Hey there, everybody. Welcome to Amy and TJ Presents the Michael King Execution. We are talking about Florida's fourth execution this year, but it's more about the crime that led to the execution that has everyone talking, that has changed laws and certainly saved lives. And with that, everyone, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Presents. I'm Amy Roeboch alongside TJ Holmes. Michael King pronounced dead at six
thirteen pm Eastern Time this past Tuesday. That was March seventeenth, and the execution chamber was full.
Yeah, this is It's always fascinating to see who does show up for these things. So oftentimes I do take not years, not just a couple of decades sometime, but in some cases several, three or four decades. A lot of family, friends, colleagues are gone. So it's it is, it's I don't know. There's something very heartening and it sounds about an execution. It's sweet that family members wanted to see it through after sometimes decades. So yeah, this said a lot about who the person was.
Yes, and in this case the victim, we should mention twenty one year old Denise amber Lee. She was already the mom of two, She had a two year old, she had a six month old. We'll get into the crime and why that crime made national headlines, but it was and I say, just eighteen years ago that this crime happened. And I say that because when we often talk about executions and inmates on death row finally getting that execution date, sometimes we're talking three decades, even four decades.
So this is actually a relatively quick from prosecution and sentencing to actual execution. Just seventeen years actually.
Shortest one we've covered in the past two years without not even close. This eighteen years is lightning fast compared to the ones we've covered.
Yes, and so this might also speak to the reason why so many people were able to be in that execution chamber. We mentioned Denise Amberley was the victim. Her father, her mother, her siblings, her husband, and her oldest child I mentioned he was two at the time, so he was twenty at the time of the execution. Were all
there to see Michael King executed. And look, we talk a lot about every execution is different, and it's interesting the last several we've covered, Babe, the inmates have had not just a few final words but actually fairly significant final words. And this is not necessarily the norm.
Now, oh no, it's we call them a morbid fascination. But final meal and final words were always interested to hear, and I swear all last year and we covered a lot robes. There was some that said, no, I've got nothing to say. I have that said one quick little word or two. But man, when it seems real, when they have something to say, they say.
A lot exactly.
It's either this, it's his feast or family.
Yes, and a lot of times, and at least it's been wonderful to report those moments. We've had a few recently where the inmates have offered an apology, have given some sort of closure or peace to the family. So in this case, Michael King did have quite a bit to say, but he did not offer an apology, and according to Denise's family, he's never even acknowledged that he committed this crime. But I'm going to read for you his final words and let you take what you will
from them. Since finding Jesus in prison, I have tried to live as his disciple, obeying the two great commandments to love God with all my heart, my mind, and all my being, and to love my neighbor, to include everyone, my family, Denise Lee's family, everyone in the gallery, as well as the Catholic volunteers who visit the prison and those on the team to end my life. What do you make of that?
No, there are it matters. I take them at their word. We have heard families say that hearing words at the end of asking for forgiveness or taking responsibility have made a difference in how they can go about the rest of their lives.
But he chose not to, even saying he's a disciple of Christ and talked about how he found God, he didn't offer that apology.
I don't know what it meant to him at the end where his head was at the end of his life. What he was thinking at the end of his life, I do not know.
But he didn't offer that.
Does that and I would say, yes, it does mean something to the family because previous families have said so.
I agree, and I you know, we can only imagine, thankfully, we can only imagine what it would be like. And even though obviously nothing brings back your loved one, nothing undoes the harm or the hurt. But there is a sense of peace if you feel like at least someone has atoned for their sins, acknowledged their sins, apologized for their sins. Denise's family didn't get that, and interestingly, we have some reactions. Some of the local press who was
there interviewed some of the family members. The first the first response from one of the family members, no remorse, didn't apologize, didn't ask for forgiveness, and just really showed the true coward that he is.
The why right isn't that always the thing?
Like?
Why? Why? Why? Why?
And they didn't and we'll never get some answers that I don't know. It's been the eighteen years, been almost twenty years, but it does. I can't remember the one from was it this year? It was this year, I can't remember what. But the family said it meant everything.
It was just last week.
