Denise Wiliams (left); the Williamses (center) and Brian Winchester AP; Russell Grace. 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? What is the current location of Anslee Williams? "[8], In 2012, Denise and Brian Winchester separated, reportedly due to his sex addiction; she filed for divorce in 2015. Listen to Brian Winchesters account of what happened the day that he killed Mike Williams. 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. Not knowing that just two years later, he'd be the one to crack. "[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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. She said: "I am a fighter, not a victim. A day after his sentence was announced, the law members found Mikes body. The following year his father died. Her efforts led to the Investigation Discovery cable channel doing a segment on Michael's disappearance and the later investigations in late 2011. 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. In a shocking twist of events, in 2018 (and on his daughter's 19th birthday), Mike Williams' wife, Denise Williams-Winchester, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact. "I get criticized a lot for not admitting that Mike's dead," she told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2007. After one such re-airing in 2015, she expressed the hope that "one day instead of a question, there will be an answer".[7]. She arranged for a memorial service for Mike to be held the day after the search ended. Brian and Denises marriage was plagued with poison and physical assault, according to Anslee. And fortunately, it looks like the tragedy surrounding her family isn't slowing her down. [4], Brian was arrested and charged with kidnapping, domestic assault, and armed burglary, with two of the charges being felonies. [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]. On Wednesday, she received a mandatory life sentence for the murder as well as an additional . [4] Brian opposed it initially and had to be ordered to comply. "These waders, we don't know where they came from," Austin said. Williams defense attorney, Phil Padavano, said the court considered her murder conviction in previously imposing the 30-year maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge. 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. "[Brian]'s not going to let Denise run around alone with all that money," she told the New York Daily News. If she violates terms of the agreement, the state could force her to turn over $150,000 in damages. [17], By then, she had become disillusioned with the FDLE, believing that it was either incompetent or uninterested in resolving the case. The case broke open in 2016 when Denise Williams' then husbandBrian Winchesterwas arrested for kidnapping her. Had it not been for an intuitive mom who suspected foul play after her son's disappearance in 2000, people would still be convinced that Mike Williams actually drowned and got eaten by alligators. She added that she is alone among her family in holding out hope that her son is still alive. [3] She followed the story through Denise's conviction, making a point of keeping the poster for the case on her cubicle wall. Cheryl Williams wrote letters daily to the governor, asking him to have the state reopen the investigation even though two later investigations were likewise unable to uncover any significant new information, alienating many of the law enforcement officials she had previously persuaded to reopen it. Testimony in the sentencing hearing ended around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. Join Facebook to connect with Denise Williams and others you may know. 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. 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. She now attends Florida State University and she also competes in pageants. Audio of Brian Winchester's interview with the FDLE was played in court. pic.twitter.com/90OBDmwlw2, Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) February 6, 2019. Mikes assassination enabled the couple to pay in three life insurance policies totaling roughly $2 million. In particular, she came to believe the investigation was hampered by the involvement of agent Mike Philips, a friend of both her son and his then-wife. It was sent to a state forensics laboratory for DNA testing: the results have not been reported. Williams was 5feet 10inches (1.78m) and 170 pounds (77kg). "I brought her daddy home for her and she's financially independent now. [17], Despite the failure of a third investigation to discern the fate of her son, Cheryl Williams persisted. "Michael would have wanted her to be taken care of for the rest of her life.". I will honor Mikes memory by fulfilling my purpose.. "There was nothing there that we had from the scene that suggested foul play at all." In it, Brian confessed to pulling the trigger but claims the killing was Denise's idea. 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.. 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. All Rights Reserved. Meanwhile, more information about her life is now unavailable. But because of Cheryl Williams' efforts to reopen the investigation, over 17 years later, the remains of Williams' body were found and authorities actually confirmed that he was murdered. Anslee has made up her mind to stay in her hometown and confront her familys awful fate. 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. If she's locked up forever, you can't say you're happy. 