Speaker 1: Hey there, everybody. Welcome to Amy and TJ Presents the
Speaker 1: Michael King Execution. We are talking about Florida's fourth execution
Speaker 1: this year, but it's more about the crime that led
Speaker 1: to the execution that has everyone talking, that has changed
Speaker 1: laws and certainly saved lives. And with that, everyone, welcome
Speaker 1: to this episode of Amy and TJ Presents. I'm Amy
Speaker 1: Roeboch alongside TJ Holmes. Michael King pronounced dead at six
Speaker 1: thirteen pm Eastern Time this past Tuesday. That was March seventeenth,
Speaker 1: and the execution chamber was full.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is It's always fascinating to see who does
Speaker 2: show up for these things. So oftentimes I do take
Speaker 2: not years, not just a couple of decades sometime, but
Speaker 2: in some cases several, three or four decades. A lot
Speaker 2: of family, friends, colleagues are gone. So it's it is,
Speaker 2: it's I don't know. There's something very heartening and it
Speaker 2: sounds about an execution. It's sweet that family members wanted
Speaker 2: to see it through after sometimes decades. So yeah, this
Speaker 2: said a lot about who the person was.
Speaker 1: Yes, and in this case the victim, we should mention
Speaker 1: twenty one year old Denise amber Lee. She was already
Speaker 1: the mom of two, She had a two year old,
Speaker 1: she had a six month old. We'll get into the
Speaker 1: crime and why that crime made national headlines, but it
Speaker 1: was and I say, just eighteen years ago that this
Speaker 1: crime happened. And I say that because when we often
Speaker 1: talk about executions and inmates on death row finally getting
Speaker 1: that execution date, sometimes we're talking three decades, even four decades.
Speaker 1: So this is actually a relatively quick from prosecution and
Speaker 1: sentencing to actual execution. Just seventeen years actually.
Speaker 2: Shortest one we've covered in the past two years without
Speaker 2: not even close. This eighteen years is lightning fast compared
Speaker 2: to the ones we've covered.
Speaker 1: Yes, and so this might also speak to the reason
Speaker 1: why so many people were able to be in that
Speaker 1: execution chamber. We mentioned Denise Amberley was the victim. Her father,
Speaker 1: her mother, her siblings, her husband, and her oldest child
Speaker 1: I mentioned he was two at the time, so he
Speaker 1: was twenty at the time of the execution. Were all
Speaker 1: there to see Michael King executed. And look, we talk
Speaker 1: a lot about every execution is different, and it's interesting
Speaker 1: the last several we've covered, Babe, the inmates have had
Speaker 1: not just a few final words but actually fairly significant
Speaker 1: final words. And this is not necessarily the norm.
Speaker 2: Now, oh no, it's we call them a morbid fascination.
Speaker 2: But final meal and final words were always interested to hear,
Speaker 2: and I swear all last year and we covered a
Speaker 2: lot robes. There was some that said, no, I've got
Speaker 2: nothing to say. I have that said one quick little
Speaker 2: word or two. But man, when it seems real, when
Speaker 2: they have something to say, they say.
Speaker 1: A lot exactly.
Speaker 3: It's either this, it's his feast or family.
Speaker 1: Yes, and a lot of times, and at least it's
Speaker 1: been wonderful to report those moments. We've had a few
Speaker 1: recently where the inmates have offered an apology, have given
Speaker 1: some sort of closure or peace to the family. So
Speaker 1: in this case, Michael King did have quite a bit
Speaker 1: to say, but he did not offer an apology, and
Speaker 1: according to Denise's family, he's never even acknowledged that he
Speaker 1: committed this crime. But I'm going to read for you
Speaker 1: his final words and let you take what you will
Speaker 1: from them. Since finding Jesus in prison, I have tried
Speaker 1: to live as his disciple, obeying the two great commandments
Speaker 1: to love God with all my heart, my mind, and
Speaker 1: all my being, and to love my neighbor, to include everyone,
Speaker 1: my family, Denise Lee's family, everyone in the gallery, as
Speaker 1: well as the Catholic volunteers who visit the prison and
Speaker 1: those on the team to end my life. What do
Speaker 1: you make of that?
Speaker 2: No, there are it matters. I take them at their word.
Speaker 2: We have heard families say that hearing words at the
Speaker 2: end of asking for forgiveness or taking responsibility have made
Speaker 2: a difference in how they can go about the rest
Speaker 2: of their lives.
Speaker 1: But he chose not to, even saying he's a disciple
Speaker 1: of Christ and talked about how he found God, he
Speaker 1: didn't offer that apology.