It meant everything to them to hear him say I'm sorry, can you forgive me? Right before he died. It meant everything, man. And so to go in there, I don't know, ropes, they were already in the place. It almost feels like it stings even more to go in there for that and still not get it right.
That's what expectations, I'm sure they were lowered and look her now. Twenty year old son, who was two at the time of his mom's death, said, I unfortunately didn't get the opportunity to know her and be raised by her, because I know he picked a great mom. And I think when he says he he's referring to God and Michael had other plans. Now her husband, Nathan, and we
will get into his devotion to his wife. I mean they were young when they fell in love, young when they got married, and young when they had two kids. And he is still literally devoted every day of his life to honoring her and making sure as best he can. This doesn't happen to anyone else. But I love what he had to say. He said, finally it's over, this chapter is closed. I'm just super blessed that I got to know Denise, let alone marry her and have two
amazing kids with her. I'm glad this day is done and now we can focus on what we've been focusing on for the last eighteen years, and that's moving forward and trying to bring positive change to nine one one and other things. I just I thought that was beautiful and it shows you know, for look, I am I think I've said this before. I am personally against the
death penalty. That's just my own personal belief. But I understand that I don't know what it's like to be in this man's shoes and to hear him describe the relief. I understand that.
Well, you say relief at least it being over. I don't know how they felt along the way or a trial that they really really wanted the death penalty.
But rogue.
It's always there's a penalty that has been put in place and you've been waiting eighteen years for it to be actually implement it. I mean, that's it's almost a magic Can you imagine if somebody been sentenced to life in prison but their sentence didn't start for ten years, it didn't feel right. That's no one that we're talking about. This doesn't feel right. So if this is the punishment,
let's get this over with and done. The number of appeals and court hearings and parole hearings and all this stuff they've had to show up to to keep an eye on, to get a phone call from the prosecutor's office saying, hey, just letting you know this is going on, and this is the next step where he's filed this appeal.
It's exhausting.
You make a good point. If someone is just actually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole done, it's done. There's nothing more. There might be an appeal one, maybe two, you're not going to be going through the lengthy judicial process you have to go through to actually follow up and have an execution take place. Thus, the thirty forty years sometimes it takes to actually see that
sentence be carried out. Look, and also just speaking to all of this, isn't it interesting what her father had to say. He's going to burn in hell as he should. You know, you just the anger is still there and we haven't even gotten into Some of you may already know this crime, but we're going to get into what this crime was, what Michael King was convicted of, and the remarkable, incredible silver lining that came from the death
of this young mother. When we come back and welcome back everyone to Amy and TJ presents the Michael King execution. It's interesting we talked about I guess we led with the latest, but the greatest part of this story is how it all began. The latest was that Michael King was executed. Yes, on Tuesday, March seventeenth at six thirteen pm.
We told you the family's reaction of Denise Lee, but we didn't tell you about Denise Lee and what happened to her eighteen years ago on the afternoon of January seventeenth, two thousand and eight.
La, he's a damn hero, like she's a she's actually and you told me you're going to get into it, but just tell me because I would remember her who was a member law.
Her father was a member of the Sheriff's departy.
That sounds right, Todd his daughter, Well, ain't that crazy?
This actually makes you emotional.
I can say he taught his daughter.
He talked about the conviction of his daughter's killer, and he said, my daughter knew forensics. She knew if she was going to die or if anything was going to happen to her, she was going to bread crumb for
my investigators to find her killer. And he said she left her hair and took her ring off and left it like hid it in his vehicle, so that when they finally found his vehicle, they were able to get that direct forensic evidence that you almost never have, at least in the recent court cases we've seen to have that direct evidence that she was in that vehicle, no question about it. And part of that came out in trial. He said, I'm proud of my daughter. I taught her. Well,
she was twenty one. That's crazy, twenty one years old. And yes, it was a beautiful afternoon in Florida, in just a gorgeous time of day. She had her sons again, two years old and six months old. She was cutting
their hair on the porch. You know, she didn't want to probably get hair in the house, so she had him out on the front porch right when Michael King was canvassing the neighborhood looking for a victim, and he got her at gunpoint, put the kids inside, locked the door, took her at gunpoint into his car, tied her up, raped her, and was driving her around. He was actually driving to go find a shovel at a friend's house to actually basically kill her and get rid of her body.
