Family of murdered North Port woman reacts to convicted killer's death warrant

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WINK) — The family of 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee, a North Port mother who was abducted and killed by convicted murderer Michael King in 2008, is reacting to a death warrant Gov. Ron DeSantis signed for King's execution on Friday.

King is scheduled to be executed on March 17.

Nearly 18 years after Denise’s murder, her family says justice feels long overdue.

"I think it'll bring comfort knowing that he's experiencing a full extent of the law," Noah Lee, Denise's son, said. "You know, he'll never experience truly what she did but at least we have a little bit of closure."

Noah was just 2 years old on Jan. 17, 2008, when King broke into the family’s North Port home, kidnapped Denise, sexually assaulted her, and killed her.

Now a young man, Noah told WINK News he has always known his mother was murdered. He said it wasn’t until middle school that he searched her name online and read the details for himself.

"The teenage years are always rough," Noah said. "It definitely made it harder finding out at that age."

He says that moment changed him — but he refuses to let it define his life.

"I didn't want him [King] to ruin her life and mine, so I really just tried to make it as positive as I could, and just think, 'What would she want?'" Noah said. "Because she wouldn't want me to be down on myself. She'd want me to stay positive and not let it consume me."

Noah said it wasn't easy growing up and reaching milestones without his mom, like graduating high school and playing football.

“I look out, I see my dad, I don’t see her," Noah said. "It’s always felt like a weight."

Denise’s mother, Sue Goff, said the pain of losing her daughter has never fully gone away.

“He has to be some kind of monster to be able to take a mother from her two kids,” Goff said.

During her abduction, Denise managed to get ahold of King’s phone to call 911. Jane Kowalski, a motorist, also called 911 and reported seeing a woman screaming for help in the backseat of King’s Camaro.

The family has long pointed to delays and miscommunication between dispatch centers that night. Denise’s body was later found in a shallow grave in a wooded area in North Port.

“It was the worst days of my life,” Goff said. “I think if it wasn’t for Noah and Adam, I might have just fallen apart.”

Sue said she sees Denise in her grandsons, especially Noah.

“I saw a lot of her mannerisms in Noah,” she said.

Noah said he tries to live in a way that reflects who his mother was.

“She was so selfless and kind and, you know, obviously, I try to emulate that as best as I can, because when people see me, they see her as well,” he said.

The family said they plan to be present when King is executed. 

They say nothing will bring Denise back, but they believe justice is finally moving forward.

WINK News will keep you updated as we learn more.