STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man was executed Tuesday evening for killing a young mother who frantically called 911 from her attacker's cellphone while tied up in his car.
Michael Lee King, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He had been convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery and kidnapping in the 2008 killing of Denise Amber Lee, 21.
The curtain to the death chamber went up at 6 p.m., the scheduled execution time, and King gave a nearly inaudible statement, its text relayed by Gov. Ron DeSantis office.
“Since finding Jesus in prison, I have tried to live as His disciple obeying the Two Great Commandments: To love God with all my heart, my mind and all my being, and to love my neighbor to include everyone — my family, Denise Lee’s family, everyone in the gallery," as well as Catholic volunteers who visit the prison and "those on the team to end my life,” he said.
King did not apologize or seek forgiveness. Meanwhile, a clergy member was at the foot of the gurney beside him.
As the drugs started flowing, King began breathing heavily, his body twitching. All movement ceased minutes later, and the warden shook King and yelled his name, but he did not respond. A medic subsequently pronounced him dead.
Court records show the victim was outside her North Port home on Jan. 17, 2008, with her two sons — a toddler and an infant — when King drove by, spotted her, and later abducted her while leaving the children home alone.
King took Lee to his home where he bound and raped her, investigators said. Later that day, King drove to his cousin's house to borrow a flashlight, shovel and gas can, according to prosecutors. While Lee was bound in King's car, she managed to get his cellphone and called 911. She can be heard on a recording of the call begging for her life so that she could see her husband and children again.
King eventually drove Lee to a remote area of North Port, a southwest Florida community, where he shot her in the face and buried her, authorities said. A state trooper pulled King over a short time later because his 1994 green Chevrolet Camaro matched the description give by another 911 caller. A woman had heard screams coming from the vehicle while stopped at a traffic light and had called police to report a possible child abduction.
Investigators later recovered Lee's hair and belongings from King's home and vehicle, authorities said.
Months later, the Florida Legislature unanimously passed the Denise Amber Lee Act, which provides better training for 911 operators. The Denise Amber Lee Foundation, created by her husband Nathan Lee, continues to promote training and raise public awareness nationwide.
The foundation said that besides Lee's 911 call, at least four other 911 calls were made by others that day, including from her husband and people who saw parts of the crime unfolding — but that communication failures and other issues prevented help from being sent.
Nathan Lee, as well as the victim's father and one of Lee's two sons were among relatives who witnessed the execution. All wore shirts in pink, her favorite color.
Afterward, the husband said he was relieved to close out this chapter and continue to focus on improvements to the nation’s 911 system.
”I’m just super blessed that I got to know Denise, let alone marry her and have two amazing kids with her,” he said.
Richard Goff, the woman's father, pointed out that King didn't even apologize.
”If you can’t say something from your heart, don’t say it,” Goff said. He added his daughter was a hero after purposely hiding hair and other DNA in King’s car and making sure to leave fingerprints for investigators to find.
Noah Lee was 2 years old when his mother was killed and said he still feels her loss.
“I unfortunately didn’t get the opportunity to know her and be raised by her,” the young man said.
King's execution was the fourth this year in Florida and the seventh overall in the U.S. in 2026, including two executions in Texas and one in Oklahoma. Two more Florida executions are scheduled this year on March 31 and April 21.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, including a record 19 executions last year in Florida.
All Florida executions are carried out by injecting a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected King’s final appeals without comment Monday.