When she was able while she was tied up to get his phone, and she called.
Nine one one. No, this story is impressed, No, please quiet.
She was on the phone with nine one one for six minutes, and what she told the nine one one operator was just so compelling, so it's so hard to understand how she wasn't found. She said, please, my name is Denise, I'm married to a beautiful husband, and I just want to see my kids again. I just want to see my family. Then you can hear Michael King back in the car. She was able to keep the phone on and connected, and you can hear her say please let me go. She starts screaming, God help me,
and then the dispatcher just kept saying hello thirteen times. Somehow, for some reason, this dispatcher did not put in the information, did not get policed her because while this nine one call was happening, her husband had come home found his kids in the house. He called nine one one, so the search was already on. And then nine one one gets more phone calls from more drivers who see her.
You get this is tough, Robes the phone call she made to think that she had enough time. The line was open that long. And I'm sorry if you don't know this, but from the moment like, what's the gap in time of first nine to one one call to potential her demise Robes, there's a long stretch of time that transpired.
Yes, so her husband got home within an hour of her being abducted. She called within four hours of being abducted did and then two drivers who saw her heard her screaming and saw her hands like pounding on the backseat of the car, calling im on. One of them was on the phone with operators for nine minutes, telling them where they were, a description of the car, what
they were saying. It is mind boggling that none of these nine one operators who took these independent calls collaborated with one another or put it into a system that made it all connected that could have put officers all in the same location. So there actually was reform that took place after this, because, by the way, police didn't find her body until two days later. She was shot in the face.
To Robes, yes that it's too bad that she that this had that this happened at all, But my goodness, what a legacy she has left in the horror of her death, had the fortitude to, yes, leave clues behind if you will. But also Robes, her death is not in.
Vain No, because her family sued the county. They were awarded one point two million dollars and you know what they did With that money, they founded the Denise amber Lee Foundation to improve nine to one one training and accountability, not just there in their county, in their state, but nationwide. And by the way, they did that privately for this foundation that Nathan, her husband, still runs to this day.
But also lawmakers passed the Denise amber Lee Act. It was signed just a few months after her murder into law that requires nine one one operators to have two hundred hours of training. That's incredible, that's impressive.
You know, and it's cool to hear. It's one of those things we kind of take for granted, right you call nine to one, you expect people to show up, You expect people to know what they're doing. And we have covered a lot of trials at of late to where we hear nine to one one calls and we have commented that's really impressive the job many of them do when the person on the other line is screaming, yelling, panicked, in otherwise having the worst day of their lives. So
I guess Roves, I just I have. I've always taken it for granted, and apparently there were shortcomings in some places, and this woman's death, she contributed to a change I mean, that's a hell of a legacy. And the law was named after her saying yes, yes.
The Denise Amberlee Act. And her father even said that they've received phone calls. This is actually talk about making you feel emotional that they have received phone calls from families all around the country who have said thank you, because if you hadn't had this act in place, my
daughter wouldn't have survived. Like they actually have specific instances where they can point to the training that these operators received that they wouldn't have done otherwise had they not had this act in place, They had not had this foundation in place to improve how nationwide nine one one operators do their jobs. And thankfully, you know what, I've realized, I've never had to call nine one one. That's that's a I was just thinking, like, what an incredible blessing
that is I've had. We've all had different things happen in our lives, but I have never had to call nine one one in my life.
Have you? I don't think it was a single time. I don't think I have, and that I talked to a nine one one operator, No, I don't think so.
But it is incredible to know that there's someone there on the other end who has been trained specifically because of what happened in this case eighteen years ago, and so I know her family may not have gotten the apology they wanted or the accountability they wanted, but there is a sense of justice and peace and finality, and certainly the legacy of Denise Lee lives on. And with that, everyone, thank you for listening to us. We always appreciate you.
Here on Amy and TJ Presents, I'm Amy Robock alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you