A 2016 kidnapping . Just days before Christmas, Michelle Williams is left mourning the loss of her father, Dennis Williams. He offered these details and led investigators to Williams' remains in exchange for immunity in his case. Read More:Bruce Cleland Murder: Where Are Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada and Jose Quezada Now? The chilling disappearance and murder of Jerry Michael Williams, or Mike as he preferred to go by, has been covered by CBSs 48 Hours. And with it, we have gotten to know a lot more information about the parties that were involved and how they got away with being criminals for almost two decades. 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. At that time, the case was still considered open. I'm not happy because I don't have Michael.". "You look for other answers: 'Why hasn't the body appeared? 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. The storm the night after he was reported missing had westerly winds that should have blown the abandoned, unmoored boat across the lake to the Georgia side. 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. The Crime Junkie podcast featured the case in an episode that was released in early 2019. He helped police recover Brian's body, and testified against his former lover Denise, who had for years escaped justice as a grieving widow. There Mike excelled, serving as student council president, playing football and being active in the Key Club. She ran advertisements in local newspapers, and put up billboards seeking information. [3] The water, already at 58F (14C) the day of Williams's disappearance, dropped to 46F (8C), and the lake iced out to as much as 20 feet (6.1m) from shore. Williams was married to her middle school sweetheart Kendrick Williams from 1971 until 1975, before she relocated to California in the early 1970s. He assured her he did not want to kill her. Years ago, because of her insistence that Mike's disappearance be investigated, Denise cut ties between Cheryl and Anslee. Denise Williams herself took the stand as well. But instead, he managed to get to a tree stump, so Winchester fired a single shotgun blast to the face. 1973). [12] In 2020, a Florida appellate court overturned her murder conviction but upheld her murder conspiracy conviction, for which she will serve 30 years. After it ended, and after her son was declared legally dead (proceedings she said in 2008 she would have contested had she been aware of them[15]), she was still not convinced that he had drowned in the lake, but her attempts to bring about a further investigation were unsuccessful. The majority of the specifics of their lives, from their younger years through their time spent together as a college pair at Florida State, are interchangeable. A day after his sentence was announced, the law members found Mikes body. Anslee, who is now 20 years old, was rewarded all the insurance money. They allegedly chose December 9, 2000, as the day Winchester would take Mike on a duck hunting trip, knock him overboard and stage his death as . 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. The stipulated agreement was signed by Anslee Williamsin May, just over a year after her mother's arrest on the young woman's birthday. Meanwhile, Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Williams-Winchester at gunpoint in 2016. "All I know is I can't stop looking for him until I find him." Also Read:Where Are Survivors Brandon Lafferty and Marty Thomas Now? [26] She went on trial in December. The story behind this killing is bit convoluted. I think something is there. [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. [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. 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. 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. In 1994, the couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in front of their friends and family in Florida and started a life together in its capital state Tallahassee. Distractify is a registered trademark. However, Winchester didn't follow through with killing his ex-wife, Kathy. In 2019, Anslee Williams got $877,000 in assets, increasing her net worth. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - An appellate panel dismissed first-degree murder charges against Denise Williams on Wednesday, overturning her sentence of life in prison. [3], Searchers focused on the 10 acres (4.0ha) of the lake surrounding the cove where Williams's truck was parked. 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. While limiting your liability, all while adhering to the most notable state and federal privacy laws and 3rd party initiatives, including. "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. "Further," the statement said, "it was the wishes of Jerry 'Mike' Williams'smother and brother that his heir be 'taken care of.'". [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. [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 51-year-old's 2018 first-degree murder conviction was dropped last November by an appeals court, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Denise Richards Shares Sweet Photo of Her Three 'Beautiful Girls' Captured on Her Wedding Day. "[28] Assistant state attorney Jon Fuchs said this evasiveness, as well as Denise's dispassionate response when Winchester told her how he had killed Mike, demonstrated how cold-bloodedly she helped plan the crime that happened on her behalf. One of the ads drew the attention of Jennifer Portman, a reporter at the Tallahassee Democrat. The only person to address the court besides the lawyers was Cheryl Williams, who said that justice had finally been served, and that Denise had taken not only her son but also her granddaughter from her. He found it convenient that the indictment came after Winchester had been imprisoned for several months. And by chance, a local Tallahassee TV station, WCTV, was at the hospital: DENISE WILLIAMS : We're just totally. He acted independently of her. 