Speaker 2: I don't know what it meant to him at the
Speaker 2: end where his head was at the end of his life.
Speaker 2: What he was thinking at the end of his life,
Speaker 2: I do not know.
Speaker 3: But he didn't offer that.
Speaker 2: Does that and I would say, yes, it does mean
Speaker 2: something to the family because previous families have said so.
Speaker 1: I agree, and I you know, we can only imagine, thankfully,
Speaker 1: we can only imagine what it would be like. And
Speaker 1: even though obviously nothing brings back your loved one, nothing
Speaker 1: undoes the harm or the hurt. But there is a
Speaker 1: sense of peace if you feel like at least someone
Speaker 1: has atoned for their sins, acknowledged their sins, apologized for
Speaker 1: their sins. Denise's family didn't get that, and interestingly, we
Speaker 1: have some reactions. Some of the local press who was
Speaker 1: there interviewed some of the family members. The first the
Speaker 1: first response from one of the family members, no remorse,
Speaker 1: didn't apologize, didn't ask for forgiveness, and just really showed
Speaker 1: the true coward that he is.
Speaker 3: The why right isn't that always the thing?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 3: Why? Why? Why? Why?
Speaker 2: And they didn't and we'll never get some answers that
Speaker 2: I don't know. It's been the eighteen years, been almost
Speaker 2: twenty years, but it does. I can't remember the one
Speaker 2: from was it this year? It was this year, I
Speaker 2: can't remember what. But the family said it meant everything.
Speaker 1: It was just last week.
Speaker 2: It meant everything to them to hear him say I'm sorry,
Speaker 2: can you forgive me? Right before he died. It meant everything, man.
Speaker 2: And so to go in there, I don't know, ropes,
Speaker 2: they were already in the place. It almost feels like
Speaker 2: it stings even more to go in there for that
Speaker 2: and still not get it right.
Speaker 1: That's what expectations, I'm sure they were lowered and look
Speaker 1: her now. Twenty year old son, who was two at
Speaker 1: the time of his mom's death, said, I unfortunately didn't
Speaker 1: get the opportunity to know her and be raised by her,
Speaker 1: because I know he picked a great mom. And I
Speaker 1: think when he says he he's referring to God and
Speaker 1: Michael had other plans. Now her husband, Nathan, and we
Speaker 1: will get into his devotion to his wife. I mean
Speaker 1: they were young when they fell in love, young when
Speaker 1: they got married, and young when they had two kids.
Speaker 1: And he is still literally devoted every day of his
Speaker 1: life to honoring her and making sure as best he can.
Speaker 1: This doesn't happen to anyone else. But I love what
Speaker 1: he had to say. He said, finally it's over, this
Speaker 1: chapter is closed. I'm just super blessed that I got
Speaker 1: to know Denise, let alone marry her and have two
Speaker 1: amazing kids with her. I'm glad this day is done
Speaker 1: and now we can focus on what we've been focusing
Speaker 1: on for the last eighteen years, and that's moving forward
Speaker 1: and trying to bring positive change to nine one one
Speaker 1: and other things. I just I thought that was beautiful
Speaker 1: and it shows you know, for look, I am I
Speaker 1: think I've said this before. I am personally against the
Speaker 1: death penalty. That's just my own personal belief. But I
Speaker 1: understand that I don't know what it's like to be
Speaker 1: in this man's shoes and to hear him describe the relief.
Speaker 1: I understand that.
Speaker 2: Well, you say relief at least it being over. I
Speaker 2: don't know how they felt along the way or a
Speaker 2: trial that they really really wanted the death penalty.
Speaker 3: But rogue.
Speaker 2: It's always there's a penalty that has been put in
Speaker 2: place and you've been waiting eighteen years for it to
Speaker 2: be actually implement it. I mean, that's it's almost a
Speaker 2: magic Can you imagine if somebody been sentenced to life
Speaker 2: in prison but their sentence didn't start for ten years,
Speaker 2: it didn't feel right. That's no one that we're talking about.
Speaker 2: This doesn't feel right. So if this is the punishment,
Speaker 2: let's get this over with and done. The number of
Speaker 2: appeals and court hearings and parole hearings and all this
Speaker 2: stuff they've had to show up to to keep an
Speaker 2: eye on, to get a phone call from the prosecutor's
Speaker 2: office saying, hey, just letting you know this is going on,
Speaker 2: and this is the next step where he's filed this appeal.
Speaker 3: It's exhausting.
