Denise Williams will remain in prison, after a judge resentenced her to 30 years for conspiring to murder her first husband. After Williams's boat was found abandoned on the lake, the initial theory was that he had fallen out of it after a collision. She competed for Miss Florida USA and she actually won Miss Tallahassee Teen USA in 2017. Kathy Thomas, Winchester's first wife, told the jury that she had suspected the two of having an affair in the late 1990s, when they frequently double-dated with Mike and Denise. This resulted in a pretty intense murder trial, where Winchester eventually spilled the beans about what really happened. "Some things looked unusual right off the bat," said the FFWCC's Arnette, who had initially thought the situation was a typical case involving a missing hunter and a possible boating accident. Testimony in the sentencing hearing ended around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. 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. What Is Anslee Williams Net Worth After Receiving The Assets? A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denise's behest, she was found guilty of all charges. For the rest of my life when I try to go to sleep, I will see my son. [15], The private search team that surmised the alligator theory had been hired near the end of the original search by Williams's mother, Cheryl. In December, a jury found Denise guilty of all three charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact. 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. [2], Apart from the condition of the waders was the question of why Williams would have been wearing them when he supposedly fell out of the boat. [25], In late June 2018, Denise Williams was ordered held without bond, with trial date set for September 24. A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denises behest,she was found guilty of all charges. What is the current location of Anslee Williams? "We don't know what the smoking gun is, but we hope someone will find it," she said. On the morning of December 16, 2000, Williams seemingly disappeared during a duck hunt. "I would say this is a suspicious missing person. 1972) and Kevin (b. Distractify is a registered trademark. One of the ads drew the attention of Jennifer Portman, a reporter at the Tallahassee Democrat. Early searchers had reported seeing many of them, and some of the officials were willing to accept the possibility. According to an audio clip that The Post was able to obtain, Winchester is heard telling investigators, In my view, I had it pretty good. This line of reasoning is problematic. SOLE CARDOZO WIKI, BIOGRAPHY, AGE, FAMILY, CAREER, FACTS & MORE. She was outraged. But it can be extended by three years under certain circumstances. Contact News Director Jennifer Portman at jportman@tallahassee.com. The order of no restitutionwas approved and the fraud charges formally dropped at a Tuesday morning courthearing. The boat launch where his Bronco was found, which he would presumably have used to put his boat in the lake, was an undeveloped patch of mud. Mikes assassination enabled the couple to pay in three life insurance policies totaling roughly $2 million. Williams was married to her middle school sweetheart Kendrick Williams from 1971 until 1975, before she relocated to California in the early 1970s. [4], After Denise Williams was arrested, the FDLE disclosed that they had received information on where the body was in early October 2017. While she was talking on her phone to her sister, she saw someone climb over the back seat of her car. "[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. I never once saw him consult with her about anything," said Anslee Williams, who was only 18 months when her father went missing. Winchester later confessed to conspiring with Denise Williams to kill Mike and make it look like an accident, so they could be together and collect on his life insurance policies. 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. He acted independently of her. Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian. 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. [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. "They did not protect the crime scene at all," recalled a Williams family friend with law enforcement experience, who had tended the drum fire during the search. [21] Later it was reported that he had reached an agreement with prosecutors before the sentencing that they would neither seek a life sentence on the kidnapping charge nor introduce certain evidence at the hearing. It was sent to a state forensics laboratory for DNA testing: the results have not been reported. [27], On the day Mike disappeared, Winchester said, he had enticed him to Lake Seminole. Since it had been reported to them as a missing hunter, the agency handled the case that way, focusing on search and rescue or recovery. "All I know is I can't stop looking for him until I find him." However, there were no teeth marks or any other damage on the waders, none of the recovered items showed signs of having been in the water for anything like the period Williams had been missing, and there was no DNA evidence found to link the clothing to him. Brian and Denise got married after the murder but eventually separated. 5 years after that, they even happily welcomed their daughter into the world. It turned out that the governor's office had forwarded them, unopened, to FDLE's headquarters, where they were placed in the case file. Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. She testified about her time in prison, including starting GED prep courses and participating in seminars for incarcerated women. "I brought her daddy home for her and she's financially independent now. