Williams was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the death of her first husband Mike Williams nearly two decades ago. Nevertheless, a week later, a Leon County judge granted Denise Williams's petition to have Mike declared legally dead on the basis of those recovered items and an assumption that alligators and other water life had consumed the body in its entirety. They remain estranged. Prosecutors countered that Winchester's actions that day indicated he planned a murder-suicide that was only averted by Denise's quick thinking, and asked the court for the 45-year maximum. "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. Williams was 5feet 10inches (1.78m) and 170 pounds (77kg). Denise Williams has revealed how she rebuilt her life after her two sons were brutally murdered by her ex-partner Credit: BBC Two / Victoria Derbyshire. Where Are Survivors Brandon Lafferty and Marty Thomas Now? [15], By the eighth anniversary of Williams's disappearance, however, the DIF had closed the case. That's all I can do for Anslee is love her, and I do love her.". Brian, on the other hand, disobeyed the plan, and the two only managed to kill Mike. If she's locked up forever, you can't say you're happy. Perry, the FFWCC officer who had been heavily involved in the original search, added at the time that if he or any other person investigating had known that there was a large life insurance policy on Williams, and who the beneficiary was, that search might have been handled differently. In 1988, Mike and Denise graduated from high school alongside their classmates Brian Winchester and Kathy Aldridge, who would later become Brians wife. Also Read:Where Are Survivors Brandon Lafferty and Marty Thomas Now? Mike was a promising football player and was voted best personality, while Denise Merrell, who would later become Mikes wife but was known by her maiden name at the time, cheered for the North Florida Eagles and won the title of best dressed. Mike won the title of best personality, while Denise won the title of best dressed., According to Mikes former classmates, he was well regarded at the exclusive private school, where he not only excelled academically but also held the position of student council president. [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. According to Distractify, the grown-up Anslee competed in Miss Florida USA, seeking to win the title of Miss USA. She gave investigators the coordinates of a location in Wakulla County near another boat launch. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She competed for Miss Florida USA and she actually won Miss Tallahassee Teen USA in 2017. Denise and Mike Williams with their daughter Anslee. That allowed her to claim Mike's insurance policies worth $1.75 million. Denise Williams has been resentenced to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy conviction in her husbands death. [22], No mention was made of the Williams case at Brian Winchester's sentencing, although State Attorney Jack Campbell told the media that he hoped the case against Winchester would help authorities solve that disappearance. Distractify is a registered trademark. NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE. The corporation, on the other hand, reduced its accusations in exchange for Denises property being passed down to Anslee under certain circumstances. Before he went to it, he took a tan sheet, a different-colored plastic sheet, a spray bottle of bleach, and a tool from Denise's car. Anslees condition is that she cant use any of the money or assets she received to help pay her mothers legal bills or other costs related to the murder case or any pending appeals. 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. "[Brian]'s not going to let Denise run around alone with all that money," she told the New York Daily News. Bruce Cleland Murder: Where Are Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada and Jose Quezada Now? "Something sounds fishy on that deal," the representative said when the situation was described to him. She arranged for a memorial service for Mike to be held the day after the search ended. When did Stephanie Grisham resign as Melania Trump's chief of staff? Anslee Williams, the only daughter of the late Mike Williams, was open to media and gave interviews on her father's murder case. 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. 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. 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. It was sent to a state forensics laboratory for DNA testing: the results have not been reported. However, their relationship didnt go as well as they had expected and they separated in 2012. Image Credit: Alicia Devine / Tallahassee Democrat via AP. 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. [32] In November 2020, the murder conviction was overturned, but the conspiracy to commit murder conviction was upheld including the 30 year sentence that accompanied it. Brian had cracked and told them the truth, but, it was in exchange for complete immunity. "I brought her daddy home for her and she's financially independent now. "With the wildlife around, I would guess that the alligators have dismembered and have stored the remains in a location that we would not be able to find," he wrote in a report. [17] She supported it with an eponymous Facebook page, where she regularly publishes whatever updates she can and news about other, similar cases. It turned out that the governor's office had forwarded them, unopened, to FDLE's headquarters, where they were placed in the case file. They found his 1994 Ford Bronco near a remote boat launch in Jackson County, on the Florida side. A day after his sentence was announced, the law members found Mikes body. [15] He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. 