'"[16], It was suggested that perhaps Williams's body had become entangled in the beds of dense hydrilla beneath the lake surface, and then found by the alligators later, with turtles and catfish finishing what they had left behind. [3] It does not normally have jurisdiction in missing-persons cases and cannot get involved in investigations purely on the basis of a citizen's request, although it can offer assistance to local agencies, as it did in this case. County public works employees brought in backhoes for what they were told was a training exercise. No amount of good deeds can bring my husband back Mike back, she said. "I'm praying he doesn't commit suicide, I'm praying he'll tell us what actually happened." Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Denise Williams is seen above in court at her resentencing, Denise and her then-lover Brian Winchester were both accused of working together to kill her husband Mike Williams, Denise Williams will now serve 30 years, after previously been sentenced to life in prison, Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian, Mike and Denises daughter, who was 18 months when the murder happened, spoke in court and asked for leniency for her mother, Florida woman Denise Williams who plotted her husbands murder with her lover decades ago is re-sentenced, Michael K. Williams' grieving nephew rejects uncle's death was a drug overdose and vows autopsy 'will happen', BMW driver, 24, knocked boy into the air as his sister watched in terror after running through red light, Trump says boxing match against Biden would be his 'easiest fight' & thinks president would go down 'very, very quickly', Aussie health chief sparks new world order conspiracy frenzy by using sinister phrase about draconian Covid lockdown, Perv stabbed woman with syringe filled with his SEMEN in horrifying supermarket attack, Terrifying T-Rex 'cousin' 26 feet long with 'shark teeth' was TOP of food chain 90million years ago. After subsequent investigations, he was presumed to have drowned in Lake Seminole, a large reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida; investigators later came to suspect he had been the victim of foul play, possibly at another location. Sami Sheenthe 18-year-old daughter of exes Charlie Sheen and Denise Richardsdropped several bikini photos on Instagram nearly a year after first launching her OnlyFans account. Brian Winchester confesses to killing Mike Williams. "[16], The waders, discovered almost six months after Williams's disappearance, further undermined the alligator theory. The following year his father died. [15] He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. 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. [6] It was eventually concluded that his body had been eaten by alligators. Just days before Christmas, Michelle Williams is left mourning the loss of her father, Dennis Williams. 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. So, months later she petitioned in court to have her husband be declared legally dead and collected the $1.75 million from the three separate life insurance policies that were in Mikes name. [8], At noon, Denise called her father to tell him that Mike had not returned; Brian Winchester's (Mike's best friend) father drove with Winchester to the areas of the lake where they knew Mike Williams frequently went duck hunting. The couple had plans to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary that night in Apalachicola. However, their relationship didnt go as well as they had expected and they separated in 2012. He got Mikes body into his car, pushed the boat back into the lake, and drove 60 miles to Carr Lake to bury him in the mud. Also Read:Regina Krieger Murder: Where Are Gilberto Rodriguez and Cody Thompson Now? But if Michael Williams was to be proven dead and the beneficiary were to have shown to have been involved, or if he was still alive (as his mother and many residents of Jackson County believed possible),[3] then an insurance company would strongly consider pursuing a case. [4], Brian was arrested and charged with kidnapping, domestic assault, and armed burglary, with two of the charges being felonies. [12], The state's star witness was Brian Winchester, who testified at length about how he and Denise had never really ended their high school relationship, even after they both married others. [6], In 2008, the Florida Department of Financial Services's Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF), in conjunction with FDLE, began investigating the case from that angle. They were good friends with Brian Winchester and his wife. Five years later, she married Brian Winchester,[15] who had sold Mike some of the policies a few months before he disappeared. [3], Investigators suspicions' were further raised by the waders' conditionundamaged, without any tooth marks, and lacking any of the residues that would be expected to accumulate on an object submerged in the lake for as long as the waders had supposedly been. They claim Denise issued an ultimatum: Stop pushing for an investigation into his disappearance or never see Williams' daughter Anslee again. Throughout their time in high school, both of them participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. It was actually Mike Williams' mom, Cheryl, who appealed to the judge for a maximum sentence. "I get criticized a lot for not admitting that Mike's dead," she told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2007. 