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. That's all I can do for Anslee is love her, and I do love her.". [6], Had Williams drowned, his body would have been expected to eventually float to the surface, making it easier to discover. Meet Mike Williams surviving daughter, the guy whose cold case enraged Florida. [13] On the water, he never put his waders on until he had reached the point where he planned to get out and start hunting, following a common safety procedure in order to avoid the type of accident from which he was later believed to have died. On November 13, 2020, True Crime Network featured the case in season 1, episode 11, of Meet, Marry, Murder.[35]. "I get criticized a lot for not admitting that Mike's dead," she told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2007. [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. Almost Three Decades Since His Last Murder, Lorenzo Gilyard Maintains His Innocence. It turned out to be Brian. [16] Denise Williams, who had avoided media attention during the search for her husband, accepted that her husband had died. [3], The cove is locally believed to have been an orchard before the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers and Spring Creek were dammed to create the lake. Her efforts had severely strained her relationship with her former daughter-in-law.[6]. [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. Wendy Williams attended the Daniel's Leather Fashion Show. Her mother was a nurse and her father, a security professional. It would be very, very unusual to have the complete disappearance of a full-grown man. Denise Williams was initially found guilty in December 2018 of murder and conspiracy in the case and sentenced to life in prison, but the murder conviction was later overturned. The immunity deal followed a plea and sentencing agreement with prosecutors after Winchester kidnapped Denise in the final days of their marriage because he was afraid she would pin the murder on him alone. They were both married at the time, but while Brian had the guts to divorce his wife, Denise didnt want to. Carrie Cox, a self-described psychic[17] and certified forensic psychological profiler from Kentucky reviewing the case had identified a possible location of Williams's body. She testified about her time in prison, including starting GED prep courses and participating in seminars for incarcerated women. [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. 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, 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. [9] In 2016, Winchester was arrested on charges stemming from an incident where he allegedly kidnapped Denise, the missing man's widow, who was now divorcing him;[10] he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the day before the FDLE announced that Williams's body had been found. She held her stepfather responsible for her fathers death and her mothers unhappy marriage. After one such re-airing in 2015, she expressed the hope that "one day instead of a question, there will be an answer".[7]. Join Facebook to connect with Denise Williams and others you may know. Denise Williams will remain in prison, after a judge resentenced her to 30 years for conspiring to murder her first husband. [4] Brian opposed it initially and had to be ordered to comply. 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. During the search period, daytime temperatures averaged around 55F (13C), with overnight lows below freezing. They found his 1994 Ford Bronco near a remote boat launch in Jackson County, on the Florida side. He and Denise had bought a home in a small upscale subdivision on the east side of the city. The head of a private search firm that supplemented official efforts near the end of the search offered a possible explanation. [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. Anslee Williams, Mike Williams only daughter, was accessible to the media and gave interviews about her fathers murder case. This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 02:55. "[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. On the other hand, Denise and Mike were constantly sniping at each other, and she had a million and one explanations for why this would occur.. Denise and Mike met and fell in love during their high school years at North Florida Christian School in Tallahassee. By then, officers had learned that alligators do not, in fact, eat during the winter months, as the water is too cold, and as such, it was suspected that foul play might have occurred. Mike Williams mother delivered a heartbreaking testimony. She testified in court, pleading