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Michael had inherited it after his father's death, and after Michael was declared legally dead it was the only one of his firearms that Denise Williams had not returned to her former in-laws. Denise Williams resentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy in husbands death. [11], Two FDLE officers went to Cheryl Williams's house immediately following the indictment to inform her. [11], The three-page indictment was released two days later. Published June 9, 2021 at 1:39 PM EDT. 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." She raised their daughter mostly by herself while working as an accountant. If I had not done what I did for 17 years, Mikes disappearance never would have been solved. 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. [3] The hunting jacket and flashlight were likewise in much better condition than expected, with the latter even working when turned on. Instead of going where he wanted her to, she pulled into a CVS drugstore parking lot, close to the door. It would be very, very unusual to have the complete disappearance of a full-grown man. Efforts continued until the search was called off in early February. [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. [26] She went on trial in December. Denise Huxtable Kendall is a fictional character who appears on the American sitcom The Cosby Show (1984-1992), portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet.Denise also stars in the first season of its spin-off sitcom, A Different World (1987). Following a court petition by Denise, Mike was declared legally dead. 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're] at a brick wall pounding our heads against it," said Austin. One of the policies, for $1 million, was written less than a year before he went missing by his best friend, Brian Winchester, who 17 years later confessed to killing Mike during the hunting trip after conspiring with Denise so they could be together. 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. [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. She did not comply until he showed her a gun. 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. [3] His body was found in October 2017 near Tallahassee,[4] and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) officials confirmed Williams was a victim of homicide.[5]. His coworkers said he was as devoted to her as he was to his work. 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. Williams defense attorney, Phil Padavano, said the court considered her murder conviction in previously imposing the 30-year maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge. [17] She supported it with an eponymous Facebook page, where she regularly publishes whatever updates she can and news about other, similar cases. [15] He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. Prosecutors continued to keep details of the crime to themselves, saying they would share them in court when the time came. After waders and a jacket containing Williams's hunting license were found in the lake six months later, he was declared legally dead, following a court petition by his widow, Denise. [10], After she left, Brian pulled up to her and apologized for his actions. [13] According to his mother, Mike was making US$200,000 annually by the time of his disappearance. Denise Williams is appealing her conviction and life-prison sentence. [3], Without any of that evidence or Williams's body, it was impossible for police to make a case. The accessory charge suggested that sometime between August 2014 and the day Winchester was sentenced, Denise had allegedly helped Winchester avoid prosecution or arrest for the crime. In 1988, Mike and Denise graduated from high school alongside their classmates Brian Winchester and Kathy Aldridge, who would later become Brians wife. [5], Subsequently, the FDLE revealed they had found Mike Williams's remains at the end of dead-end Gardner Road in northern Leon County, five miles (8.0km) from where he grew up; they were confirmed as his following a match to his mother's DNA. Carrie Cox, the psychic and profiler who had identified a possible burial site at which no body was found, published Alligator Alibi, a lengthy book with documents from the investigation, Cheryl Williams's notes, and her own commentary. 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. Brian and Denises marriage was plagued with poison and physical assault, according to Anslee. He made it look like Mike was the only one who was ever there. When the boat was recovered, its engine was off, yet the gas tank was full. Anslee Williams, the only daughter of the late Mike Williams, was open to media and gave interviews on her father's murder case. Her efforts led to the Investigation Discovery cable channel doing a segment on Michael's disappearance and the later investigations in late 2011. No other details were provided. Way said his client would appeal the conviction. "All they are doing is maintaining their body temperature Fifty-eight degrees is too cold for an alligator to be interested in food at all. [4] Brian opposed it initially and had to be ordered to comply. Denise Williams is on trial for allegedly plotting murder of husband Mike Williams Prosecutors have argued that Denise, with the help of Mike's best friend, Brian Winchester, planned his. Not knowing that just two years later, he'd be the one to crack. Anslee is said to have a strained connection with her grandmother, Cheryl, and her family following her mothers conviction and punishment. WireImage "Dinner with the TEAM!" she captioned a video of herself posing for paparazzi outside the restaurant, sharing the clip on .