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. [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 is the eldest child in a family that includes four children. Williams-Winchester has been serving her time at the Florida Womens Reception Center, located in Ocala, Marion County, Fla. "Then after a couple, three days and after the weeks went on, those first things looked even more out of place. Anslee Williams, the only daughter of the late Mike Williams, was open to media and gave interviews on her father's murder case. A day after his sentence was announced, the law members found Mikes body. She went on to marry Brian Winchester, a mutual friend who had helped her take out a large life insurance policy on Williams shortly before his disappearance. Her ex-husband and Mike Williams' best friend, Brian Winchester, was also charged, although he was already in prison at the time. At the age of 15, he began duck hunting as a hobby, and also came to know fellow student Denise Merrell. [13], According to Denise Williams, on the morning of December 16, 2000, a Saturday, her husband awoke early, leaving the house on Centennial Oaks Circle[2] well before dawn, boat in tow, to go duck hunting at Lake Seminole. The 51-year-old's 2018 first-degree murder conviction was dropped last November by an appeals court, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. I was married to a wonderful woman, I was raising a child, and I was also seeing Denise in the meantime. "We didn't have a whole lot to go on except there was an empty boat and the guy didn't show up," one of the agency's officers recalled later, after his retirement. Yet nearby were finished concrete launches that he was known to have used in the past. But instead, he managed to get to a tree stump, so Winchester fired a single shotgun blast to the face. What Is Anslee Williams Net Worth After Receiving The Assets? Anslee, who is now 20 years old, was rewarded all the insurance money. Patrick Shiflett, a boyhood friend of the subject, remarked that everyone simply liked him because he was just a very honest guy.. The Williams case has been ongoing since Mike Williams disappeared more than 20 years ago. "All I know is I can't stop looking for him until I find him." For the next several years, she investigated on her own when not operating a day care at her home. "[She] had absolutely nothing to do with Mike Williams's disappearance and had absolutely nothing to do with any of the crimes that Brian Winchester committed." Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [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. 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. Denise's estranged husband, Winchester, was serving his sentence at Wakulla Correctional Institution near Tallahassee; his attorney said his client would take the stand at trial if legally compelled to do so. His boat was soon found roughly 225 feet (69m)[16] from the ramp by a helicopter pilot, who initially assumed it was a boat being used in the search. [15], However, Brian Jones, an expert in insurance law at Florida State University, told the Democrat that any fraud case would have to rest on more than just those facts already known to have aroused investigative interest. [27], On the day Mike disappeared, Winchester said, he had enticed him to Lake Seminole. [16], In those conditions, "it [i]s highly unlikely an alligator would have been active" said Matt Aresco, a local herpetologist authorities had consulted. Mike Williams'body was discovered in 2017 after Winchester told investigators in detail how he and Denise, who'd been having a years' long affair,planned to get rid of him, make it look like an accident and collect on his life insurance policies. [15], By the eighth anniversary of Williams's disappearance, however, the DIF had closed the case. Following a court petition by Denise, Mike was declared legally dead. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - An appellate panel dismissed first-degree murder charges against Denise Williams on Wednesday, overturning her sentence of life in prison. In it, Brian confessed to pulling the trigger but claims the killing was Denise's idea. [19], Cheryl Williams expressed hope that this development could lead to the resolution of her son's disappearance. The Crime Junkie podcast featured the case in an episode that was released in early 2019. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. [27] The kidnapping that had led to his present imprisonment, he explained, was his reaction to fear that Denise would reveal the truth about what had happened to her first husband now that she and Brian were divorcing. By the time investigators began to realize that they should have asked some more questions, the opportunity was gone. "Further," the statement said, "it was the wishes of Jerry 'Mike' Williams'smother and brother that his heir be 'taken care of.'". [3], A possible new lead emerged in October 2007, when Michael Williams's older brother found a photograph and the serial number of a .22-caliber Ruger pistol that had once belonged to their father. After investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) were called, a search began, but soon had to be called off after a storm blew in. [23], On October 18, the team of search dogs and officers finally found Mike Williams's remains in the piles of dirt stacked on plywood sheets. At that time, the case was still considered open. Wendy Williams attended the Daniel's Leather Fashion Show. Deniece Williams was born "June Deniece Chandler" on June 3rd, 1951 in Gary Indiana. Williams defense attorney, Phil Padavano, said the court considered her murder conviction in previously imposing the 30-year maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge. Denise met Mike back in North Florida Christian High School when they were both just teenagers. On Denise's behalf, Way entered a plea of not guilty. Apparently, he was paranoid that she'd go to the police and confess what really happened to Mike Williams. [11], Two FDLE officers went to Cheryl Williams's house immediately following the indictment to inform her. For the rest of my life when I try to go to sleep, I will see my son. Meanwhile, Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Williams-Winchester at gunpoint in 2016. Heres all that we know. Before the judge handed down the sentence, the victim's mother, Cheryl Williams . A FLORIDA woman found guilty of plotting her husband's murder with her then-lover decades ago has been re-sentenced. 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. Williams'. Denise Williams herself took the stand as well. "[3], "My gut feeling is Mike did not die in Lake Seminole", Austin said in 2006, after leaving the state's attorney's office for the FDLE. All the subsequent investigations of the case have resulted from her efforts. Secretly recorded phone conversations in which Denise Williams was confronted about her first husband's . "Mike would have wanted her to have this," said Cheryl Williams, Mike's mom and Anslee's grandmother. [10] After a hearing the next week at which she said she could neither eat nor sleep since the incident, the court decided to hold Brian without bond. She faces two to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy. [11] She was found guilty that December, after Winchester testified to shooting Michael at Denise's behest when their original plan to stage a boating accident failed, and was sentenced to life in prison in January of 2019. The truth, though, was that Denise had been cheating on Mike with his best friend, Brian Winchester, since 1997. Her mother was a nurse and her father, a security professional. QAnon dad who 'spear-gunned his kids fearing they had serpent DNA' could face the death penalty, Cops raid Florida 'drug house' and find enough fentanyl to kill 481k people inside after comic Kate Quigley's overdose. Mike Williams mother delivered a heartbreaking testimony. [10], Brian told her that he was planning to kill himself with the gun. "[18], Another possible lead that year proved fruitless as well. Court adjourned. On Nov. 14, Williams' family and a coalition of birth justice activists will hold their fourth rally for Denise outside Queens Hospital Center. [3] She followed the story through Denise's conviction, making a point of keeping the poster for the case on her cubicle wall. [14] Before graduation, he was hired by Ketcham Appraisal Group as a property appraiser. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Denise Williams and others you may know. "[3], However, the new investigation was made extremely difficult by the deficiencies of the original search, when criminal activity had not been considered. Image Credit: Alicia Devine / Tallahassee Democrat via AP. After one such re-airing in 2015, she expressed the hope that "one day instead of a question, there will be an answer".[7]. 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 victim went missing that day after going out on a duck hunting trip to Lake Seminole, but his body didn't turn up. According to Dateline in 2018, Anslee Williams is still residing in Florida because her family is from the state. When the boat was recovered, its engine was off, yet the gas tank was full. Still, he decided to follow Williams-Winchester's new plan to get rid of Mike Williams by the lake. I never once saw him consult with her about anything," said Anslee Williams, who was only 18 months when her father went missing. It turned out to be Brian. [17] Portman, who was interviewed, said she could always tell when it got rerun due to the increase in email she got, many of which asked questions she herself had tried in vain to get authorities to answer. 