for leniency for her mother, Denise, and insisting that her stepfather, Brian, and not Denise, was the mastermind behind her fathers murder in December 2000. [15], "The circumstances surrounding this case raise many serious and troubling questions," said DIF's lead attorney, Mark Schlein. Anslee is said to have a strained connection with her grandmother, Cheryl, and her family following her mothers conviction and punishment. [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. Mikes best friend and an insurance agent was Brian. She added that she is alone among her family in holding out hope that her son is still alive. The second-born child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, Denise is known for her eccentric clothing and free-spirited, rebellious nature, earning her a reputation as . 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. 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. [12], In February 2019, Denise was sentenced to life in prison. Denise Williams, 48, faced the second day of testimony Wednesday in her test for allegedly conspiring to kill her 31-year-old spouse, Mike Williams, who vanished in December 2000 on a duck hunting trip at Lake Seminole in Florida . [3], The initial search investigation was handled by the FFWCC. I was married to a wonderful woman, I was raising a child, and I was also seeing Denise in the meantime. Midway through the year, the couple bought a $1 million life insurance policy on him through Brian Winchester,[6] a childhood acquaintance of Merrell who had also become best friends with her husband. Cheryl Williams' emotional statement at Denise Williams' sentencing. After the trial, Williams-Winchester was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Copyright 2021 WCTV. Brian and Denise got married after the murder but eventually separated. Normally, under Florida law, the statute of limitations on that crime is five years, meaning it would have expired in 2005. Brian and Denises marriage was plagued with poison and physical assault, according to Anslee. Winchester shot and killed Mike Williams in December 2000, according to the indictment, and went on to marry Denise Williams after the murder. [11], The three-page indictment was released two days later. "[We're] at a brick wall pounding our heads against it," said Austin. 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. 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. Creator of Brooke's Butterfly Bash LLC . The assets given to Anslee Williams include four pieces of Tallahasseereal estate valued at about $877,000, including her home on Centennial Oaks Circle, purchased by her parents when she was a baby. [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. [4], After Denise Williams was arrested, the FDLE disclosed that they had received information on where the body was in early October 2017. Still, he decided to follow Williams-Winchester's new plan to get rid of Mike Williams by the lake. Denise Williams was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for her role in the murder of her husband and Cheryl Willliams' son, Mike Williams. (Featured Image Credit: Alicia Devine / Tallahassee Democrat via AP), #DeniseWilliams Judge formally sentences Williams to life in prison for the murder of her husband. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Her defense argued that the tape should not have been admitted as evidence since Winchester was not charged with anything despite his admission; the prosecution said it simply asked him to tell the truth about what happened. While she was talking on her phone to her sister, she saw someone climb over the back seat of her car. After Jackson County sheriff's investigator, Wester, asked the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to look for it, agents visited Denise and Brian Winchester, now married, in their house (the same one she had lived in with Michael), to interview them. 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. All Rights Reserved. [19], Cheryl Williams expressed hope that this development could lead to the resolution of her son's disappearance. She said later that he claimed this was necessary since she was not taking his calls and was blocking his text messages. All the subsequent investigations of the case have resulted from her efforts. [27], On the day Mike disappeared, Winchester said, he had enticed him to Lake Seminole. Danny Fujikawa Mother Melissa Linehan Is Getting Her Backyard Remodeled On TV, Yellowstones Lilli Kay Announces Relationship With Girlfriend Juli Kocemba With PDA on Instagram, Olivier Richters Girlfriend Desiree Stuijt Is Not Only His Lover But Also His Best Friend, Brittney Palmer Bio: Family, Husband & Net Worth, Molly Eskam Age, Net Worth & All Biography Updated Dec 2022, Morgan Ketzner Wiki, Bio, Age, Boyfriend, Fitness and More. 