Speaker 1: You make a good point. If someone is just actually
Speaker 1: sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole done,
Speaker 1: it's done. There's nothing more. There might be an appeal one,
Speaker 1: maybe two, you're not going to be going through the
Speaker 1: lengthy judicial process you have to go through to actually
Speaker 1: follow up and have an execution take place. Thus, the
Speaker 1: thirty forty years sometimes it takes to actually see that
Speaker 1: sentence be carried out. Look, and also just speaking to
Speaker 1: all of this, isn't it interesting what her father had
Speaker 1: to say. He's going to burn in hell as he should.
Speaker 1: You know, you just the anger is still there and
Speaker 1: we haven't even gotten into Some of you may already
Speaker 1: know this crime, but we're going to get into what
Speaker 1: this crime was, what Michael King was convicted of, and
Speaker 1: the remarkable, incredible silver lining that came from the death
Speaker 1: of this young mother. When we come back and welcome
Speaker 1: back everyone to Amy and TJ presents the Michael King execution.
Speaker 1: It's interesting we talked about I guess we led with
Speaker 1: the latest, but the greatest part of this story is
Speaker 1: how it all began. The latest was that Michael King
Speaker 1: was executed. Yes, on Tuesday, March seventeenth at six thirteen pm.
Speaker 1: We told you the family's reaction of Denise Lee, but
Speaker 1: we didn't tell you about Denise Lee and what happened
Speaker 1: to her eighteen years ago on the afternoon of January seventeenth,
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight.
Speaker 2: La, he's a damn hero, like she's a she's actually
Speaker 2: and you told me you're going to get into it,
Speaker 2: but just tell me because I would remember her who
Speaker 2: was a member law.
Speaker 1: Her father was a member of the Sheriff's departy.
Speaker 2: That sounds right, Todd his daughter, Well, ain't that crazy?
Speaker 1: This actually makes you emotional.
Speaker 3: I can say he taught his daughter.
Speaker 1: He talked about the conviction of his daughter's killer, and
Speaker 1: he said, my daughter knew forensics. She knew if she
Speaker 1: was going to die or if anything was going to
Speaker 1: happen to her, she was going to bread crumb for
Speaker 1: my investigators to find her killer. And he said she
Speaker 1: left her hair and took her ring off and left
Speaker 1: it like hid it in his vehicle, so that when
Speaker 1: they finally found his vehicle, they were able to get
Speaker 1: that direct forensic evidence that you almost never have, at
Speaker 1: least in the recent court cases we've seen to have
Speaker 1: that direct evidence that she was in that vehicle, no
Speaker 1: question about it. And part of that came out in trial.
Speaker 1: He said, I'm proud of my daughter. I taught her. Well,
Speaker 1: she was twenty one. That's crazy, twenty one years old.
Speaker 1: And yes, it was a beautiful afternoon in Florida, in
Speaker 1: just a gorgeous time of day. She had her sons again,
Speaker 1: two years old and six months old. She was cutting
Speaker 1: their hair on the porch. You know, she didn't want
Speaker 1: to probably get hair in the house, so she had
Speaker 1: him out on the front porch right when Michael King
Speaker 1: was canvassing the neighborhood looking for a victim, and he
Speaker 1: got her at gunpoint, put the kids inside, locked the door,
Speaker 1: took her at gunpoint into his car, tied her up,
Speaker 1: raped her, and was driving her around. He was actually
Speaker 1: driving to go find a shovel at a friend's house
Speaker 1: to actually basically kill her and get rid of her body.
Speaker 1: When she was able while she was tied up to
Speaker 1: get his phone, and she called.
Speaker 3: Nine one one. No, this story is impressed, No, please quiet.
Speaker 1: She was on the phone with nine one one for
Speaker 1: six minutes, and what she told the nine one one
Speaker 1: operator was just so compelling, so it's so hard to
Speaker 1: understand how she wasn't found. She said, please, my name
Speaker 1: is Denise, I'm married to a beautiful husband, and I
Speaker 1: just want to see my kids again. I just want
Speaker 1: to see my family. Then you can hear Michael King
Speaker 1: back in the car. She was able to keep the
Speaker 1: phone on and connected, and you can hear her say
Speaker 1: please let me go. She starts screaming, God help me,
Speaker 1: and then the dispatcher just kept saying hello thirteen times. Somehow,
Speaker 1: for some reason, this dispatcher did not put in the information,
Speaker 1: did not get policed her because while this nine one
Speaker 1: call was happening, her husband had come home found his
Speaker 1: kids in the house. He called nine one one, so
Speaker 1: the search was already on. And then nine one one
Speaker 1: gets more phone calls from more drivers who see her.
