Justice for Denise~Coverage of the verdict

Posted by Tammy on Aug 29, 2009 in Crimes Against Women, Denise Amber Lee, News, SW Florida news | 1 comment

I’ll get to my feelings in this, really I will. My head isn’t quite there yet. For now, here’s some of the coverage from the local media.

Wink News had one of the best videos as far as coverage….but they do have part of the 911 call on it, and I don’t want to post any of that. So, here’s the article instead.

Justice for Denise: Michael King found guilty on all counts

By Maggie Crane, WINK News
Story Created: Aug 28, 2009 at 10:58 PM EDT
Story Updated: Aug 28, 2009 at 11:53 PM EDT

Justice for Denise Lee: After just two hours of deliberations, a jury finds Michael King guilty of kidnapping, raping and killing the 21-year-old North Port mother of two.

Now, Michael King is back in a jail cell, where he’ll spend the rest of his natural life if he’s not put to death first. That’s a decision jurors will have to make Tuesday. First they’ll hear from Denise Lee’s family, who wants to make a case for King to die.

As the verdict comes down, a gamut of emotions sweeps through Denise Lee’s family. They’ve waited more than a year and a half for justice.

All week they relived the night Denise was kidnapped from her own home, raped and killed — her body dumped in a hole. Denise’s husband, Nathan, says they didn’t go through it alone.

“Right before the verdict was heard I just told her that I hoped she was holding my hand and that she was there,” Lee says. “I just miss her so much.”

Her killer, Michael King, sat stoic as he learned he would never again see life beyond a prison.

“I think he’s getting off easy,” Lee says. “I think he deserves a lot worse than he’s going to get.”

Denise Lee’s father Rick Goff tells WINK News: “It’s a good thing I didn’t get a hold of him.”

But the justice system did. And perhaps the most damning piece of evidence came from the victim herself. Denise confiscated her captor’s cell phone, called 911and pleaded for her life. Jurors heard that tape as evidence. Her family says it was as if Denise was a witness, talking to the jury and proving that she is indeed the daughter of a detective.

“She’s our hero, our angel,” Goff, a detective with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office says. “She did way beyond what I think I could have done in that situation.”

“She was the reason — the key. She did everything from the beginning to protect the boys, to leave behind clues and to make sure not only to get him caught, but to know he would never be able to do that again to anybody else,” Lee says.

Detectives believe Denise pulled out her own hair and took off her ring to leave more evidence that she had been inside King’s car. A mountain of evidence, including DNA, made for an uphill battle for the defense. Never did King’s attorneys dispute that King kidnapped and raped Denise, but they did try to get the murder charge thrown out because the gun used to shoot Denise was never discovered.

Still, the jury came back with a unanimous guilty verdict — the beginning of healing for Denise Lee’s family.

“I’m just glad our family can start getting through this, and you know, just focusing on raising the boys and making them into people Denise would be proud of,” Lee says.

For the first time since her daughter’s death, we see a smile of relief and hear from Denise’s mom.

“I just feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders,” Susan Goff says. “Justice was served.”

Almost — according to Denise’s dad. His family wants jurors to recommend Michael King be put to death.

“The next step we’re going to go up there and watch him get the needle put in his arm — sending him to the place where he belongs — totally opposite from the place Denise is at,” Rick Goff says. “That’s where we want him, and we can’t send him there fast enough.”

Lee says: “She was in that jury room sitting next to us, and she just picked us up and carried us through this whole thing.”

Defense attorneys made multiple motions throughout the trial to make their record for appeal. Experts following the case tell WINK News that there is just so much evidence against King that they believe an appeal is unlikely.