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. Photo of Williams circulated since his disappearance, Arrest and subsequent trial of Denise Williams, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, "First-degree conviction overturned 11/2020", "Court records: Fears over Mike Williams case drove 2016 kidnapping by Brian Winchester", "FDLE special agent: Mike Williams 'was murdered', "Portman: Mike Williams' disappearance continues to perplex", "Mother of missing man sends 240 letters to Scott and not a single reply", "Mystery on Lake Seminole: Mike Williams", "Man with ties to cold case in jail on unrelated charges", "Nice guy, hard worker, avid hunter, devoted dad", "Where is Mike Williams? [3], In June, an angler in the Stump Field area discovered a pair of waders floating in the lake, and divers called to search the area then recovered from the lake bottom a lightweight hunting jacket and a flashlight: in one of the jacket pockets, there was a hunting license with Williams's name and signature. Secretly recorded phone conversations in which Denise Williams was confronted about her first husband's . In 2004 the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agreed to reopen the case after lobbying by Cheryl Williams and a friend. Mikes assassination enabled the couple to pay in three life insurance policies totaling roughly $2 million. She was outraged. Family members of murder victim Jerry "Mike" Williams repeated a startling allegation against his widow Denise Williams on Wednesday. Four pieces of Tallahassee real estate are included in the assets, including her parents home on Centennial Oaks Circle. 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. [11], Denise's attorney declined to comment at that time, saying he had not had time to review the case. 5 years after that, they even happily welcomed their daughter into the world. Facebook gives people the power. [17], By then, she had become disillusioned with the FDLE, believing that it was either incompetent or uninterested in resolving the case. 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. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Denise Williams has been resentenced to 30 years in prison for a conspiracy conviction in her husbands death. She is said to have attended Florida State University and is well-liked by her classmates. Meanwhile, more information about her life is now unavailable. 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. Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian. "[16], The waders, discovered almost six months after Williams's disappearance, further undermined the alligator theory. He did not want the divorce and felt he had nothing to live for if it went through. In 1988, Mike and Denise graduated from high school alongside their classmates Brian Winchester and Kathy Aldridge, who would later become Brians wife. Mike and Denises daughter also spoke in court and asked for leniency for her mother, insisting it was Brian and not Denise who plotted the December 2000 fatal shooting. During the hearing Thursday, Denise Williams sister, daughter and friend testified asking for the minimum sentence of 21 months. [3] The hunting jacket and flashlight were likewise in much better condition than expected, with the latter even working when turned on. [31], In January 2020, Denise Williams appealed her conviction and life sentence. "Something sounds fishy on that deal," the representative said when the situation was described to him. According to a representative of the manufacturer, if the engine had been running when Williams allegedly fell out of the boat, as investigators had theorized, it should have stayed on, with the boat running in circles until its fuel was exhausted. [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. Anslees family has been ripped apart since her mother and stepfather were sentenced to life in prison for killing Mike in 2000. 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. She didnt want to be known as a divorcee or share custody of their daughter, so she got Brian to help her in getting rid of her husband for once and for all. She continued to do what she could to publicize the case, taking out ads in the Tallahassee Democrat. [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. [30] Denise is now imprisoned at the Florida Women's Reception Center. She was able to calm him down and took him back to where he had parked his own truck at a nearby park. Anslee, an optimistic teen who saw a bright future in pageantry, recently severed her links to public appearances. [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. The one-hour special broadcast implicates the true criminal, Mikes high school sweetheart, and shows us who she really is. [3], Without any of that evidence or Williams's body, it was impossible for police to make a case. A year later, after Brian testified to shooting Mike at Denises behest,she was found guilty of all charges. Williams was 5feet 10inches (1.78m) and 170 pounds (77kg). There is no manual to tell a mother what to do when her child goes missing. Throughout their time in high school, both of them participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. Testimony in the sentencing hearing ended around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. [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. [3], If Williams had drowned after accidentally falling out of his boat, his body would be the only one of 80 known deaths in the lake never to have been found. Denise met Mike back in North Florida Christian High School when they were both just teenagers. Denise Williams said her purpose is to serve incarcerated women and help them lead successful lives. Cadaver dogs were brought to the area and sniffed it out, but found nothing.