: Where Are Denise Amber Lee’s Husband and Kids Now?