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. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. [10], Denise told Leon County Sheriff's Office investigators that, on August 5, the day when the appraisal had to be filed with the court, she left her home to drive to her job at Florida State University. He acted independently of her. Secretly recorded phone conversations in which Denise Williams was confronted about her first husband's . Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams (October 16, 1969[2] December 16, 2000) was an American murder victim. Anslee, who is now 20 years old, was rewarded all the insurance money. A FLORIDA woman found guilty of plotting her husband's murder with her then-lover decades ago has been re-sentenced. According to the documents filed in the case, Winchester, who worked for a company that provides financial services, eventually confessed to the authorities that he had an affair with Denise beginning in the year 1997. According to Dateline in 2018, Anslee Williams is still residing in Florida because her family is from the state. Mike Williams mother delivered a heartbreaking testimony. Also Read:Regina Krieger Murder: Where Are Gilberto Rodriguez and Cody Thompson Now? Meanwhile, Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Williams-Winchester at gunpoint in 2016. After rejecting plans for a murder at Mike's office meant to look like a robbery, Winchester hit on the idea of an apparent hunting accident after he saved Mike from quicksand when the two were hunting in Arkansas. "[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. Denise Williams collected $1.75 million from her husband's three life insurance policies after she had him declared dead six months after he supposedly vanished in December 2000 during a. At the time of the trial investigators said Denise's motives were to get out of the marriage and collect nearly $2million from life insurance. [6], Had Williams drowned, his body would have been expected to eventually float to the surface, making it easier to discover. But it can be extended by three years under certain circumstances. He made it look like Mike was the only one who was ever there. Audio of Brian Winchester's interview with the FDLE was played in court. A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denises behest,she was found guilty of all charges. She spoke in court, asking leniency for her mother, Denise, and insisted that it was her step-father, Brian, and not Denise who plotted the December 2000 murder of her father. She faces two to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy. Anslee is said to have a strained connection with her grandmother, Cheryl, and her family following her mothers conviction and punishment. What happened to Mike Williams and Denise Williams-Winchester's daughter? Wendy Williams attended the Daniel's Leather Fashion Show. All of these assets belonged to her mother, who was being investigated by the insurance company for fraud. His coworkers said he was as devoted to her as he was to his work. But, when Mike started to realize what was happening and started struggling, Brian panicked and shot him in the head, straight in his face at point-blank range. The Crime Junkie podcast featured the case in an episode that was released in early 2019. Cheryl Williams' emotional statement at Denise Williams' sentencing. Denise Williams, who is serving a life prison sentence for the murder of her husband Mike Williams,will not face additional insurance fraud charges or pay restitution to the state. Before we get into the meat of uncovering whatever happened to Deniece Williams, we will take a short look at her life and career. Normally, under Florida law, the statute of limitations on that crime is five years, meaning it would have expired in 2005. 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. "Michael would have wanted her to be taken care of for the rest of her life.". [28], Prosecutors also played a taped phone conversation in which Kathy Thomas, who was working with police at the time, had told Denise she knew the truth about the crime. She held her stepfather responsible for her fathers death and her mothers unhappy marriage. [3], Without any of that evidence or Williams's body, it was impossible for police to make a case. [12], Way argued in response that there was no physical evidence linking Denise to the crime and that it had been entirely Winchester's idea; he expressed incredulity that Winchester was not on trial despite having admitted to committing the crime himself. He explained that he was the one who lured Mike Williams to Lake Seminole and attempted to kill him by pushing him off the boat. He found it convenient that the indictment came after Winchester had been imprisoned for several months. [21] Winchester is now imprisoned in the Wakulla Correctional Institution. "They could not have hurt me more if they had punched me in the face. [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. Family members of murder victim Jerry "Mike" Williams repeated a startling allegation against his widow Denise Williams on Wednesday. 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. Copyright 2021 WCTV.
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