Speaker 2: You get this is tough, Robes the phone call she
Speaker 2: made to think that she had enough time. The line
Speaker 2: was open that long. And I'm sorry if you don't
Speaker 2: know this, but from the moment like, what's the gap
Speaker 2: in time of first nine to one one call to
Speaker 2: potential her demise Robes, there's a long stretch of time
Speaker 2: that transpired.
Speaker 1: Yes, so her husband got home within an hour of
Speaker 1: her being abducted. She called within four hours of being
Speaker 1: abducted did and then two drivers who saw her heard
Speaker 1: her screaming and saw her hands like pounding on the
Speaker 1: backseat of the car, calling im on. One of them
Speaker 1: was on the phone with operators for nine minutes, telling
Speaker 1: them where they were, a description of the car, what
Speaker 1: they were saying. It is mind boggling that none of
Speaker 1: these nine one operators who took these independent calls collaborated
Speaker 1: with one another or put it into a system that
Speaker 1: made it all connected that could have put officers all
Speaker 1: in the same location. So there actually was reform that
Speaker 1: took place after this, because, by the way, police didn't
Speaker 1: find her body until two days later. She was shot
Speaker 1: in the face.
Speaker 2: To Robes, yes that it's too bad that she that
Speaker 2: this had that this happened at all, But my goodness,
Speaker 2: what a legacy she has left in the horror of
Speaker 2: her death, had the fortitude to, yes, leave clues behind
Speaker 2: if you will. But also Robes, her death is not in.
Speaker 1: Vain No, because her family sued the county. They were
Speaker 1: awarded one point two million dollars and you know what
Speaker 1: they did With that money, they founded the Denise amber
Speaker 1: Lee Foundation to improve nine to one one training and accountability,
Speaker 1: not just there in their county, in their state, but nationwide.
Speaker 1: And by the way, they did that privately for this
Speaker 1: foundation that Nathan, her husband, still runs to this day.
Speaker 1: But also lawmakers passed the Denise amber Lee Act. It
Speaker 1: was signed just a few months after her murder into
Speaker 1: law that requires nine one one operators to have two
Speaker 1: hundred hours of training. That's incredible, that's impressive.
Speaker 2: You know, and it's cool to hear. It's one of
Speaker 2: those things we kind of take for granted, right you
Speaker 2: call nine to one, you expect people to show up,
Speaker 2: You expect people to know what they're doing. And we
Speaker 2: have covered a lot of trials at of late to
Speaker 2: where we hear nine to one one calls and we
Speaker 2: have commented that's really impressive the job many of them
Speaker 2: do when the person on the other line is screaming, yelling, panicked,
Speaker 2: in otherwise having the worst day of their lives. So
Speaker 2: I guess Roves, I just I have. I've always taken
Speaker 2: it for granted, and apparently there were shortcomings in some places,
Speaker 2: and this woman's death, she contributed to a change I mean,
Speaker 2: that's a hell of a legacy. And the law was
Speaker 2: named after her saying yes, yes.
Speaker 1: The Denise Amberlee Act. And her father even said that
Speaker 1: they've received phone calls. This is actually talk about making
Speaker 1: you feel emotional that they have received phone calls from
Speaker 1: families all around the country who have said thank you,
Speaker 1: because if you hadn't had this act in place, my
Speaker 1: daughter wouldn't have survived. Like they actually have specific instances
Speaker 1: where they can point to the training that these operators
Speaker 1: received that they wouldn't have done otherwise had they not
Speaker 1: had this act in place, They had not had this
Speaker 1: foundation in place to improve how nationwide nine one one
Speaker 1: operators do their jobs. And thankfully, you know what, I've realized,
Speaker 1: I've never had to call nine one one. That's that's
Speaker 1: a I was just thinking, like, what an incredible blessing
Speaker 1: that is I've had. We've all had different things happen
Speaker 1: in our lives, but I have never had to call
Speaker 1: nine one one in my life.
Speaker 2: Have you? I don't think it was a single time.
Speaker 2: I don't think I have, and that I talked to
Speaker 2: a nine one one operator, No, I don't think so.
Speaker 1: But it is incredible to know that there's someone there
Speaker 1: on the other end who has been trained specifically because
Speaker 1: of what happened in this case eighteen years ago, and
Speaker 1: so I know her family may not have gotten the
Speaker 1: apology they wanted or the accountability they wanted, but there
Speaker 1: is a sense of justice and peace and finality, and
Speaker 1: certainly the legacy of Denise Lee lives on. And with that, everyone,
Speaker 1: thank you for listening to us. We always appreciate you.
Speaker 1: Here on Amy and TJ Presents, I'm Amy Robock alongside TJ. Holmes.
Speaker 1: We'll talk to you