STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of abducting, raping and murdering a young mother is set to be executed Tuesday.
Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. King was sentenced to death in 2009 after being convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery and kidnapping.
According to court records, 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee was outside her North Port home with her two sons — a toddler and an infant — in January 2008 when King drove by and spotted her. King abducted Lee, leaving her children alone in the house.
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 King’s cellphone and call 911. She can be heard on a recording of the call begging for her life so that she can see her husband and children again.
King eventually drove Lee to a remote area of North Port, 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 of another 911 call. A woman had heard screams coming from the vehicle while stopped at a traffic light and called police to report a possible child abduction.