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. Brian, on the other hand, disobeyed the plan, and the two only managed to kill Mike. It would be very, very unusual to have the complete disappearance of a full-grown man. Her efforts had severely strained her relationship with her former daughter-in-law.[6]. "She was taken away from her family at the snap of a finger," Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees told Oxygen.com. 18h ago . The one-hour special broadcast implicates the true criminal, Mikes high school sweetheart, and shows us who she really is. '"[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. It turned out that the governor's office had forwarded them, unopened, to FDLE's headquarters, where they were placed in the case file. "I would say this is a suspicious missing person. As part of the deal, Anslee may not use any of the money on her mother's legal fees; if she did, she would owe the state a US$150,000 penalty. He found it convenient that the indictment came after Winchester had been imprisoned for several months. 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. But it did not produce any new evidence, as the potential crime scene had not been secured during the search for Williams. That allowed her to claim Mike's insurance policies worth $1.75 million. Mike went missing while on a duck hunting trip in Lake Seminole with his best friend Brian. Copyright 2021 WCTV. After he married Merrell in 1994, he would often go home for dinner and return to work after she (and later, his daughter as well) went to bed, and he sometimes went into work after going duck hunting in the morning. "[16], And even if an alligator had "defied all known gator behavior," and eaten Williams's body, as another investigator, Ronnie Austin, then with the state's attorney's office, put it, it would likely have left something behind. 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. The former Destiny's Child singer shared the news Sunday . His coworkers said he was as devoted to her as he was to his work. While she was talking on her phone to her sister, she saw someone climb over the back seat of her car. In August 2021, the seventh season premiere of the A&E Network series Cold Case Files featured the case. All of these assets belonged to her mother, who was being investigated by the insurance company for fraud. That's all I can do for Anslee is love her, and I do love her.". Williams-Winchester has been serving her time at the Florida Womens Reception Center, located in Ocala, Marion County, Fla. Anslees family has been ripped apart since her mother and stepfather were sentenced to life in prison for killing Mike in 2000. If she breaks the conditions of the agreement, the state could order her to pay $150,000 in damages. "If you will make Denise serve every minute of her 30 year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder then and only then will I believe justice has been done for my son," Brian's mother Cheryl Williams said in court during the re-sentencing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Creator of Brooke's Butterfly Bash LLC . After allof her assets were voluntarily given to Mike Williams' sole heir, the purpose of the charge was fulfilled. 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. 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. [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. Meanwhile, Winchester is serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping Williams-Winchester at gunpoint in 2016. Anslee is said to have a strained connection with her grandmother, Cheryl, and her family following her mothers conviction and punishment. Just days before Christmas, Michelle Williams is left mourning the loss of her father, Dennis Williams. Patrick Shiflett, a boyhood friend of the subject, remarked that everyone simply liked him because he was just a very honest guy.. Facebook gives people the power. 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. [6], She believed her son might still be alive. They remain estranged. But it can be extended by three years under certain circumstances. Rumors were circulating around Tallahassee that a grand jury had been hearing evidence and would soon hand down indictments. On November 13, 2020, True Crime Network featured the case in season 1, episode 11, of Meet, Marry, Murder.[35]. [11], Denise's attorney declined to comment at that time, saying he had not had time to review the case. Anslee Williams, the only daughter of the late Mike Williams, was open to media and gave interviews on her father's murder case. Just before Mother's Day in 1999, Denise gave birth to the couple's daughter. [15], "The circumstances surrounding this case raise many serious and troubling questions," said DIF's lead attorney, Mark Schlein. 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. "[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. At the age of 15, he began duck hunting as a hobby, and also came to know fellow student Denise Merrell. In 2005, she went ahead and married Brian. Cheryl Williams' emotional statement at Denise Williams' sentencing. Deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office were present but primarily worked in a support capacity. An FDLE source told the Tallahassee Democrat that 98% of his bones were recovered, all very well preserved, as was some of the clothing he had been wearing, such as winter gloves and booties.
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