The state of Florida executed 54-year-old Michael King at 6:13 p.m. Tuesday for the 2008 kidnapping, rape and murder of Denise Lee, a 21-year-old mother in Sarasota, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
His last words reflected his spiritual journey in prison. While incarcerated, he said, he “tried to live as His disciple obeying the Two Great Commandments.”
“Matt. 22:37-40 If you want true Peace, ask Jesus into your heart,” King’s statement read.
He was the fourth person to be executed in Florida this year, following a record-setting 2025 in which the state carried out 19 executions.
“Finally it’s over. This chapter is closed,” Nathan Lee, the victim’s husband said in a press briefing following the execution. “I’m glad this day is done, and now we can focus on what we’ve been focusing on for the last 18 years, and that’s moving forward.”
The crime
Denise Amber Lee was at home on Jan. 17, 2008, caring for her toddler and infant sons, when King broke in and kidnapped her, court documents said.
King took her to his house, where he bound and duct taped her before raping her. He then took her with him in his car to get supplies to dispose of her body.
Lee was able to obtain King’s phone and call 911, according to the court documents.
“On the 911 recording, Mrs. Lee is heard crying, begging King to free her so that she could see her husband and children again,” the documents said.
A woman in the traffic lane beside King heard screams coming from his green Camaro and also called 911, later identifying King and his car in trial.
However, King drove her to a construction site, shot her in the head and buried her before emergency services could save her. Lee’s body was found two days later, according to court documents.
Communication failures among dispatchers resulted in no law enforcement being sent to help Lee even after four people called 911. Nathan Lee, her husband, began Denise Amber Lee Foundation in her name six months after her death to better train 911 dispatchers.
“She did everything in her power to save her life, but he chose to end it,” Richard Goff, Lee’s father, said in a press briefing following the execution. “He chose his path, and he took Denise’s path away from her. That’s not fair.”
Officers pulled King over the same night of the murder using the description of the car.
Lee’s blood, fingerprints, hair and ring were all found in the car. Police also found Lee’s hair stuck to duct tape inside King’s house.
The punishment
King was found guilty of first-degree murder, involuntary sexual battery and kidnapping on Aug. 28, 2009.
The court found four aggravating factors, including the “the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” according to the court documents.
The trial also found several mitigating circumstances, including King’s low IQ.
However, the jury still unanimously recommended death.
King’s conviction and sentence was reaffirmed after a number of unsuccessful appeals, the last of which were denied March 10.
His last appeals prior to his execution focused on the constitutionality of Florida’s lethal injection protocols. The last several inmates executed in Florida in 2026 made similar claims.
Day of the execution
Almost 60 people gathered on the lawn across from the state prison Tuesday to protest King’s execution.
Among them was John Chick, the director of prison ministry at the Diocese of St. Augustine.
“We just know that there is a better way,” Chick said. “To think that we make just what was unjust, what was wrong, puts ourself in the place of God, and that’s not who we are.”
Grace Hanna, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, raised concerns about the execution of King.
“Michael King is yet another example of someone who is being executed despite ongoing concerns about Florida’s lethal injection protocol,” she said. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not just someone peacefully drifting off to sleep.”
On the other side of the lawn stood three supporters, including Bill Campbell from Marion County.
“The priests and then the bishops too, have programmed them into believing this is God’s work,” he said about the protesters. “What the governor’s doing is God’s work.”
Noah Lee, Denise Lee’s now-adult son, was left alone when King kidnapped his mother. He spoke at a press briefing following King’s execution.
Several members of his family stood behind him as he spoke, all wearing pink, Lee’s favorite color.
“I’m just happy to have this closure,” Noah Lee said. “I, unfortunately, didn’t get the opportunity to know her and be raised by her, because I know [my father] picked a great mom.”
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies student and The Alligator's Spring 2026 Enterprise Politics Reporter. She previously served as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Reporter. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and going on random side quests.