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. Two DNA tests matched the remains to his mother's sample. They formed a connection, a relationship, and fell in love hard and fast. [3], Two days before his disappearance, Mike and Denise told his mother, as well as his brother Nick, that they were planning to have another child soon. [2] In 1999, Williams's only child, a daughter, was born. Denise Williams, 48, was convicted in December for the murder of her husband, Mike Williams, 18 years after the young father disappeared while on a fishing trip in 2000. Instead of building a house, the parents saved their money so both boys, who helped by working nights at supermarkets, could attend North Florida Christian High School. Contact News Director Jennifer Portman at jportman@tallahassee.com. Williams was married to her middle school sweetheart Kendrick Williams from 1971 until 1975, before she relocated to California in the early 1970s. Want to get an all access pass to the latest tallahassee.com news, analysis, commentary, photos and video?Become a digital subscriber to support our investigative journalism. "I would say this is a suspicious missing person. She was convicted in December of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the 17-year-old cold case. pic.twitter.com/90OBDmwlw2, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) February 6, 2019. All rights reserved. It was noted that Denise Williams's court petition to have her husband declared legally dead mentioned only the Kansas City Life Insurance Company policies Winchester had sold him, omitting policies through other companies that Michael Williams had obtained through other sources. He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. After retrieving the boat, investigators found Williams's shotgun, still in its case, but no sign of Williams himself. What is the current location of Anslee Williams? On November 13, 2020, True Crime Network featured the case in season 1, episode 11, of Meet, Marry, Murder.[35]. "We have suspicions, but what we need is evidence. Anslee, an optimistic teen who saw a bright future in pageantry, recently severed her links to public appearances. Read More:Bruce Cleland Murder: Where Are Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada and Jose Quezada Now? [11], The three-page indictment was released two days later. His coworkers said he was as devoted to her as he was to his work. [10], After she left, Brian pulled up to her and apologized for his actions. 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. Denise Williams is appealing her conviction and life-prison sentence. She held her stepfather responsible for her fathers death and her mothers unhappy marriage. [4] Brian opposed it initially and had to be ordered to comply. The order of no restitutionwas approved and the fraud charges formally dropped at a Tuesday morning courthearing. [17] In retrospect, many officers agreed with her that the circumstances surrounding Michael Williams' apparent drowning four years before were unusual, and were strongly at odds with that conclusion: Investigators also learned that Williams didn't usually hunt alone. What happened to Mike Williams and Denise Williams-Winchester's daughter? She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years. However, the attorney did not think Winchester would be charged in the case as well. Out on the water, he had gotten Mike to put the waders on, then pushed him out of the boat, thinking he would be unable to resurface and thus would drown. Denise was arrested for the murder of Jerry Michael Williams in May 2018 and was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact. He said later he never was and was merely trying to comfort her; FDLE said his involvement was limited to asking his superiors if the agency could help with the search; it did not see a need to formally investigate his role. [3], The FDLE closed its case, convinced that the alligator theory was wrong, but without any leads or evidence that could allow it to further investigate. His attorney told the court that he was suicidal that day, due to not only the divorce but also his mother's recent terminal cancer diagnosis and the decision by his teenage son from his first marriage to move in with his mother, and argued for the 10-year mandatory minimum. [17], Starting on New Year's Day in 2012, Cheryl began writing one letter a day to Governor Rick Scott, asking him to either have another agency besides FDLE investigate or appoint a special prosecutor to do so. However, a lengthy and exhaustive search of the lake bed in the area failed to find his body: at that time, it was the only known occasion when no remains or body had been discovered after a drowning death in the lake. Rumors were circulating around Tallahassee that a grand jury had been hearing evidence and would soon hand down indictments. Cheryl Williams, who never believed her son accidentally drownedand long suspected her daughter-in-law was involved in his death, said she was at peace with the agreement. His office kept the case open, and had some persons of interest, although he did not identify them. He grew up in Bradfordville[6] (north of Tallahassee), the son of a Greyhound bus driver[3] and a day care provider who raised him and his older brother Nick in a double-wide trailer. If she's locked up forever, you can't say you're happy.